Road Trip 2011

[brdgt]

Coincidentally, we were scheduled to drive back East during and through the path of Hurricane Irene, with some quick visits along the way... with other meteorologists.


We left at 3PM last Saturday, drove through the night, hitting the worst weather between Syracuse and Albany, where we stopped to visit our first meteorologist at SUNY-Albany around 9AM. They like to find the tallest building to observe things from...



We left around noon, and drove through the Berkshires, where weather went from Hurricane to calm by the mile and we saw dozens of utility vehicles out. After a quick visit with my old college roommate, his wife, and new daughter we got to Boston around 6PM on Sunday. We grabbed dinner with Steve and stayed with Dan, a meteorology grad student at MIT.

The next morning was beautiful - not a cloud in the sky. We headed up to Portsmouth for dinner with my friend Katie and her boyfriend Eric. Neither of us had been there before and it was lovely.



I had checked that morning with my dad and we could get to his house in Vermont. We arrived around 10PM and went straight to bed. The next morning the first thing my dad says to me is that he's going to the hospital. He caught a nasty cold when my sister, niece, and grand-niece were there a few days earlier and it developed into an infection. In the light of day the road to his house looked like this:





Luckily a neighbor had flattened it out some with his backhoe. Vermonters.



We drove back from the hospital via Bethel, passing the Camp Brook road, which leads to Brookfield, a town that is being airlifted supplies since it is now cut off:



Back at my dad's we grilled some brats, played some horseshoes and backgammon, and chased the chickens around:





We left on Wednesday to hike Mount Mansfield...

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Next up: The Trail Goes Where?

Comments

[elizawrites.livejournal.com]

I really love the pictures of you and your dad. There's something really special about the backgammon one. I hope he's feeling better.

[brdgt.livejournal.com]

He is - and it was fun to relive that part of growing up. I suppose a good daughter would have let him win though :)

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

Brookfield like floating bridge Brookfield? Like where my aunt and uncle live and who told my Dad everything was ok? I'd seen news about places just south of there, but not Brookfield. Glad your dad made it through ok. And maybe the backhoe thing is a Vermont thing. My dad used to bring his home from the work to, oh, plow snow and such.

[brdgt.livejournal.com]

Yep - the road to Brookfield from route 12 was completely gone last Monday.

[kazoogrrl.livejournal.com]

Damn. I was saying I wish I could have ditched the day job for the week and headed up there to do some volunteer work.

[astronautical.livejournal.com]

yay for dad! I love seeing photos of you and him together. you are both so sweet.

[brdgt.livejournal.com]

Awh, thanks :) It means a lot to me that you and loreofcure got to meet him!

[astronautical.livejournal.com]

I was so happy I got to meet him! he is an excellent gentleman. And I LOVE meeting peoples parents, at least, when they're as important as your dad is. :)