Towing Silver: Kim Davison's Travels

Acadia National Park

After Bangor, it was time to head back to see the rest of Acadia National Park.

I got to Bass Harbor Campground and managed to get myself wedged into my site, with the help of one of the workers. It does put me in a mood when they know the size of my trailer and then put me in a site that is almost big enough. At least I didn’t hit anything getting in or out.

This entry is going to be a little light on text. Due to lack of internet connections and technical problems with my blog, I am quite far behind in my posts. I am writing this about six weeks after the fact. Usually, I save the brochures I pick up to jog my memory. Apparently, I when I decided to purge some of my old paperwork, I got rid of the material for Acadia National Park.

So, just enjoy!

The first afternoon I was there, I took a hike along Ship Harbor Trail.

Once I got past the harbor, I reached the rocky coast. On the way back, I saw a guy picking things and I asked him what he was finding. “Blueberries,” he replied.

He was picking some to take back to his wife. I picked a few and popped them in my mouth. Delicious!

The next day, I went to Maine Granite Industry Museum. I spoke with a very knowledgeable woman who shared a lot of information about the geology of the area, as well as the various mines that were on Mount Desert Island, which is where Acadia National Park is headquartered. (Incidentally, “Desert” is pronounced like dessert.)

I love all the different colors that were quarried here at one time. The museum is an informal affair, but they are working on improving and expanding.

After all the driving, I decided to find some food. Fish as chips in a sidewalk cafe in Bar Harbor hit the spot.

Parking is a tricky affair in Bar Harbor. On my way back to BART (the Big Ass Red Truck) I wandered through a cemetery.

There was a Civil War monument. It was erected in 1887.

I always like the headstones from the old days. Moses Grace was 82 years, 7 months and 3 days when he shucked this mortal coil in 1888. I like the pride and precision in recording the age. I might have also recorded the date of birth, but I guess you could always do the math if you wanted to know it.

My next stop was Sand Beach. This is unique because this is the only sand beach in the park. From what I remember, the sand is mostly made of shells. The pH balance of the ocean water tends to dissolve the shells most of the time, but the shape of the cove helps to collect and preserve the sand.

I hiked over to Thunder Hole. Someone lost a shoe. I saw a lot of solo shoes while I was in the park. If you want to see the video I took of Thunder Hole, click here.

With the right tide and weather conditions, I guess it sounds like thunder. It just kind of gurgled when I was there.

But, it’s always fun to watch the water surge and crash.

Then, there are all those great rocks.

At low tide, the water pools in the crevasses.

Another hike I took was on the Wonderland Trail. I went at low tide and explored to see what I might see.

I know little about the flora and fauna at the water’s edge, but that doesn’t stop me from looking.

In one area, the shore was covered with different rocks.

And the requisite warning about messing with the rocks.

The trail was quite lovely and was easy to walk on.

My last day of sightseeing began with a trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain.

There was quite a view! I do love sunshine and clear skies!

I walked across the natural land bridge to Bar Island. You can only do this at low tide.

Kids have all the fun! I struck up a conversation with a little boy who had found a crab. He was pleased to show it to me and he let me take its picture.

There were interesting things growing on rocks.

I liked the different high tide lines – kind of like the ocean’s bathtub rings.

I got across the natural bridge and was greeted by another sign about how not to have fun. At least this one was kind of humorous.

And, pretty soon it was time to head back.

And, what do you know? There was another lost shoe!

Another stop I made was the Jordan Pond House for the pop overs, a traditional treat.

Since was my last day here, I decided to head over to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse to watch the sunset. When I checked in, the woman at the campground told me that the trail on the left side of the lighthouse was the side to go down for a good view.

This was as far as I made it. The flies were out and they were biting. So, I snapped this photo of someone else enjoying the view.

I got back to the truck and decided to see if the trail on the other side was any better.

This is probably the shortest lighthouse I’ve ever seen. It’s 32 feet tall, although from the sign I read, the light is 56 feet above the ocean when you take into account the cliff it is sitting on.

When it was built in 1858, the land it is built on cost $80 and the buildings cost $4,983.35. I like the precision of their record keeping. It kind of reminds me of the headstone for Moses Grace I saw in the cemetery. 82 years, 7 months and 3 days.

then it was time to head back to the trailer to get ready for travel the next day.

Oh, buoy!

