Covered Bridge | The Beauty Around Us

Our Thanksgiving Holiday – First 3 Days

We spent Thanksgiving Day and two days afterward in New Hampshire.

We drove from our home in Warren PA to Bennington VT on Wednesday. We left Warren at 7:20 am. It was a gorgeous, but frigid, morning. The temperature was 18 degrees, when we left home.

After making a few stops (for fuel, breakfast, stretching and bathroom), we arrived in Bennington VT shortly before 3:00 pm. Our drive there was smooth sailing all the way. The weather continued to be gorgeous; the traffic wasn’t bad; and the temperature got warmer. When we arrived in Bennington, the temperature was 36 degrees.

We checked into the Best Western Bennington, room 172. Our hotel room was spacious, with access to an outside deck.

The room looks nice on the surface. If you look closely, though, you will notice a moderate amount of wear and tear. The room was clean and appeared to have been recently painted. The refrigerator was turned off, and wouldn’t turn on. We assumed it was plugged in, but there wasn’t a way to check this as the refrigerator was bolted in place. We didn’t have anything with us that had to be kept cold. We didn’t say anything about the refrigerator until the next day, when we checked out, only to alert the hotel to the fact that the refrigerator was not working.

At 4:00 pm we ate dinner at Bennington Pizza Plaza, located in a strip mall behind our hotel. I had baked ziti with meat; Bob had stuffed shells. Both meals came with garlic toast. Dinner was delicious. Bennington Pizza Plaza, with its attractive table and chairs for dining in and tasteful seasonal decorative touches, was a notch up from a regular pizza joint.

On Thanksgiving Day we drove from Bennington VT to Bob’s sister and our brother-in-law’s house in Amherst NH. We got up at 6:15 am and went to breakfast about an hour later. We enjoyed a hot breakfast, with all the selections (waffles, eggs, bacon or sausage, pastries, etc.) normally offered by Best Western hotels. We departed the hotel at 7:45 am, en route Cynthia and Larry’s house. Our route took us on the Molly Stark Trail (Route 9) through the Green Mountain National Forest.

We stopped for a photo opportunity at the Hogback Mountain Overlook,
a short distance east of Wilmington VT.

Leaving the Green Mountain National Forest, we stopped briefly for a photo opportunity in West Brattleboro at the Creamery Covered Bridge.

Cynthia and Larry were not expecting us until after 11:00 am. In order to kill some time we drove into Nashua. We parked below Water Street at the entrance to Le Parc De Notre Renaissance Franchise.

These art murals are located where we parked.

We walked a short way along the Nashua River, in Le Parc De Notre Renaissance Franchise. The first thing to catch my eye was a sculpture of a woman and a child.

This sculpture pays tribute to the women and children who worked in the textile mills during the first half of the 20th century.

Later in the week we would meet up with a blogging friend and her husband. My blogging friend and her husband live in what used to be a textile mill.

Clocktower Place, a former textile mill,
is where my blogging friend and her husband live.

From Nashua we drove to Cynthia and Larry’s house, arriving there shortly after noon. Lunch was served around 1:00 pm.

We enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, baked squash, green beans, Brussels Sprouts with walnuts baked in maple syrup, and cranberry salad. For dessert we had a variety of delectable cupcakes to choose from.

We left Cynthia and Larry’s house for our hotel sometime between 4:00 and 4:30 pm, with plans to meet up again at 1:00 pm the next day. We drove to the Clarion Inn located in Nashua NH. The hotel is about a 20-minute drive from Cynthia and Larry’s house. We checked into room 235, which would be our home for the next 3 nights. Our hotel room was spacious with a king-size bed and a couch that would fit three people comfortably. Our room would sleep four people, as the couch pulls out into a bed. The room is equipped with a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker.

We got up for the day on Friday around 6:30 am, after a good night’s sleep. The clerk who checked us in the prior night said that our room would be quiet, and it was. The rooms on our side of the hotel are used only as needed in late fall and winter. An hour after awakening we had showered, gotten dressed, had breakfast and were back in our hotel room. There were less offerings at breakfast here than there were in Vermont. We could make our own pancakes or waffles; there were cereal and packaged muffins selections; yogurt was available ; and there were juice, coffee and tea selections. We preferred the breakfast at Best Western Bennington.

