Cabot Creamery
They are located in Cabot, Vermont which is close to the campground in St. Johnsbury, so we went for a tour. It was just the two of us. We were able to ask a lot of questions and had the tasting room all to ourselves. They make a variety of cheddar cheeses and dairy products.
Cabot was founded in 1919 and is a co-operative of about 1,100 small dairy farms. Wine Spectator in 2008 listed a Cabot cheese as one of the “100 great cheeses” of the world. Sandy was particularly fond of the horseradish cheddar.
Moose River Campground
The best thing about this campground in St. Johnsbury, is that its located right on the Moose river. But for some reason, (probably to cater to 5th wheels), the owners won’t orientate any of the Class A RV’s to face the river. The black flies were relentless. They feed during the day and are attracted to dark colors. Its the females that want blood, males prefer nectar. Within a few minutes outside, Jake had over 10 blood engorged flies on his belly. We found a pet store that stocked lemongrass oil spray, but repellants don’t work very well against black flies. In the morning and during the evenings, the black flies go away. It was nice to enjoy a campfire with the neighbors. The campground only had 30 amp service. Water pressure was good. Cable a little grainy. Wifi good enough to surf but not stream. Verizon was 1-2 bars. The campground recycled plastic, glass, metal, and paper….which is rare at most campgrounds.
Covered Bridges
It is fun coming across them and nobody minded our stopped Jeep for a picture.
Joe’s Pond
Well, its a covered walking bridge. It was named after Indian Joe (1745-1819), a Coosuck Indian who was nursed back to health by a family of settlers after being wounded in a raid on their settlement.
Joe and his wife, Molly lived by the pond. Their help to the white settlers and military was greatly appreciated.
Greenbanks Hollow Covered Bridge
Its located in Danville and built in 1886. Greenbank’s Hollow had a post office, store, gristmill, sawmill, school, and several residences. Greenbank’s Hollow was a “company” village in that most of the enterprises and buildings were owned by Greenbank. In 1885, a fire destroyed the woolen mill, store, several residences and the covered bridge. Only the covered bridge was rebuilt.
Bradford Vermont
We visited Bob and Jeannette, very close friends of the family. They have RV’d for over 18 years, so we enjoyed hearing about their travels, which gave us inspiration. Their home is beautiful and has a wonderful view. Jake enjoyed running on their property. He also enjoyed being in a house again. It has been over 6 months. He had to explore every nook and cranny of their home. They made us a delicious lunch as we appreciated their personalities, passion for life, and diverse knowledge. Jeannette gave us rhubarb from their garden so we made a pie. Yum!
Rock of Ages
This is a granite mine in Graniteville. The first record of granite in the area was in 1796. The easily exposed granite sheets were cut into millstones for grist mills. Later, doorsteps, hitching posts, foundation stones, and other products were made. One of the founders of Rock of Ages, George Milne, started his granite business in 1885. Their granite was of very good quality and guaranteed against checking, cracking and discoloration. The name Rock of Ages was chosen in 1914. They heavily marketed the quality of their granite and by 1924 people were visiting the quarry to see the mining process.
In 1958 they made the worlds first outdoor granite bowling lane. Rubber bowling balls are used.
Dog Mountain
Stephen Huneck is an artist in St. Johnsbury. He had Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, was in a coma, and almost died. He survived, and afterwards, was inspired to continue his art, and build a chapel that celebrated the spiritual bond we have with our dogs. It is open to dogs and people of any faith or belief. Jake enjoyed the visit ( he’s on the right in the picture).
The walls of the chapel are adorned with notes from people to their deceased dogs. The stained glass is amazing. What a wonderful remembrance of our best friends.
Flume Gorge
It is located in Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. There is a 2 mile round trip hike on a very nice path that includes wooden walkways and goes along waterfalls, scenic views, and past covered bridges. The gorge in 800 feet long and has sheer 90 foot walls. It was discovered in 1808 and is at the base of Mt. Liberty.
There were flowers blooming all along the trail.
We came across two covered bridges.
It had been raining quite a bit, so the streams were full.
Driving
Vermont and New Hampshire are beautiful. Although we were primarily in the small town of St. Johnsbury, it was hard not to stop every couple of miles to enjoy the scenery.
