September 25-27, 2018 - Iilon, New York - Parked in a join RV Park/Marina along the Erie Canal.

September 25-27, 2018 - Iilon, New York - Parked at Iilon RV Park/Marina along the Erie Canal.

September 25 - Travel to Iilon, New York

Happy birthday to my sister Jody (Carla Jo - the baby of four sisters Cheri, Cindy, Crystal and Carla).  I am very blessed to have such wonderful sisters.  I called to wish Jody a happy birthday.  I miss these three gals so much and look forward to getting back and catching up with them.  We get together every Sunday (except for when there are 5 in a month) or the person hosting has a conflict.  As the oldest I have the first Sunday and then it runs the course to the youngest.  I've missed out on quite a few this year, so hope to make up for it in November and December before we take off again.

It appears we have settled into what might be a very wet few weeks as we work our way back to Kansas.  Fortunately we were able to leave our campsite in Marshfield, Vermont before the rain started, but it wasn't long before we ran into it and it never stopped.  We had discussed the need for some inexpensive rain suits - and I wish I had ordered some before this day was over.  With the rain, I didn't take too many pictures today. 

These two pictures were taken of some very grey skies after we left the campground, and before the rain began. 

We see more color in the trees everyday, but several people told us it would be at least another week or two before the colors really explode.  

We had gone approximately 25 miles when we ran into the rain, mostly sprinkles to begin with, however from that point on it never quit - it went from sprinkles, light rain to all out heavy RAIN!  

We saw a number of Moose Crossing signs but if there were any moose nearby they blended in well with the dark, drab scenery of today.  Of course we saw these Moose Crossing signs all throughout Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine - but we never saw a moose, well except the one where we paid to take a moose safari.

As we entered the town of Bethel there was a sign that said accident ahead.  Sure enough, there were police cars, fire trucks and a reporter from a TV station.  It appears a vehicle had left the road and hit the corner of a two story house.  It was difficult to tell how bad it was damaged with the rain and all of the commotion taking place there, but it certainly had several broken and splintered boards on one corner of the house.  Several people were moving things out of the house.

Near Middlebury and Mendon, VT there were a number of inns, stores, restaurants to support the skiing in the area.  

As we passed through Rutland, VT I noticed a Norman Rockwell Museum.  I googled it and there are actually three Normal Rockwell Museums.  The one in Rutland, VT; Corning, NY: and Stockbridge, MA.  Many of the originals are at Stockbridge.  Rutland is also home to the Vermont State Fair.

We decided to take a little different route than our neighbor in the park at Lubec, ME suggested, in order to shorten our route by at least an hour, maybe more, by taking Route 4.  According to our Western Mountain book on steep grades, we would hit one area along our way.  We reached it outside of Rutland.  It was a four lane road with 6-7% descents in short spurts, but we did not think it was as bad as the long stretches in the Branson, MO area.  We would not hesitate to take this route again.  

We crossed the state line into New York about 11:30am.

As we passed through Whitewall, NY we noticed a large Sasquatch Statute on display.  I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the business in stood in front of or not, as it was raining to hard to tell.

Shortly after that we saw the beautiful building in the picture below - with a sign stating Whitehall Armory.  It appeared to have several uses now.  The front of the building was beautiful, but since it was on my left side I was not at a good angle to get a decent picture.

While it's not really fun driving in rain all day, it does provide some beautiful scenery along the way.

At some point we entered the Lake George Area - the rain picked up quite a bit here.  This is a major tourist attraction.  It has numerous outlet malls, and shops.  Our RV neighbors at the Bar Harbor Campground, Dan & Shawna, live near this area. 

We've seen numerous roadside stops for pumpkins and other fall items.

Rain really picked up as we neared our stop for the night.

At Saratoga Springs, approximately 75 miles from our stop for the night, it was still raining, and you could see by the amount of water pooled along side the roads it had been raining for quite some time.  

It was about 2:30 when we pulled into the city owned RV Park/Marina in Iilon, New York, that is located right alongside of the Erie Canal.  It's nothing but a concrete pad with some nice large spots marked off (allowing us to park the truck alongside the RV), but what a view where you can watch boats come and go right in front of us.  Boats might be anything from small motorboats to cabin cruisers.  They can travel the locks free of charge and can tie up here overnight where they pay for parking at the marina.  They receive electric, water and pumpout service for their waste - just like the RV's parked here.  

It was another fun day setting up in the rain.  We first parked in the wrong lot (10) and it was so tight Dean was having a hard time getting Bentley into a decent position.  I went back to the office to make sure we had the right spot, and fortunately it was the one next to us - (we could not find the site number anywhere). By moving to Site 9, now with Site 10 vacant, made it so much easier to back in to and soon we were set up.

We settled in for the evening.  While I'm sure there are several things to see and do in the area, I think we are both ready to relax for a few days.


