Sat., 12 Oct/13

The TV did it's duty and woke us up to news at 8 am. After breakfast in the RV we made another picnic lunch for our travels.

Our first stop was at Shaw's in Randolph. We needed some more bottled water and picked up 2 more of the cooler bags. They work great. The best part is they are fold flat when not in use. We will leave them in the car and use them when we go Costco shopping to store the refrigerated goods until we return home. This becomes an issue in the summer - especially for meat. The Costco cooler bags we have work; however, they do not fold flat and take up a good deal of room in the trunk.

Today we will trace part of the route we took when we were here 2 years ago - just after Hurricane Irene. The extremely heavy rainfall did tremendous damage, especially in the narrow valley areas. There was still evidence of the devastation in some areas; but most of the major roads and bridges have been repaired. Some of the minor roads and washouts are still pretty rough and under currently under construction. There are not too many areas left to repair and things should be under control by next fall.

We headed south along RT-12 to Woodstock, VT - not to be confused with the Woodstock in NY of Hippie Music Festival Fame. Passing by the Historic Billings Farm we could see disappointed folks turning around at the entrance, that, like the National Parks and other Federal Institutions, are closed as a result of the current Congressional funding stalemate.

We always have to travel through here when in the area. It is always packed with tourists enjoying the 18th century architecture, scenic parks and many stores along the main street.

The town is a showcase at all times of year. In the fall the foliage and mums are a special treat. Busloads of leaf peepers are unloading near the town square and the traffic, as usual, is dense and at a crawl. At least the drivers are courteous - letting cars enter, turn and cross the main flow as it winds through the downtown intersection. This is a must visit - anytime of year!

Our first stop is just on the outskirts of Woodstock along US-4 (also RT-12). Here tents are set up in Bailey's Meadow for the 41st annual Apples & Craft Fair. We have been here previously - it is a neat little show. This, being the Canadian Thanksgiving/USA Columbus Day long weekend means that there are similar shows all through New England. This is one of the two we have on the agenda for today.

As usual, we manage to find some things we didn't know we needed. I added to my Route 66 collection (2 signs). I am not sure if they will go in the motorhome or on the wall at home.

Of course, we "nibbled" our way through several booths as we sampled dips, spreads, jams, fudge and trail mixes. Charlotte found a Ginger/Pineapple trails mix she liked (anything with Ginger is a sale).

We then continued on US-4 heading East. Just past the Taftsville (VT) Country Store (a neat stop where you can sample great cheeses) we continued on RT-12 to link with US-5 South.

http://www.pathoflifegarden.com/

Later in the day we may have stopped at The Path of Life Sculpture Garden and Simon Pierce (not the main one - it's at Quechee, VT) for a picnic. The neat thing is that RT-12 and US-5 (Connecticut River Byway) has a lot of 40 mph speed limits.

http://www.nhtourguide.com/scenic_drives/connecticut_river_byway.htm

Soon we arrived at Windsor, VT - home of the American Precision Museum. This Museum a nice short visit that will enlighten. The Industrial Revolution began in England with the mechanization of weaving looms; however, this is where mass production began (not Henry Ford).

http://www.americanprecision.org/

The American Precision Museum, housed in the original Robbins & Lawrence Armory, holds the largest collection of historically significant machine tools in the nation. Precision manufacturing tools and methods made mass production possible and were pioneered here at the Robbins & Lawrence Armory in Windsor, Vermont. Using precision metal and wood cutting machines and high standards of accuracy, Robbins & Lawrence proved the effectiveness of a new type of manufacturing that would soon be known as the American System. Charlotte has a miniature wine cup made for her by one of their skilled craftsmen using an antique lathe (as we watched).

Further South, at Bellows Falls, VT, we headed West on VT-121to Grafton, VT then on to VT-35 North to Chester, VT.

A perennial stop here is the Hugging Bear Inn. We stayed here several years ago (In the Tower Suite) as part of our Anniversary trip.

They also have thousands of Teddy Bears for sale. Charlotte found a Gund and a Muffy (dressed as a scarecrow) that had to be adopted.

This is another neat Vermont town - just love the architecture and Main Streets in towns like this.

Soon we were driving along VT-11 then turning onto VT-100 towards Chester, VT which was our main destination for today.


First, we stoped at The Vermont Country Store. The huge parking lot was packed more than usual - including 3 buses.

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com

At least there was still a picnic table available for our picnic lunch.

Since the Vermont Country Store is always open until 7 pm - 7 days a week, we decided to head across the road to the 30th Annual Weston Craft Show. This is one of Vermont’s premier juried crafts shows with all proceeds supporting the preservation of Weston's Historic Properties.
The original playhouse burnt and the new version now in a converted church.

 

All 3 floors of the playhouse were packed with unique art and crafts. Yes, once again, we found something we didn't know we needed. Charlotte bought a Zipper Art Brooch (similar to the Blue Heart) to compliment the Marah Lago Hydra Larimar pendant/necklace I gave her for this year's un-birthday. Charlotte said - after retiring - she would no longer celebrate birthdays (at least age-wise). She is now on her 39th birthday - with "?" years experience.

We took a few moment to enjoy the "Falls" before heading back across the town square to do some more shopping at the Weston Village Store and then the Christmas Shop next door.

Then, we crossed the road, back to the Vermont Country Store. These stores are absolute fun - with aisles full of everything and anything. There was still 1 bus remaining in the parking lot as we left and headed North on VT-100 towards Killington, VT. Southeast Vermont was mostly cloudy. More sunshine began breaking through as we continued North. Turning off VT-100 to VT-107 to Bethel where we retraced our morning route on VT-12 to VT-66 and back to the campground.

In the evening I watched the front TV - switching between the Boston/Detroit baseball game and the Charlotte Nascar Race while Charlotte watched other programs on the bedroom TV.

This was another fun day in Vermont.