Day 23 - Vermont is a Pretty State

The fog lay in wait for us to find our way to the riverside, Our morning blanket to lift for the days reveal.

Gentle reflections in still waters by the way.

Flowing curves and the road rises and falls through villages.

The first blush of embarassment for the trees in early acknowledgment of their  impending nakedness.  These early blushers, will they be the ones to herald the spring with the first flushes of green?

Some houses and yards are neat as pins, others show signs of needing attention.  Are the yards neglected because they are soon to be covered in snow?

Stacks of wood and stores of hay are gathered around the houses and barns. More evidence of the forthcoming snow.

Headed across Vermont to Rutland.  Large signs were showing Hwy 4 closed from 100A West.  There were three turn offs to 100 ahead of us, two to the south and one to the north.  They weren't labelled anything other than 100. We stopped at the Quechee Gorge Information Booth to ask about the road closure signs that weren't making lot sense to us out of towners.   Destruction as a result of the flooding from Irene meant that a little village near Rutland has been closed.

We made use of the stop to follow the walking trail for Quechee Gorge and find a diner for breakfast.   The diner served locally produced foods.  The ham, eggs, milk, breads and jams were yummy.  Nothing like having something akin to home food when we've been away for a while.

Quechee Gorge

Farmers Diner

Excellent example of an old fashioned diner

Nearby shops had various local and imported goods.  We stopped in at a glass blower's studio.  The artisan had beautiful colourful pieces from tiny little trinkets to large vases and plates, even a chess set.  We bought four glasses of different colours and arranged to have them shipped home.  We wandered through the other shops.  Some of the wares were local to Vermont, others were imported from Asian countries.

Time to hit the slab and make our way around.  We picked up Hwy 11 to make our way across the White Rocks National Recreational Area in the Green Mountains.  Around the area of Chester, VT we saw some of the fury of the floodwaters.  Large trees lay on their sides, pushed up against the banks and causeways.  Sections of road gouged away.  It reminded us of the damage to the Toowoomba and Blackbutt Ranges back home.

1797-built ex-schoolhouse, refurbished and for sale $379K

Roadside Little Hoosic River has caused much damage.

A run down Hwy 7A took us through the town of Manchester.  It has been voted No 1 for foliage in Vermont.  We can see the potential but the vibrant colours are not ready for us.

Halloween approaches

A little more zigging and zagging, back into New York State.  We were on 22 which followed the border between New York and Massachusetts which also follows the Taconic Range.

Our stop for the night in Canaan, NY has a very pretty outlook.  It is also beside a multi-lane Interstate and railway. We don't expect a quiet night.

Motel Outlook