Blogs from Vermont, United States, North America - page 5

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North America » United States » Vermont » Stowe October 24th 2016

Today we were going zip lining which was one of the things I was most looking forward to doing. We started the day with a good breakfast with a lot choices available. As we were about to leave Grant announced that Jack would not be going because he thought that he would be too heavy for the zip lining, I was certain this was not the case as I would not have booked it for him if he could not go on it. On the way we got stuck in a traffic jam as there were some roadworks going on meaning I had to call ahead to let the guides know that we were going to be late, thankfully we were the only group completing the course that day and they were fine with waiting. Once ... read more
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North America » United States » Vermont » Stowe October 23rd 2016

Typically when I woke up in the morning the rain had finally stopped which was very irritating especially as when leaving Montreal I saw the theme park! It was my turn to drive the car again and I had a very easy drive to the American border after taking one wrong turn along the way. Sadly I chose the wrong lane of traffic when queuing to get through border control and it took a very long time before we made it to the front. We were entering the USA at the Vermont border and the further we travelled through Vermont the more beautiful it became; this was somewhere that I could very easily live in. To get to Stowe we needed to cross through a mountain but the closer we go to this road we could ... read more
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North America » United States » Vermont » Stowe October 17th 2016

I usually use this space to describe a far away, exotic locale to which I have ventured. But not today. Today, I want to meditate on the joys of a warm October day in the forests of my home of Stowe, Vermont. I took advantage of this unseasonably warm day in the 70sF to stroll through the forest behind my house, and, in doing so, to luxuriate in the slanting light that filtered through the bombastic red sugar maple leaves and the holy yellows of the birches. These are the glorious autumn tints of which Thoreau wrote about. During the time I rambled through the crunching leaves and imbibed in the sweet smell of decay, I could forget for a while about our roiling contemporary discourse. I could heal myself in nature's balm. I could keep ... read more

North America » United States » Vermont October 12th 2016

Geo: 43.4996, -72.7151Visited Hartford's Mark Twain House and Museum, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe visitor centre next door in Nook Farm. Couldn't touch anything or take any inside photos at the Twain house (really?). HBS talk was interesting. I hadn't understood the influence of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" on the abolition of slavery.Then drove north to the historic town of Deerfield for lunch. On into Vermont to visit a maple syrup factory (very interesting), then checked in to our hotel for the next two nights, near Plymouth, VT.Had a wine and beer tasting followed by a presentation on local raptors before another fine dinner. "Sound of Music's" von Trapp family have a lodge in the nearby town of Stowe, and their micro-brewery produces a wide variety of beers.... read more
Green Mountain Sugar House
Our pretty room #7
Rescued owl

North America » United States » Vermont » Burlington September 23rd 2016

Geo: 44.4758, -73.2132Off again, hoping to get to Burlington.Lots of driving, girls were good. Get just past the border and stop at Goodrich's Maple Farm to learn about how they make Maple Syrup. Very interesting.Then stop at Cabot's which is a cheese making place.The next stop was very surprising....Ben and Jerry's Icecream. I know many of you have probably had it, but I figured it was just another icecream. We did the tour at $4 per person, cheap enough but the tour itself was quite lame. Having said that, the video they show you about how the company was started, and then later owned by the Vermont people and then their commitment to the community, world peace and sustainable ingredients was really inspiring. Two young hippy boys that wanted to save the world, created the company. ... read more
Burlington, Vermont

North America » United States » Vermont » South Burlington September 18th 2016

Geo: 44.4702, -73.1794We are headed back to Vermont. Almost done with the US leg of our trip.Our scheduled stop is Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. It is the smallest resident population (8000) state capital in the US. However, the day population is 21,000 likely due to the many government offices.The city was settled in 1787 and incorporated as a city in 1885.State street is populated primarily by a variety of government services. Many offices are located in older homes which have been converted.About an hour away is Burlington which is located on Lake Champlain. Much of the upper town seems to be taken up by the University campus.The balance is entertainment and shopping. One of the main streets is closed to traffic and us a long pedestrian walkway.Thankfully the weather has cooperated. We drove in rain ... read more
Live Free or Die? for a Motto
Vermont Rest Stop & Vet Memorial
Vermont Rest Stop & Vet Memorial

North America » United States » Vermont September 16th 2016

Geo: 42.8975, -73.2078Our goal today was to get over to route 7 which leads from Massachusetts into Vermont. According to the travel guide this is one of the most scenic routes to see the changing colours in the Fall. Unfortunately it seems nobody told the trees that. My guess is global warming is at play because we have heard several comments about how warm it is for mid- September.We ended up in a small town - Bennington. There are a few items of historical interest and many very beautiful homes. A conversation with a local said that many people work in Albany, NY which is an hour away.We visited 3 very nice covered bridges as well as the Bennington War Memorial which is a 306 feet tall and commemorates the Battle of Bennington during the American ... read more
Paper Mill Bridge
Silk Road Bridge
Bennington Battle Monument

North America » United States » Vermont » Brattleboro August 9th 2016

Geo: 42.8528, -72.5583Editor's NOTE: Normally Glenn proof-read's my blog and does some major editing, however I am not asking him to do this for me, since he needs a break. So bear with me if there are misspelled words and the grammar is incorrect. Thanks for reading. Also, I've changed the format for the most recent entry to be on top.Today, Tuesday was a pretty hard and consistent day. We left Millie's farm at exactly 6:00am. Our scheduled plan to leave. We didn't know how hard it would be to cross back over into USA. We had no problem at all. The traffic was pretty light going through Buffalo NY. The sun was shining straight into our eyes as we headed East on the Tollway.As we drove along the interstate 90, it was pretty. There are ... read more
Vermont - Snow Snow Snow
Bennington Monument
Over There

North America » United States » Vermont July 21st 2016

I've made a turn to the east, which will take me all the way to Halifax, Nova Scotia, by Saturday evening. In the meantime, I've still got a while before that happens. Today was not very far on driving, similar to the previous two days. Tomorrow, though, looks like a beast - at least 9 hours total. To top that off, I'll be getting up early tomorrow to feed chickens and cats. You read that correctly. More about that later. My first airbnb experience in another person's home went pretty well. I slept better than I had thought I would, and I even slept later than normal. The main limits to my day today were Saratoga battlefield opening at 8:30 - no problem with getting there too early - and the Calvin Coolidge site closing at ... read more
Serene battlefield at Saratoga
DAR monument at Saratoga - art deco!
Up close with a Saratoga cannon




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