The Tempest, or My Drive to the Northeast

Soooo...where do I start? I left on the 9th with my dad and drove through days of rain. My biggest worry was that it would be too hot in the car and my stuff would melt but that sure wasn't an issue! The drive was pretty uneventful aside from the storms. I discovered that I liked Hampton Inns because they were clean and quiet with wireless Internet and that I continue to be sick of Dave Matthews Band. On Sunday, my dad and I finally arrived in Vermont. Many parts of the drive were beautiful, but the views from Vermont were spectacular. I was strongly reminded of Spain and Switzerland images. We stayed in Westmore, a small town with Lake Willoughby, a splendid lake with crystal water and untamed mountains around it. We went on a forest hike, and it was the first time I was able to exercise in over a month, what with my wisdom teeth issues. I was worried about my asthma but it was fine! =) And speaking of wisdom teeth, lemme tell you how hard it is to keep irrigating (cleaning) the holes in my mouth on a roadtrip! That evening, we stayed in a charming Bed & Breakfast in the middle of nowhere. The following day, my dad let me plan what we'd do around Vermont so I dug through all the pamphlets I'd picked up at the welcome center. First, we headed to Maple Grove Farms, which produces maple candy. Obviously, I was excited. My dad thought it would be lame. We got to try pure maple candy and a blend (with pure cane syrup!) while watching a video, then we toured the factory. I learned how the candy was made and got to see huge amounts of the candy. MMM. I could SMELL the candy inside the factory. Then we went to the gift shop and the candy was way cheaper than where I'd seen it around Vermont, so of course I had to buy some. You might say I have a bit of a sweet tooth. :P After that, we went to VINNS (Vermont Institute of Natural Science), which had opened areas to the public just a year ago. They treat injured raptors and provide a safe home in captivity to those that they cannot release into the wild. We saw a snowy owl, bald eagle...lots of really need raptors, then stayed for a demonstration. My dad ended up liking both places, as did I. By mid-afternoon, it was time to head to Williamstown, Massachusetts, where we'd stay at my boss's house for two nights until I moved into my dorm room on the Williams College campus. Turns out my boss Linda has a sprawling 1904 farmhouse. The rooms had a lot of character, as does she. I'm not worried about getting along with her for the summer, or her assistant Liz -- both are awesome. On Wednesday, I drove my dad into Albany, dropped him off at the airport, and returned to Williamstown to check in with the theatre festival! To be continued...