50th Anniversary Road Trip

Cutting the Cake at our Wedding in 1969

On Thursday the 27th of June, it being our 50th Wedding Anniversary, we were looking to do something different.  We HAD planned to go camping that afternoon, in the same camper we stayed in on our honeymoon 50 years ago, but due to all the sickness we hadn't been able to get it ready nor get the "new" 2009 Dodge Journey fully ready to tow it. So instead we decided to just go on a road trip up to Rochester, Vermont, where my family had a camp for many years. We took Lucy with us.

Camper Photo from 2017

Lucy ready to go.

We didn't get off until after 10 AM (hard to get going these days!), and had to go 5 miles the other direction to begin with to drop off a gift. We then went to Bennington and up new Rt. 7 but the left rear brake started heating and smoking before we got very far. I pulled off and found the Park Brake cable was stuck on a bit on that side. I couldn't get it off, but pulled off at the Arlington exit and managed to pry the cable off the caliper lever with the lug wrench. We then proceeded on to Manchester on 7A and found the brake was now free and the wheel cooled down by the time we made Manchester.

Rochester Common

There was all kinds of paving to and through Manchester, and it took us 2 hours to make Rutland. We stopped at the north edge of town and ate at McDonalds, then headed up over the Sherburne Pass. It had been several years since we were up that way, but not much had changed. There were some new places, and some old ones had been abandoned and sat vacant. They were putting in a new bridge at Pittsfield. Things seemed more heavily overgrown than years ago. Rochester was about the same as ever. I was surprised to see the road over the mountain to Bethel was closed, but they seem to have had a lot of rain again this year.

Bethel Mountain Road Closed

We debated about whether to go back over the Brandon Gap or south on Rt. 100 along the lakes, and decided on the latter. We cut off on the dirt road to Sherburne and stopped a few miles down to walk Lucy.

Just as we were stopping, I got a phone call. I am still not used to cell phones, and getting a call out in the middle of nowhere is still a surprise! (though there was better service there than at home). I passed the phone along to Kathy, and just then a pickup truck pulled up alongside and who should it be but our daughter Krista! She had been hiking with her boss and some of her co-workers and saw our car and Lucy! How likely is something like that to just happen? Neither of us knew the other was there, and if we had gone by way of Brandon or hadn't been delayed by brake problems even earlier we wouldn't have been there!

They told us about Thundering Falls, about a mile up the road, and said I should be able to get my wife in to see them as there was a boardwalk most of the way. So we went our separate ways and my wife and I drove up to the trailhead.

Kathy starting the switchbacks 

I walked the 0.2 miles into the Falls to make sure I could get her in there, and the only difficult part was at the actual approach to the Falls, which was gravel and had 3 switchbacks. So I went back, unloaded her into the wheelchair, and pushed her in.
Tried to get Lucy to do some pulling, but that was a lost cause! Some folks who arrived just after we were beginning the hike had a big Labradoodle or some such breed - beautiful dog but no training and of course in spite of signs dogs had to be on leash they let him off and when we arrived at the Falls we had a growling match while they tried to corral the dog!

I got some nice photos of the Falls after they got their dog back on leash and left. I've driven and ridden that road since I was a boy and never knew the Falls were there. Guess you can always learn something new.

Kathy and Lucy at the Falls

Kathy looking at the Falls

We then returned to the car and continued on home. The drive along the Lakes was nice. We went west and down to Wallingford, south to Arlington, and down RT 313 to home, arriving about 6 PM. All in all, it was a pleasant trip and the weather was beautiful.

Lucy wouldn't pose for "Rabbit Ears"!