Date: 2007-07-28
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Another morning came and I headed next door to the diner for blueberry pancakes and real maple syrup. It's been a staple of mine for every town breakfast. While at the diner this morning, I continued to think about this hiking trip and how to end it gracefully. I simply do not find it that exciting any more. There are other things that I'd rather be doing right now. Yes, I know that the really great part of the Appalachian Trail is coming up, but my heart isn't into it any more and nothing that people say to encourage me has any affect on my motivation.Since I made up my mind this morning to go do something different this summer, and perhaps resume hiking from this town during another year, I tried to figure out how to leave Manchester Center before checkout time at the motel. My first thought was to rent a car for a one-way rental back to Raleigh, North Carolina, but take several detours along the way to visit interesting places. A call to the nearest rental company, Enterprise, in Bennington, thirty miles away, confirmed that they do not offer one-way rentals. Hertz is in Rutland, Vermont, forty miles away, but they are closed for the weekend and the central reservation agent said that they don't have any cars available to rent, anyway. Scratch the car rental idea. There isn't an airport here. Greyhound leaves from Rutland, but I missed the last bus for the weekend. Amtrak also leaves from Rutland and the same goes for them. I'm stuck in hiking Purgatory in a town where you see more Jones New York, Nine West, and Brooks Brothers shopping bags than backpacks.I spent the remainder of the day running the same ol' errands again with the addition of a trip to the laundromat. After I finished up with my laundry, I went in search of a place to eat that did not have the typical hiker fare of burgers and pizza.The restaurant that was close by is called The Depot Cafe (on Depot Street). I was interested in a hot meal rather than the usual cold sandwiches served by a generic cafe. What I discovered was out of the ordinary and very eclectic. It was a restaurant inside an antique art and furniture gallery. I wasn't sure what to do once I stepped inside the building. I was surrounded by old, unusual, but well-kept furniture and fixtures, and there were people inside having dinner, too. It seemed bizarre, but I sat down and waited for a server, anyway. The cafe/restaurant served Turkish dishes and entrees. I ordered some sort of chicken entree that had garlic and red bell pepper seasonings on it along with a yogurt sauce with spices. I can't really explain the flavor, but it surprised me. I tried something new and different and with the first bite I wasn't sure if I liked it. After a couple more tastes, I thought, "Oh, this is good!" I was glad that I had dinner there. After I left The Depot Cafe, it was time to call my shuttle friend, Joe, for a ride back up the hill a few miles to my motel. Unfortunately, he was unable to pick me up because he was driving someone to another small town. With sunlight fading, I was anxious to get a hitch back before it got too dark for anyone to notice me on the edge of the street. I was thumbing a ride just outside of the liquor store. That probably wasn't the best idea after observing the clientele. A car full of underage drinkers offered to give me a ride, but thankfully I had to decline because they were going in a different direction. After twenty-five minutes of trying to "thumb-it," I walked to the laundromat and asked a gentleman for a ride. Bingo! Asking seems to work better than standing on the sidewalk and feeling like you're from another planet because you have a backpack on.It's time to get ready and packed for a few more days in the woods. I hope I can get an easy hitch back to the Trail tomorrow.