Chasing Autumn Colors in New England

Spending weeks in New England afforded a marvelous opportunity for leaf-peeping. Our trip wouldn’t have been complete without seeking autumn glory!

After our first week of serving at the Mission E4 Ministry, we splurged on a 400-mile weekend tour through Vermont.  From Massachusetts we headed north to Keane, NH on our way to Queeche, VT, to view the spectacular gorge and nearby falls. Though the colors were not peak, it was still tourist worthy; we were in good company with droves of sight-seers. We visited the Simon Pierce glass blowing factory and watched a wine glass formed from beginning to end… just fascinating!  We pushed on to Woodstock (just so we could say we’d been to Woodstock) where we meandered in and out of shops. Covering 100+ miles, we then traversed from northeast to southwestern Vermont, chasing colors along windy, hilly and often extremely bumpy roads.  We were grateful for mostly blue sky as a background to God’s autumn canvas. My favorite picture is featured above.

NOTE – since I published my post this morning, I’ve learned from friends that we were NOT at THE Woodstock, which occurred in New York, not Vermont. Serve me up a piece of humble pie!

A picturesque Bed and Breakfast with rich history gave our weary bones rest Friday evening. The Ira Allen Northshire Inn is over 200 years old, built by Ethan Allen of the Green Mountain Boys and his brother Ira. We loved learning the history of the home, and the local towns of Sunderland, Arlington and Bennington. In fact, we learned for a period of 14 years, the state we now call Vermont was the Independent Republic of Vermont. Who knew?

On Saturday we ventured to a Norman Rockwell exhibit. Rockwell lived in Arlington for many years, choosing a rural life in order to better capture the essence of our country in his famous Saturday Evening Post magazine covers. He asked many of the locals to pose as models.  In the exhibit, the models shared their perspective on the experience of modeling for Rockwell which was heartwarming. Juxtaposed, Rockwell explained his intended message for each painting and why he chose specific models. We then toured the Hildene estate of Robert Lincoln, son of President Lincoln, visited the flagship Orvis store in Manchester and made the journey to the quintessential Vermont Country Store. The endless shelving and expansive offerings encompassed just about anything you could thinking of as well as lots of things no one needs but still buys.

We ventured on Sunday morning up the Mount Equinox Skyline Drive. Over 5.2 miles of private toll road, we ascended nearly 3,000 feet in about twenty minutes. At the summit, we were inside a cloud. I could watch white wisps pass right before my eyes. This private mountain has an amazing history and is now owned by Carthusain Monks. After reading about their extremely austere life, I knew monk like would never have worked for me! The low clouds made the views a bit less captivating, but the drive was still worth the trek.

Onward to Bennington; we visited the Bennington War Monument, a giant stone obelisk. Interestingly, the Battle of Bennington actually occurred several miles away in New York. Nonetheless, the commemorative monument was constructed in Bennington, VT.  Nearby, we strolled through the cemetery of the Old First Church (founded in 1762) to see the grave of Robert Frost. We found gravestones from the early 1700’s though most were difficult to read. One in particular made me giggle (see below) Filled with a new appreciation for our country’s history and having successfully chased reds and golds crowning the roads through Vermont, we returned to Massachusetts.

Our conclusions? First and foremost, the expanse of heavily wooded mountain ranges in Vermont was breathtaking. The Green Mountains and the Taconic range surrounded us for many miles. In fact, our B&B was nestled in the valley between these stunning mountains. While Vermont may claim to have the best maple syrup, it seems to have much less vibrant red sugar maple trees than Minnesota or Wisconsin. Nonetheless, the array of visual splendor was still glorious.

To be honest, there were some challenges which I share for anyone contemplating a trip to New England. Driving in New England is not for the faint hearted. These are the worst roads we’ve ever experienced by far. Minnesota winter potholes can’t hold a candle to Massachusetts or Vermont rural washboard roads. The tight suspension of a pickup truck exacerbated the constant jarring. Additionally, New England has a dearth of street signs. I’m certain Siri has become tired of re-routing us after numerous missed turns.

Throw in a few covered bridges through the miles and we counted our weekend in Vermont a marvelous success!

Tomorrow we begin our journey to Texas. Watch for new posts as we travel through Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas to Sherman, Texas. Come along for the ride!