September 26, 2018

One thing we noticed soon after we arrived was the train that runs just across the canal from us.  The sound is very, very loud, however since it does not cross a roadway at least there are no signals that come on, nor is there any reason to blow their whistle.  I guess we slept really well because once we went to bed we never heard it again until this morning.  Not only is it loud, but there are several trains a day and into the evening.  

We woke to a beautiful morning.  Dean was out and about some this morning here in the park but I was inside until after lunch.  We decided to go for a ride to see the town of Iilon and the surrounding countryside.  There is just something about a ride in the country that is soothing to both of us - I suppose the lack of crazy traffic?

Taken from our site.

A boat pulling in - will they just stop for a short while, or spend the night?

Another boat already moored.

Can't get away from those old barns

The old and the new

 On a road with a steep descent - notice the runaway lane next to us.

We decided to stop for ice cream - it's been awhile.....

Black raspberry for me and Butter pecan for Dean.

We no sooner stepped inside of the Ice Cream store and it started to rain...and quickly became a  total downpour.  No problem, we just stayed inside and ate our ice cream....thinking it might quit....but oh no, it did not.  Where were our jackets, and our 4 or 5 umbrellas?  You guessed it - in the truck.  

Yes, we got wet!  It rained off and on the rest of the evening.  It was a good night for watching TV.



Thursday, September 27, 2018

We woke up to a glorious day.  We were ready to get outside, so we took a walk here in the park.

Bentley on the left at Ilion, NY RV Park & Marina

What a gorgeous morning it was - the trees and clouds reflecting perfectly in the water.

A nice place to set and enjoy nature!

Path from the bench above back to the campground/marina.

Additional Dock space - I think it must get really busy here during the summer months.

Very nice and clean picnic area along the waterfront.

Information on the Erie Canal.  Upper right side, shows the Oswego Canal leading to Oswego, NY - our own hometown of Oswego, Kansas' namesake.
Remember, you can enlarge this collage to original size to read the details of each of these pictures. 

This afternoon while Dean was sitting outside watching the boats, a gentleman walked up and said something like "Kansas, man you are a long way from home" - and that's all it took.  They struck up a conversation and Dean was really enjoying visiting with Bill about boating "The Great Loop" and learning more about how that all worked.  

You can find out more information and a map of the area by checking out The Great Loop HERE.  This is really fascinating.  

I was inside working on a blog post.  When I finished it I walked out to visit as well.  A short while later, Bill's wife Nita walked over from their boat.  What a lovely couple.  We really enjoyed our visit with them and learning more about the sailing/boating travel - so similar to RV's, just on the water.  Bill and Nita are also RVer's.  They spend their winters in Florida in their RV.  We exchanged cards with each other so hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch.

After a quick dinner at Applebee's we were back at Bentley for the evening. Tomorrow we'll be moving on to Grand Island, NY.  

Sunday, September 23 & Monday, September 24, 2018 - Exploring Southern Vermont

Sunday, September 23 & Monday, September 24, 2018 - Exploring Southern Vermont

Sunday, September 23

We spent 4 days in Vermont the end of August with much of our sightseeing in the northwest part of the state and a day at Montpelier and nearby towns.  With our change of plans to begin working our way back to Kansas a little earlier than originally planned, we find ourselves back in Vermont, camping not too far from Montpelier, in nearby Marshfield, VT.  We enjoy this state for the beautiful mountain vistas, the gorgeous trees, especially the many types of pine trees; and the fresh air.  The largest city in the state is Burlington, with a population of slightly over 42,000.  Nearby Montpelier, the state's capital, is a city of only 7,484 residents.  While the larger cities have some nice amenities, what I love about all of the smaller towns is they really seem to support each other with what they have.  Maybe there wasn't much there to begin with but what buildings there are, seem to be full.  I love that.  One little town, Danville, caught my eye.  We drove through it on the way to our campground yesterday.   I noticed how clean and neat it looked, and like many towns it had a "Village Green" right on Main Street.  Throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, we have seen a number of "green spaces" in the downtown area.  It really takes what is often seen as nothing but grey like matter - streets, signs, sidewalks, and too many times bland colored or deteriorated buildings, and changes the atmoshpere with a beautiful color that at least makes it feel as if something is happening.    What buildings that were in the downtown area seemed to be in relatively good repair and most were operable businesses.  It is so sad to see so many empty buildings on main streets all across the nation.  It really makes me smile to see a town making it work.  It is not an easy task and it takes the whole community working together to make it happen.  I noticed many of the towns have signs before entering the town limits with the names of businesses on them with a distance direction 1.2 miles, right on Main, etc.  When I noticed this on a sign:  Bentley's Cafe & Bakery, I immediately said to Dean "we have to visit Bentley's before we leave".  Had the sign not been along the road we might have missed it.  It made a difference!  

