What Can a Couple DO in the Great White North?



This is Jenny and Dave's account of their trip from New York City (well, really Port Chester, where Dave works), through Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont, on the way to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and then back.

This format will best answer the questions friends and family are now and will soon ask. You know who you are.

Q1: When did you come up with the idea of traveling this type of route?
A1: Jenny and Dave (hereafter known as "we") were sitting around bored one evening in late September when it occurred to Jenny that this was the sort of trip they should plan.

Q2: So why did you plan this sort of trip?
A2: Jenny decided she'd had enough of not seeing trees and plants of all kinds. Since we live near arguably one of the best areas to see the leaves change color, we decided the best way to get out of town was by car, for several days, on as many non-highways as possible.

Vermont has lots of quilting and craft-oriented shops, a definite plus for Jenny. In addition, the state boasts an incredible number of well-regarded breweries and brewpubs -- a huge plus for Dave. On top of all this, friends of ours moved from the Research Triangle area to Burlington, VT a relatively short time ago, and we hadn't seen them since. Yet another reason to drive through the Green Mountain State. It would be foolish of us not to do this.

Q3: But, why Canada? Why Montreal as your final destination?
A3: Jenny had never been to Canada, and Dave had been only a precious few times, and never to Quebec. Since Montreal is barely an hour from Burlington VT, we decided that should be our plan. It's big, it can accommodate us, and we can find fun things to do there.

Q4: Were there any problems in planning your trip?
A4: Oh, a few...

But getting a car was a no-brainer, and we had maps aplenty so we wouldn't get lost.

Q5: Why Brattleboro, Vermont the first night? Why not go farther/not as far?
A5: Dave wanted to work most of the day, so as to not use any more vacation than necessary. Plus, the later Dave got the car from the White Plains airport (HPN to you travelers), the later he could return it.

Okay, there were better reasons. One, if we left Port Chester on time, i.e., about 3:30 in the afternoon, we would miss the I-95 traffic to Bridgeport and hit the Brattleboro area around sundown, so as to look at pretty leaves during all daylight hours and not miss any driving during the night. Two, in Brattleboro is the famed McNeill's brewpub, makers of many, many fine beers. Three, the Latchis hotel was recommended to Dave by people who would know, and it is in Brattleboro. It also encompassed a fine establishment of its own, the Windham Brewery.

Q6: Did everything work out as planned Thursday?
A6: Not quite, but close. Work kept us in Port Chester until 4:30, so traffic crawled to Bridgeport on I-95. At that point, we decided Route 8, north of Bridgeport, was the best, prettiest route likely void of cars. Fortunately, we were correct and made good time through Connecticut to Otis, Massachusetts or so. Twilight was upon us as we stopped at a parking area off the road. The creek running alongside Route 8 was quite pretty, and we took pictures and wandered around on the rocks jutting from the water.

We arrived in Brattleboro in the dark, but it was only 8:00. After driving around aimlessly looking for the Latchis Hotel, we stopped at a convenience store, where a very helpful clerk pointed us in the right direction. As luck would have it, the Latchis is right on Main Street, a couple of blocks from McNeill's! Fortunately, they'd had a cancellation earlier, so we acquired a room for the night, settled in for a few minutes, took painkillers, and went to McNeill's for some food and beer.

Q7: What was playing at the theater owned by the same people who manage the Latchis?
A7: The Red Violin and For Love of the Game, which the desk clerk seemed impressed that Jenny had starred in with Kevin Costner. Okay, but she was a hit with the PAs at Yankee Stadium when she was an extra. That's close enough.

We were impressed that the Latchis management company seemed to own half the town. In an area so reliant on tourism, we supposed it was useful to have one's fingers in many pies.

Q8: Is McNeill's all it's cracked up to be?
A8: Yes. (I've bookmarked it so the beer page can use the writeup too. People care.)

