Archive for the 'Day trips' Category

An unfortunate typo on a lovely poster...The title should be The Bridges of Addison County

Addison County is home to five of Vermont’s 100 iconic covered bridges: the Cornwall-Salisbury Covered Bridge, Pulp Mill Covered Bridge, Halpin Covered Bridge, Shoreham Covered Railroad Bridge, and the Spade Farm Covered Bridge. May is National Bike Safety Month (May 13 is National Bike Safety Week). The combination just cries out for a bike ride across some of these fantastic bridges.

Among the five, the Pulp Mill Covered Bridge is the most spellbinding. It is a two-lane covered bridge (one of only six left in the US) that hearkens back to the days of narrower vehicles (think buggy, not Hummer). Each time I drive over it I marvel. I’m anxious the bridge might not carry us all, and its slender width raises concern for my rear-view mirrors. But the bridge has carried us all over Otter Creek since 1820, I think we’re safe.

Another passage over Otter Creek, the Cornwall-Salisbury Covered Bridge is probably the most picturesque, though the Halpin is a close second. The Cornwall-Salisbury must be the best loved as it has the most names: the Station Bridge, Creek Road Bridge, Cedar Swamp Bridge and Salisbury Station Bridge. Built in 1865, the  Cornwall-Salisbury crosses the Otter from Cornwall to Salisbury, of course. The names Creek Road Bridge and Cedar Swamp Bridge seem much more descriptive, however.

The Halpin Bridge, on Halpin Road in Middlebury, spans a natural waterfall (in full force since the rains of April) and is the tallest bridge above a stream bed in Vermont. If you cross this bridge on your bike, and holler up to the beams, you can get a great echo. Something about this wonderful bridge inspires a good holler.

North Ferrisburg’s Shoreham Bridge was built by the Rutland Railroad company in 1897. It is used now as part of a hiking trail. The Spade Farm Bridge is privately owned. It was originally built in 1824 on Old Hollow Road. To protect it from modernization, the bridge was moved in 1959.

While I don’t currently have any Addison County properties near covered bridges, I can recommend several Middlebury homes that are just a short bike ride to downtown – one of them is even on Halpin Road!

You can take a virtual tour of Vermont covered bridges, but it is much more fun by bicycle. Download a map of Addison County covered bridges here. If Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep were really in love, they’d have taken bike rides over most of these bridges.

image credits: info.mymovies.ge, www.addisoncounty.com

This is the time of year for the best Vermont vacation. The fall foliage color here is unparalleled in New England. The site Vermontvacation.com provides a fun interactive map that can help you plan the timing of your Vermont Leaf Peeping trip.

Like a wine connoisseur, a fall foliage connoisseur can distinguish a tree varietal by its palette. Here’s a primer on The finer points of Leaf Peeping:

• Oaks create a deep red, or russet, like a fine old burgundy.
• Hickories: golden bronze, like a good California Chardonnay
• Dogwood: purple-red, a Bourdeaux, perhaps?
• Birch and Poplar leaves produce various shades of yellow, like a wonderful Sauterne.
• Like Beaujolais, Maple trees display a huge range of flavors: The Sugar Maple (Vermont’ state tree) turns orange-red; Silver Maple has  mixture of green, yellow, and brown; the Red Maple makes a bright scarlet. There are many other types of maple tree, each with its own hue.

Since the lion’s share of Vermont foliage is made up of maple, let’s stick with the Beaujolais. There are ten principal types of Beaujolais wine; Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côtes-de-Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin à Vent, Régnié and Saint-Amour. Let your imagination run, but please don’t drink and drive as you peep at Vermont leaves.

The MLS doesn’t differentiate among types of deciduous trees, but these New Haven listings show some promise of great fall color:

This New Haven home is on 10 +/- acres of land with New Haven River frontage. The property is a mix of field and forest and was formerly operated as a Christmas tree farm.

The front yard shows some great deciduous trees. Imagine the wonderful foliage color on this driveway right about now…

Now this New Haven Vermont Home is a classic Vermont farm house with amazing west views, and in keeping with our autumnal theme, terrific trees. The MLS description includes lots of character with apple & pear trees, sugar woods, blueberries & grapes and open meadows. And…Classic barns and separate in-law cottage. By all accounts, the house is lovely.

Contact me about these New Haven homes and we’ll take a colorful drive together.

This map is from the 251 Club of Vermont (it's a great click-able resource on their site).

As a member of Vermont’s 251 Club, an organization of Vermont enthusiasts whose objective is to visit the state’s 251 towns and cities, I have renewed verve for Vermont’s little cities and towns.

I recently wrote an article for Vermont Maturity Magazine about great Day trips in Vermont that gives insights into some of my favorites including: Tunbridge, Shelburne, Lincoln, Manchester, and of course, Middlebury.

To this list I’ll add Bristol and Bristol Cliffs. Vermont’s smallest Wilderness area, Bristol Cliffs is a great day hike in almost any season. The 1,500-foot summit affords great views of the Champlain Valley, over Lake Champlain, and into the Adirondacks of New York.

This Bristol home epitomizes the town: old and quaint and lovely. From the iron fence and porte cochere, this historic home exemplifies the sweetness of Bristol.

Because the wilderness area has no permanently established trails, it is one of the least visited nature areas in the state which makes it easier to see the wildlife: beavers, white-tailed deer, black bears, grouse, and peregrine falcon.

Bristol Village is another story altogether. Founded in 1762 and with a population of 4,000 souls, Bristol is the quintessential Vermont small town.

It’s old and quaint and lovely; almost everything is within walking distance. Within a four block radius, you’ll find the Bobcat Cafe, the Bristol Bakery, Almost Home Market, and the Farmers Market (on Saturdays June-September).