Author: Ed Hovorka

Stopped at Ben and Jerry’s factory on the way out of Burlington.  Did the factory tour. Let’s call the ice cream we ate brunch instead of breakfast. Went to Canada through Derby VT, where you can walk across the border by cutting through someone’s backyard. Below is a picture where the border is protected by some potted plants. We are in Montreal now. Driving was interesting as all the road signs are in French. Most words make sense once you sound them out. Ouest is west, est is east, detour is detour. Anything more complicated than that and we are in trouble.

Long driving day today, 310 miles. Left Bennington, tried to  find an old covered bridge, drove past it a little ways, backtracked, found it,  bridge was hidden by trees from one direction and very obvious from the other. Went to Quechee Gorge, not very good. Went to Franconia Notch Flume Gorge, was nice. Saw what was left of the old man of the mountain. Walked downtown Burlington. Watched sunset over Lake Champlain and New York.

In three states today. Visited the Minuteman national park, where Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride, which he didn’t complete because he got caught by the British. It also has a bridge where the first shots of the Revolution are supposed to have been fired.

Drove past Walden Pond, didn’t see much as the place was packed and parking lot was closed.

Drove into NH and past a house covered in license plates.

Arrived in Bennington, Vermont. Went to the Bennington battle monument. Went to the top, or as high as the top windows. Was a little hazy and the windows were small so not a great view.Went to a place that makes pottery, but no one was working today. Drove through a couple of covered bridge (that weren’t very old)

Last time we went to Boston, we still lived in Chicago, so the flight was only two hours. From Seattle, it  is closer to six hours. Staying at the John Jefferies House, a small, reasonably priced (for Boston) hotel.Dinner was at Jacob Wirth(German),  and not as good as we remembered.

It’s that time of year again.  We are heading out on another great adventure.  This time, we wanted to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in Montreal.  Since there are no non-stop flights from Seattle to Montreal, and we didn’t want to be bothered with a 2 hour layover, we are flying to Boston and driving 2000 miles, zig-zagging around New England and New France, spending some time in Montreal along the way. We will hit at least 4 states (maybe even 6 depending on how we feel) and 2 provinces.  We know we are early for Fall color, but we will also miss the Fall crowds and prices.

Below is a rough map of our expected travels.  We will drive west from Boston and up into Vermont.  We will zig-zag around Vermont and New Hampshire before heading to Montreal and Quebec City.  We’ll drive around Maine into New Brunswick, then along the Atlantic coast through Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.  If we feel up for more, we will dip our toes into Rhode Island and Connecticut, before heading back to Boston.

Posts to this blog as we roll along will be dependent on time and mood.