Bangor, Maine

Oh, if it’s not one thing, it’s another.

So, the air conditioner conked out when I was in Vermont. I made arrangements to get that taken care of and was going to kind of hang loose until the appointed time.

Not optimal, but sometime you just have to do stuff like that.

Then, the second night I was at Mountainview Campground, I was awakened by a dreadful sound coming from the inverter/convertor. I leapt up, and opened the cabinet to see what was happening. The display was flashing and numbers were cycling rapidly. I couldn’t figure out what was going on so I went and unplugged the cord from the pedestal. I figured I’d deal with it in the morning.

When I awoke, I plugged the cord back in and things seemed to be working. I thought maybe I needed to clean out the compartment. I got out the vacuum and cleaned out the dust bunnies.

I don’t like to take chances with electricity, so I started calling around for someone to help. I found an RV dealer in Bangor and made an appointment to have them look at it.

They have a campground as well as a shop, so after a night in the campground, I hitched up and towed Flo over to the shop. It turns out that the man who made the appointment didn’t know that the service men didn’t know anything about the piece of equipment I had.

ARGH!!!

They looked at it and said that it looked like it was working fine. At least they didn’t charge me for the service, unlike the guy in Vermont who charged me $45 to tell me that my air conditioner didn’t work.

As long as I was in the area, I figured I might as well head in to town. My first stop was the library. I needed to make some copies.

I really liked the dedication.

“This building is given by patriotic citizens and is dedicated to the people of Bangor.”

Could there be anything more patriotic that empowering people through knowledge?

I asked the librarian what I should see while I was in town. She directed me to Stephen King’s house and the statue of Paul Bunyan. It turns out that Bangor got its start as a lumbering center.

Next door to the library was a great bronze statue commemorating the lumber industry.

Although the librarian gave me directions to Stephen King’s house, I didn’t quite understand them. Believe it or not, I entered his name into my Whitepages App and the address popped up!

That looks like a nice house!

The gates and the decorations on the fence seemed particularly appropriate for a horror writer.

I really liked this three headed dragon!

And, if you are interested in living next door, the house happens to be for sale. I think it’s only around $800,000.

Time to continue on my tour.

I found my way over to the Paul Bunyan statue.

Paul Bunyan might have been quite a lumberjack, but it looks like the forest is exacting its revenge.

And, just in case you were wondering what industry that replace lumbering, this is what Paul Bunyan is looking at across the road.

A casino.

Blueberries!

One of the suggestions the campground host made was that I head over to wharf at Corea for lunch. I thought I might as well.

It looks like the lobsters couldn’t be any fresher!

And you got to eat right out on the wharf. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to mug with the life preserver.

After I was adventurous and tried the lobster roll while I was in Freeport, I decided I didn’t need to do that again. I opted for grilled ham and cheese.

I like how they make use of things when they are no longer useful. For instance, they had these doormats for sale that were made from the lobster pot ropes.

Maybe “rope” isn’t technically the correct word, but you get the picture. They looked like they would really do a good job of trapping dirt at the door.

After lunch, I decided to drive over to the Blueberry Festival in Machias that I had heard about on the news. Along the way, I came upon Wild Blueberry Land.

The signs by the road advertised all manner of things blueberry. It made me think of The Cherry Hut in Michigan. I had great hopes of getting a blueberry pie.

They had lots of blueberry-themed decorations. Look at those gigantic blueberries!

Even the port-o-potties were blue!

They were sold out of the pies and other blueberry baked goods., so I tried on a blueberry tee shirt and posed for a picture as Queen of Wild Blueberry Land.

I decided that I didn’t need the tee shirt and proceeded on to the festival.

It was a really happening event. They had shuttles running from the Hannaford Supermarket on the edge of town. I parked and moments later I was whisked into the heart of the festivities.

There were craftsmen selling their wares along many of the streets.

I thought this woman’s doggy backpack was worth a photo.

I stopped at this booth for a while. It was the Blackfly Breeders Association. I just had to know if they really did breed blackflies.

It turns out that it’s kind of a joke. Whenever we get bit by a blackfly, we take part in helping along their breeding cycle. She said that the presence of blackflies indicated a healthy ecosystem. They had all sorts of Blackfly Breeders Association swag for sale, and they donate the profits to charity. I managed to not buy anything from them. My sales resistance is high, especially when I have no interest in what is being sold.