Q9: Are there small-town touristy sites in Vermont that are worthy of picture-taking?
A9: And then some. The trip up U.S. 5 took us quickly to Santa's Land, where pictures were taken outside the gingerbread house-like tourist shop, filled with kitschy crap and regular crap. Dave wanted a picture with the reindeer, but Jenny determined that trespassing might delay the trip to Burlington.

Sugar Houses dot the highway roadside, each selling maple syrup by the gallon (roughly $41 on average) or apples (50 cents a pound in 20-pound quantities), as well as maple candy, homemade fudge, cider, pedantic art, and so forth.

Q10: I thought Jenny wanted to find quilting stores in Vermont. Did she find any she liked?
A10:

Q11: Did Jenny meet anyone she knew in Vermont?
A11:

Q12: So how were the leaves in Vermont? I'd heard they weren't so pretty this year.
A12: If this was an off-year for color, we'd like to see what an on year looks like. The Vermont hills were stunning, and the route we half-planned, half-spontaneously drove showed off the foliage to impressive effect.

Q13: So did you visit any breweries during the day Friday?
A13: On the way up the eastern side of Vermont, past the quilting shops, is the little town of Windsor. The Catamount Brewing Company resides off the main road there, and Dave thought a quick run-through of the brewery would be fun, as would some samples of their wares. Alas, Catamount is selling off assets (bad) in the hopes of being bought by another brewer (really bad). This effectively meant no tours, though we did take a picture outside. They did offer samples, which Dave dutifully tasted. They were not particularly good, however.

Q14: Isn't there a covered bridge in Windsor?
A14: Not just a covered bridge. The longest covered bridge in America. It goes over the Connecticut River, thereby joining Vermont to New Hampshire. We found it quite by accident -- just driving through Windsor, we saw the Covered Bridge Video store, and while that was shuttered, the road seemed nice enough. Two blocks down the road was the bridge, so we drove through for no particular reason, realized we were now in New Hampshire, and got out to take pictures of people taking pictures of the bridge. Dave notched another state in which he has driven, but that's not a big deal, really.

Q15: Dave must have found a good place for lunch, right?
A15: In a way, yes. One of the guys there did recommend a place for lunch, located up the interstate (I-91) in Norwich. Jasper Murdock's Ale House, about a mile from Dartmouth, in New Hampshire, is a very small brewery (perhaps 135 barrels per year) and alehouse. Along with excellent food, the beers are outstanding. By now it was about 3:30, so it was hardly lunchtime, but they were happy to serve us.

Q16: Are there dirt roads all over Vermont?
A16: It appears so. While some of the roads we took off the beaten paths weren't labeled "dirt" they were certainly rocky, covered with dirt, and in many cases, unmarked. But they also offered the absolute best views of the hillsides and gave the rental car a good workout.

Q17: Were Carole and Jay happy to see you?
A17: It being Carole's birthday, we were pleased as punch to be invited to share her special day. They seemed delighted to share, too, and we talked and messed up their camera (instead using ours for the birthday pictures) and enjoyed the company of The Cat Who Was Thursday.

We offered to let them use my birth certificate to assume a new identity, but they declined. But if you need a recipe for a fine quiche, ask them.

Q18: Where did you breach the Canadian border? The main highway?
A18: Hardly. Early Saturday afternoon, we arrived at the <mumble> town crossing in Vermont, a little state highway that wound through farmlands on its way to Quebec. We kind of felt sorry for the guy who had to mind the hut, but he was sufficiently bored to let us through without incident. His first words were in French, so he wasn't used to merkins using this crossing. He asked all the basic questions and we were on our way. I don't think he would have cared if we were carrying explosives, as long as we were coming back to the US by Monday.

[Canada to be added soon...]

Qetc.: Did you visit breweries on the way home?
Aetc.: Yes. The Vermont Pub and Brewery was an excellent choice in Burlington, near the University of Vermont. And Monday evening, the Madison Brewing Company offered a fine selection to choose from, with quite lovely food, too.