I know the title of this blog is TouringNH, but I have decided that every once in a while it is ok to share some of the beauty that surrounds New Hampshire as well. This Thanksgiving, Steve and I decided to get away. We drove about 2 1/2 hours to Stowe, VT where I had booked a room at The Grey Fox Inn. We had a wonderful room, complete with a gas fireplace and a whirlpool tub. To make our weekend complete, I brought along a bottle of bubbly…
We arrived on Thursday, got settled into our room and headed out with cameras in hand to see what we could find. The scenery is breath taking.
We were parked on what we later found out to be the head of a private drive. The owner of the property came up the driveway on his way into town. We introduced ourselves and commented on the beautiful view. Some landowners would have run us off, but this gentleman was very pleasant. His name is Eric Chittenden. He told us that he was on his way into town and if we’d like, when he returned, we could go down to his house and see the views from there. Naturally we agreed. When he returned, we followed him down the driveway and a spectacular home came into view. He told us that he and his wife had built the house themselves. He gave us a wonderful tour of their home, including the history behind many of the furnishings. Thomas Chittenden was the first governor of Vermont and Eric has some very cool pieces of that history. There were so many very cool items, but one of the coolest was outside…
This 1950’s truck once belonged to an herbalist. Inside is a handmade chart for making tinctures and herbal remedies for whatever may ail you. Eric has done some restoration, but over all it is exactly the same as it ever was (and it still runs strong!) Eric was truly a fascinating person to talk with! Last year, he biked across the country to raise money for food banks. He wrote about it everyday on his Facebook page, Biking for Bread. It is quite a story of his travels. Daily journal entries can be found under the “notes” link. Another very cool item we saw was his Harley Davidson golf cart…
Steve and I were truly impressed with Eric’s friendliness, he is such a down to earth, kind man. We could have stayed for hours talking with him, but it was time to move on. Eric and his wife Francine once owned the Cold Hollow Cider Mill and they are the ones you have to thank for the cider donut! On Eric’s recommendation, we stopped by and watched them press fresh cider and had one of their famous donuts!
Later we headed a bit out of town to see what else we could find. There are so many gorgeous farms in the area, but I had to get Steve to turn around at this farm so I could get a shot of these three…
Before heading back to town for dinner, we stopped to watch a beautiful sunset…
I knew that this would be a great place to come back to in the morning, since the sun would be rising on the mountain and we weren’t disappointed…
We wanted a closer view of the ski resort, so off we went…
Snow guns blazing
We passed a wonderful barn with the ski area in the background…
Stowe has a lovely river walk, with several bridges…
There are several waterfalls in the area and despite the cold, we decided to check some of them out. The first one we went to is Moss Glenn Falls. The hike was very easy and the view was unbelievable…
Later, we hiked the Sterling Gorge Interpretive Trail. Another great place to visit…
The next day, we drove over to Smuggler’s Notch. Rt. 108 goes between Stowe and Jeffersonville, but it is closed in the winter, so we had to go ‘the long way’, but it was worth the drive…
Our last stop before we had to head home was the West Branch Sculpture Park. There were so many neat sculptures, but my favorite by far was the rock puzzle…
This piece of rock had to be at least 3 feet tall
I hope you enjoyed our break from TouringNH and I promise, next week we’ll be back in New Hampshire!
Touring NH 
Laura, your use of light is amazing. I love the sunset and sunrise shots of the mountains. Those ice formations are also fascinating. I think you should add “adventure” to your blog title as every post is full of fun facts and always an adventure for those of us who follow along. Great job!
Thanks Martha, it is always and adventure!
Beauty can be found everywhere, we just have to slow,down and let it surround us. I love the photo tour; my favorite was the unique rock puzzle!
The rock puzzle was incredible! They had several ranging from about 3 feet to about 6 feet. The only way I can imagine they were done is with a water laser. And you are so correct, beauty is everywhere!
I haven’t been up that way in a long time. It looks like they have plenty of snow, and I hope they’ll keep it. The waterfalls are great!
I hadn’t ever been to Stowe, there really is plenty to do there (other than ski). I was surprised at the snow. I didn’t think it would be any colder than it is here, but it was easily 20-30 degrees colder. There are several other falls in the area, maybe I’ll get back to them next year.
Laura, wonderful photos and post. I have such fond memories of Stowe, Vermont. James and I were living in the Sahara Desert in Khartoum, Sudan where the only weather we got was heat (lots of it) and haboobs (sandstorms). We flew back to the US for Christmas with our families, but first we HAD to see snow. So we treated ourselves to a few days in Stowe, Vermont. It was magical … and snow-covered. Our biggest challenge was staying warm because the only clothes we owned in those days were lightweight cotton – perfect for the desert … not so much for Stowe. Thanks for the great memory. ~Terri
I’m glad it brought back good memories for you. Lightweight cotton and Stowe in December definitely don’t go together. I’m sure you perused some of the local boutiques for some warmer clothes. All the best to you and James in 2014.