Day 12
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Today was a travel day, nothing more. If I could work it in, I had found an interesting looking hike to do. How can you go wrong with a place called Mount Horrid? It’s a mile and a half out to a cliff overlook. I never got there, but no complaints.
Sunrise over the drive in.
I did a search for “waterfalls near me.” The closest that didn’t involve backtracking was a place called Huntington Gorge. It’s not the safest place to visit, but I couldn’t resist.
To get there, it was just a few exits east on I-89, then some small town driving. I took this old bridge as a good omen for the day.
Cross this bridge and you’re in Richmond, home of the Round Church. Yes, they do realize it’s actually a hexadecagon and not actually round. Completed in 1813, the church was shared by five different congregations. One by one, they either ran out of members, or built their own churches, turning the property over to the city. You can get a look inside courtesy of the Vermont History website.
A few dirt roads later, and I found the small parking area for Huntington Gorge. There are quite a few signs like this posted.
And if that wasn’t enough to get the message across...
It's not an especially large waterfall, but between the current and the slick surface of the rock, it's easy to see how you could get in trouble here.
After leaving the gorge safe and sound, it was time to find the first covered bridge of the day.
Far on the outskirts of Charlotte, Vermont sits the Seguin Covered Bridge. Originally built in 1850 by unknown builders, it's been rehabbed numerous times since. In 2016, the roof was replaced and the deck updated to carry heavier vehicles.
I didn't know it at the time, but one of the reasons its builder remains a mystery is the original roof bracings. They are completely unique. No other bridge was built the same way. And yes, if I had known, I would have made it a point to check them out. You can read more about the roof replacement project here:
At this point, I realized I had zero cell reception, and the roads around me weren’t even showing up on the GPS. Yes, there’s nothing quite like seeing the little car on a blank white GPS screen. So, I did what I always do. Just keep going. Eventually, you’ll find pavement. From pavement, you’ll eventually find a numbered road.
But first, I found another covered bridge, the Quinlan Bridge. The builder is also unknown.
The roads didn't seem to be getting any larger, and I really had only the most vague idea where I was. My own vehicle has a built in compass. I've relied on that a few times. The Sportage didn't. I'd rather not rely on technology, but I punched the address of the night's motel into the GPS, and suddenly it had roads. I was out on Hwy 7 within ten minutes. Feeling a bit behind schedule for the day, I just drove for a while without stopping at the numerous maple syrup stands along the way.
About an hour later, I found myself passing through Pittsford. On a corner was a red building with the sign, Keith’s Country Store and deli. Perfect. The guy at the deli counter whipped me up a tasty turkey sandwich and I was good to go.
Since the town has free wifi, I did a little poking about. Just a few miles later, I turned off Hwy 3 and went looking for the Gorham Covered Bridge. Built in 1841, it's one of the state's oldest.
Just a couple of miles south is the turnoff for Sunderland Falls. I ate my sandwich while walking around the small park.
The building in back housed the Vermont Marble Company, once one of the biggest suppliers in the world. Part of the facility has been turned into a museum, closed for renovation. The factory closed in the 1990's.
The buildings in front and to the left, was the hydroelectric plant used for the factory. It's been since taken over by Green Mountain Power, refurbished and now supplies electricity to the neighboring communities.
Near the intersection of Hwy 3 and 4 is where you’ll find another hydroelectric plant and the Central Rutland Falls.
When I walked back to the car, I heard a familiar sound. I’ve been really lucky with some train shots over the years, and so far in this trip I had seen none in motion. Not one. So, I walked back out. I heard the horn again, this time closer. Could it be? Apparently not. I drove under a railroad underpass less than a quarter mile later. Oh well.
Hwy 4 brought me back to Hwy 7. My next stop was the town of Bennington. After a quick stop at the Silk Road Covered Bridge…
Just a few minutes away sits a memorial that towers over the city of Bennington.
Earlier, I promised to tell the story of General John Stark. He had fought against the British at Bunker Hill, and again at the Battle of Trenton. In August, 1777, he commanded the American militia in New England.
British General John Burgoyne was ordered south from Canada to divide and cutoff the New England states. His supplies were already stretched, when he heard about a stockpile of military supplies in Bennington. He sent half his forces to seize the supplies, under the command of Lt. Col. Fredrich Baum. These weren't British army troops. Burgoyne had sent Tories, Hessian Militia and loyal Native Americans.
Baum send word for reinforcements after he received word of an "uncouth militia" that was being sent out to stop him. Gen. Stark also sent word for reinforcements. A regiment, led by Col. Seth Warner responded.
West of Bennington, the two armies met. Baum's men had hastily built fortifications. A few of Stark's men had scouted the fortifications from the inside, pretending to be British loyalists.
On the morning of August 17th, the Americans advanced. To rally his men, Gen. Stark said, "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and Tories. They are ours, of this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow."
It didn't take long for Baum's forces to be surrounded. Many simply fled. Reinforcements arrived a day too late. They were met by Gen. Stark's men. It was a decisive victory not only for the American militia, but it caused the loyal Native Americans to rethink their support. Many simply left.
On one side of the monument, stands a statue of General Stark.
On the other, a statue of Col. Seth Warner.
There was one last stop in Bennington. I couldn't get to the Tristate Federal Credit Union directly due to construction. So, after ditching the rental car up the block, I walked. I had no business with the credit union itself, just something in their yard.
In 1969, the owners of Hanyes and Kane Furniture Store built a nineteen foot, one inch ladderback chair, claiming it the World's Largest. In 2,000, the chair was falling apart from rot. Haynes and Kane were also going out of business,
The furniture store was bought out by LaFlammes Furniture. The owner's wife grew up in Bennington and started a Bring Back the Chair campaign. In December, 2012, the new chair was unveiled in the same spot as the old one. Twenty days later, the chair fell over in a storm.
After the storm, the chair was righted and its legs anchored in concrete. Then the furniture store burned down. When LaFlammes reopened, they moved the chair to the new spot. The credit union bought the chair in 2018 when LaFlammes went out of business.
As you may be able to see, there's no seat on the chair. It was broken by vandals in July. As I was taking pictures, the loan manager wandered out. It was close to closing time and business was light. He told me there was already a plan in place to not only fix the chair, but make it taller. He also told me about the World's Biggest Kitchen Chair, west in the town of Hoosick, New York.
It was closing time, so he went inside. I drove south to and crossed into Massachusetts. My home for the night was the Mount Royal Inn, in the town of Adams.
There are places you stay that have seen better days. There are places that are, quite frankly, dumps. Occasionally, there is a spot that's so clean it practically sparkles. The Mount Royal Inn is obviously cared for. It's one of those places that seems clean at first, then you start looking and notice it really is. It's just not in your face about it. This may sound like an odd description. But, I think you'll get where I'm going with it.
Hwy 8 is a pretty busy road, and the drone of traffic was a constant through the night. But, it was never loud, just a presence.
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