Previously: Road Trip to Massachusetts – Day 1
We began Day 2 [of 2] slowly, taking our time waking up, showering, and wandering downstairs for the hotel continental breakfast, knowing it was about to be another long travel day, with several stops along the way.
It didn’t take us long to figure out where we wanted to go – the hotel had tourist maps available in the lobby, and I grabbed one while the SO was checking us in the day before.
The first stop was Emily Dickinson’s grave in Amherst. (We didn’t have time for the museums, unfortunately.) I left a meager offering of a penny, as it was at the bottom of my bag and I hadn’t the adequate time to prepare, but it was something.
Several people before us left what I assume to be poetry (don’t read them – they’re personal. Call me superstitious if you will, but that’s bad juju), and an array of other objects – mostly pens, but also shells, quartz stones, flowers, various coins, etc.
After paying our respects, we made our way over to Shelburne Falls… getting stuck behind a large field tractor along the way, which delayed us, as well as the long line of cars in our rear view, a very frustrating 20 minutes minimum. We were nearly there by the time we reached an appropriate passing point.
Shelburne Falls, MA is a quaint little town with a laid-back, creative vibe that kind of reminds me of the culture in Ithaca, NY in a way (the vibe of the locals, not the whole Ivy League college town thing).
There are plenty of cool things to see, and you’re going to have to walk in order to see these things. But fear not, non-hikers – it’s a small town and the topography is relatively flat.
“Flower bridge” in Cantonese is pronounced “faa1 kiu4” (花橋). Those are the only two words I know of Cantonese.
Of course, after learning this [quite a while back now], the conversation led to looking into flower bridges, and finding the nearest was ~3.5-4 hours from home… Flash forward to current time – I had forgotten all about this conversation until the flower bridge presented itself. Manifestation is real. LOL
Our road trip took us to the Bridge of Flowers shortly after the soft opening – you can walk it but they’re still planting stuff. The official reopening and ribbon cutting is August 18, 2025 at 2pm for anyone interested.
After crossing the Bridge of Flowers, we made our way down a side street to see the glacial potholes.
If you haven’t noticed by my content yet, I am fascinated by rocks, and geology in general. (I’ve got what some autistic people are calling “the rock’tism”, and the ADHD part of me needs to see, and feel, and experience it all in person, often impulsively.)
This spot did not disappoint. It’s a cute little park overlooking a jagged collection of smoothed rocks with beautiful color swirls (layers) and very prominent holes carved into them over the eons.
These potholes are formed by water and smaller stones swirling on/in those spots. And there are SO MANY of them!
As you can see, there is now a dam here (one of several along the Deerfield River) and a small waterfall named Salmon Falls.
I wanted another view of this [mostly] natural wonder, so the SO and I drove to the Salmon Falls Overlook, located at what was once an old mill, and now houses local small businesses. Love that.
We took one of the trails [located behind the building, and then keep left when the trails split] down to another cool set of rocks that you can walk on (be careful – dangerous!) for a closer look at the falls, and another view of the potholes.
It felt great to walk barefoot on those big smoothed rocks. And it was probably safer, as I could adjust to every dip, bump, and slant.. and there were a lot of them.
Then it was time to start making some real distance toward home. And this route was even more scenic than than the day before (see vlog above). The mountain view was beautiful!
This route also took us into Vermont for a short while (the lower left corner). We chose it just to add a third state to the trip, because why not. We drove between mountains covered in lush greenery, enjoying the peaceful vibe.
And sooner than expected, we were back in New York. Driving through the Adirondacks, more specifically. We decided to stop in Albany for a late lunch.
Druthers Brewing Company was a great choice. I had a couple great brews [since I wasn’t driving] and mac and cheese, a comfort food of mine. It was a nice environment [and relatively quiet, being a Wednesday afternoon] to take a break and refuel.
Then soon enough it was time to drive the rest of the way home, returning to our kitties, absolutely exhausted.
It took us several days to recover from this trip, but it was so worth it. Looking forward to the next.
Oh, Kae. 
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