So, with that lead in, we left our campground pretty early this morning as we expected to spend a good amount of time away from Marshfield today.  It was quite foggy.  I took pictures here in the campground as I was afraid I might not remember to do it by the time we returned.

You can enlarge the collages to original size to view each picture in more detail.

Most of the folks in the campground were seasonal, but everyone we (Dean mostly) talked to was very nice and welcoming.  Erica, the owner was fantastic, and we would not hesitate to stay here again.


What a glorius morning it was - bright and clear in places and so foggy in others in seemed as if it were early evening rather than early morning.  

I loved the sunrise in these pictures -this was such a gorgeous morning!

Bentley's Bakery & Cafe was what was for breakfast today on our way to Woodstock, VT, located toward the southeast side of the state.  It was a very foggy morning and my camera could not seem to stop snapping pictures because it truly was total awesomeness (is that a word?).  (see above)

Bentley's Bakery & Cafe

We had decided before we arrived that we would share a breakfast sandwich and a roll so we wouldn't overeat.  We didn't realize the roll would be almost the size of the plate, but it was very, very good.

The breakast sandwich, egg, cheese, spinach and ham on a croissant was equally delicious.  Unfortunately we received the roll before the sandwich and I was too full to finish my sandwich.  I did eat most of it though.  

I had to have one of Bentley's Bakery & Cafe coffee mugs for our Bentley!

We still had quite a drive to Woodstock after our breakfast.

Really thick fog.

Beginning to clear up a bit.

Outside of Woodstock a short distane we passed Quechee Gorge.  Of course, we had to stop to check it out.  The gorge is 165 feet deep and over a mile in length.  It was well worth the time to visit this beautiful site.

Quechee Gorge

Pictures taken from the bridge (walk ways on both sides of the bridge)

After our walk along the bridge, we walked a portion of the Quechee Gorge State Park Trail

These trees were beautiful and so tall!  

This is a very interesting read if you care to enlarge it.

 Our next stop was at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park

Gorgeous View from the Parking Lot

Visitor Center

Enlarge this to read the quote on the left.  On the right children from different states painted or drew pictures portraying their state.  Kansas is on the left hand side about 7 down.

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion

Each of these families were very involved in conservaton practices.  See information from Wikipedia on the part these families played in the history of this National Historical Park.

As we approached the house with our tour guide and group.  It was limited to 12 people which was wonderful.

From the front porch - who would not love this view?

Look at the detail of the porch

Beautiful length of porch providing enjoyment for a number of friends and friends.

The main entrance.  The ceiling was beauitful and very detailed with wonderful carvings.

Do you recognize this beautiful site?   If you guessed Niagara Falls, you are correct....many, many years ago.

The Dining Room

The Parlor - was very relaxed, large and comfortable, and where they entertained their guests.

Tiffany Picture that is on the wall  - see in the picture above.

 The other end of the parlor.  There was seating everywhere allowing guests to easily visit.

A close up of the wall paper in the Parlor area.  It was gorgeous.

Portrait of Mary Rockefeller

Wallpaper in the Library

I can't remember the exact name of this statue but it was something like (and may have been) The Beginning and The End - it shows a buffalo and the railroad.  While Billings brought the railroad to the area he also saw it as an end to the large herds of buffalo.

Laurence Rockefeller's Library

Mary Rockefeller's Bedroom

Wallpaper on her bedroom wall

What a beautiful site each day as you open the window!

Outside behind the house near the gardens

The side of the house with a large wrap around porch from the front.

The front of the house

Notice the people at the bottom - these trees are tall!

Side yard

There are trails where you can ride your horses.

Another gorgeous view near the parking lot.

The Billings Farm & Museum is across the road from the Mansion.

Our next stop was at Sugarbush Farm where they make cheese and maple syrup.  We first walked down to an area where they provide an educational display of making maple syrup.  They had a few recipes available - Trational Vermont Home Cooked Breakfasts Topped with Pure Maple Syrup - such as Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast; and Favorite Vermont Maple Syrup Recipes such as Maple BBQ Sauce, Maple Oatmeal Bread, Vermont Baked Beans, Maple Ham Glaze, Fritters with Maple Syrup (Mrs. Ayres's), Maple Butter Spread, Vermont Maple/Apple Pie and a few others.  They suggested .25 or .50 for each item you picked up.  There were other options but I just chose the recipes and gladly provided a donation.  

Barns on site

Beautiful vistas near the building explaining the process of making maple syrup.

