Planning my Sweet Maple Road Trip has been a bit of a ritual for me for 17 years now. I know opinions about Artificial Intelligence are all over the place—some folks see it as a helpful tool, others worry about its implications. I see AI as just another tool, like a car: powerful, useful, but also something that can be misused. This year, AI has totally changed how I organize my maple adventures!
I admit, I tend to overthink my plans, but without that extra effort, I’d miss out on some of the amazing Sugar Houses I’ve visited over the years. I keep a running list of sugarhouses in each state that are part of local associations, adding new ones as I discover them. It’s a bit of a passion project, really.
This year, I found a perfect way to use AI. I gave it what I felt like was a simple prompt: “From this web page, create a spreadsheet of farms with name in the first column, address in the second, web address in the third, and any other details in the fourth. Create a downloadable Excel spreadsheet of this information.” I used it for Mass Maple, which is happening on March 7 and 8, and I was pretty happy with the results. It saved me a lot of time and effort.
Looking ahead, I want to visit Rhode Island, but I noticed there’s no official state association listing members. So, I did some digging and came up with about eight potential places, including the Coggeshall Farm Museum. After I wrote this, I ran another query: “Give me a list of Rhode Island Maple places that would be open on March 7.” It returned one place I hadn’t already found, but unfortunately, their Facebook post said they wouldn’t be open due to the weather.
I also plan to check out a couple of sugar houses in Connecticut, ideally when I’m already down in Rhode Island. The Connecticut Maple weekend isn’t until March 21 and 22, and I worry their season might be over by then. To prepare, I’ll use my AI prompt again to add Connecticut sugar houses to my list and then start mapping out my route.
Google My Maps has become my go-to for planning. It is not listed in the available Google Apps but comes right up when I (wait for it…) Google It. I’ve created several maps over the years, so they pop right up. I upload my Connecticut Maple spreadsheet to create a map, and can add different layers when I add any other state, color-coded for easy reference. Tomorrow, I plan to be at Coggeshall Farm in Bristol, RI at 10 am when they open. Since there’s an entrance fee, I’ll stay as long as I want, then see what other farms I can visit on the way home. I look at the map to identify farms along my route, mark them on my spreadsheet, and then check if they’ll be open on Saturday, March 7. In previous years, I’d print out a list or look at it on my phone, but this year, I’ll bring my laptop for quick access.
On Sunday afternoon, I’ll see what I can squeeze in around Massachusetts.
This year, the Maple Weekends in Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire are all scheduled for March 21 and 22. I haven’t quite figured out my plan of attack yet—there’s a lot to consider, and I’ll need to prioritize. Either way, I’m excited to hit the road and hope to see some of you along the way. For me, Maple all about enjoying the journey and discovering new sugarhouses, one sweet adventure at a time.
What does Kate do when it’s not Maple Season? Check out the HodgePodge Images Blog
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