We spent Friday afternoon and evening with Cynthia and Larry. We enjoyed a second Thanksgiving dinner that included open-faced turkey sandwiches with gravy and soup that Larry prepared using leftover turkey, rice and vegetables. Later in the day we left to go to an inaugural outdoor light show, located on The Links at LaBelle Winery golf course in Derry, NH. Unfortunately it was raining, so we didn’t see the display. We drove by a couple houses in Bedford that are usually lit up for Christmas. One house had decorations outside, but the lights were not turned on. The other house didn’t have any decorations on display. So, we didn’t get to see any Christmas lights. For dinner we had Chinese take-out that Bob and Larry picked up. After dinner we sat in the living room and chit-chatted for a while. We left for the hotel around 7:45 pm. Twenty minutes later we arrived at the hotel.

Thank you, Cynthia and Larry, for a wonderful Thanksgiving! We enjoyed our time with you and look forward to the next time we get together with each other.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Corning NY Mid-Week Getaway: Day 2 – Newfield Covered Bridge

We spent three nights the week of October 17th in Corning, NY. I wrote about our first day here.

We got up around 5:30 am on October 20th. By 7:30 am we had showered, dressed and eaten breakfast. At 8:00 am we left for Ithaca, NY.

Before reaching Ithaca we stopped at the Newfield Covered Bridge in Newfield, NY.

Newfield Covered Bridge was built in 1853.

Newfield Covered Bridge is the oldest surviving covered bridge
still open to daily vehicular traffic in the State of New York.

We walked down a few steps from the parking lot to an observation platform.

Day 2 activities to be continued …

Wedding Anniversary Celebration – Day 1

This past Sunday, September 26th, was our 23rd wedding anniversary. We celebrated our anniversary with a mini getaway–3 nights at an Airbnb in Confluence, PA.

Before leaving home, Bob made us omelets for breakfast. We put the dishes in the dishwasher and started the cleaning cycle. We packed the car. Bob placed our bicycles on the carrier. We left home at 8:15 am, en route Confluence.

We made one stop in Ebensburg and arrived in Confluence between 12:00 and 12:30 pm. Check in wasn’t until 3:00 pm. We drove by our rental Airbnb. There was a car parked outside the front porch, which we supposed belonged to the cleaner(s).

We had a few hours to kill, so we decided to do some sightseeing. We saw a sign on our way to Confluence for a nearby covered bridge. We drove to the Lower Humbert Covered Bridge and checked it out.

The Lower Humbert Bridge is a 126 1/2 feet long Burr Arch truss covered bridge. It crosses over the Laurel Hill Creek in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County. The bridge was built in 1891 and rebuilt 100 years later. It is one of ten remaining covered bridges in Somerset County.

The Lower Humbert Bridge is a Burr Arch truss covered bridge.

Bob and I at the Lower Humbert Covered Bridge

From the bridge we decided to drive to Ohiopyle State Park. We parked near the Visitor Center and walked a short way along the Youghiogheny River. We enjoyed the view of the Ohiopyle Falls.

Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny River

We visited the Visitor Center as well. I picked up a map and brochure for the park.

We returned to the Birdhouse Inn Confluence Airbnb shortly before 3:00 pm. The cleaner was still there but left as soon as she made one last bed. The Airbnb is a cute 2 story house. There are two porches, one in the front and one on the side. I love the side porch. It is where we sat, waiting for the cleaner to finish up. The chairs are comfortable, and the view is a cornfield in front of a hill.

Shortly after 5:00 pm we walked to the River’s Edge Cafe, where we had a 5:30 pm dinner reservation. The walk took only a few minutes, so we were early for our reservation.

We ate our anniversary dinner at the River’s Edge Cafe.

We sat at a picnic table and enjoyed the view and sound of the Youghiogheny River. Dinner was excellent. Bob ordered a Oak Barrel steak dinner; I ordered a Smoked Barbecued pork chop dinner.

