The only thing worse than an alarm that goes off at 3:00 AM is anticipating an alarm that’s going to go off at 3:00 AM.

But eventually 3:00 AM came and we bounded out of bed, got washed, dressed, packed, and out the door before the adrenaline wore off – at least for the adults. I’m not sure the kids ever really, willingly, woke up.

The shuttle from the hotel dropped us at the airport and we got bags checked and (eventually) made our way thru security.

Our security fun involves a “left” Fitbit and a cleaver story. (I’ll leave that one for the dynamic comedy team of Bingham and Marshall to explain.)

By then it was approaching 4:30

Eventually we got loaded and took off. 3 1/2 hours to Denver, 1 1/2 hour layover, 2 hours to Boise and we’re home.

It’s been an outstanding trip, not the least because we’re all still friends. But we’ve seen a lot, done a lot, experienced a real slice of the real New England – not just the “fall colors” experience of high tourist season.

I can’t leave without sharing on small gem from yesterday. One section of the Science Museum dealt with maps, and one of their displays included a presentation on a significantly old map (which, of course, appealed to the “geek of all things significantly old” in me). Dated to ~2200 BCE it is one of the oldest maps in existence. Of course this isn’t the real one, but it’s still impressive to learn about it.

So that’s the story of our trip. Thank you for sharing the adventure with us.

Till next time, R