There was music on the steps of the church.

I bought a small blueberry shortcake at the stand across from the church.

I strolled around and looked at the crafts for sale. When I had seen it all, I hopped aboard the shuttle back to the parking lot.

I debated about trying to drive to the northern end of U.S. 1. I saw the southern end in December when I was in Key West.

I looked at the map. I looked at my watch. I decided to head back.

But, along the way back, I saw this sign. I had to turn around to take a photo.

Key West, 2065 miles that-a-way!

Next Stop: Mountain View Campground

I couldn’t believe how hard it was to find a camp site for the weekend during the high season in Maine. I used my various apps and ended up finally finding a spot in Sullivan, Maine. Actually, I didn’t have a spot for the first night, but they said that I could boondock in their parking lot for $5.

They called while I was en route and told me that they did have a spot for me after all. At $40 a night, I would have been just as happy to boondock in the parking lot.

However, they were quite friendly and were happy to have me, as long as I paid in cash. I had water and electric hook ups, and I was pretty close to the water.

You could also view the mountain, way off in the distance.

I saw some of my fellow campers rinsing some stuff off in a basin, and I went over to see what they were doing.

They were cleaning mussels that they had collected along the water’s edge!

Amazing! I ran into the woman later and asked how they turned out. She said that they put them in a marinara sauce and they were delicious.

I took a drive over the the Schoodic Peninsula part of Acadia National Park. Since I had booked a campsite near the main portion of the park for later, I decided to save that for when I was camped at Bass Harbor.

Looking across Mount Desert Narrows, you can see Cadillac Mountain, over in the other part of Acadia National Park.

I watched the lobster boats hauling lobster pots up and dropping them down again. They would circle around, in loops in the water.

It is so cool to watch the circles persisting in the water. At one point, I saw a series of circles stretching out behind them.

One boat leaves and another comes in.

The granite along the shore was striking.

There were incursions into the granite. Although all the rocks seemed hard, the incursions erodes faster.

This little patch seemed particularly artistic.

After that excursion, it was time to head back to camp.

Just in time for sunset.

September’s Accounting

Another month, another batch of expenses.

I had some large big RV expenses in September. I bought new tires for Flo the Airstream, so I am feeling good about rolling down the highways of America with her new shoes. I was surprised that the expenses to repair my air conditioner were so high. They no longer make the unit that was on my 2010 Classic. The company I have the warrantee with did cover a replacement unit, but I was on the hook myself for parts needed to adapt it to my Airstream.

I got a whole bunch of free parking out of the repair job, though, as all the parts didn’t come in the first order. So, it took them a week longer than it should have.

RV Expenses $1420.18
Campsites 534.20
Gas 302.34
Clothing 263.33
Groceries 204.29
Other expenses 146.33
Restaurants 98.64
Tourism and entertainment 45.00
Parking and tolls 22.00
Food and drink on the go 13.77
Laundry 13.00
Truck expenses 0.00

TOTAL $3108.88

In September, I was in six states – New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey. I also drove through New York for a bit. I drove 1,627 miles.

While the total of my expenses was higher than I’d like, the bottom line of the money in my banking accounts still looks good.

October is here. Let’s see how the money flows.

Freeport, Maine

My stay at Onion River Campground started with an Airstream next to me and it ended with another Airstream next to me.

We both hitched up and pulled out around the same time, although they made it out before me. We were heading in the same direction, though, because I passed them parked by a restaurant about a half hour down the road.

A little further along, I saw a scenic overlook and pulled over to look over. I also found some guys that were there enjoying the view. They helped me make sure the latched on my rear window were securely fastened. With the hottest August on record and me without a working air conditioner, I had all the windows open.

Ah, yes, I forgot to mention the air conditioner. Well, it wasn’t cooling, so I got up on my ladder and saw a bit of stuff inside the air conditioner. I grabbed some tongs and pulled out a desiccated rodent. Swell. I called a mobile RV tech, and he came over and confirmed that it was broken. Then he charged me $45. I should learn to trust my own powers of observation.

So, I had all the windows open and the awnings extended to try to keep as cool as possible. The rear window is a two person job. Luckily, I found some help along the way.

They were on their way home from Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, which they had just visited with their three exotic-looking dogs. They went to pay their respects to a dog of their had just crossed the Rainbow Bridge. There is a Dog Chapel there with notes and photos of love for dogs all over it.

