We moved on today. We only had 90 miles to go, but we would be traveling over some minor highways for awhile. It was 76 degrees and mostly sunny. We were on the move by 10:00. Gas has been pretty expensive, especially in the tourist areas, averaging around $2.95-$3/gal., but with our Gas Buddy phone app we’ve been able to find it much cheaper, and planning ahead for fill-ups really helps. Our first 20 miles was on a 2-lane highway through a couple of small towns. The town of Whitehall had this really cool-looking armory building in town.
Shortly after leaving Whitehall, we crossed the border into Vermont.
The road then changed to a 4-lane highway with very little traffic. The scenery was rolling, forested hills as we drove through the valley.
Vermont is only 60 miles wide where we are and our trip today had us crossing the entire state from west to east. The road took us through Rutland, VT, over the Otter River, and near Meade Falls.
Highway 4 then became a 2-lane road again with a speed limit or 35-40 mph and never straight. It was always twisting and turning. Highway 4 had us climbing into the mountains again and along the southern end of the Green Mountain National Forest. We drove through Killington, VT, famous for its ski hills. Imagine these hills with snow on them.
We climbed to an elevation of around 3,200 ft. before reaching the top of the pass. Killington Peak, elevation 4,235 ft., had a cloud hanging on the top of it.
There were businesses along the road for renting skis, snowboards, and other winter paraphernalia. It was a reminder of winters long past. From the top, we descended into the Ottauquechee River valley and followed the river west towards Woodstock, VT.
We’ve seen these signs quite a bit in Adirondack Park and now in the Green Mountains of Vermont, but I have yet to see a moose in person on this trip.
Our map labeled Highway 4 as a scenic highway and it was definitely that!! Some of the forested hillsides were beginning to show signs of color. I’m sure the hills are quite breathtaking when the trees are awash with color later in the fall.
It was a beautiful drive following the river, but quite stressful for Bob having to really watch the road with all the twists and turns. On the outskirts of town, we spotted this covered bridge. There are 4 covered bridges in this area that I want to explore a little more closely.
Many of the buildings and homes had colonial style architecture and the downtown area was very quaint. We’re planning to check out Woodstock tomorrow.
We drove past Quechee State Park and Gorge area which we plan to explore thoroughly on Friday.
We arrived at our destination–Pine Valley KOA in White River Junction, VT.
We are staying 4 days in order to explore the area and its sights more closely. We had reserved site #20–a deluxe site.
A deluxe site means that we have a grill, deck area, tables, and cushy chairs at our site. How nice is that?
The campground wasn’t very full and it looked like we would not have any next door neighbors tonight. Auggie loved his new “home” and its smells. He’ll get a chance to enjoy the dog park just across the road from our site while we are here. It was time to do laundry again, so after setting up, I took the walk down the hill a short distance to the campground laundromat.
Bob took some time to unwind from, as he said, “40 miles of never having a straight stretch of road”, while I sat near the pool and worked on my blog. Once the laundry was done, I put on my swimsuit and went for a dip in the pool. How refreshing!!
After returning to the trailer, we had a cocktail before dinner on “our deck in our cushy chairs”. Now that’s glamping!! Bob cooked chicken on their grill on our deluxe deck. Check out the table around the tree in the background!
Signs of fall in the north are in the air—geese flying in a “V” formation, caterpillars on the quest to build cocoons, pumpkins at the roadside stands, and cooler nights. I love those cooler nights!
