Vermont - Green Mountains, Leaf Peeping and Cows

 

Named by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1609 for its lush, green mountains, Vermont is an interesting and very independent state. Its capital Montpelier is the smallest capital city in the US.

Burlington, its biggest city, is the smallest “biggest”city in a US state. Vermont is the second least populated state in the US. It was originally an independent republic (the Vermont Republic) before joining the US as its 14th state in 1791. Vermont abolished slavery before joining the US; it was the first to provide universal adult male suffrage (hmm), require public support of schools and was also the first state to introduce civil unions and same-sex marriage. Progressive and independent. Oh, yeah, and it's the largest producer of maple syrup in the US and has 114 covered bridges. Since it shares its southern border with Massachusetts and it's peak foliage season , we headed North.

It's the abundance of chlorophyll in leaves that make them green. As the days grow shorter in the autumn and there is less light during the days, less chlorophyll is produced and eventually the green color starts to fade. Simultaneously, sugar concentrations rise causing pigment changes. The leaves begin changing to yellow, red, and orange. Other chemicals, such as tannins, cause color changes and temperature certainly plays a role. Bright sunny, short autumn days are the key ingredient to good color and oh, man, we struck it rich in that department.

How many shades of red, orange, brown and yellow can you come up with? Russet, scarlet, fire red, blood red, brick red, flame orange, lemon yellow, maize, mustard, goldenrod, chestnut, rust, brick, crimson … they were all there and so many more. The hills and mountainsides looked aflame with color, the reds and oranges made more pronounced by their contrast to the dark evergreens around them.

It's a pastoral environment. There are several Scenic Byways to travel. Lots of farms and barns... farm stands and sugar shacks … field crops and livestock.

In ratio of cows to people, Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country (and we saw most of them). We also saw a few oddities, like alpaca and one camel!

Mostly, we came to see the leaves. Yes, we admit we are leaf peepers, but that didn't stop us from doing our homework to find sites to visit and other things to do. We stopped for a quick hike and a look-see at Quechee Gorge, billed as the Grand Canyon of the East. (NOT!)

We couldn't pass up a factory tour at Ben & Jerry's just north of Waterbury. The tour was great. Afterward, they offered samples of the ice cream du jour – pralines and cream, while we were there. Yum.

We got a charge out of the Flavor Graveyard, reminiscent of Boot Hill. Here several old flavors, taken off the market, rested in peace.

So what's to see beyond colorful leaves, bovines and ice cream? Oh, the possibilities are endless and we invite you to join us for more exploration over the next couple of days when we search out unique attractions, explore some of the 114 covered bridges located throughout the state, check out a granite quarry, sample maple syrup and Vermont cheddar cheese and generally traipse all over the state enjoying its offerings. Lots to see and do … come on along!

One other trivial item of note, Vermont is the only US state capital without a McDonalds and there wasn't a WalMart in the state until 1996. You really gotta love this state.

Utterly, Awesome Ipswich

 

We're addicted to visiting little colonial towns in New England. First, it was inland touring of early industrial revolution mill towns. Then, we went back a couple of centuries and started visiting 17th century first settlements like P-town and little towns on Cape Cod. The more we visit, the more there is to learn and appreciate. Each little town has a history it shares with its neighbors, but also a unique history all its own. Finding the unique aspect of each place is part of the adventure. So that is how we have found ourselves here in Ipswich, Massachusetts. What better time to visit than in the autumn when the leaves are turning, the air is crisp and the tourists are gone?

We visited the Appleton Farm first, one of the oldest working farms in America. The 658-acre farm first worked by Samuel Appleton in 1636 passed from generation to generation until being deeded to the Trustees of Reservations in 1998.

We drove up a tree-lined lane past working fields, fallow and brown after the harvest. Cows grazed and lowed. We bought fresh cheese and bread at the farm dairy then sat at a small picnic table and nibbled while we took it all in. We were feeling pretty pastoral when we headed into the town proper.

Founded in 1633, Ipswich touts more First Period homes than any other place in America, i.e. homes built by the first British colonists in the 17th century and preserved. There are 58 First Period houses to be exact. We only visited a few, but the “gem” is the Whipple House (1655) right in the center of town. It wasn't open for tours, but just walking around the grounds and viewing the architecture and colonial style “housewife's garden” in the front yard was enough to satisfy us.

The stocks which sat on the front lawn of the Whipple House were somewhat disconcerting. We watched our P's and Q's since we hadn't checked the town records to determine when they were last used on overzealous tourists.

Across the street, a federal-stye house has been reclaimed by the Ipswich Museum which was not open, but looked like it would have been interesting.

