I have to say I was surprised at how good it felt to
be back in the U.S. Pretty silly considering how friendly Canada can be. But I
think if you were to take Canada and separate it from the U.S. people might
feel its ‘foreignness’. Anyway, I am glad I took the trip and will definitely
revisit, I would like to spend more time on Prince Edward Island, it was easy to take it all slow, since it is small.
Here I am, cruising through beautiful, green,
hilly Vermont. First, though, I
started in New Hampshire, driving and camping my way through the White
Mountains.
I really wanted one of those bumper stickers “This
car climbed Mt. Washington” so I started out early heading to the starting
point.
The gentleman that was collecting the fees (to drive a mountain road?!?)
laughed when I told him what I wanted to do. I have driven over Independence
Pass and all those other MTN passes in Colorado, after all. He said, “Our
little mountain road is not equipped to handle your van. This is meant for
cars.” I was quite disappointed sadness filled my eyes, hoping he would change
his mind. He just told me to pull ahead and move out of the way. (!) Well, I
would just carry on.
I drove slowly and enjoyed the views. It would be
spectacular in the fall. I camped at Crawford Notch right along the Saco River.
Those tent sites were like a dream, riverside, rocky bluffs across,
the river shallow enough to wade in, just the right sounds to put one in
dreamland. Really beautiful. RV sites? Pretty unwonderful. Right by the
highway, crowded together, close to the dusty camp road. No RV, trailer, or van
no matter how self sufficient or small gets to go anywhere else in the park. I
enjoyed one full day walking along the river, sitting and reading, and wading a
little. AND I also got to have serious pet time with a white standard poodle,
playing in that pretty river. I spent the next few days winding my way through
the White Mountains, camping along the road. There were many pretty pull offs
with enough space so no road noise, one even along a river.
 |
Pretty road side fall-
I parked right along side
for the night!
|
 |
So soft moss
|
 |
Camp flowers
pretty little daisies. |
 |
One campsite, nicely
tucked away. |
Yes, this is about Vermont…So, what’s the most
important site one has to see in Vermont? Of course, Ben and Jerry’s Factory
Tour! I arrived about 9 Friday, just pulling in you get this sense of happiness
and silliness. It is a fun tour, really short though. They make ice cream 24
hours a day, but only Monday through Friday morning. Everyone who works with
the factory gets the weekend off. For us it was unfortunate, they closed the
assembly line about 9 on Friday mornings to clean everything. That didn’t stop
me from getting an ice cream cone-no way! I would go back again to see the ice
cream being made and packaged. (and another cone)
 |
This is the view from the
'cemetery'. |
 |
A history of ice cream
scoops! All I need is a
spoon and a container. |
 |
| Happy cows. |
 |
The retired flavor cemetery.
Pretty funny! |
My touring driving day was very rainy so I didn’t do
any hiking in the Green Mountains. It was all very pretty with some beautiful
waterfalls. Once again I did roadside camping with pretty views and sounds for
the night. Oh, and Lake Champlain is in Vermont! It is really beautiful, I felt
like I was in a foreign country, the view across was pretty, the lake gorgeous,
and the docked boats worth dreaming about! I met my friends, Martha and
Charles, along the lake for a farewell camp gathering. They had owned a boat
and traveled leisurely that way for 12 years. This was the perfect setting for
those boating stories and thinking about what it would be like to travel at 8
miles an hour! They sold their boat a few years ago and are now traveling by a
class B rv to see the land side of all their port stops. I look forward to
seeing them again this winter. I wondered my way along the lake eventually
crossing into New York.
 |
$5 fee for crossing faster than
a walk, I tiptoed across!
|
 |
Many covered bridges,
kind of cool to see! |
 |
On a tour of Middlebury,
this was in front of
the library. |
 |
The garden to explore!
|
 |
| Vermont Views! |
 |
| They even grow solar panels here. |
 |
| Spotted in a VT parking lot |
 |
This was the only moose
I spotted. |
 |
I braked and braked but
no moose were seen :-( |
As I post this, I am near Chicago greatly anticipating time with my family. Gatherings and parties begin as soon as I arrive. Yum.
