Hard Rock Vermont

 

The sweetest side of Vermont is its maple syrup, but the hard rock side of the state is its granite and marble industry. Granite quarrying is definitely an integral part of Vermont's economic and cultural history and exploring a quarry proved to be very interesting.

With maple sugar on our minds (and on my tongue), we proceeded to a granite quarry to appreciate the harder aspects of the state. We visited Rock of Ages in Graniteville. No, it's not a rock musical, movie or church hymn. Though the name sounds hokey, the company has used it since 1914 and they own the largest deep-hole, dimension granite quarry in the world.

The city of nearby Barre touts itself as the Granite Capital of the World and the high quality Barre granite is known worldwide for its quality, hardness and beauty.

Our visit to the quarry, nearly 600 feet deep, was awesome. Our view from the observation platform looking down provided an interesting perspective on what was happening below. Our guide was very animated as he related information to us about the history, cultural heritage, geology and artistry of the granite quarried here.

We were particularly fortunate when the crew we were watching below attached huge cables to a 40-ton block of granite and a crane carefully lifted it out of the quarry. 40 tons … that's equal to two Nine of Cups. Wow!

In the factory, we watched as artisans sandblasted, scribed and carved granite … mostly into gravestones, but they also do statuary, mausoleums and other hard rock creations.

When the quarry folks suggested that the Hope Cemetery in Barre had some of the most innovative and bizarre grave memorials, we couldn't resist a visit. Oh, my! Race cars, airplanes, cubes, chains, statuary, a married couple in bed … forever! not your usual gravestone inventory, not to mention pretty impressive stonecutting.

Four days in Vermont … what a wonderful respite. A great getaway to an awesome place with lots to see and do from Spider Web Farms to unique granite gravestones. But, of course, we didn't see it all. We still have those 70+ covered bridges to find and photograph and there's a ton of general stores we didn't stop at, plus all those cheese and maple products to sample and seconds at Ben & Jerry's, plus...

Loving that Maple - The Sweet Side of Vermont

 

The sweetest side of Vermont is its maple syrup and sugar production . There are sugar farms, sugar houses and sugar shacks throughout the state. Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the US which is about 5% of the world's supply. People like maple. Heck, it's the official symbol of Canada.

We stopped at several sugar farms, big and small, and each offered something a bit different. Sometimes we were invited to see a film about syrup-making, view old photos or perhaps walk through a sugar house or a stand of sugar maple trees, locally known as sugarbush. Most are family operated and have been for generations. There are good stories to tell.

Other times, we tasted several grades of syrup from Fancy AA to B. The grades are based on the syrup's amber color … the lighter the color, the milder the taste, the higher the grade. Actually, I really like intense maple flavor, so I was quite happy with the darker amber colors. David passed on the sampling altogether (obviously not a native New Englander). There are actually stringent “Maple Laws” in effect in Vermont which require that even McDonald's offers real maple syrup with their breakfasts. No maple-flavored breakfast syrups here.

Early colonial settlers learned about syrup-making from their local Native American neighbors. Legend has it that a chief threw a tomahawk at the maple tree and it “bled”. When his wife collected the running sap and cooked venison it it, it rendered a sweet result and thus sap collecting and syruping began. Cheaper than molasses and readily available, maple syrup became the standard sweetener for early natives and immigrants alike.

About 40 gallons of sugar sap is boiled down to make one gallon of pure maple syrup. The going price is $45-50/gallon. They can only collect sap for about six weeks in the late winter and early spring, so the season is short and intense.

Many dairy farmers use syrup-making to augment their incomes. The farm stores usually offer cheese as well as maple products which makes it wonderful tasting experience.

“Sugar on snow” is a traditional activity during the syrup-making time. Maple syrup is drizzled on fresh snow for a delightful treat. Our timing was off for a sample of sugar on snow, but it didn't stop us from trying other samples of maple-y delights. I picked up lots of new recipes.

We even visited a Maple Syrup Museum to learn about and view all things maple. A bit hokey, but a sweet experience nonetheless.

I did have my fill of pancakes with real maple syrup before I left the state … and I'll be regretting it with each pound I have to lose next week.

Vermont's Covered Bridges

 

“A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof and siding which, in most covered bridges, create an almost complete enclosure.The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges have a life span of only 10 to 15 years because of the effects of rain and sun.” according to Wiki

We've visited the Bridges of Madison County in Iowa and we've seen a covered bridge or two in California. The state of Pennsylvania has the most covered bridges in the US and we've seen several of them, but Vermont has the greatest concentration of covered bridges per square mile. A century ago, there were over 600 covered bridges in Vermont, but floods in 1927 wiped out 400 of them. Due to fire, vandalism or development (some call it “progress”), nearly half of those remaining bridges have been lost. The 114 surviving bridges are among the finest in the country and, unlike many of the bridges we've seen, they're not just for show. Most of these bridges are used regularly.

The Windsor-Cornish Bridge connects Vermont and New Hampshire across the Connecticut River. This is the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States and the longest two-span covered bridge in the world.

Because of the utilitarian nature of the bridges, some are plain and drab while others are knock-your-socks-off stunning. The Taftsville Bridge in Woodstock is an example of the stunning variety and it's also one of the oldest bridges in the state (1836).

There are several “kissing” bridges in Vermont. Legend has it that if a couple kisses in the very center of the bridge, they'll be together forever. We didn't want to take any chances, so we adhered to the rules. Not to mention, it made the walk across the bridges even more enjoyable.

There is one supposedly haunted bridge, Emily's Bridge, in Stowe Vermont. Evidently, a jilted young woman died here and has haunted the bridge ever since, at least that's the local story. She wasn't around when we visited.

Feeling the solidness of the timbers as the bridge carries you across the stream or river below on wide, thick, wooden planks and thinking about the thousands of people, horses, wagons and cars that have traversed this same path in the past century or two provide a personal sense of history.

Evidently, rushing across the bridge was never allowed.

Some bridges are dark inside; others have windows from which to peer out and survey the river below.