We chatted for a bit. I had my photo with the mountains in the background and then we parted ways. I meet the nicest people.

I headed for the RV dealership just over the New Hampshire border to put the AC repairs in motion. Paul told me the time frame they were looking at to get the unit in and we agreed that I’d be back the day after Labor Day to get it done. I spent the night in their parking lot hooked to their electricity and took off the next day.

My next stop was Winslow City Park near Freeport, Maine. What a lovely place!

Some of the sites were right on the water. Mine wasn’t, but I was in a lovely tree-shaded location. The sites didn’t have electricity, although there was water to fill our tanks. An interesting side effect of not having electricity is that everyone was outside. I strolled around and chatted with people.

Two motorcycle mamas had the coolest trailers they pulled with their bikes. They folded out into a nice little portable tent-like RV.

The bed was off the ground and there was even room to stand up and get dressed. Cool!

There was a tiny house in the park, too. It was a teeny-tiny house! I guess that must have been a long term rental, too, as I never saw anyone there.

There were even Airstreams here! I have a feeling that these were seasonal rentals. I never saw anyone by them. They have quite a few sites that are seasonal rentals, which seems kind of different for a public park. I guess they do things differently in Maine.

The first day I was there, I ran over to LL Bean in Freeport. I returned a pair of shorts. They really do take things back if you are not happy with them – no matter when you bought them. I had bought this pair of shorts maybe five years ago. I never wore them because they were just too big. Now that I have lost some weight, they really won’t stay up – even with all the safety pins in the trailer. I bought some hiking boots, so I think they made out all right in the deal.

I couldn’t resist this photo op with a giant version of their iconic boot that they made for their 100th anniversary in 2012.

The next day, I decided it was time that I finally try a lobster roll. It seemed like the perfect time to try it. After all, I was in Maine and I wasn’t at McDonald’s.

I have to say that it wasn’t what I thought. For some reason, I thought it would be a hot sandwich. This was kind of like a chicken salad sandwich sort of thing – cooked lobster mixed up with some sort of dressing and served cold on a grilled roll. The roll was great!

The view was great, too! I struck up a conversation with a little girl who was waiting for her food. We passed the time looking at the various creatures in the water below. We saw starfish and crabs.

Then I saw a sea plane land. That was a new thing for me! Some adults came to sit next to me while they were waiting for their dinners. They were getting real lobster!

It’s a bring-your-own-bottle sort of place. The wine looked good to me, but I would not have been too interested in the rest of the meal. Maybe the corn…

I drove around town for a while, and saw a McDonald’s that blended in with the town.

It’s quite understated.

The interior is also distinctive. How often to you see fireplaces and mantles in McDonald’s?

I headed back to the park and took in a concert that was playing on the stage. After that, I strolled about and chatted with people who were enjoying the moonrise.

I could only book two days at this popular site. The next day, I had to hitch up and move on.

Rock of Ages – Don’t Take It For Granite

I do like industrial tours! My next tour was Rock of Ages, which is a granite company. I stopped at the company store/visitor center and bought a ticket. A few minutes later, Todd, the guide, called us to the van to drive us up to the quarry.

On our way up to the vantage point to look into the quarry, we passed these huge piles of rock. Todd told us that they were called grout piles. He said that the term came from the Scottish workers who came to work the quarries.

Todd told us that holes were drilled down around the piece of granite they were going to quarry. After they drilled the line of holes around the block, they drilled out the “web” between the holes. To free the block on the bottom, they drilled a line of holes, but instead of drilling out the web between the holes, they filled them with primer cord and blasted it free. They used just the right amount of explosive – they didn’t want to turn the block into gravel.

You can see where they have been taking out the blocks which measure 10 feet by five feet by five feet. I took some notes – I think they call those big blocks “benches”. They weigh between six and seven tons each. they can only go so far down before they have to widen the quarry. The pressure of the granite above pushes down and makes it impossible to get the benches cut out.

Todd told us that the light blue-green water is due to the granite dust from the quarrying.

In this shot, you can see three quarries. The ones on the left side are not being worked any longer.

The derricks on the edge of the quarry are used to raise the benches. There are 12 miles of cable involved in the derricks. He told us that around 60 miners work on the companies quarries and that 200 people work in the factory.

