Autumn Journey 2010 ... days twelve, thirteen and fourteen (Vermont!)

After almost two weeks of traveling, it was time to meander back home. We drove through pastoral countryside dotted with small farms as we crossed the province of Quebec. Our border crossing near Alburgh, Vermont was on a two-lane road and had only one lane/one US Customs official. We continued driving down the Lake Champlain Islands.

Lake Champlain is the sixth largest fresh water lake in the United States. Bridges of varying size and construction connect the islands.

When I was in fifth grade we had to do a report on a state. I wanted to do mine on California (who wouldn't want to write about the state with Disneyland?) but a friend picked it before I could. Seeing my disappointment and inability to decide on another state, my teacher gently "suggested" I do mine on Vermont. All I knew about Vermont was that it was on the other side of the country and had a capital I could barely pronounce (Montpelier). I was not happy. I grudgingly wrote my letter to the state chamber of commerce requesting information about Vermont. In a few weeks my class began receiving the information we had requested. But my package had something no one else's did- a personal letter from the kind woman who put my information together. She told me all the things she loved about living in Vermont and as I read her letter I began falling in love with Vermont, too. I learned many facts about Vermont- it is the Green Mountain State, its name comes from the French words for green mountain ("mont vert"), the state tree is the sugar maple and the state flower is red clover. As I wrote my report, I wondered if I would ever travel all the way across the country to visit the beautiful state of Vermont.

In the past I have cut through a corner of Vermont as we did at the beginning of this trip but this was the first time I spent any time in or traveled through major parts of the state. The first thing I noticed is that Vermont smells different... cleaner, fresher with a woodsy scent. The second thing I noticed is that Vermonters are just about the friendliest people I've ever met. And the third thing that jumped out at me was how absolutely, positively beautiful Vermont is.  I mean dazzlingly gorgeous, simple but classic. But don't take my word for it- you can decide for yourself.

We headed east to the Green Mountains and Smugglers' Notch along a scenic road. Smugglers' Notch is a narrow pass through the Green Mountains that served as a conduit between Vermont and Canada for smugglers. In 1807 President Thomas Jefferson passed an embargo act prohibiting American trade with Great Britain or Canada. This was an extreme hardship for northern Vermonters since Montreal was a much closer market than US cities. Northern Vermonters continued trading with Canada illegally herding cattle or carrying other goods through the Notch. Later, slaves used it to escape to Canada and freedom. And of course, during Prohibition goods (liquor) came the other direction. Now it is a retreat from the rat-race with resorts offering respite summer and winter.

It was a foggy, overcast day which only added to the mystique of Smugglers' Notch!

Most people think of maple syrup when they think of Vermont. While maple syrup is an important product for Vermont, cheese and ice cream are growing in popularity and demand. We drove past dairy farm after dairy farm (reminiscent of Prince Edward Island!) and saw really happy cows (also reminiscent of Prince Edward Island!). We stopped at a cheese shop and after tasting lots of samples, filled a grocery bag with cheese to take home. We stopped again at the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory and took a tour. After the tour, we got to sample a brand new ice cream flavor, Milk & Cookies- very tasty! I had always thought Ben & Jerry's was just a gourmet yuppy ice cream company but I learned otherwise. They only use local, small dairy farmers for their milk and cream, not big conglomerate dairies. They use fair-trade ingredients when possible and give back to those communities. And their ice cream is really, really good!

Contented, happy cows are the secret to making happy milk and cream... and that is the secret ingredient for exceptional cheese and ice cream!

We continued on down the eastern side of the Green Mountains. Autumn had arrived and the foliage was spectacular. What a feast for our eyes! They darted back and forth trying to see it all.

Once again there were too many colors to name!

We happened upon a gorgeous waterfall. It was just a short hike from the parking area- about 100 feet!

The waterfall was stunning... I was glad we had stopped to "hike" a bit! And right around the next bend in the road was a green meadow with fall color on either side. The way the red leaves wrapped around the tree trunk made it look like a display at Michael's!

We passed through one small town after another contemplating what life in a small town in Vermont would be like. Then we passed through Killington, VT and decided it would be a fun place to live. Many of the local businesses participated in a hay sculpture contest. Here are a few we liked....

We saw several others but these were our favorites.

And this was our winner!

A local day spa made this sculpture... I like the cucumbers on her eyes!!

We passed idyllic spot after idyllic spot until we wondered how so much beauty could be crammed into such a small space. And have I mentioned how good the air smelled?

We would love to retire here on this lake... but maybe we should come back in winter before we buy a place!

One of the things I love about the east coast in general, and New England in particular, are the many small churches that actually look like churches, not warehouses. I know that the "building" doesn't make the church but there is something inviting and comforting about these small churches with tall spires. As we drove into many small towns, especially those in valleys, we could see the church spires sticking up above the trees like a beacon long before we could see the rest of the town.

I'd love to see this church in the winter with snow all around... it would look like a Christmas card!

Covered bridges are fairly commonplace in New England and we've visited several. After seeing the first one, I was curious about why they are covered. In early days bridges were made out of wood so the cover is to protect the bridge from mold and rot from having snow and ice accumulate on them. Covered bridges are also called "Kissing Bridges"since they gave courting couples a "private" place to kiss as the horse and buggy went over the bridge. We stopped at one last covered bridge before we left Vermont.

The Scott Bridge, built in 1870, has the longest wooden span in Vermont. It is no longer in use but we walked through it.

Before leaving Vermont, we had dinner at the Madison Brewery Co. in Bennington. We ate there four years ago when we cut through the bottom corner of the state and discovered they had the best shepherd's pie we had ever eaten. We were quickly seated at a table. As soon as our server came by, we told her we knew exactly what we wanted without looking at the menu- shepherd's pie. When she told us they were out of shepherd's pie, we thought she was kidding- but she wasn't. That was the only disappointing thing during our travels through Vermont!

The last day was dark and rainy thanks to Tropical Storm Nicole. We drove straight through New York and Pennsylvania back home to Maryland without taking a single picture. Shocking, I know! We were gone 14 days and drove a total of 3,780 miles. What a ride!!