Vermont Leaves

We left Thousand Trails Kenisee Lake on Friday morning and drove up to Conneaut to see Lake Erie. We found a lovely park, Conneaut Township Park, where we could walk right out to the lake.

When we were in Rochester in July, we went to Lake Ontario, and I dipped my little tootsies in the water. In late July, we were in Canada, and I dipped my tootsies in Lake Huron. However, it was much cooler on Friday, so I skipped the tootsie dipping tradition. We took several pictures of the lake, small lighthouse, and trees with leaves of red and yellow.

We traveled across state to Schenectady, NY and stayed at Frosty Acres RV Park. It had a lovely pond which reflected the leaves beautifully. I helped with the driving for about an hour. Gene is doing ever so much better. He can now sit in the passenger seat and be relatively quiet while I keep it between the lines.

We had been having a problem with our toilet - a tissue issue I believe. A stop at Camping World and purchase of flexible wand that attaches to the hose and use of same at the dump station at Frosty Acres made everything right again. It made it much more convenient to have our facilities working again.

Sunday was a nice relaxing day - it rained off and on - perfect for naps and reading. We have been reading "Meandering Down the Highway" by Nick Russell. He and his wife Terry sponsered the Eastern Gypsy Gathering we just attended in Celine, Ohio, and are publishers of the "Gypsy Journal". To learn more about their travels, log on to www.gypsyjournal.net It will provide a wealth of information with a great sense of humor.

Monday we left Frosty Acres and drove into Schenectady with the intention of posting our blog at the library. I have just learned how to do a blog, thanks to one of the classes at the Gathering taught by geeksontour, but when I logged on, the language was Japanese. With only an hour allowed on the computer, I didn't have time to figure out how to change it. I was able to check our emails.

Monday was Gene's birthday. He received calls from his son, Lee, in South Africa, daughters Jennifer and Diane and niece Kelly. We didn't do any major celebrating, but he said it was a great birthday.

We crossed into Vermont about 2:30 in the afternoon and drove on Hwy 9 to Bennington. There is a historical site and monument about the Battle of Bennington fought in 1777. To quote from the brochure, "Here Bridagier General John Stark and his American forces successfully defeated two detachments of British General John Burgoyne's invading army in 1777." His command "consisted of approximately 2,000 Vermont, New Hampshire and Berkshire County (Massachusetts) volunteers, most of whom were untrained".

While in Bennington, we also visited the Old First Church and cemetary where soldiers from the Revolutionary War, governors and Robert Frost have been laid to rest. It was a sober reminder of what price our forefathers paid for the price of freedom.

After our sightseeing, we drove another 20 minutes to Woodford State Park. At this time of year the park was virtually empty. When camping at most state parks, there is no electric or water hookup. This is what I call "camping" as opposed to RVing. We have water tanks and and a generator, so we can still cook, wash, etc., I just have to change the way I do it.

The weather was overcast and in the high 60's. We walked around a bit, then Gene fixed a campfire and we relaxed. Tuesday was overcast in the morning, but cleared to a beautiful day.
The leaves were resplendent in their bright yellows, fiery reds and pumpkin colored orange.
This was one of the reasons we wanted to come to New England. I lived in Massachusetts until age 12, and the fall season is what I truly miss. We walked up to the Ranger Station, about 1 mile one way, enjoying the sights and taking a lot of pictures. Gene fixed another fire in the evening and it was the end of a perfect day.

We are truly blessed to be able to see the splendor of God's Creation all over the country.

We will be heading for Gifford Woods State Park, also in Vermont, today. The sun is peeping in and out of the clouds, but it promises to be a lovely day.