After looking at the quarry we went back down to the factory. It was quitting time, but I could still look at the factory floor.

They were preparing memorials to go into the sand blasting cabinet.

I love how the roller tracks go all over. It must be something to see when they are working. Oe of these days a factory will be working when I visit!

Todd told us about the granite bowling alley that we could see and he kind of indicated where it was on the grounds.

After I left the factory, I saw this sign and decided to explore. I had this mental image of granite balls and pins. Cool!

It turns out that the alley is granite. The balls and pins are plastic.

We were invited to try it. We had to do our oun pin setting so that it was ready for the next players.

The pins didn’t have much to fear from me. I retrieved the balls and continued on my way.

Todd recommended that we might enjoy stopping by the local cemetery. With a town full of granite workers, there were some interesting memorials he thought we might enjoy. I got the directions and headed that way on my way back to Onion River Campground.

The first memorial that caught my eye was this one that was obviously purchased “pre-need”. Planning ahead is a great idea. I just find it odd that neither one of these people were named Albert, Alfonse, Alberta or Allison.

Al Dente – get it?

The Arnholm clan has staked their claim to a large section of the cemetery.

This memorial was like none I’d every seen before. Not only were they pyramid-shaped, they came with instructions.

You were supposed to read inscriptions in a certain order. Then, under those little disks on the pedestal, there were QR codes that you could scan with your phone for further information.

You know what those QR codes are, right? I’ve never scanned them, but I’ve seen them around. Incidentally, QR stands for Quick Response, and it it the trademark for a type of matrix barcode first designed for the automotive industry in Japan. The one above an example I found on the internet. The QR codes on the pedestal were worn off.

This one had a delicately carve chain.

Loved ones names are etched into the links of the chain.

This guy had a favorite car, I think.

The orange decoration says “51 FOREVER”. I did a little Googling to see if I could spot the reference. I think it might have been NASCAR Number 51.

I like all the little remembrances left by the loved ones. Lots of little cars.

Soccer was obviously a favorite sport of this person.

Speaking of interesting shapes, this cube standing on its corner. Each face had tributes to the couple memorialized.

I heard at some place or other that this irregular surface is a difficult to create – it’s called rusticated, I think. Cesare Colombo must have been a master craftsman – or else he knew one.

I found some more of those interesting flag holders.

Here is one from the Spanish-American War.

This one is related to the Civil War, I think.

This ship carving is quite delicate, too.

And he was a veteran of the 1st World War. Obviously, this was placed sometime after the 1940s.

These markers aren’t over the top, but they are so nicely crafted and made of the same granite. The effect is quite lovely.

Just in case I’ve hooked you on looking at these flag holders, this is the one that was next to the BECK memorial.

Here is a couple that is holding hands forever.

Just a close up of the sweet artwork on the memorial.

This is one piece of funerary art that I would like some context for. It looks like a memorial for soldier fallen in battle or for a nurse during a war.

Given the years on the individual markers, it’s not the Civil War.

It has been a long day, and it was time to head back to the campground. I guess I have to …

A Little Bit of Ice Cream

What is Vermont best known for? Why, Ben and Jerry’s of course! Since I was in the area, I had to pay a visit to the factory.

How cool! They have a Ben and Jerry’s RV! I entered the tour line and got my ticket. After a brief wait, our tour guide took us in for a brief movie that gave an overview of the business’ history. It wasn’t too surprising, but I was a bit saddened to learn that this quintessentially Vermont business has been bought out by Unilever, a British-Dutch multinational company.

After the video, we were escorted up to the production area. I guess they are worried about industrial espionage – or something – and no photography was allowed. I was a wee bit disappointed, though, because with all the factory tours I have taken, I have yet to see one with a production line running. They were busy cleaning, and that is important, but one of these days I want to see something being made!

The next stop was the sampling area.

The flavor they were sharing the day I visited was strawberry cheesecake.

They were happy to share the ice cream, but I have to say that it wasn’t my favorite flavor. I took a couple bites and then threw it out.

WHAT?! Throw away ice cream?!

Yep. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. (I don’t like tea, either.)

On our way out, we passed the Quality Assurance Lab. Hey! I worked in QA at Amazon – I wonder if I could get a job there?

Once again, exit through the gift shop.

I had to get some ice cream that was more to my taste. Luckily, they had an ice cream stand right next to the entrance.

