The Obligatory
"Play safe. Ski only in clockwise direction. Let's all have fun together."
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Newe Englande Adventuree 2006
So I got to go back home to the tiny, isolated corner of our country known as New England last week. I had a wedding to hit up, but was otherwise free to romp and frolic in the Season of Autumn ... which, while in New England, is just about as damn near close to absolute perfection as you can get.
Weather reports were a bit mixed, but even though it was unusually balmy when I got off the plane, by the afternoon the clouds had cleared enough for me to commence frolicking ... and so I drove my Mom and sister through winding country roads to Rogers Orchards. My target? Fresh, hot apple cider and a half-dozen cider donuts.
People out here don't know what cider donuts are. I'm not sure if they're a regional thing or if it's just another one of the many deficiencies people from Southern California have, but I sure wish I could snag some 'round here. The cider donut is a sinfully delicious old-fashioned concoction, made with the hint of cider, cinnamon, and a liberal dosage of sugar. They are amazing.
The next day, I had a date with the parents to try out 'bike-riding.' A little background: when my mom came out to California to visit me a few months prior, I took her on a moderate 6 mile hike to Sandstone Peak. She got blisters about seven steps into the trail, and took the time to remind me about it for the entire six miles. A positive side-effect was that she was inspired to get in better outdoor-shape and took up biking. My dad and her usually do long rail-converted trails on the weekends, with ungodly sounding distances in the 30+ mile range. Combine that with the fact that I hadn't ridden a bike in probably 10 years, and this was a recipe for outdoorsy revenge-related disaster.
Luckily, what they say about never forgetting how to ride a bike is true. And, of course, the scenery being nice helped out a bit, too.
The trail was paved for most of the way, and paralleled the former Farmington River Canal on an old rail line. While the trail was, for the most part, surrounded by central Connecticut small town / suburbia, it eventually got off the pavement and onto the dirt to follow a bit closer to the river.
As my first foray into semi-mountain-biking, I'd have to say I wasn't totally enamored with it, but I didn't dislike it, either. I probably would have enjoyed it more were I not a). on a bike that wasn't mine or b). in a mood for hiking instead. When I'm hiking, I have time to get lost in the landscape and search for good pictures while I'm moving. Biking, I was in near-panic mode making sure I was avoiding the trail's larger rocks and boulders. That said, it is pretty fun to drive through mud puddles.
Eventually, the trail found its way back to pavement, and we crossed an old railroad bridge into the mill-town of Collinsville. We parked our bikes near a small cafe and sat down for a well-deserved lunch ... which included copious amounts of sweet potato and pumpkin chowder.
Man, I love New England.
The rest of my short days there were spent hanging out with the family, visiting my goddaughter in Massachusetts, hitting up the Yankee Candle Factory, and drinking absurd amounts of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and Smuttynose beer. Side note to New Englanders - the Smuttynose Winter Ale just might be better than Harpoon Winter Warmer. I never thought I'd say that. World turned upside down!
And of course, it wouldn't be a Casey Schreiner trip without a hike. Sunday morning, I set my alarm early to sneak one in before my flight back to L.A. By then, Fall Weather had completely moved in, and it was only about 40 degrees outside. Not having a whole lot of warm clothes, I decided to wait a bit longer and to cut the distance of my hike. The family came along to Ragged Mountain, and it was beautiful. Crisp weather, clear(ish) skies, and near-peak foliage views stretching all across the Connecticut River valley.
A perfect and stunning way to end my fall trip ...
(that's my lil' sis, giving my mom a heart-attack, no doubt)
More pics on Flickr, natch.
Weather reports were a bit mixed, but even though it was unusually balmy when I got off the plane, by the afternoon the clouds had cleared enough for me to commence frolicking ... and so I drove my Mom and sister through winding country roads to Rogers Orchards. My target? Fresh, hot apple cider and a half-dozen cider donuts.
People out here don't know what cider donuts are. I'm not sure if they're a regional thing or if it's just another one of the many deficiencies people from Southern California have, but I sure wish I could snag some 'round here. The cider donut is a sinfully delicious old-fashioned concoction, made with the hint of cider, cinnamon, and a liberal dosage of sugar. They are amazing.
The next day, I had a date with the parents to try out 'bike-riding.' A little background: when my mom came out to California to visit me a few months prior, I took her on a moderate 6 mile hike to Sandstone Peak. She got blisters about seven steps into the trail, and took the time to remind me about it for the entire six miles. A positive side-effect was that she was inspired to get in better outdoor-shape and took up biking. My dad and her usually do long rail-converted trails on the weekends, with ungodly sounding distances in the 30+ mile range. Combine that with the fact that I hadn't ridden a bike in probably 10 years, and this was a recipe for outdoorsy revenge-related disaster.
Luckily, what they say about never forgetting how to ride a bike is true. And, of course, the scenery being nice helped out a bit, too.
The trail was paved for most of the way, and paralleled the former Farmington River Canal on an old rail line. While the trail was, for the most part, surrounded by central Connecticut small town / suburbia, it eventually got off the pavement and onto the dirt to follow a bit closer to the river.
As my first foray into semi-mountain-biking, I'd have to say I wasn't totally enamored with it, but I didn't dislike it, either. I probably would have enjoyed it more were I not a). on a bike that wasn't mine or b). in a mood for hiking instead. When I'm hiking, I have time to get lost in the landscape and search for good pictures while I'm moving. Biking, I was in near-panic mode making sure I was avoiding the trail's larger rocks and boulders. That said, it is pretty fun to drive through mud puddles.
Eventually, the trail found its way back to pavement, and we crossed an old railroad bridge into the mill-town of Collinsville. We parked our bikes near a small cafe and sat down for a well-deserved lunch ... which included copious amounts of sweet potato and pumpkin chowder.
Man, I love New England.
The rest of my short days there were spent hanging out with the family, visiting my goddaughter in Massachusetts, hitting up the Yankee Candle Factory, and drinking absurd amounts of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and Smuttynose beer. Side note to New Englanders - the Smuttynose Winter Ale just might be better than Harpoon Winter Warmer. I never thought I'd say that. World turned upside down!
And of course, it wouldn't be a Casey Schreiner trip without a hike. Sunday morning, I set my alarm early to sneak one in before my flight back to L.A. By then, Fall Weather had completely moved in, and it was only about 40 degrees outside. Not having a whole lot of warm clothes, I decided to wait a bit longer and to cut the distance of my hike. The family came along to Ragged Mountain, and it was beautiful. Crisp weather, clear(ish) skies, and near-peak foliage views stretching all across the Connecticut River valley.
A perfect and stunning way to end my fall trip ...
(that's my lil' sis, giving my mom a heart-attack, no doubt)
More pics on Flickr, natch.
Labels: travel
that one guy you know, 9:42 PM
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