The remainder of our time in Connecticut, post-Christmas, was quieter than the pre-holiday craziness ... but not uneventful! We had an opportunity to go hiking in East Lyme. This may not seem terribly novel, but it was for me. I hadn't fully embraced hiking until well after I'd left home for the Army, back in 1989, and the idea of going out on an actual, honest-to-goodness trail near my hometown seemed positively wacky. It ended up being an amazingly pleasant hike.
That said, we learned that New Englanders have slightly lower standards for their marquee trail features. We went a half-mile out of our way to visit the "Quartz Pit." And this was it ... cue sad trombone sound.
Trails aside, Nathan DID get a chance to experience what Connecticut does best ... grinders with Grandma ...
... which were so good that they broke his poor little brain!
We had several awesome meals with Grandma, but the grinders from Crown Pizza were undoubtedly the highlight.
The extended stay also gave us the chance to visit with Kathy, Paul, and their clan: Dan, Krystyna, Lilly, Asher, Alex, and Becky. To keep everything Covid-safe, we went over to the uber-festively-decorated Olde Mistick Village, where Nathan, his cousin Lilly, and her little brother Asher pretty much ran wild ...
... while the grown-ups looked on in amusement.
We also went beachcombing with Dave and Deb in Westerly ...
... where Nathan and I (for some very good reason, I'm sure), carried a giant log about a mile.
Nathan also kicked our butts at pinball in Dave's basement.
New Year's Eve was a blast. It started with a trip to Dave and Deb's neighbors' house to gather some eggs.
We walked back from our chicken visit to Dave and Deb's house, where we ended New Years Eve with a lovely evening in front of the fireplace in the Christmas room. It also turned out to be the first time in several years that I actually ended up staying awake until midnight (though Dave and I were the only ones who made it).
Before bed, we said our usual goodbye to the old year ...
... and in the morning said hello to the new one.
We had a couple more days of rest and relaxation in Mystic before hitting the road.
Another nice hike with Dave and Deb ...
Some donuts and good advice from Mystic Village ...
But, in the end, it was time to say goodbye to the family and begin the long drive to our next stop: Shenandoah National Park! It was indeed a long drive, but, after a long day, we were welcomed by our new home in the rolling hills of western Virginia.
Here's the map.
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