I’ve begun to slowly resume traveling. My first trip in over a year was in May 2021 for my birthday. It was just a quick overnight to the Woodstock and Quechee area in Vermont. I was fully vaccinated in March 2021 and have been very cautious throughout the pandemic. I brought my dog Renny with me and we stayed at the very pleasant Quality Inn at Quechee Gorge. It isn’t fancy but very comfortable and pet-friendly. It is right next to Quechee Gorge which made for lovely long walks.
The area is about five hours from home. We stopped for a traditional turkey dinner (lunch) at Hart’s Turkey Farm in .Meredith, New Hampshire. We arrived in Quechee in the afternoon, checked in, went for a walk and wandered around Woodstock, a charming New England town, for a little while in the rain. I had a light dinner of two appetizers and a delicious cocktail at Simon Pearce restaurant in Quechee, one of my very favorite restaurants. It’s a beautiful space overlooking the Ottaquechee River and the food is wonderful.
The next morning, my birthday, I went to the Woodstock Inn for breakfast and had perfect Eggs Benedict - something that’s less common than you might expect - and an excellent Bloody Mary made with Hendrick’s gin. If you haven’t tried gin in your Bloody Mary, please do. It was a tip from a good friend and is so much nicer than vodka.
I did something that’s been on my Life List for years - falconry! New England Falconry in Woodstock offers several outstanding experiences. I did the introductory session.
I visited the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Store in Norwich, Vermont and gifted myself with a set of new baking pans and some special ingredients. It’s a great toy store fir baking fanatics.
On the way home, I stopped at P&H Truck Stop in Woodsville, Vermont and got a piece of their maple cream pie to go. It has a flaky crust, a decadent maple custard filling and about an inch of whipped cream on top with just a few toasted walnuts. Highly recommended.
For a late lunch, we stopped at the Mooselook Diner in Concord, Vermont. It’s always been a good diner but it’s under new management and is all spruced up and has a fine menu. Although it was a hot day, I ordered poutine which was done so well, with dark, well-cooked French fries, real cheese curds, good homemade gravy. I love diners and this is a really good one.
*****
Our next trip was a return to Woodstock / Quechee, also staying at the Quality Inn at Quechee Gorge. There were no reservations available at any fine dining restaurants in a twenty mile radius, so we had dinner at the White Cottage in Woodstock. It’s a diner but mostly takeout with seating by the river. Excellent burgers, very good fries and onion rings, an unusual but delicious chili dog with a grilled bun and chunky, meaty chili with jalapeños. Sloppy but delicious.
I visited the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences in Quechee. I hadn’t been there in a few years. They have a number of raptors that were rescued and which, for various reasons, can’t be released into the wild. There are owls, hawks, falcons, vultures, crows and ravens and eagles. They have flying demonstrations and presentations and long trails through the woods. The gift shop is a fascinating place with great ideas for children’s gifts.
Renny and I took a number of walks in Quechee and Woodstock. Many attractions aren’t open or have limited services due to Covid. On our way home, I stopped for lunch at the Four Aces Diner in Lebanon, New Hampshire, an old classic diner with an addition. It’s really your iconic diner. The food is excellent, the menu quite large, the people friendly, portions large, service quick and prices reasonable.
We then visited Saint Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire, the hone of sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens. He’s most famous for the Shaw Memorial in Boston and for his many sculptures of Abraham Lincoln. This site is beautiful, overlooking Mount Ascutney to the west. The house was not open at this time but the studio and grounds were, and they are well worth a visit. The gardens are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, and there are many reproductions of scultiyres throughout. The studio is fascinating and shows many of his works as well as his tools and installations about his process.
