This sign says it all. The "Birthplace of Vermont" description of the town means that the Constitution of Vermont was adopted here in 1777 as the founding of the Vermont Republic, which was a sovereign state until 1791 when Vermont joined the United States.
Here's where it all began—for Vermont anyway
Our first foray into Vermont was a brief one, in 1990 as we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We spent most of the day in Massachusetts but on the way home we came to Bennington which was a small town on the Walloomsac River (don't look at me, I didn't name it). As it was on the Silk Road (no, not the one in China) the covered bridge we came upon was called the Silk Road Bridge. That's what the sign on it says, plus the year 1840, but it's been painted and new signs added since. I imagine we were in Vermont for less than an hour and then we were on our way. It would be a harbinger of things to come two decades hence.
The Silk Road Bridge, 1840
Do you remember Hurricane Irene in August 2011? Wikipedia lists it as the 18th most destructive hurricane in terms of damage, so it wasn't the worst one. But it did damage up the coast and struck Long Island and on into New England with great force. We had already put our reservation in for one full week in Vermont because all our friends in Illinois talked about their trips to New England in the fall and we wanted to take a look see. Unfortunately the ocean water that got swirled up into the forests stunted all the color changing and leaves either stayed green or turned brown. Plus we had to work our way around the roads that caved in. I turned the trip into finding all the covered bridges I could locate but we may never see a Vermont fall.
Flood Destruction on the Queechee Covered Bridge, 1970
We headed out from Illinois for the rather long trip to Brownsville, Vermont, for a resort that was at the bottom of a mountain. It was set up with a chair lift so you would be correct in assuming this was a great place to go skiing in the winter. And one would probably be correct in believing that the landscape of trees would be a color kaleidoscope in the Fall. We were sorely disappointed that such would not be the case this year as the weather had dealt a horrific blow to the area but we did our best to find as many colorful leaves as we could. And certainly the views were amazing.
All the pretty leave were on the ground
We made a few side trips around the state. Montpelier was over an hour away and we saw the State Capitol. Further up the road was Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream location in Waterbury and we took a tour. I was particularly fascinated by the "Flavor Graveyard" out back with shared the sad news of those flavors that were no longer with us. Here's the one with a tie-in to Georgia:
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Tour
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Tour
Flavor Graveyard
One goal I had before leaving the area was to find the location from where the town photo was taken. It had been in all the promotional materials and all were from the same direction so I figured there must be a special lookout to take pictures. But no matter where I went I just couldn't see the same sight. As I zeroed in on the closest view of this particular town church I saw a house up on the right and decided I'd go ask the homeowners if there knew where I could find this place. Turns out it was actually their back yard which looks down on this view and they graciously allowed me all the time I wanted to savor the moment and take a bunch of pictures. That coup was probably the highlight of the trip for me!
The quintessential photo shot
Even as we drove out of the state I was still stopping along the way to take some more pictures of the covered bridges. This was below was quite nice in its handmade construction and solid feel.
Inside View of a Covered Bridge
The 10 Foot 16 Ton Covered Bridge
The Brown Bridge, 1871
So, in the end, we saw glimpses of the color we came to see but also found other sights we had not thought we'd see. That's the great thing about travelling. You try to make plans so that the trip is worth the effort but you've got to be willing to be flexible and ready to find new things.
The hurricane turned this in a mightier Queechee River
So, by all means, plan yourself a trip to Vermont some fall and you will likely see a sight that will take your breath away. Find yourselves all the covered bridges you possibly can take a ridiculous amount of photos. And all the while be sure to keep your eyes open for whatever surprises you might find along the way. You won't be disappointed!
Until next time,
Arktander
(aka David Andreasen)
No comments:
Post a Comment