I got a scoop of CoffeeCoffeeBuzzBuzzBuzz. It was delightful!

After I finished my ice cream, I set out to find the Flavor Graveyard.

I found it! It was packed with memorials to retired flavors.

I was surprised at how little times some of the flavors were on the market. The epitaph on the Sugar Plum marker makes it sound like it wasn’t very good. You have to respect a company that honors it’s less than successful attempts.

Ethan Almond must have been particularly unsuccessful.

I had to snap a shot of the Vermonty Python marker. I do love me some Monty Python!

Back by the Flavor Graveyard and more parking is the solar array.

Walking back to my truck, I passed many lovely little areas to sit and enjoy the day.

The sun was starting to peek out, but I was ready to leave. My touring there was done.

Ah! Nothing but the good stuff in Ben and Jerry’s ice cream!

Onion River Campground and a Trip to Montpelier

I always love it when I get to a campground and my site is next to another Airstream! What an adorable Bambi!

Mel and Wanda were next to me for only one night, but we had a pleasant chat.

I had booked a week at Onion River Campground, on the bank of the scenic Winooski River. The river used to be called Onion River, so that is where the campground got its name.

Actually, the river was originally called some variation of Winooski, which was an Abenaki word that means onion or leak. It got the name Onion River as part of an 18th century land marketing ploy by Ethan Allen and his brothers. They formed the Onion River Land Company, thinking that it would make the region sound safer and more settled. Around 1850, Winooski was once again in favor. One theory was that people were referring to the capital as Montpelier-on-the-Onion. I guess that seemed less than dignified.

Speaking of Montpelier, one reason I picked this campground was for its proximity to the state capital.

When I drove over to see the capital, I happened upon a special event. After circling for a while, I found a parking spot that was just a block away. When I walked up, I noticed a woman filming a news story. I struck up a conversation with her, and it turns out that not only was she reporting the story, she had to do the video work. And, when she got back to the station, she had to edit it herself. Things sure have changed!

This poster was really appropriate for the location. The statue on top of the dome is Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture.

On my way up to the capitol, I eyeballed the wonderful items they had for sale. I don’t think I had ever seen yellow tomatoes before.

I entered and found out that I was just in time for a free tour of what they call the Vermont State House. Actually, this is the the third State House. It was built to replace the second house that burned down in 1857.

They were able to reuse the portico from the second State House for the current one. It underwent a complete renovation in the 1990s and the chambers look much the same as they did when the third State House re-opened in 1859.

Under the portico was a Revolutionary War gun that was captured during the Battle of Bennington. It was mounted on Civil War gun carriage with a limber for carrying ammunition or supplies behind.

On the other side of the entrance is native son, Ethan Allen – patriot and real estate developer. Actually, the guide told us that is was a fictionalized image of him, as no portraits were made of him during his lifetime.

Our guide, Mike, gave us a spirited tour of the building. He brought us to the Senate chamber and we got to sit at the desks.

I sat at desk number 12.

Our next stop was the House Chamber. It is much larger than the Senate Chamber for a couple of reasons. One reason the room is larger is that is is where they hold joint sessions. The Senators sit in chairs that ring the room. The other reason is that when the state established the government, each town got a representative, so the room needed to be larger.

Mike also explained how Vermont went from a very conservative state to a liberal one. One factor was improved transportation. The Interstate highway system brought new people into the state. The other factor was that the Supreme Court made a decision sometime in the 1960s that made it necessary to have the legislature reflect the population. I may not remember this correctly, but it seems to me that they made it so that there were legislative districts rather than having each town have a legislator. Since there was an influx of more liberal ideas and a change in how the people that made the laws were selected, the political climate of Vermont changed.

We stopped in to a room that is called the Governor’s Office. It is a largely ceremonial room – he does day-to-day work in another building. The chair that he is displaying was made from wood from the USS Constitution.

The last room we visited was the Cedar Creek Room, which is a space used for receptions. The name “Cedar Creek Room” comes from the October 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek in Virginia. This is a significant historical event to the people of Vermont because their troops took part in the battle. The battle is significant in American history because this was the battle that effectively ended the Confederate invasion of the North. This victory aided Abraham Lincoln’s reelection effort.

The mural was painted by Julian Scott in 1874.

After that stop, we were dismissed. I decided to take the elevator down. Outside the elevator, I found a plaque honoring the Vermont Mothers of the Year.

