Pioneer Valley, Western Massachusetts

I've always been confused by this area being called Western Massachusetts given than it's pretty much smack in the middle of the state, but I suppose Boston has its own gravity and orbit. 

From Chicago we flew to Philadelphia (subway to O'Hare is so easy!), filled up on John's Roast Pork Sandwiches, grabbed our rental car, and began our tour of the northeast. We tried to stay off highways (and tollways) as much as possible. This led us to the Hudson River Valley and we stopped at Olana to enjoy the views. 

On we traveled to our friends' home in Hadley, Massachusetts. Jennifer and Brian (confusingly, also a Brian O. which led to a lot of "my Brian" vs "your Brian") graciously hosted us in the Pioneer Valley. I graduated from Hampshire College in 1995 and have only made it back here once - in 2013, in truly awful weather, and also staying with Jennifer and Brian! This time around we got to enjoy the fall colors, pumpkins, and traditional cider donuts.

 

 

Here you see the traditional cider and cider donuts combo. HOWEVER! In the upper left you see an Aktins donut - beloved of Hampshire students because the farm stand (now morphed into an agricultural colossus) is across the street from campus. Atkins donuts were typically procured for all major events.

The lower right donut was procured from the North Hadley Sugar Shack, a new destination for us, in part because it is closer to Jennifer and Brian's house. For the purposes of science, we conducted several taste tests. While Atkins retained its nostalgia value....the Sugar Shack flavor and density was superior. We'll be buying a few more bags on the way out of town.

~Lucy