Information on Sugarbush Farm

As we walked along reading the various items on the wall, we came to a large map of the world on the other side of the room.  Push pins were provided for visitors to mark where they live - and of course, I proudly placed a pin on Oswego, Kansas (which was actually shown on the map, since we are the county seat).  A young couple was behind us and the woman picked up a pin and was moving her hands towards the middle of the US - sure enough, they were from Kansas.  How ironic!  So of course, I had to ask where they were from - Wichita, Kansas.  We had a great visit with them, before moving along.  

We wanted to visit the gift shop next.  As we walked in the door, I thought maybe I was in the wrong place.  There were a number of people sitting at counters with white coats on.  In fact, I asked is this the right place for us to be - and they said yes, come on in.  Thinking about it now, I'm not really sure what else they were doing besides giving free tasting of cheese - there was quite a few people in there but once they started offering tasting, I lost interest in what the others might be there for.  It's all about the food, right?

Another couple joined us, and we tasted the Mountain Jack, Sharp Cheddar (18 mos.); Extra Extra Sharp Cheddar (4 yrs); Super Extra Sharp Cheddar (6 yrs); Sage Cheddar; Smoke w/ Bacon; Horseradish Sharp Cheddar; and Jalapeno & Cayenne Pepper Cheddar.  Well, Dean tried them all except the last two.  Neither of us cared for the Sage - that was a selection the other couple asked for.  We ended up purchasing a small size of Extra Extra Sharp Cheddar, Smoked w/ Bacon and Horseradish Sharp Cheddar.  I think the Horseradish Cheddar will taste good alongside a grilled ribeye or filet mignon.  Yum!

Then we did the maple syrup tasting - and silly me, I forgot what this did to me last time we tasted it when I got so shaky.  I tasted all four strengths (delicate, rich, robust and strong) which was probably about a teaspoon of syrup altogether.  Yep, I got shaky again, but not as bad as the first time.  I told Dean, I think it's time to go eat.  I need some real food and some water, so that is where we headed next.

Pretty wild flowers along the road on the way back to Woodstock

High School Theatre Group having a bake sale at the Covered Bridge. 

We stopped to see this covered bridge on the way, and there was a bake sale taking place. I walked over and purchased two blueberry muffins and gave a donation to this HS Theatre Group.  We enjoyed visiting with the students and their chaperone.  

Taken from our site alongside the road.

Waterfall

Taftsville Covered Bridge

And we drove over it

By now we were hungry - it was after 3:00 when we arrived at our second Bentley's of the day.  What are the chances that we would find two different restaurants named Bentley's in the same day about 100 miles a part?  Of course, we had to try it out too!

Our second "Bentley's Restaurant" today!  We could not pass it up.

Rueben Sandwich/Fries - the sandwich was very good except for a few pieces of corned beef that were overcooked.

Dean had a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant.  It was not the greatest sandwich he said.

Woodstock Town Crier - A list of events for the week

Windsor County Courthouse

It was well after 4:30 when we left the restaurant and walked up and down a few blocks in the downtown area of Woodstock, before returning to our truck.  I walked across the street to take a picture of the Windsor County Courthouse (above).

We were both tired having left Bentley a little after 7:30 this morning.  We took Highway 100 back toward Monteplier, VT.  



If you wish, you may enlarge the collages to original size, in order to see each picture in more detail.

Pictures on our drive home from Woodstock.  

Beautiful barns on our drive home from Woodstock.

What a great day we had visiting some great sites and beautiful vistas as we returned home on a very scenic road.




Monday, September 24, 2018

Today was a much quieter day.  We wanted to visit the main Cabot Creamery, which was not too far away from us.  We discovered after we arrived they no longer give tours, so we just visited their onsite store.  We tasted a few cheeses and looked around, but left without purchasing anything.  From there we drove north through the countryside just enjoying the beauty all around us.  Dean and I both love driving country roads.  

Once we had made a circle back around to Bentley where we stopped for a quick restroom break, we headed toward Barre (pronounced Barry), VT, just outside Monteplier to Hope Cemetery.  I mentioned earier that Erica, our host here at the campground, suggested we visit here.  I'm not sure if it is because there is a granite quarry near here, but I believe almost every memorial stone in this cemetery is made of granite and there are some very interesting and elaborate stones in place.  It has become an attraction for the area and while we were there a large tour bus pulled in to unload a large number of passengers.  

I'm just going to share the pictures I took:

To me the following 8 pictures were the most moving of all.  You will need to enlarge them to read each side of the two, 4 sided pyramids.  What a wonderful testament these two people provided to everyone that visits their memorial. They have and continue to share God's word to all who visit here.  It was very moving to me, and the most impressive of all the memorials.

Another beautifully landscaped cemetery.

A very unique place.  It was very well taken care of, with a number of crew members mowing and weedeating while we were there.  They do a very good job, as it was a very beautiful and serene place.  

We returned to Bentley where I spent time catching up on blog posts for the past several days.  Tomorrow we will pull up our jacks and move on down the road to Iilon, NY.