Friday morning, Debi and I headed north, once again. It was a beautiful day for road travel and the further north we drove, the more beautiful and relaxing it became. After driving around Gore Mountain and the town of North Creek, we settled into our Hotel, just off the Northway, in Queensbury. We decided to try the Common Roots Brewery in nearby Glens Falls, for dinner. We (mostly me) were quickly disappointed to learn that Take Out was not an option, and get this – they don’t do Growlers of Beer! What kind of Brewery doesn’t do Growlers? We were quite hungry, so we stayed and ate there, and I admit, the food was very good. As we left Common Roots, we decided to take a photo of Rahal Jewelers, next door. I have known Joanne Rahal, since our daughters played on the same team in a Regional Tournament, when they were in 8th Grade (probably ten years ago now). Joanne is one of the best Lax Moms, I have ever met. The store was closed, but Joanne was inside and we ended up having a short but very nice visit. It was great to get caught up a bit, and to meet her husband, Mounir. So, it was worth being disappointed with the Brewery, in exchange for the impromptu visit.

Saturday morning, we were up fairly early and had a hot breakfast at the Hotel – first time since the onset of the pandemic! The weather was great again, and we headed east toward Rutland, Vermont. We made it there in just over an hour and were met by Lyn, Dylan and Yi Lun. This was the first time we had visited, since Ruth passed (last July), and though we were sad, with her not being there, it was still nice to be there!

In the early afternoon, they took us for a three mile hike alongside Kent Pond and then another mile or so up to the “Thundering Brook”. It felt good to get back into the woods and cover some ground. The weather, the scenery and the company, were all great!

We were joined by Jeff for a nice dinner back at Ruth’s house. It was really fun to sit around the table and get caught up on everyone’s comings and goings. Fairly tired, we said our goodbyes to Dylan and Yi Lun, who would be heading back to Middlebury, and settled our hiking plans for Sunday, with Lyn.

I was up early enough to go out and get the Newspaper and to try the coffee at DePalo’s, which is where the Country Store used to be on Route 4. The coffee was very good, and the owner, was a very nice guy – I wish him well! Lyn came over and took the three of us to the Trail Head at Deer Leap. It was a fairly short hike up a steep ascent with lots of rocks and roots, and it actually intersects with the Appalachian Trail, along the way. The mile and a quarter took us about an hour, and the views from the top were spectacular – certainly worth the effort – or as another hiker up there, said “the juice was worth the squeeze”!

We relaxed for awhile back at the house before picking up Jeff and heading to the “Mountain Top Inn”, in nearby Chittenden, for a delicious dinner with a view!

We enjoyed the beautiful sunset back at Ruth’s house and slept well, before rising early to meet Lyn and Jeff for breakfast. No trip to Rutland would be complete without having breakfast at Sugar and Spice! The food and is always delicious and the place is just “so Vermont”, even locals eat there. Before heading for home, we stopped at the Cemetery to pay our respects and say “Auf Wiedersehen”, to Ruth. It was fitting that it was raining at this sad moment. We drove off into the rain, feeling sad that it was over – always the sign of a great trip. As, I proofread this (I hope I didn’t miss any mistakes), and look at the photos and videos, I realize all over again, how fortunate we are to have spent the weekend in such natural beauty with such good people.