Pre-cruise Road Trip

I need to get this wonderful vacation blogged before I forget what these pictures are.  Since getting home from our cruise, it has been go, go, go . . getting ready to leave the country to serve a mission in Japan.  My normal activities, such as blogging, have taken a back seat to more pressing matters, oh, so many matters! 

We turned in our papers for our mission, then two days later headed for the east coast with Don and Ada (Ken's older brother.)  Our goal was to see fall color, so we wanted to travel through eastern United States.  We were disappointed that we were too early for the autumn colors, but it was still a beautiful and fun road trip.

We started in Vegas.  Brian and Michelle turned their early morning lives upside down to take us to the airport.  We appreciate them doing that and storing our car for us while we were gone.  After checking in, we enjoyed Cinnabon at the airport.

We stayed that night in a hotel in Connecticut.  We got up the next morning and drove into Vermont.

We found the Joseph Smiths  birthplace in Sharon, Vermont.  It was beautiful.  

Our tour guide.

The monument to Joseph Smith stands 37 1/2 feet high- one foot for every year of his life.

Our guide took us in a golf cart to see the sites of the family homes in the area.

After visiting Joseph Smith's birthplace, we headed to Quechee Gulch- a mini Grand Canyon.

Then we visited a maple sugar farm.

Along the way, we stopped at many covered bridges.  This one was particularly picturesque.

We started the next day with a visit to Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory.  It was a fun tour and who doesn't want to taste ice cream at 9 in the morning?

The Hall of Fame.  They rotate these huge framed posters according to the best selling ice creams.  Right now, this is the most popular flavor.

And this is the 2nd most popular flavor.  

Ken and I tried the Half Baked.  

Up on the hill behind the factory, they have a Flavor Graveyard where they "bury" discontinued flavors- complete with granite tombstones.

If you know Ken, then you'll know why we were in particular mourning for the Creme Brulee flavor.  

Don placing flowers on the Creme Brulee grave.

We recovered from our grief to drive to the cider factory and enjoy some cidar donuts.  (Now I'm seeing why Ken and Don were in intestinal distress later that day!)

Another quaint covered bridge.

Take what you want.  Leave money to be donated to "peace."

Next stop:  The Von Trapp Family Lodge.  I read a book about the Von Trapp family several years ago and how they settled in Vermont.  It was a thrill to see their beautiful home/ lodge and to learn more about them.

Evidently, Maria loved, loved flowers.  The gardens there are just amazing.

Maria's grave- completely covered with flowers.

Family cemetery.  You can see that each grave is completely covered with flowers.

Beautiful artistic depictions of the Von Trapp Family lined the walls of the lodge.  I especially liked this one.

This was my favorite room in the house- the sun room.

We ate in the restaurant there and shared weinerschnitzel and spaetzel with lignon berries.  Does it get more Austrian than that?

We next drove through Smuggler's Notch.  

We stopped in this cute little town- Stowe, Vermont- and visited an art gallery.  They were having a rally of antique British cars and they lined the streets.

We started the next day visiting a maple production place- Bragg farm.  We learned all about collecting maple sap and purchased some syrup and, my favorite, maple butter.

You can see the stacked pails they use for collecting the maple sap in the window.  They were floor to ceiling.  

Another covered bridge.

We had lunch in Littleton, New Hampshire.  It is supposed to have the cutest, quaintest Main street in the east.  It was cute.

Can you imagine how beautiful this view would have been with fall colors?

Cathedral Ledge State Park in Conway, New Hampshire.  Rock climbers climbing the face of the rock.

The view from the top.  It was beautiful.  

Is that yet another covered bridge?  This one in Conway, New Hampshire.

Time to drive back to New York.  We'd better plot our route carefully.

We enter NYC.  Stay tuned for the cruise!