The sights we saw.
The ride back was especially relaxing because we were well-rested and not starved for sleep like we had been on the way up. We listened to our various music CDs and slowed down from time to time to take photos of the scenery. One thing we noticed about Vermont was the intensity of its green colors. It wasn't a faded or muted dark green, but a lively, bright green that seemed to beckon you to become a conservationist or nature-lover.
When I was in elementary school and my family went somewhere in upstate New York, we would always pass by this big house in the mountain. It had an East Asian look so I assumed it was some Japanese restaurant. I always wondered how people got up there since no entrance was visible from the highway. Before the trip, I looked it up online, and on our way back, Andy and I stopped by Mount Fuji Restaurant.
While ascending the curvy road up to Mount Fuji, I predicted to Andy that the restaurant would yield a Zagat score of 15-22-17 (food/decor/service). Sure enough, while the hibachi was entertaining and the tuna sashimi was fresh, the food was mediocre overall. The decor was a bit tacky but the views made up for it. After the meal, Andy agreed that I was "on the mark" with my Zagat intuition. But it was nice to finally visit the place that had stirred much curiosity for me as a kid.
Andy kindly drove me back to my New York City apartment. I took this shot as we drove down the Westside Highway. We talked about how different it felt going from the virgin nature's valley to this man-shaped landscape of the city. There was a feeling of satisfaction as we neared the end of our trip, and we felt like two travelers congratulating each other for having covered yet another piece of the world.
