Ascent Of Mount Washington

I'd always wanted to climb Mt. Washington. It is one of the more notable walk-ups--great views, history, good trails, lots of company--although not very high. My desire to climb it has waned with age, so on this day, October 15th, we took the cog railway up to the top and back. The cog railway itself is notable, being the first such railway in the world. I have ridden several in Europe, and never imagined it was an American invention!

Great day for the mountain...one of its few clear days

Summit from train station; OK, it's not the Matterhorn

Going up

Angle of ascent

Views

Summit area

Summit views

Vicki taking it in

The parking lot below

Historical matters

Old-time roughing it

Me on the summit

More history

More views

All down-hill from here

End of the line

Hill Farmstead Brewery

Daughter Rachel is a beer aficionado and wanted us to look for a couple special craft IPAs while in Vermont. We found Heady Topper in Richmond, not far from Burlington. The Hill Farmstead Brewery was a little farther afield, near Greensboro Bend. Worth the trip, as they say. But our little RV fridge has been loaded with beer for a couple weeks now! (We turn it over to Rachel tomorrow).

I'm not an IPA fan, but if I were, I'd really like this stuff; can be bought in select
stores and eateries near Burlington

Hill Farmstead is a different matter, available generally only at the brewery;
in the parking lot were cars from all over the northeast and as far away as Ohio
and Virginia; midweek; reminded us a little of Westvleteren and the Abbey of
St. Sixtus...a little

The brewery complex

Closer up

The brewery

This where you go to a) take a number, and then b) buy or c) have your 750ml
bottles or 2 liter growlers filled with the six or so different varieties available;
while waiting, I had a Susan, the closest thing to the super hoppy Abner (which
is not sold by the glass); people who like this sort of thing will find this just the
sort of thing they like; I think Rachel will like it a lot

Leafy Vermont

Our travels for a couple days took us all over northern Vermont...Burlington, Stowe, Smuggler's Notch, Newport, Lake Memphramegog, Peacham, and the Hill Farmstead Brewery near Greenboro Bend. Lots of autumn color, at or just past peak.

The Trapp Family Lodge/Resort

Those Trapps

The hills indeed were alive

Ben And Jerry's

A visit to Ben and Jerry's is obligatory when touring Vermont.

Basic ingredients

Corporate history

Corporate philosophy

Free sample part of the tour; the humor never let up

Subtle political statements everywhere; well, subtle for some people; totally
opaque for about 1/3 of these United Shitholes

They only use free range monkeys

We had a small cone each; others didn't

Big solar farm

Graveyard of dead flavors

They should have waited for the Coen brothers