Quechee Gorge Dam with rain clouds overhead. Perfect timing for weird lighting.
We felt we’d be remiss if our first trip to Vermont didn’t include a stop at one of their 55 state parks. Our vetting process led us to one that put the “gorge” in “gorgeous”.
Our view of the Green Mountains from the parking lot at our next hotel in Waterbury.
Natural panoramas! American war history! Pandemic-era disappointment! Food! This one has ’em all, in sparing amounts!
A 2010 statue of Vermont jazz legend Big Joe Burrell, who played with the likes of B.B. King, Count Basie, and Phish.
We’re not high-end shoppers who get caught anywhere near boutiques, jewelers, perfumeries, fashion trendsetters, or home decor artisans unless they happen to be next door to the retailers we’d rather visit. And by “we” I especially mean “I”. Anne’s collecting habits are modest bordering on spartan, whereas I’m the one on the lookout for brick-and-mortar purveyors who cater to my hobbies and pop culture interests. Fortunately Burlington had just the district for us.
Anne meets Champy, the local celebrity mythical water monster.
By the time we reached Burlington, the largest city in Vermont, we’d seen Lake Champlain from a mountaintop, from the roadside, and from a small pier jutting into the middle of it. At lunchtime on Day Four, we were okay with seeing it yet again, but tried slowing down long enough to traipse around it and bask for a while.
What has two thumbs and buys winter wear in summertime? This gal!
Bears. Memes. Bernie-Starred Mitten-ica.
Hurray for sugar and sugary products!
“Did you buy any maple syrup while you were there?” asked far too many people whenever we mentioned our trip to Vermont. So…yes. Yes, we did. WE HOPE YOU’RE ALL HAPPY.
I mean, we do hope you are. Sorry if it sounded sarcastic.
Lake Champlain once again, but up close this time.,
Our next stop appealed to us on two levels: we thought it would offer easy access to something we wanted to see; and admission was free. Fans of boats and boat accessories might’ve gotten more out of it than we did, but when it’s free, we’re willing to live and learn a little.
Some ’80s kids saw the front of this place on TV, though the owners have had new windows installed since then.
Vermont! At last! Naturally our first stop was a pop culture reference from our childhoods.
As elevated views go, it isn’t Pike’s Peak, but it’s not nothing.
Fun travel rule of thumb: if someone asks if you’d like to go up a really tall structure or geological feature so you can look down upon all the other tourist attractions you actually came to see, you say yes.
Welcome to Fort Ticonderoga, which rhymes with hardly anything except “yoga” and “Conestoga”.
Some of the roadside attractions that catch our attention are all about indulging our geek sides. Some are highlights that speak to Anne the history aficionado. For such a tiny town, Ticonderoga pulled off the neat trick of catering to both facets in her. It was a little jarring transitioning from a tour of the 23rd century to a time capsule of the 18th, but we managed. We are large; we contain multitudes.
Midlife Crisis Crossover! 