It was only about a 20 minute drive from there to Jiminy Peak Resorts. Their Adventure Park features a twisty fiberglass Alpine Slide and a roller coaster you can control how fast or slow the ride is. After we bought our tickets and signed a waiver, we passed the main buildings and went straight for the roller coaster. You sit on a gray vehicle and push heavy levers to control the speed. It takes a while to get all the way up the mountain...but when you do, whoosh! You go around and around and over small hills down the track. It's too much fun.
After two runs, we took a ski lift further up the hill. The view from the lift was genuinely stunning. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for early October. Radiant blue sky peeked through green and gold trees; rusts and browns could be seen on the horizon. Ferns waving under us in the breeze, silvery green pine trees and falling gold leaves gave off a wonderful, earthy scent.
The Alpine Slide is a bit less complicated than the roller coaster. You get a slide from the conveyor belt near the ski lift, you drag it to the slide's starting point, you start down when you're given the go. There's an expert's lane for those who want to go fast, and a beginner's lane for newcomers, younger kids, and people who aren't up to it. I took the beginner's lane because it's been a while, but I think I should have gone on the expert's. I loved the feeling of whooshing down the hill, skidding around turns, slowing for hills...but I'd also have to slow down for people who really were scared, or who wanted to chat with their friends or enjoy the scenery. (They can do that on the ski lift!)
We spent the next two hours riding both rides. I have to admit, I enjoyed the slide slightly more. It's more nerve-wracking, and accidents and scraped arms and legs have been known to happen. The ride is also longer, and it's exhilarating, flying down that hill! The roller coaster is fun too, but it's a shorter ride, and you don't control it to quite the level that you do the slide.
It was quarter after 1 when we finally decided we'd had enough and broke for lunch. We ate at Christiansen's Tavern, a beautiful dark wood building with hand-made 19th century farming implements hanging on the walls. I watched pre-season hockey in the lobby while we were waiting to be seated. (Bruins killed the Rangers 4-1. Flyers beat the Devils too, 4-3.)
We ate outside on the patio...which, despite the gorgeous day, may not have been the brightest idea. Two remarkably persistent yellow and black wasps kept attacking our Diet Cokes! We had to cover them with the plates for our fried green beans to keep them away, and even then, they buzzed around. It's a shame, because the food was delicious. In addition to the crispy, unique green beans, Lauren had grilled cheese with tomato and avocado, and I had a mile-high turkey club sandwich. I suspect the thick chips that came with them were hand-made.
After lunch, we drove back into Vermont. This time, we ended up at Pastime Pinball in Manchester. This is one of my favorite places we go when I visit. This working pinball arcade and museum features more than 60 pinball machines ranging from the 1947 Humpty Dumpty (which is so old, the balls don't even fall down a slot; they just drop below) to an Elton John Superstar-themed console with a massive LED screen from two years ago. There's a lot of rarities you don't expect to see at a pinball museum too, like The Shadow, a pinball version of the flop 1994 film version of the pulp and radio character, a older Elton John console released after the success of Tommy, Captain Fantastic, the first of three consoles made around Elvira, and one for World Cup Soccer from 1994.
I played for an hour, including grabbing a Sparkling Ice from the snack stand upstairs, before moving on. Lauren remained with the pinball machines while I headed to the Northshire Bookstore across the street. This gorgeous old independent store is housed in an old restored inn...and as such, is something of a maze. It took me a while, but I finally found the section with the used and rare books. Picked up two books here, one from a series that I'd hoped had more titles, one I've wanted for a while:
Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter by Richard Barrios (who also wrote the wonderful book on early talkie musicals A Song In the Dark)
Reel Murder by Mary Kennedy
We met back again at Pasttime Pinball. Lauren led me down the street to a small shopping center. Sushi Boat is a charming little hole-in-the wall that sells sushi and Japanese food. I'm not a fan of sushi, but I was willing to try something lighter after two carb-heavy meals earlier. I had a tasty miso soup, a salad made with real greens, California rolls with seafood, and cucumber rolls. Sushi's still not my favorite thing in the universe, but I did like the California rolls better than the cucumber rolls. Lauren had a sampler plate of sushi. She ate the whole thing and one of my cucumber rolls.
Headed home after that. Lauren did get turned around a bit in the dark, but at least we ran into no traffic anywhere tonight. We got in by 8, and I got organized. Finished the night with tonight's Match Game marathon. Tonight's episodes were random ones that are favorites of the channel's owner, like the one from 1976 with the pretty Asian contestant and the one who was extremely tan, to the point where she may have been a little too brown. Gene discusses a magical musical moment in the short-lived Broadway musical version of Charley and Algernon in a syndicated episode. Johnny Brown of Good Times was an adorable delight during his one week in 1975.
You'll never know what you'll see next in this random medley of delights!
And I spent a good chunk of the time when I got back getting my luggage organized...because tomorrow, I'm going home. But first, Lauren and I will be doing one last breakfast together.
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