We are quite entranced with Vermont. It is simply gorgeous, the weather great, and people as friendly as home! Sunshine and clear skies greeted us for the first time on this trip this morning. After a quick breakfast we headed north on Highway 7 paralleling the Green Mountain range. Once we reached Brandon, we turned east to go up and over the mountains, then north on Scenic Route 100 Byway. This route runs the length of Vermont and is know as "Vermont's Main Street." Many farms dotted the valley, but we discovered the trees on this side were past peak as many had already turned brown. Eventually we headed back west, passing through the Appalachian Gap ("App Gap") which passes between Stark Mountain and Baby Stark Mountain before it makes a dizzying descent into Starksboro.
Continuing down the western side of the Green Mountains, we soon arrived at Bristol Falls. It's only a 15 foot drop, but with the background of changing birch, maple, and oak, it was well worth the visit.
Our next stop was the Vermont Teddy Bear Company to purchase some gifts for the folks back home. A quick lunch stop at a wood-fired pizza joint, and we got back on the road bound for Stowe. We swung north and passed through Smuggler's Notch, "a narrow pass through the Green Mountains lined with 1,000-foot cliffs. It began as a footpath and trail for horses, but in 1807, President Thomas Jefferson passed an embargo act forbidding American trade with Great Britain and Canada. This was a severe hardship for northern Vermonters, since Montreal was closer than other markets in the US. Many local people continued illegal trade with Canada, herding cattle and carrying other goods through the Notch. Later, fugitive slaves used the Notch as an escape route to Canada. During the Prohibition years, liquor was smuggled from Canada over the improved road built in 1922."
Stowe felt like Vermont's version of Branson and the traffic was very heavy. Just south of town, we turned off and visited the Gold Brook covered bridge. "Built in 1844 it is a single-lane, 50-foot-long bridge. Its wooden frame is dark and weathered, and it was here, if the legend is to be believed, that a girl with a broken heart took her own life. In the mid-1800s, Emily was supposed to meet her paramour to elope. When he never showed, it’s said Emily took her own life from the rafters of the covered bridge. In the ghost story that followed, Emily is apparently an angry specter. Tales of claw-like gouges down the sides of cars and other ghastly stories surround the bridge, including those of a strange voice emanating from inside the short tunnel." Unfortunately we heard no voices, but on the bright side, our rental car didn't suffer any gouges.
The day was getting away from us a bit, so we took advantage of the nearby interstate and headed southeast towards New Hampshire. Before too long we exited and headed east, making an unexpected detour to visit Ricker Pond State Park and Lake Groton.
Dinner was at The Common Man restaurant in Lincoln, NH which opened in 1985. It was a large, but cozy restaurant and we left with full stomachs. We've seen very little wildlife so far, until tonight when, on the way to the hotel, and rather large black bear ran out and crossed the road in front of us. Fingers crossed for a moose sighting soon!
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