After dinner we went for a short bicycle ride to the Confluence Town Square. Our bicycle ride took us over the Casselman River on a bike/pedestrian bridge. In all we didn’t even ride a mile from our “home” to the town square and back “home”.

Ohio Vacation Day 6 – Covered Bridge and Waterfall (6/30/2021)

This morning we went for a short bicycle ride. We drove to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We parked in the parking lot across from the Hunt Farm Visitors Center. We rode from the parking lot to the Everett Covered Bridge and back. We rode both the towpath and Everett Road. Total bicycle miles: 2.12 miles.

We parked at the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail parking lot,
located off Bolanz Rd near Riverside Rd,
across the street from Hunt Farm.

Our destination was the Everett Covered Bridge.

Bob rode more miles than me, as he had to ride back to the parking lot twice. The first time he went back for his helmet. The second time he went back for the GoPro, which was lying outside on the back of our car.

After returning to the parking lot and loading the bicycles back onto the car, we drove to Brandywine Falls. This was our second visit this week to Brandywine Falls. We wanted to see the effect of the recent rain on the waterfall.

We viewed the waterfall first from the very top boardwalk (no stairs involved). We didn’t view the waterfall from this vantage point, during our first visit.

We decided to walk down the stairs for a closer view of the waterfall.

Our recent rainfall did increase the water flow, as evidenced by these two pictures.

From Brandywine Falls we drove to downtown Hudson. I will share photographs of downtown Hudson in my next blog post.

Allegany State Park Day Trip

Well, we made it to Allegany State Park after all the day after our day trip to Letchworth State Park. (See today’s earlier post about changing our destination, when en route to Allegany State Park.)

Allegany State Park is located near Salamanca, NY. The park is divided into two sections: the Red House area and the Quaker Run area. The Red House Area is the northern half of Allegany State Park. Its attractions include Stone Tower, Red House Lake, the Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge, and the Tudor-style Administration Building. The Quaker Run area is the southern half of the park. Its attractions include Quaker Lake, Science Lake, an Amphitheater, and Thunder Rocks.

Allegany State Park is a frequent destination for Bob and me, as the park is less than an hour’s drive from our house.

With the exception of one weekend camping trip several years ago, our visits to the park last only a few hours. We visit various attractions, which I photograph. We sometimes shop at the gift store and eat lunch at the Red House Restaurant, both of which are located in the Administration Building. I would like very much to spend a weekend, once again, at Allegany State Park.

We entered Allegany State Park from Interstate 86 and entered the Red House Area on ASP Route 1. We gained free entry by showing our New York Empire Pass. It would have cost us $6.00, if we did not have an Empire Pass.

ASP Route 1 Overlook

Red House Lake

Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge

Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge

There is a new trail off ASP Route 3 that goes on the other side of Science Lake. The trail was opened in late Spring or early Summer this year. We hiked some of the trail, for the first time, during our visit to Allegany State Park. I learned afterward that there is a kiosk at the front of Science Lake that provides information about “school in the woods” ruins that can be reached by hiking the Science Lake trail. We didn’t hike far enough, so we didn’t see the ruins … next time 🙂

Science Lake Trail Trailhead. The creek feeds Science Lake.

The trail was well marked. The blue hiking sign indicates that the trail is easy.

Science Lake Trail; Science Lake in the distance.

The people who built this trail did an EXCELLENT job!

Feeding Science Lake

Science Lake, with fishing platform in the distance

Science Lake Trail. This is another instance of a well-built trail.

The trail was a bit rocky in places. Some rocks were strategically placed, though, to keep one out of the mud!

Looking across Science Lake

OH! I see the kiosk that provides information about the “school in the woods” ruins!

The bridge over Science Dam was fenced off several years ago.

It would be nice, if funds were made available to make repairs to the dam / bridge. A great loop trail would then be possible around Science Lake.

Bob hiked over to the bridge. I stayed on the trail. This is where we ended our hike. We turned around and returned to the car.

