US Roadtrip - Southern Vermont - Manchester and Mt. Equinox

September 2 and 3, 2017

States:  2 (New York, Vermont)
Capitals:  0 (--)
Distance Traveled: 148 miles in two days / 1,497 miles total
Time Traveled: 4.5 hrs in two days / 32.5 hrs total

Vermont was one of our highly anticipated destinations, and after being greeted by open fields of yellow wildflowers (goldenrod) filling huge meadows, backed by thick forest and rolling mountains, our introduction to the state did not disappoint.  Dotted with small villages consisting of a main street or two with the city hall, tall church steeple and various supply shops, the rest of the area was basically farmland or forest, with an occasional red barn to add some visual interest to the scene.

We drove the toll road up to the top of Mount Equinox on our first day, giving us sweeping views of the entire area before heading down towards Manchester and spending a day there relaxing and catching up on some work (and taking advantage of some rain that came through on our second day).

Immediately upon entering Vermont, we were greeted by wide open fields of goldenrod and rolling hills.

Toasty passing through a covered bridge in SW Vermont.

The view from atop Mount Equinox, where you can see several states (which is not that huge of an accomplishment, given the size of Vermont).

The windy toll road up to the top of Mount Equinox, with some great lookout points along the way.

Toasty posing for a photo before ascending the steep hill.  In the very top right of the picture, you can see some buildings that mark the top of the mountain.

Beautiful wildflowers litter the state - these are from a bunch of black-eyed Susans.

Cute little Manchester, VT - like many of the villages around here, it has just a few main streets with quaint buildings and shops.

Outside of the small villages, the countryside is a beautiful mix of rolling farmland and small, rounded mountains stretching in every direction.  The area certainly felt untouched, with just a few old New England villages every once in a while.

Typical houses in some of the small towns with historic architecture and beautiful gardens.