The Long Slow Road To Milford

Milford, CT is about an hour and forty minutes from my doorstep according to several online maps and two GPS systems.  That does not account for zillions of people fleeing New York in the name of Labor Day.  So as soon as Eddie set foot in the door, I was like, Let's go now!  I was itching to get away.  We packed up the car with several large bags crammed with mostly Eddie's clothing as he had to bring ten outfits and five pairs of shoe wear for two days, and then we were off! 

Vacation!!!!  We yelled it as we hit the highway.  And then vacation....we whispered it at all the dead stops we came to, which was every few feet.  So many people were going to Milford!  Okay, they were heading in the direction of Milford.  I began to entertain us by reading the sides of U-Haul trucks.  Now they come with Fun Facts!  It's a good way to pass the time sitting in traffic.  Also, it's a good way to get into an accident if there is no traffic and you're trying to read the Fun Fact on the side of the truck at warp speed.  Lucky for us, there was no warp speed on this trip.  We were going slow enough to spot a gopher!  He was nibbling on some roadside berries.  I clapped.  Eddie pointed out that it doesn't take much to make my day.  No, no it does not.

When we got into the Milford area, we picked up a bit of speed and found the exit and wound around off the exit.  And then?  Well, then we had to guess where we were going because the GPS was unsure of where to go.  We saw the hotel in front of us.  We just weren't sure how to get to it.  We turned into a parking lot and then were like, Uh-oh, we're heading into Lowe's.  You know, the Home Depot for rich people. 

But then we were like, Oh we're here!  Lowe's and the Hilton Garden Inn of Milford share a driveway.  So we parked, gathered our 101 bags, and headed into the reception area.  We were all set to check in and jump up and down on the hotel bed.  That plan didn't work out as we suspected because in front of us were two pilots and only one person behind the desk, and for some reason, it took forEVer for them to check in.  Of course, whenever there's a line, we're stuck on it, even if it's a line of two.

Finally, we made it to the desk and the guy was very chipper.  He asked if we were with any of the weddings.  I was like, Um, no?  Just us?  As if I were asking permission to be alone.  He was like, Oh okay, I was just asking because we have a few staying here.  Ahh, ok.  Then he handed me a baggie of chocolate kisses and was like, Thank you for being an Honors member, and THEN he explained that the lounge would be open until very late because of all the wedding parties arriving--until 1:45 AM!  Wow!  THEN I saw that attached to the kisses was a coupon for a free drink at the lounge.  Eddie was like, Yes, I know, now we have to go so you can get something for free.  YIPPEEEEE!  Cocktails and kisses is the way to be!

We got to our room that had a lovely view of Lowe's, unpacked, and then headed out to Cracker Barrel!  Between visiting the local Cracker Barrel and seeing a gopher, I was having the best day ever.  Eddie had never been to Cracker Barrel before so he was confused by the rocking chairs and the county store out front, and then by the old-folks kitchy pics on the walls, but then he got into the groove when he saw he could get a huge hamburger AND Coca Cola Chocolate Cake AND play a game all at one table.  I'm not the only one who gets really excited by little things.

After stuffing ourselves with Cracker Barrel goodness (I had breakfast for dinner--I was having the time of my life), we headed out to find Silver Sands State Park, which closes at dusk but I figured we could at least get a good look.

Um, no.  I make bad decisions.  We were driving all around on these creepy roads and couldn't find an open entrance, so we headed back to the hotel to avoid being murdered. 

And then we settled into the lounge at the hotel and I had the best appletini I've ever tasted.  Talk about Best Day Ever!

AND I took a parting gift from the bar: a disposable plastic stirrer that I grabbed when the bartender walked away.  Oh, yeah, it was a very good day.