It’s kind of tucked away, but it could be worse. They could have decided to display it in the Ladies’ Room.

I made my way out of the State House. The view of the market from the portico made me want to go explore.

There were all sorts of stands – vegetables, fruits, dairy, wine and even wool.

This cow was there interacting with the passers-by.

I got my lunch at the pierogi stand. It was a tasty treat.

On my way to explore the town, I think I may have spotted the quintessential Vermont scene.

A yoga class on the lawn next to a farmers’ market in front of the State house, with a big dog watching.

I strolled a couple of blocks, but the weather was so gloomy that I decided to return another day. After all, I booked my site at Onion River Campground for a whole week.

More Montpelier later!

Rokeby Museum, Ferrisburgh, Vermont

The day that I was going to leave the Burlington area and head towards Montpelier, I heard that Rokeby Museum was having a free admission day. Free? FREE?!! You know I’m all about free activities. I called to make sure that they had a parking lot that would fit Bart and Flo while I was seeing what they had to offer. They did, so I hitched up and headed out.

When I got to the site, I found out that the house wasn’t open for tours, but the adjacent museum was open. They had some awesome exhibits.

The museum is dedicated to the telling the story of the Robinson family, their Quaker beliefs and the part they played in the Underground Railroad.

This is a photo of Rowland Thomas Robinson and his wife, Rachel Gilpin Robinson. He was born at Rokeby in 1796. He met his wife at a Quaker boarding school he attended and they were married in New York City in 1820. According to the information there, raising four children and managing their thriving Merino sheep farm kept them busy, but the always found time to agitate against slavery.

The most amazing exhibit was “Free & Safe: The Underground Railroad in Vermont.” It told the true story story of Simon and Jesse, two fugitives from slavery who found shelter at Rokeby in the 1830s. The exhibit traces their stories from slavery to freedom. It is a multimedia presentation with historic texts, documents and images. I think I spent two hours exploring the displays.

Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of “photo ops” in the exhibit. If you are in the area, I would recommend taking the time to visit.

Downstairs was an exhibit of furniture made by Stephen Foster Stevens. Some of these pieces were in the Robinson home.

According to the information in the exhibit, what worried Friends most of all was fashion. (Just in case you didn’t know, Quakers are sometimes referred to as Friends.) Friends wanted their belongings to be plain – they should be useful, well-made and not too fashionable.

While Stephen Foster Stevens made expertly crafted pieces of furniture, they were outdated when they were built. For instance, the bureau above was made in 1826, but the style reached its peak of popularity in the 1780s – almost a decade before Stevens was born.

After enjoying looking at the furniture, I set out to see the farm. My first stop was the sheep dip. I’d always heard of sheep dips, but I had no mental picture of one. I also didn’t know what a sheep dip was for. I found out.

This is the remains of the Robinson’s sheep dip. After a long winter in the barn, the sheep would need to be cleaned up before they were sheared. Snow melt and spring water would collect in the pond and they would be washed up.

Merino sheep were introduced to Vermont in 1802 from Spain. By 1837, 1,000,000 sheep were in the state, which is about four sheep for each person in the state at the time. There was a boom-bust cycle of price for wool, and wool production couldn’t withstand the more efficient competition from the Western states. Sheep-raising in Vermont collapsed shortly thereafter.

Farmers were always looking for ways to bring in money. If the house portion of the museum was open, I might have learned more about all the different ways they made money, but on my way over to see the house, I passed a distinctively 20th century method of making money – the tourist cabin.

Tourists stayed here for $1 per night in the 1920s and 1930s.

According to a quote on a sign, “Some that are who declare that it is not cows we should milk, but city people. The latter come with full moneybags, overflowing with profits they have got Lord knows where. What more should be ask unless it were manna from Heaven?”

Finally, I made it over to the main house. The entry in Wikipedia lists its architectural style as “other.”

You can see all the additions that were made over the years.

Around the back was the outhouse. Nothing as splendid as the one from Mount Vernon or James Buchanan’s house, but perfectly adequate to get the job done.

It was a three-holer, with a shorter one for children.

There was a smoke house in the back, too.

And a building called The Other House, which was a house for workers. It was originally larger. Over the years, parts have been taken down.

And with that, it was time to resume my travels. Next stop, Onion River Campground.