Our trip was planned to start on October 25th, but due to weather out in Chicago our flight was canceled. We were actually on board the aircraft awaiting take off when the pilot was notified. It was the first time this has ever happened to us. So, we rebooked our flight for the next morning and headed home.
Our flight now departed at 5:03 a.m and we had a layover in North Carolina instead of Chicago. It was a good flight and Adeline slept the whole way, which I was very thankful for.
We arrived in Burlington, Vermont at 12 p.m. Our first stop was Shanty by the Shore, off lake Champion. They had wonderful Oysters and the best Mac & Cheese I’ve ever tasted! Adeline loved it as well. Our next stop was Walmart, for snacks then we headed to Woodstock.
It was quiet a dreary day, but we enjoyed the autumn atmosphere. The storm had blown off quite a few leafs, but there were still a great variety of fall colors. I learned while there to visit Vermont’s Foliage Tracker. This will help you plan your trip when the leafs are most beautiful. Vermont is the green state and they live up to their name. The grass is so green, it looked photoshopped. The air smelled of burning camp fires and we could see the smoke bellowing from the chimney stacks. The fog sits in patches throughout Vermont. It is quite beautiful to see the fog mixed tree patches. We drove through multiple small towns on the winding roads into Woodstock. Each one, individually cozy and unique.
My personal favorite town was Woodstock, though it is called a Village. The town is nestled in the mountains beside a River. We stayed at The 506 Inn on the River. The Inn was very clean and beautiful. All rooms face the river, with a lucius green lawn leading up to it. There is a circle of white Adirondack chairs around a campfire in the center of the lawn. It is very lovely to watch at sunset.
After a very long day of travel, I got my second wind once Adeline fell asleep. I cuddled up with her and my 5th volume of Sandman by Neil Gaiman. It is an amazingly creative comic.
The next day we headed out to explore Woodstock. We stopped into Focus, a Vermont Gallery. It was my favorite gallery I’ve ever been to, I absolutely love nature photography, if you do as well just check out their link (https://focusvermont.com/). There we met Artist Ron Lake. His photography is
breathtaking and his story struck close to home. As soon as you enter the gallery, his masterpiece hangs there on the center back wall. It is a Riva Classic, with a backdrop of Positano, Italy. If you find yourself venturing through Woodstock, please swing by and tell him Alaina’s Travels sent you. We then headed over to Dr. Coburns Tonic for lunch. The pizza was delicious. They were under staffed like most places these days are sadly, but we still received wonderful service. I would make dinner reservations a week ahead, if planning to stay in Woodstock. We explored more of the town and Woodstock Middle Bridge. I desperately wanted to go out and sit around the camp fire in the back lawn at the Inn, but Adeline was not up for it. We settled with dinner at the Inn Restaurant. The Kentucky Pot Roast was good, but I’m biased and think my homemade version is better. Their Pumpkin Ginger Soup is very tasty and Adeline enjoyed it as well.
On the 28th, we headed to Bennington in chase of the fall colors. Vermont is just absolutely gorgeous. From the rolling green hills, to the river that flows through the towns, up to colorful autumn mountains. We arrived in Bennington around 1 p.m.
Our first stop was the Bennington Battle Monument. This was Adelines first time at a Revolutionary war monument. It is where Brigadier General John Stark and his American forces successfully defeated two detachments of British General John Burgoyne’s invading army in 1777. The British had planned to cut New England off from the other colonies. This tactical victory gave the Colonial forces a chance to regroup and forge the first successful resistance to Burgoyne’s plan. Under Stark’s command was the entire Bennington Force, consisting of approximately 2,000 Vermont, New Hampshire and Berkshire County Massachusetts volunteers, most of whom were untrained. Aware of the advancing British troops moving east toward Bennington, Stark decided to venture out rather than defend the supply depot at the Bennington site. Therefore, it was approximately five miles northwest of Bennington, near Walloomsac Heights in New York, that the actual battle took place. This is where the infamous words were spoken, “There are the Red Coats; they will be ours or tonight Molly Stark sleeps a widow.” Due to lack of supplies, Burgoyne, surrendered on October 17, 1777, with his entire command of around 8,000 troops. This was a major turning point for the American Revolution.
We headed to Chili’s in Bennington for a quick bite, then headed back to Woodstock.
The 29th, we headed back to Burlington. We stayed at The Hilton on Lake Champion. The view of the Lake is beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset. We had dinner at Shanty on the Shore again, because the food and service were both equally fantastic. The hotel was very clean and the had a very large 75” inch Television. Adeline enjoyed the pack and play while I packed up for the flight out. This was our final night of the trip.
On Saturday, we checked out the shopping on Church Street, then headed to the Airport. I was thankful that Adeline slept the entire flight once again. The flight was about 2 hours and 45 minutes, direct from Burlington to DFW.
As we headed home from the Airport, we passed a small Plane accident on an access road in Weatherford. We pulled up the news article on it and was deeply moved and sadden for the Student Pilot and his family. I called my mom, in need of hearing her voice to tell her how much I loved her and that I had made it home safe. We both prayed for the family impacted by the accident and all EMT responders involved. I arrived home around 10 p.m. with a heavy heart. We never know when this life will come to an end. At times this scares me, then I remind myself; time here is just a spec in the human soul existence.