Spanning the Ipswich River on Central Street, the Choate Bridge, built in 1764, is the oldest double arch stone bridge in continuous use in America. Don't you love all the caveats that are associated with superlatives? I imagine that there must be another very old double arch stone bridge in America that has NOT been used continuously.

Lace-making developed as a home industry early in the town's history. In the early 19th century, a stocking-making machine was smuggled into town from England and a new industry began, powered by the water of the Ipswich River. In 1868, Amos A. Lawrence established the Ipswich Hosiery Mills in an old stone mill on the Ipswich River. By the turn of the century, the enterprise had become the largest stocking mill in the country.

Like most mills in New England, however, it went out of business and what was left was a huge, vacant building. The mill has been refurbed and rented as small business space. The current residents have disguised the river side of the mill with a huge, colorful, historical mural. A short river walk gave us a great view of the mural and the Choate Bridge.

Our last stop in town was the Old Burying Ground. As always, we're fascinated with old cemeteries and the gravestones of people who lived and died here in Ipswich centuries ago. We wandered through the stones trying to read old, weathered engraving.

Enough history. We jumped to the 1950's and enjoyed pie and coffee at the 20th century Agawam Diner then headed back to our 21st century beds in East Walpole at day's end, contemplating the day and making plans for future trips.

Massachusetts' Other Cape - Cape Ann Pt. 2

Cape Ann's city of Gloucester is well known as a fishing port and of course, the setting for “The Perfect Storm”, but it's much more if you take the time to stroll around and visit. Founded in 1623, it was one of the first English settlements in America, part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and predates both the Salem and Boston settlements by several years. It's America's oldest seaport.

First of all, Gloucester is actually an island. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on three sides, the Blynman Cut /Annisquam River cut Gloucester off from the mainland on the west side. Fishing boats get in and out and kayaks circumnavigate the island, but it's not something Nine of Cups could do. The Blynman Cut Bridge connects Gloucester to the mainland and is the second busiest drawbridge on the US east coast. We watched little boats buck the tide and current getting in through the narrow cut. It's not something you'd approach lightly.

Gloucester (pronounced Glosta, just in case you were wondering) has a working waterfront and a fairly new Harbor Walk that allows visitors to get great views of the boats and harbor. We think the 1.2 mile self-guided walk encouraging tourists to “follow the green seaglass trail … ” along the waterfront and through the town was perhaps the idea of well-intentioned town council who didn't quite follow through. There's little explanation of what you're seeing and finding the trail to follow (must be a lack of seaglass) is sometimes a bit of a challenge. Granted, we did not have our GPS with us nor had we plotted our course in advance, but still …

The city claims a lot of firsts and superlatives. It's touted as having built the first schooner in the US (1723). Out of necessity, Gloucester fishermen invented the iconic Sou'wester hat. It has the oldest continuously operating marine railway in the US (1849). Gorton Seafood has had a processing plant here since 1849 and Clarence Birdseye, father of frozen foods, was freezing fish in Gloucester back in 1925. Gloucester even has its own sea serpent! We got a kick out of an historic city timeline which listed not only those firsts above, but makes reference to four men who were fined in 1648 for hunting raccoons instead of attending church!

Historically home to one of the largest fishing fleets in the US, Gloucester has lost over 10,000 men to the Atlantic Ocean in its nearly 400 year history, according to Wiki. The Man at the Wheel statue, Gloucester's fishermen's memorial, sits prominently on the shore walk facing the sea and lists those that have lost their lives.

A number of movies have been filmed here, “The Perfect Storm”, being the most famous in recent years. The events you watched or read about in The Perfect Storm were loosely based on true events which occurred in 1991 (after all, it is a Hollywood film). The Cape Pond Ice Company provides a landmarks map for tourists to check out the actual places talked about in the movie like the Crow's Nest Bar, Virgilio's Bakery and of course, the Cape Pond Ice Company.

Across the harbor on Rocky Neck is an active art colony. More important to sailors, however, is the historic Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory buildings, a quintessential part of Gloucester Harbor in since 1874 and best known for developing an innovative copper anti-fouling paint used on the bottom of boats prevent barnacles.

The waterfront is especially scenic. Gloucester dories line the docks and Gino at the Dory Shop down the way is responsible for making most of them.

We walked along the pier and watched the graceful schooner, Ardelle, return from a harbor tour.

An old lobster shack on the pier is used for demonstrating lobster traps to tourists.

We last visited Gloucester over a decade ago on our first trip in Nine of Cups up the US east coast. Revisiting by land was fun, but we think it would be great to bring Cups back here sometime, too. The view from the boat is always the best.