On the road again...

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Wilson Hall, Dartmouth

Up this morning about 5 a.m. to get showered and out the door of Mom’s house and to the airport.  R managed to take the a/c out of the window (we really only used it two nights!) and get the screen back in, so all should be well there.  We got to the airport by about 6:15 a.m. and had no problem turning in our Alamo Rental car.  Shuttle to the terminal, and we basically walked right up to a Delta counter to leave our luggage.  I think there is a great deal of merit to traveling on the Sunday of a long weekend.  I think everybody is where they want to be, and haven’t started returning yet.  As we hadn’t had any breakfast, we went to National Coney Island. 

M outside Hood Museum, Dartmouth Campus

Entrance hall of Hood Museum

I had their breakfast special of scrambled eggs, three sausages, hash browns and toast.  R had a slice of ham and an order of hash-browns.  All told, our bill was $14.00 – amazed, as airport food usually so expensive!  I do have to say that this is the first time we have been in the Delta terminal at DTW – and it is incredible!  I had no idea!  It even has a speedy red train that runs from one end to the other.  Our plane was already at the gate (it over-nighted in Detroit) and we boarded on time and left on time.  And, our regularly scheduled 2 hour flight was only going to take 1 hour and 24 minutes, which was great.  We landed, deplaned and got our luggage with no problems.  We caught the blue bus right outside the terminal that drops everyone off at a central terminal for rental cars.  For some reason, our reservation at Thrifty did not include my Blue Chip number, but that didn’t seem to be a problem.  Out into the garage and got to pick from a full array of full-size cars.  I had reserved a mid-size, as Mom was supposed to be coming with us, but they were out of mid-size cars – so upgraded us “for free!” to a full size.  We selected a nice Camry, but it is really a very large car!  Out of the airport and following Emmy (who is now repaired with a new cord!!) to the Interstate 93 heading north to VT and NH.  Not any traffic to speak of, which was really nice, considering how I have occasionally seen the Boston highways.  We did make one stop at Arby’s for lunch, and arrived in White River Junction VT about 2 p.m.  Found our very nice Hampton Inn and are now cozily ensconced in room 336.

Assyrian panels

Total of 6 panels from 1854 excavation

As our main objective in heading to White River Junction was to go to the Hood Museum in Hanover (Dartmouth College), we dropped our luggage and headed back out.  Hanover is about 7 miles from where we are staying, and we were able to find both it and the Hood Museum with no problem.  It doesn’t look like the kids have returned to school yet – we saw lots of kids and parents wandering around town and campus; it’s a lovely community.  Beautiful old white wooden buildings and houses; everything really well kept up.  And, as it turns out, the museum was free today!  (Not sure if it’s the holiday or what, because we had read that admission was a $8/adult and $6/senior!)

The panels from the palace at Nimrud were exquisite – especially so somehow, seeing them at a small college in New England!  There are six full-size panels that were obtained by a Dartmouth alum in 1854 and shipped to the school.  Can you imagine trying to take those panels apart and get them all the way from Iran via boat?  Quite a project, but they are beautifully displayed.  We have seen similar panels in several places (London, Paris and Berlin to name a few) but these were very well presented, and definitely worth the visit!

Quechee VT countryside

Interior of Sugarbush Farm shop

From the Hood, we drove around Hanover before heading to Quechee VT (all this bopping around state borders – VT to NH to VT back to NH…) Several years ago we found Sugarbush Farm – they make their own cheese and maple syrup – and we have been ordering from them ever since.  This time, we tasted six extra sharp cheddars – incredible! But decided rather than try to get cheese back to Arizona at this time of year, we would get smaller blocks of 6 year and 8 year and order more as soon as it starts cooling off … if that ever happens…

It being somewhere around dinner time (early dinner, about 5-ish) we drove back into town and stopped by the Quechee wooden bridge and Simon Pearce restaurant, glassblowing and shop.  As we didn’t have reservations, Simon Pearce couldn’t fit us in until 6:30 p.m. and R really didn’t want to wait (and, as we have already eaten there once…).  So, instead, we went next door to the Parker Inn and Restaurant.  This time, we were taken to the lovely front room of the restaurant – which had the added benefit of being air conditioned, and we had it to ourselves!

So beautiful...

Covered bridge in Quechee

Burrato and tomato salad

R's mussels provincal

R's trout stuffed with shrimp

R's blueberry tarte dessert

We started with a bottle of Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – fresh and bright and very, very drinkable!  For starters, R ordered the mussels (that actually included several clams), which he very much enjoyed.  I did notice that there was a lot of garlic in those mussels – R looking forward to getting closer to Prince Edward Island!  My starter was a burrata and heirloom salad with basil and a very light vinaigrette; it was delicious!  Then, for mains, R had the baked trout stuffed with very large shrimp.  I had their panko-crusted chicken breast, served on a bed of mashed potatoes. 

Dam at Quechee; Simon Pearce building

Parker Inn restaurant

Let us only say that both of us cleaned our plates… And, while neither of us had room for dessert, some things you just can’t resist!  In this case, I had their coconut cake, which was YUMMY, and R had their fresh blueberry tarte with ice cream.  Oh my…I think we waddled out of the restaurant and across the street to the car.  Back to the Hampton Inn in about 15 minutes, and now I’m getting ready to head to bed!  It has been a long day, and we haven’t left the time zone!  Tomorrow we head across the White Mountains to Maine – and hopefully our first lobster!!

My panko-crusted chicken on mashed potatoes

Yummy coconut cake!

m

xxx