Posts Tagged With: Vermont

VERMONT TO MAINE

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Doug and Jackie

Woke to another chilly, drizzly morning in the 40’s and set about hitching the tow dolly to the motorhome and ramping the car up onto it. We will need to fill the gas tank on the drive today, something that you need to plan out in this area, since gas stations are pretty sparse. Rolling through Groton one last time and across the pastures and hillsides, we marveled at the houses, barns, churches and cemeteries that made for such gorgeous scenery. And the turkeys. We have seen lots of them along the roadsides and in the pastures, groups of six to twelve. All is fine, until you stop to snap a picture and then … off they scurry. Guess they know their days may be numbered this fall.

Our route took us across New Hampshire again, just north of the White Mountains and Franconia Notch. But today is an overcast day with intermittent rain and low clouds that obscure the tops of the hills and mountains. But the leaf colors were just vivid orange, red and yellow interspersed with dark green spruce. We did fill the gas tank and found our campground, the Troll Valley Resort. This was kind of a weak link in our reservations, since it seemed a little iffy online. Right location for a mid-point in the drive to Acadia with full hookups, but as we found out — “resort” was stretching it. Jackie asked if the spot was a pull-through. “It can be,” was the reply, and the owner showed us how to just drive across the spot to reach the hookups yet make a drive out without unhitching the car. OK then.

I don’t know why I was complaining, the lounge area had a camper’s library (see the picture and note the lovely bird’s nest), dank bathrooms and showers in the converted garage/basement AND a very well maintained disc golf course. Oh, and I spotted a possibility for our next camper — downsized VW camper that needs just a bit of work.

Well, we did get to dump, take a nice hot shower in the van and fill the water tank prior to our 6 day dry camping at Acadia National Park. No rain overnight, either. We pulled out and headed east under cloudy skies, but by Bangor it cleared to a blue sky sunny day. Yippee! Timing was great, since we got to Bangor just after noon and found a perfect free parking spot along the curb next to Sea Dog Brewpub. Ahhh, a flight of beer with lunch, how novel. Some nice choices, but we agreed that the Pumpkin Ale and Brown Ale were the best. We split a barbecue chicken flatbread and hit-the-spot cups of butternut squash bisque. It truly feels like fall with temps in the 50’s and all the associated flavors of the season. I even succumbed to the Pumpkin Spice craze with a box of PS mini shredded wheat. I must be nuts.

So we stopped at the information center just before crossing to Mount Desert Isle (where Acadia NP is located) and was asked by the staff how tall our vehicle was. “Twelve feet, 3 inches.” “Oh, that may be a problem. The entrance road has a low bridge of 12’ 2” … “ Hmm, that was a surprise and a head scratcher.

It took a little time to look over the roadway options, but we finally figured a route that took us through Bar Harbor and OVER the bridge in question and on to the campground. Not out of it yet, though, since the roadway was under construction, limited to one lane of traffic going east (as we were, thank goodness) and pretty much gravel. Oh but it gets better. The traffic, human and auto, in Bar Harbor was crazy. A cruise ship was in town, so it was flooded with tourists (as if we are NOT), and cars were parked on both sides of very narrow streets. I had a sharp right hand turn to make and then some squeeze plays to make it without stripping the paint off. We found the campground in short order, unhitched the car and slipped into a really nice wooded spot. Jackie began to breathe again and her knuckles returned to normal color.

Next morning our plan was to drive the 27 mile loop road around the park to get a sense of what it was like. Cadillac Mountain is supposed to be a great spot to see all around the coast from 1,500 feet, so that will definitely be a stop if it is clear weather (and it better be).

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Acadia National Park, Bangor, Blackwoods Campground, Maine, Mount Desert Isle, New Hampshire, Sea Dog Brewing, Troll Valley Resort, turkey, Vermont | Leave a comment

New Hampshire and Hiking

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Doug and Jackie

It is now Friday, Day 13 of our leaf peeping adventure and we finally have sun and blue skies! That’s great, because we have a short drive east across the rest of Vermont, over the Connecticut River and into New Hampshire. We are heading toward the White Mountains and Franconia Notch State Park. The colors of the leaves are pretty much near their peak, with oranges, yellows, and reds interspersed with dark green triangles of spruce and fir. White trunks of paper birch pop out and in many spots there is a bright green carpet of pasture to set it off. With the blue sky and wispy white clouds, this is our best day yet for viewing.

