One of the big downsides about our recent trip to Vermont was the fact that it rained most of the time we were there. We only had two days of reasonably nice weather, so it didn't give us the opportunity to explore as much as I would have liked.
After our first night on the town in Burlington, Friday was looking like decent weather to take a small road trip.
We had the rest of our leftover flatbread pizza for breakfast and we got on the road towards Stowe, VT. You might remember reading in this post that Stowe was on my list of original destinations, but I decided staying right in Burlington might be the better move.
It doesn't take long for the landscape to change pretty drastically as you head out of Burlington on I-89 towards Stowe. Although Stow is pretty much directly East of Burlington, you actually have to head a bit South East and then back North to get around the mountains that separate the two towns.
I mentioned in one of my other posts that the changing leaves weren't our main reason for visiting Vermont, it was just an added bonus of our trip. Unfortunately, due to the crazy weather they had in the Spring, the colors were very muted this year. We still got some pretty amazing views, but not quite as stunning as you might expect for Vermont in the Autumn.
I've always been fascinated by roads that cut through the mountains like this. I have pictures all the way back to when I was a small child that I took through the windows of our Astro Van of the mountains as we cut through them either in New England or the Smoky Mountain states.
Stowe itself is an interesting little town. Because of how it is situated up in the mountains, it almost feels like several small towns spread across a small geographic area. We came through this main part of Stowe and it was bustling with people. I would imagine a fair number of them were "Peepers" (people who come to look at the leaves), but I can only imagine what it is like in the Winter when all the skiers show up.
Stowe is home to one or two of the premier ski resorts in the North East.
I didn't get a photo of it, but one of the things that caught our attention on the way to Stowe were houses that had what we later learned is called a "Witch Window". It's an interesting architectural feature with an interesting purpose and an even more interesting history. You should check out the Wiki I linked if you get the chance.
This is another one of my favorite photos that my wife took just outside of Stowe, VT. Our original destination was the Green River Reservoir State Park, but that ended up being a flop as it was closed and you couldn't even see the reservoir from the road.
This was one of the few photos we took from the reservoir area. See what I mean... Pretty lame!
We turned the car around and headed back to Stowe.
Just outside of Stowe sits the main ski resort area that Stowe is so well known for. Close to that area and on your way to Smugglers Notch, is the Toll Road that takes you up Mt. Mansfield which is the location of the highest point in Vermont.
Unfortunately, when we arrived, the toll road was closed and we weren't able to make what is supposed to be one of the best drives in the state. We were exactly one week too late and it was kind of a bummer.
At $25 per person to drive up the road, it isn't cheap, but I have heard the views are amazing. I guess we will just have to check it out next time.
Instead we continued down Mountain Road towards Smugglers Notch. Check out the Wiki I linked to above for a full history of Smugglers Notch.
There are signs leading up to the Notch that explicitly tell trucks to take a different route or turn around. I didn't quite understand it until we started heading up into the area.
The road starts out pretty unassuming, but before you know it, it takes a turn and you find yourself driving through hairpin turns and switch backs that take you up the mountain pass.
This portion of the mountain sticks out into the road and you actually have to wait for opposing traffic to pass before you can navigate past it. I'm going to dump some more photos from the Smugglers Notch area now.
By this point it was getting close to lunch, so we stopped to take one final selfie and got on the road heading back towards Stowe. As I look at the map, we only traveled about half of the Smugglers Notch road. If I had known that I would have continued on so we could say we drove the whole thing. Next time I guess!
We were able to capture some pretty fantastic shots on our short drive back to Stowe. I can only imagine what it would have looked like if the colors were more vibrant and the sun had been out. Besides not completing Smugglers Notch and the toll road being closed, one of the other places I wish we would have had time to visit was the Von Trapp Family Resort.
Yes, "that" Von Trapp family. Apparently after the events depicted in "The Sound of Music" and their successful touring career, they eventually settled in Stowe because it reminded them of their home in the Swiss Alps. There is a lodge and restaurant there that you can visit and stay in.
Instead, we made our way to a brewery called Idletyme, but that is a story for another post!
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All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or