October 14, 2003

Road Trip - Day 10: Vermont to Massachusetts

We had a greeeaaat day today! We started off with a couple hours of lounging and school in the room at the Knotty Pine, then we headed out for our day of adventure in Bennington, Vermont. And it was all I had hoped it would be, and then some!

Our first stop was Wal-Mart, a block down the road, for some more essentials--plus Tuesday is DVD release day, so Joel stocked up on some newly released movies. After that, we tracked down the three covered bridges in the area--very cool! Next we stopped at the Bennington Battlefield, the site of one of the most important battles in the Revolutionary War. Story has it that the British had been sent to Bennington to obtain supplies that were essential to their survival and success, but when they arrived in Bennington they were met with resistance from the American army that was beyond their ability to defeat! So this battle became a turning point in the war and the Americans who fought there became heroes. There is a huge monument in the center of a beautifully preserved park area, flanked on both ends with statues of some of the heroes from the day. The stone monument is over 300' tall, with an elevator that took us to 200-something feet to an observation deck. Up there we could see not only the beautiful fall foliage of Bennington, but we could also see into New York and Massachusets.

We then went to the oldest congregational church in the area, a beautiful white chapel-type church with a steeple. It had been beautifully restored to it's original design from the early 1800's. In the churchyard was a cemetary filled with graves/headstones dating from the 1700's. Robert Frost, the famous poet, is buried there, so of course we got a picture of his gravestone. Our tour-guide through the church happened to be the minister. (The usual tour guide didn't show up.) Scott, the minister, was fairly knowledgeable about the history of the church and we chatted with him for a while. His belief system was, how shall I say?, interesting....

As we were getting ready to leave for lunch, we stopped to let the kids and Socrates play in the leaves. As it turns out, we arrived here in Bennington just in time for the peak of the fall colors!

After lunch, on our way out of town, we stopped at the Apple Barn Country Market. While I shopped through the plethora of goodies, Joel and the kids walked through the enormous maize maze in the field behind the store. It took them a solid half-hour to get through it, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. (Meanwhile I had a wonderful half-hour of uninterrupted shopping without anyone hurrying me or asking me a hundred questions!)

We made one other unscheduled stop, a quaint little antique store. We had passed so many of them, we just couldn't pass another one! So we made a quick run-through then headed for Bernardston, (pronounced "BERNadston" with the accent on the "Bern") MA, and Ro and Kyle's place.

The drive between Bennington and Bernardston was incredible. The mountains were covered with countless shades of gold and yellow and red. Every curve through the mountains presented another photo op. Joel put one of our HHBC choir worship cd's on and we worshipped to scenery that in itself inspires worship. I have to say it was one of those times when I wouldn't dream of closing my eyes while worshiping! We pulled over at one scenic overlook that was indeed breathtaking. Between the words of the worship song and the scenery, it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.... I am so grateful for my Savior and that I belong to Him!

Thanks to the perfect directions Ro had given Joel, we drove right to their place, a charming house nestled in the woods. Ro and Kyle were there to greet us and we got right down to the "business" of catching up and sharing our lives.

The kids hit it off beautifully, of course, and just before dinner we took a short walk down the road to see if Norbert and Dagmar (the local beavers) were working in the roadside creek. They had taken the night off, but we enjoyed the walk nonetheless.

Ro made a delicious meal for us--chicken, fresh green beans and butternut squash (from her sister's farm), German noodles and gravy. (Yum!) For dessert she had made an apple pie, served with ice cream and German coffee. (Yum again!) It was the best meal we've had so far on this trip.

Ro and Kyle have been the ultimate hosts. They graciously invited us to spend the night, so were were happy to take them up on the offer. It will certainly be hard to leave them tomorrow....

So much beauty, history, and friendship rolled up in one day... It just doesn't get better than this!