A spot along the way, Beaver Pond, is just the perfect mix of water, sky and fall colors. Actually, the AT crosses our path here and we took a moment to walk maybe 100 feet of it, just to tell our nephew Adam that we did it.

Further on, the town of Lincoln, New Hampshire also sits along the AT, with several hiker friendly trail stops, and a little bit of crazy with the Hobo Railroad and Clark’s Trading Post featuring bear shows.

Just beyond that is the start of the state park and we pull off to hike the Flume Gorge. It is a pretty popular spot with the bus tour crowd, but once we got through the gift shop and started uphill it was fine. I remember coming to this area with my family as a youngster and hiking up through the flume, a cool, damp hike up stairways and ramps. I was not disappointed with this return visit at all.

The gorge is a split in the granite outcropping through which the Pemigewasset River flows. The entire hike is about 2 miles round trip, but the actual gorge is less than half a mile. I will let the pictures tell the story of the catwalk through the gorge (which is removed in winter and rebuilt each spring).

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It was a great hike up and back, not too strenuous at all, and we were soon on our way back to Vermont and camp at Ricker’s Pond. Since it was such a nice night, we bought some firewood and sat outside around our first campfire (really?) until it got too darn cold. Mid 40’s is winter for us Georgians!

It is now Day 14 and our last one in Vermont. Dry camping in Vermont means we are being conservative with our water supply and careful with our propane for heat. We fire up the generator a bit in the morning and evening to heat food, water and charge devices. We have both been hauling water in a gallon jug from the spigot down the hill to keep the tanks at two-thirds. One reason is the shower house is metered (feed quarters) and we aren’t certain there is hot water. There certainly isn’t heat in the cement-floored building, so that isn’t an option. That means a very quick shower onboard. This will be much the same situation in Maine for 5 days – and it’s not a problem, just a shift in how you do things.

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Ok, then, on with our day. We opted to stay close today and take Kodi along for some hiking. As you can see by the pictures, the colors are even more vivid. We walked the Cross Vermont trail a bit – an old railroad line that actually goes through our campground along Ricker’s Pond. Then we hiked up a bit more hill to reach Owl’s Head overlook and were glad we did. What a spectacular view of the mountains to the east. Just breathtaking.

We made a loop drive that took us to Danville, where we stopped for lunch at the only place in town that was open: Bentley’s Bakery & Cafe. Sandwiches were huge and delicious (pastrami panini and grilled chicken with cranberries and walnuts) on fresh made breads. Washed down with maple iced coffee and we were set.

Actually, we took half the meal back for dinner. The liquor shop next door had some Vermont beer from 14th State brewing that I just had to buy: “Maple Breakfast Stout” made with coffee and maple syrup. The heck with breakfast, that was going to go great with dinner!

The route back took us up and over rolling hills and bright green pastures, dotted with barns and silos. One of the cutest towns, and not a tourist stop at all, was Peacham, dating to 1776. Oh my goodness, the houses were charming and everything just looked postcard perfect. We soon arrived in Groton (pronounced like “rotten”) just as their fall festival parade ended and the town was jammed with people and cars. Just yesterday it was empty. But since there was no traffic light in town, just the Constable directing traffic, it didn’t take too long to pass through and back to the campsite.

Kodi was pretty quiet back in the camper, falling asleep in the passenger seat while Jackie took a power nap and I tried to burn off the last of the firewood. Tomorrow is going to be a hitch-up and get-outta-town day. Destination: Farmington, Maine (with full hook-ups!).

