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Getting Into The Fall Season In Vermont

10/7/2022

Vermont 5A along side Lake Willoughby, Vermont

We arrived in Saint Johnsbury this morning after traveling back to Lake Willoughby (we did a short day trip a few days back) via Vermont 5A. The leaves appear to be peaking around the lake and we lucked out this time through and had a nice cloud cover the filter the light a bit, making the leaf color pop a bit.

We'll be in Saints Johnsbury a few days before moving a bit farther south to Brattleboro, Vermont for the remainder of the holiday weekend. We lucked out and got the last spot at Moose River Campground. The people in our spot, who were seasonal, decided to leave early. The campground isn't full now, but campers have been trickling in for the few hours we've been here.

The Indigenous Peoples' Day holiday slipped up on me and a few campgrounds were already booked when I began making reservations a few days back.

After Melanie's event in Ithaca, NY, we spent a few days late September in Lake George, New York where our campground, Whippoorwill Motel and Campsites, was largely empty.

We rode our bikes into Lake George on the Warren County Bikeway and had lunch one day. The trail runs just behind Whippoorwill campsites.

We've been in Vermont since the 28th of September. We'll be here until around the 16th of October. Our love for most things Vermont has only grown this time through. And the weather has mostly cooperated with seasonal temps and little rain to thwart our adventures.

Watching the leaves turn has been a treat.

We camped on the banks of Otter Creek at Rivers Bend Campground north of Middlebury, Vermont for a few days and rode our bikes into Middlebury one day to explore. I purchased Bill McKibben's new book, The Flag, The Cross, and the Station Wagon, had lunch and a beer at a local watering hole. Middlebury is nice college town.

We traveled to Burlington, Vermont from there and Melanie and I parted ways for a few days while she retreated with girlfriends, Diana and Connie, at Diana's new place in Milton, Vermont. I spent my time camped in from of our friends the Heermans barn in Essex Junction.

We both saw Dr. Cornel West speak at the Flynn Theater on a Saturday evening, Melanie with Connie and Diana, me with the Heermans.

I managed to get in a few nice bike rides into downtown Burlington which has gotten a bit easier since our last visit. I rode portions of the Island Line Rail Trail on a couple of different days.

I picked Melanie up on a Monday and we spent the night in Diana's driveway in Milton before traveling to one of our favorite spots, Newport, Vermont. We spent three really glorious days enjoying the Fall weather and riding the Beebe Spur Rail Trail which runs south through the campground and into downtown Newport.

The trail runs north to very near the Canadian border. A short road ride from there gets you to the border. The road is very lightly traveled and scenic.

Melanie and I rode to the border yesterday and, because she doesn't have a current passport, I passed through Customs without her and rode another portion of the trail, the Sentier Nature Tomifobia. It's one of the nicest rides I've made in a while.

I took my Nikon along, which is somewhat rare these days, and made numerous photographs along the ride going out and coming back.

When I downloaded my photos from this morning along Lake Willoughby to my computer after we arrived in Saint Johnsbury, I discovered in my haste I didn't remember I'd not downloaded the Tomifobia photos from yesterday and, that's right, I formatted the memory card and the ride is now just a pleasant memory without images. Damn shame. No, really.

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