One last parting picture of Science Lake

While we were at Letchworth State Park the day before, I remarked often about “so many people” being at the park. My oft-spoken remark, while at Allegany State Park, was that there were “too many bugs”! No bugs bothered us, while at Letchworth. We should have applied bug spray, especially before hiking behind Science Lake.

Leaving Science Lake, we continued on ASP Route 3 past Quaker Lake. We exited the park onto Interstate 86, just 10 miles south of where we entered the park.

Maine Vacation: Amsterdam NY to Peru VT

We set the GPS to avoid highways for our drive from Amsterdam NY to Peru VT.

Our first stop was for lunch at Sunset Grill in Ballston Spa, NY. Bob ordered a Cobb Salad; I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. Our lunches were good. What caught my attention, though, were the salt and pepper shakers at the tables near us.

Salt ‘n Pepper Shakers

Our waitress said that the salt and pepper shakers were brought to them as gifts when patrons returned from travels all over the world.

In May this year Ballston Spa held its second annual birdhouse competition.

I like how the birdhouses are displayed in the park.

The Soldiers Monument is located at Front and Low Streets. The monument lists the names of local soldiers from the towns of Milton, Ballston, and Malta who served in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War and the Civil War.

The Soldiers Monument

The Soldiers Monument

The monument features a Union Army infantryman, known to local residents as “Civil Sam”. Soldiers Monument was first dedicated on June 16,1888. Over the years the monument fell into a state of disrepair. Soldiers Monument was restored and rededicated in June 2013.

As an aside, I learned recently that my maternal second cousin, Dr. Naton D. Leslie, Jr., lived in Ballston Spa. Naton died in December 2013. I never met him.

Our second stop was at Buskirks Covered Bridge.

Buskirks Covered Bridge is 165 feet long and crosses over the Hoosick River.

Buskirks Bridge is in the town of Hoosick but takes its name from the hamlet in which it is located.

Our third stop was at Eagleville Covered Bridge.

Eagleville Covered Bridge is 100 feet long and crosses over the Battenkill River.

Eagleville Bridge is in the town of Jackson-Salem, NY but takes its name from the hamlet in which it is located.

Our fourth stop was at Arlington Covered Bridge.

Arlington Covered Bridge is 80 feet long and crosses over the Battenkill River.

Arlington Bridge is in the town of Arlington, VT. According to the people at this bridge, the river here was a fine place to swim. On the other side of the bridge we saw lots more people in the water, swimming and using inner tubes.

The Norman Rockwell House is very near Arlington Covered Bridge. We drove in front of the house. I wasn’t impressed, so I didn’t take any photographs.

We arrived at our night’s accommodation, the Lodge at Bromley (Peru, VT), at 6:00 pm — 12 1/2 hours after leaving home. After checking in and carrying in our bags, we went in search of dinner. But, first, I took a couple pictures of the view from our balcony.

We could see Mountain Adventure Park from our balcony.

We had a corner room, so we could see the mountains across the road from our balcony too.

There are a few restaurants nearby. The first place we went to — J.J. Hapgood — was very crowded. We opted to turn around and go to Bromley Market Country Store that we had passed on our way to J.J. Hapgood. The country store was closing, as we arrived. We ended up eating at Raven’s Den, located in Manchester Center, VT. It was an excellent restaurant choice. We ordered a 12-oz prime rib dinner with split plate. For an additional $19.00 we shared the prime rib and had full portions of the unlimited salad bar and three vegetable side dishes (carrots, green beans and corn on the cob). Our meals were delicious; the service was excellent; and the split plate option was a good deal.

This post concludes Day 1 of our 10-day vacation (June 28-July 7, 2019).

– TO BE CONTINUED –

Sachs Covered Bridge

Bob and I vacationed in Gettysburg earlier this month. During the morning of Monday, November 19th (our last day there), we visited Sachs Covered Bridge.

Sachs Covered Bridge was built around 1852.

Sachs Covered Bridge is a 100-feet long, Town truss covered bridge and crosses over Marsh Creek.

Sachs Covered Bridge

During the Civil War both the Union and Confederate armies used Sachs Covered Bridge in the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath. It is reportedly known to be severely haunted as a result.