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Appalachian Trail, Beaver Pond, church, Cross Vermont Trail, Danville, dry camping, fall foliage, Franconia Notch State Park, Groton, Hiking, Kodi, Leaf peeping, Lincoln New Hampshire, New Hampshire, Owl's Head Overlook, pasture, Peacham, Ricker's Pond, RV travel, Vermont, White Mountains | 1 Comment

Vermont Leafing

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Doug and Jackie

Well, once again it rained overnight and we woke to a cold and dreary day. That’s ok, we hitched up the car and drove a few hours to Groton. This was to be a base for a few days, camping at Ricker’s Pond State Park (also dry camping) and exploring places like Franconia Notch in New Hampshire and Thetford to visit with old family friends and down to Windsor to Harpoon Brewing. Along the way we noticed a lot more color and finally found ourselves in the midst of yellow, orange and reds … finally the colors of fall! Once we were set in camp, we drove to the small town of Groton to sample at Artesano Meadery. Boy were we pleasantly surprised. The honey-based drinks were more like crisp wines than the meades we were used to from our beer festivals back home. It was tough deciding between blueberry, cranberry, apple and pepper flavors, but we settled on a traditional honey meade that seemed just right.

Winding through the wooded hills we kept expecting our New England Moose encounter, but no luck yet. We did spot several turkey along the roadside and in side yards. Also some colorful pastures with cows grazing. Last stop was a maple sugaring stop at Goodrich’s Maple Farm. Super friendly family operation and some delicious maple syrup. It was a good day, even though it was overcast. All was well back in camp as we made it an early evening.

It seems that the cloudy, rainy weather just won’t give us a break. Our next full day at Ricker’s Pond State Park was cool and cloudy, but with hints that the sun and blue sky might break through. Today was our day to venture out to Thetford and on to Windsor. As we drove south of the Groton area, the leaf color returned to mostly green.

Even though it was cloudy, the grass pastures were bright green and the countryside dotted with dairy barns. We saw several more groups of turkeys in fields and roadsides and more than a few skunks in the road, plus our second porcupine roadkill. I think maybe in Vermont the riddle should be “why did the skunk cross the road? Well, he didn’t really, he only made it halfway.”

We met up with our good family friends just outside Thetford center and had a wonderful visit sharing family memories and catching up a bit. Quite impressed that Barb was also a craft beer fan and had some local suggestions, knowing that we were headed to Windsor. We were told to stop at King Arthur’s Bakery for some pastries and what a good suggestion that was. A darn big operation, the bakery had some delicious looking chocolate croissants, danish and hard rolls calling our name. A few bags in hand, we drove on to Windsor.

So naturally we made it to Harpoon Brewing in time for a hearty lunch. Another delicious bratwurst on a bun with kraut and some flights of beer. I think we both loved everything they had: UFO White, UFO Raspberry,UFO Pineapple, UFO Pumpkin, Octoberfest, and the Dunkin Donuts Porter.

But the star of the show was Moose and Rocco, a delicious amber lager somehow brewed with elements of Moose Tracks and Rocky Road flavors (and a hefty 8+ alcohol content). Great spot to visit and good timing – in two days they will host a big Octoberfest celebration, with thousands expected. The tents and bandstands they were setting up looked like fun, but we were just as happy not to be fighting the crowds. Heading back, we drove through White River Junction to stop at River Roost Brewing, another small brewery that has earned local awards for their beer.

Back in camp we took those great hard rolls, some leftover steak and had ourselves a tasty dinner. Finished things off with a chocolate croissant after a few rounds of gin rummy and plans for tomorrow (the Flume Gorge in New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch).

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Artesano Meadery, dry camping, fall foliage, Goodrich's Maple Farm, Groton, Harpoon Brewing, King Arthur's Bakery, Kodi, Leaf peeping, Ricker's Pond State Park, turkey, UFO beer, Vermont, Windsor | Leave a comment

Back in the USA

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Doug and Jackie

We left Quebec and the Montreal area after yet again another night of rain. This makes only one night without rain so far. But at least it has been partly sunny most afternoons when we arrive at our destinations. And the temperatures are upper 40’s at night and upper 50’s daytime. I keep wondering why I packed a swimsuit… what was I thinking?

