Ordinarily it wouldn't work for me either, but this time it's been fun.
The unexpected consequence has been her many girlfriends going nuts trying to guess where we're going for the trip,
and texting her daily for weeks now.
At recent parties a lot of them have pulled me aside and whispered over and over, "So, Marty, What's up? You can trust me!"
They seem to love the idea of a secret trip, too....sort of a romantic twist on a Fall vacation.
I've only told Mona what immediate destination was up next
as it unfolded and became obvious, like at the initial airport gate when the destination was printed overhead----
kind of hard to deny anything at that point.
And the morning in Boston when I told her we had to check out after only 2 nights, and go rent a car,
she said, "What???".
And after a 2.5 hour drive north of Boston she saw a sign "Welcome to Vermont".
She said, "Wow, OK OK! I love it."
Then she finally figured it out when she saw the sign, "Welcome to Woodstock"...LOL.
But she said, "Do they have hotels here? and where is ours?"
After pulling into the gorgeous grounds of the Woodstock Inn, she said, "Alright!!!!! Wow!!!!"
Being greeted and walking inside is a wonderful feeling.
We were treated like royalty. It truly exceeds all expectations... the whole place is absolutely lovely.
Valet parking (or general parking) is NO CHARGE, quite a nice thing.
Laurance Rockefeller had a lot of influence on this place, even owned it, and made remarkable restoration
to the whole town of Woodstock in general, and stayed here often.
https://www.rutlandherald.com/news/...cle_2bf0752d-1be9-5196-926f-631846ff4397.html
As great as this is, our next destination (to be happening on Wednesday), will be even more grand... Riding around
a specific bend on the mountain road and spying the
amazing behemoth white Mount Washington Resort Hotel rising up out of the mountain will be a real eye-opening stunner.
Can't wait for THAT reaction. And the grand old hotel is so romantic
and so beautiful. We will really experience a place that will make us never want to leave. One morning we plan on making
the famous Autumn drive of the Kancamagus Byway
from Lincoln to Conway, NH....... and another morning doing the old steam engine run over the spectacular mountain tracks,
taking a few hours.
The hotel itself is like a grand palace from another era, and we hope to get lost in it, literally and emotionally.
I just want to linger by the fireplace under the huge Moose head on the wall overhead
in the Great Hall. This experience will be the icing on the cake for our secret trip. And the glorious backdrop
will be the spectacular Fall foliage all around us.....
peaking as we make the excursion from Vermont eastward to New Hampshire, as planned, btw. Then a final night in
our beloved favorite city Boston, which we have grown
more and more to love. The whole thing is not a glamorous trip to Bali, Prague, or Paris, but it's a laid-back, restful,
beautiful trip through the "wonderland" of New England
which I've neglected to make during my life, opting instead for the bright lights of other popular destinations.
Finally we're here and doing it....Thanks to all who have wished us well.
It doesn't look too comfortable, though. Did you try it out?
