On our second day in Vermont we headed for New York. Seems crazy, but stick with me … it was worth it.
Of course we didn’t make it very far before my husband had to turn around and check out an old Ford truck.
.
.
It looked just like his… same year, same color except this was a 250 instead of a 150. Price tag, for a truck made in 1994? $22,000. That is beyond insane (and made me want to list his for sale as soon as we got home).
Back on the road, we pointed the car towards the Champlain Islands.
.
.
If you’re unfamiliar with this area, Lake Champlain is large. 107 miles long, 64 foot deep. There’s often talk about adding it to the Great Lakes but nothing ever comes of it.
.
.
There are a few ferries that cross it from the Vermont side, but the ride is pretty and we weren’t in any rush.
.
.
South Hero, North Hero….
.
.
And Grand Isle.
.
.
Miles and miles of nothing but farms, mountains and lake. (spellcheck changed lake to kale. No one wants miles of that!)
One of the nicest things about our resort in the mountains? Beautiful fall foliage right outside our door.
.
.
We were a little past peak for this trip but it was still a lovely palette of color to wake up to.
.
.
This quirky coffee house right down the road only opened the day we left which was disappointing. I haven’t been half baked in decades.
.
.
First day of our trip? We drove…
.
.
Here.
There.
Wherever the leaves took us.
.
.
And if you’re driving with my husband that means traveling on some pretty obscure back roads. Often ones that turn to dirt.
Miles and miles, up and over mountains where there’s nothing but glorious foliage, nature….
.
.
Bear warnings….
.
.
And a randomly placed portapotty.
( Spellcheck kept changing this to portal Otto. I may have missed a prime Tardis opportunity there.)
Here’s a short clip of the splendor. Yours truly is announcing the sighting of turkeys on the left, repeatedly and quite loudly. I do this when I spot cows as well, though in the deeper audible resonance they deserve.
Since we weren’t in a huge hurry to get home, we took the longer scenic route back and that meant driving through the Northeast Kingdom.
.
.
It’s a rural and mountainous region of Vermont, similar to areas in northern Maine with its low population density and differing political views.
.
.
Unspoiled and undisturbed.
Beautiful? You betcha!
.
.
This region takes their designation seriously so you’ll find “Kingdom” gas stations and “Kingdom” diners scattered throughout the area.
.
.
There’s even a covered bridge staircase.
.
.
While the majority of Vermont is an environmentally friendly, liberal, churn your own butter, Birkenstock type of place… the Kingdom is a bit wilder and leans much farther right. It’s often said there are two Maines, southern and northern.. I find that’s true of Vermont as well.
.
.
And if you’re wondering how far north we were?
.
.
I could see Canada from my window.
.
.
And though we didn’t cross the border, Verizon let us know we might as well have.
Since resort check in wasn’t until 4:00pm we had some time to kill. And when you have time to kill in this area of Vermont? You drive through The Notch.
.
.
It’s basically a road cut right through the mountain and it’s one of my absolute favorite drives.
Twisty, turny and littered with glacial granite boulders…. it’s a rock lovers dream.
.
.
Not that it’s the easiest road to navigate mind you. The switchbacks are breath taking, the proximity to boulders cringe worthy. In places you’re absolutely blind and are left crossing everything you have that nothing is coming the other way when the road narrows so tightly only one car can pass.
My husband drives it like sport.
.
.
On the other side of The Notch? Stowe… a lovely village I’ll highlight later. And in Stowe?
.
.
An amazing local brewery.
.
.
We had to stand in line half an hour to get in, on a Tuesday, at 2:30 in the afternoon. It’s that good. I was willing to wait longer to sit in one of the artfully decorated dining rooms (the giant velvet cow print couch was calling my name) but the husband snatched two seats at the bar as soon as they became available.
.
.
One flight in…. on an amazing polished copper bar, we were already loving this place.
.
.
The Kolsch was delightful, the Pink and Pale seriously puckering.
And since we were at a brewery….
.
.
I had to try the monster soft pretzel. Not only does Idletyme brew their own beer, they make their own beer cheese and grind their own mustard. A win win.
.
.
As was this hot spiced cider with rum. Hey, when in Rome…
.
.
My chargrilled mushroom Swiss burger with crispy onions and Caesar salad was good, but my husband’s choice?
.
.
Ooh la la! So beyond the normal pub fare … we might have drooled. Butternut squash ravioli with maple cream sauce, sliced almonds and a hint of cayenne for bite. It was utterly fabulous.
Too stuffed for dessert, we headed back through The Notch and it’s amazing selection of rocks.
.
.
And mini waterfalls breaking through at random intervals.
.
.
And by then, it was time to check in.
.
.
Yes, the resort is named after The Notch… which was originally used by smugglers and bootleggers. Yet another reason to love it.
A little history if you’re interested…
With cliffs on either side that sometimes reach a height of 1,000 feet, it’s also easy to see how very few people would have been caught on their way to and from one country to another. The landscape looked completely different in the early 1800s and there were far fewer people – and towns – meaning this region was even more remote. After former president Thomas Jefferson passed the Embargo Act in 1807, the restriction of trade between countries had a drastically negative impact on the state of Vermont. As the state shares a border with Canada, this trade route was by far the easiest to use, and once that was cut off there were many citizens and businesses that suffered in the northern part of the state.
This route was not only used for trading. Fugitive slaves would also utilize the route to make their way through Vermont and into Canada, which gave it another historic purpose.
The use of Smugglers’ Notch didn’t just end there, though. As Vermont progressed into the 20th century, they would be subject to yet another restriction – this time, on alcohol. When Prohibition came about in 1922, the state was lucky enough to have opened Smugglers’ Notch to automobile traffic. This meant that those using the route would no longer need to cross on foot or horseback, which opened up even more illegal trade route options. In this case, it was Vermont’s loophole during the time when it was legally a dry state.
.
.
*Not my photo , but it gives you a better idea of the scope*
The Notch is closed to tractor trailer trucks due to the precarious turns, and though there are ample signs warning them not to enter, a few idiots try it every year, getting stuck and causing horrible traffic jams and back ups.
The entire road is closed for the season starting in mid October so we were lucky and slipped in right before the gates came down.
We took a scenic drive down south the other day and ended up at Camp Ellis. A tiny spit of the Maine coast that suffers greatly during storms and high seas.
.
.
So much so that their beach front is now mostly rock and concrete.
.
.
Erosion is threatening homes and drastic measures are being employed. Because when your front lawn looks like this?
.
.
You know something has to be done.
.
.
I constantly wonder why people even bother. The sea will come, and nothing man can do will stop it.
.
.
Waterfront living is wonderful, but water in your living room… not so much.
River's world..... 