Ok then, crossing through mostly farmland, once we peeled away from the outskirts of Montreal. The road is good and drivers seem to keep to the right, except to pass and pretty much stick to the speed limit. Imagine that. So it isn’t long before we reach the border crossing into New York. Just a few questions and concerns about fresh fruits, particularly citrus, and we are back in the US. Not in New York long before we cross over Lake Champlain into Vermont. We stop at a welcome center for some local information and meander down the islands until we reach Grand Isle State Park. Nice spot for two nights, but dry camping (no electric or water hook-ups).

Since it is just after noon, we head out to explore nearby Burlington. A popular spot downtown is Church Street, converted to pedestrian only and lined with very trendy shops, outfitters, restaurants, coffee spots and bars. There are four colleges in town, so the crowd was young and apparently better off than we were in college, judging from the pricey shops. We found our spot at the Vermont Pub and Brewery and, twist my arm, we ordered a flight. Probably the Octoberfest was our fave and a raspberry wheat sour.

Further down the road was another spot on our list: Magic Hat Artifactory. It was quite an eclectic brewery and tap room, with a sort of mardi gras meets carnival theme to it. Sampling the beer we found the Circus Boy Hefeweisen and Fancy Grade Maple Doppelbok and Heart of Darkness Stout to be the tastiest. We met another couple also doing the craft beer circuit and learned they were from Maine, so we learned a few tips about the Bar Harbor and Portland area. Ordered a pizza and headed back to camp.

Next morning’s task was to gas up the motorhome at a station around the corner. Everything in the motorhome is working just fine, but the generator won’t run if the gas in the tank is below ¼ – so we got maybe 5 minutes out of it last night before it quit. We usually try to have a nearly full tank before stopping for the night, but we didn’t find a suitable station the day before. After filling the tank and backing into the campsite again, we were set to head to Waterbury Vermont, home of Ben & Jerry’s, Smuggler’s Notch Distillery and Cabot Cheese.

Of course it had rained overnight, but this was our first day of rain all day. Good thing we were just doing the tourist route, not searching for wildlife (no sightings so far). The drive past Burlington and into Waterbury was nice, but still pretty green with only a few pops of color. We found Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory, along with the several busloads of others. We didn’t take the tour, but did have a hot fudge sundae in the chilly rain. Next stop was a “made for the tour buses” spot with Cabot’s Cheese (lotta sampling) and SN Distillery (bourbon, vodka sampling). Not as good as the Kentucky Bourbon sampling, sorry. But we did stop at a cider mill that had amazing cider donuts … yum. That was also the spot where a winery had samples and the cider mill had hard cider samplings. Yum. I should note that most of these samplings come with a minor sampling fee, which is ok, since we are happy to support the local farmers.

Further along was the town of Stowe, you know the one — Christmas cards and puzzles are filled with pictures of this town. With all the gold-leaf on the signs, I knew it was probably the Jackson Hole of the East. We hung a left and wound into the hills … is that music? Not exactly, but our destination was the von Trapp Family Bierhall, yes the one made famous by the family from “Sound of Music” and run by the family (Maria’s grandson). It was a perfect spot to warm up with some beer cheese soup, bratwurst and apple sauerkraut. The beer was great with the meal – the Vienna Lager tasted crisp and fresh and the Dunkel was a smooth brown lager.

A final stop in Waterbury was a visit to the Green Mountain Coffee Cafe. The darn “maps” directions dropped us at a very corporate style building with Keurig/Dr. Pepper on the doors and “Welcome” banners out front, so we walked in, went up a floor in the elevator and looked around. Ummm, don’t think so. And we sure didn’t look the part. Back in the car we saw a cool railroad station across the parking lot and discovered THAT was the cafe. Guess we slipped into the headquarters by mistake. Good coffee stop.

Now it was time to head back to camp, but we had one last stop at the Zero Gravity brewery, both for a beer and for wifi. The beer was refreshing, but honestly it did not have the strong flavor profiles of some of our favorites. It was just OK, but the tap room was a really nice spot. Back in camp, run the generator, fix a dinner salad and head to bed. Tomorrow is another big day.

Thanks for following along. More New England adventures to come.