on the road

Here's a brief review of my trip over the past week:

• I'm lucky to know great people

Part I of the trip: Roads lead further east.

• Dinner at Peter Christian's Tavern in New London, NH, with Courtney and her mom Lynn and sister Stephanie.  New London (home of Colby-Sawyer College) is beautiful.  They convince me I need to add Boston to my list of places to see while I'm in the neighborhood.
• Camping at Thousand Acres Family Campground near Franklin, NH.  At $29 bucks to pitch a tent in the warm glow of the Pepsi machine light, I can't recommend them.  They had amazingly clean bathrooms, but it woulda cost me some extra quarters to take a shower.  WTF.
• Breakfast at the Downtown Deli in Laconia, NH.  This is a cute town.  As I was telling my sister earlier today, NH and ME definitely feel more commercialized than VT has so far.  Laconia still feels smallish, it definitely has more of a "parking lot sprawl" feel to it.
• A slow drive up the coast, with a fun stop in Old Orchard Beach to dip my toes in the ocean.  The nice counter staff at Perfectos recommended stopping there to look around on my way to Portland.  They also recommended the pumpkin raisin muffin, which was tasty.

Part II of the trip.  An amazing stop in Portland, staying at my friend Megan's place.  Highlights include

• Megan and Pat's little boy Felix.  He's adorable.  And, also, it's fun to watch really great parents interact with their kids.
• Dinner at Gritty's in downtown Portland, and a nice walk around their business district.  They've got it going on, like Donkey Kong.
• A return trip to Old Orchard Beach, since this is Megan's old haunt; turns out, the day before, I'd parked across the street from her dad's bar, The Whaler.  We ate pier fries, hung out on the beach, and had a crab roll at Huot's.
• A hike along Portland's Forest City Trail, and some looking around at Bug Light Park in South Portland.  Boats! Light house! Canals!  Man, I'm not used to being around water.
• Pizza from Otto Pizza.  Muthafuckin' mashed potatoes on a pizza! With bacon! And scallions!

Part III of the trip: the road home

• At Megan's suggestion, I hiked Pleasant Mountain rather than searching out a trail in my rail-trails book.  This was a beautiful hike, with few people on the trail.  I hate ticks; luckily, neither latched on.  At 2006 feet, it's one of the highest peaks in southern Maine.
• Another of Megan's suggestions was a trip across the White Mountains on the Kancamagus Highway.  This stretch of road makes me want to sign up for a return trip next summer, just to explore this area.  Lots of trails, incredible views, a rocky river.  Not too many people; most trailheads had only one or two parked cars.  Here's where I want to stay next time I'm there: Redeke Cabin.
• Dinner at Brown's Market Bistro in Groton, VT.   As the only cafe-ish place on the main road through town, I didn't expect fancy dining--just a place to get a panini or some such.  But there were tablecloths and candles on the tables; I skipped the $28 lobster and went for grilled veggies on polenta.  A few minutes after ordering, the chef brought out a small appetizer plate of bruschetta with grape tomatoes, mozzarella, balsamic, and basil, and apologized that the order would take a few minutes.  It was worth the wait.  I'm hoping to ride a rail-trail in the state park near Groton, so maybe I"ll have a chance to try the cheesecake that was on the menu.

I don't know what more to say.  The trip was spectacular.  Great scenery, really great people, and a new sense for what New England is about.