The border crossing can also be a real treat. I have nothing but respect for the men and women who guard our borders and keep us safe. I'm sure it is an impossibly difficult job. After many hours in the car, however it can be tiresome to discuss the origin of the contraband carrots in my cooler. You know, the ones I bought at Kroger in Holt. At today's crossing south of Niagara Falls, NY we had just slowed to a stop at the border crossing when I decided to open my door for a second to stretch my legs. A gust of wind caught hold of the pile of papers I had on my lap and scattered them into the road. I was forced to sprawl onto the pavement and use my arms and legs to knock down and secure the wayward papers, all the while wondering if I had caught the eye of a customs officer deciding which car to search. At times like these Mary likes to break into song. You never know when a nice rendition of Lee Greenwood could come in handy. Fortunately, the customs officer only asked us a couple of questions and we were back on the road again.
Passing into New York things started to improve. Roadside service plazas offered Starbucks frequently enough to keep us dangerously caffeinated. After we made a lunch stop in Rochester the thru-way began to pass through some National Wildlife Refuges. A bald eagle flew directly over the Jeep at one point. The flat terrain of Ontario slowly evolved into hills that grew larger as we drove.
As we entered Massachusetts the Berkshire Mountains began to dominate the landscape. The mountains were veiled in wispy patches of fog drifting across the dark green masses of land. The skies had grown gray and occasional rain showers began as we drove into Williamstown. This area is still one of mystery to us. It gets dark much earlier in the east, which definitely adds to the sense of the unknown. We checked into our hotel and found some dinner at a great tapas place. Tomorrow we pick up the rental car and shuttle the Jeep to the north end of the trail. We made the last few painful decisions of what to take and what to leave in the Jeep before bed. I'm doubting we'll sleep very well tonight as we're both pretty hyped up to begin our hike. Here is the view entering Massachusetts:
