The Northeast Kingdom!

July 25 – August 1, 2022

Our first evening in the Northeast Kingdom!

In February 2019, Dick and I, along with a group from the United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa went on a mission trip to Puerto Rico to help rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Maria.  We were joined on this mission by a group of Catholic high school students from Vermont.  Together we helped Luis and Dalilah with their home along with a single parent, Barbara on her home.  Working side-by-side, it was amazing how much progress was made in the week we were there!  It is said, when volunteering, you always receive more than you give.  This was certainly the case for this trip.  We left with amazing friendships and so much appreciation for the comfortable life we live.  

One of the friendships we made while there was with Carolyn, Chris and their daughter Caitlin.  In fact, when planning our Vermont visit, I contacted Carolyn to see whether it would be possible to meet up with them.  Carolyn quickly replied and even shared the name of the campground where they have a seasonal campsite, Kingdom Campground.  This campground was amazing!  It was only a couple of miles outside of Lyndonville, had full hook-up services and the sites were incredible!  It had all of the feeling of what you would imagine a campground in the Green Mountain state of Vermont would have, including beautiful views!

We wondered a bit about the name of the campground, but didn’t give it too much thought.  It turns out in 1949, the then-governor of Vermont, George D. Aiken, gave a speech where he referred to the northeast region of Vermont as the Northeast Kingdom, due to its spectacular beauty.  The term caught on quickly and, appropriately, continues today!  

During our time in this kingdom, we found Lyndonville to be a charming village!  We took in their Farmers Market, covered bridges, enjoyed coffee at the Freighthouse and attended Mass at St. Elizabeth!  It’s hard to believe this village of 1,136 people has so much going on!

A mural of the local covered bridges

St. Elizabeth's

A planter in town dated 1898

A few miles outside of Lyndonville is Mount Pisgah, which offers amazing hikes to its summit.  Caitlin was off of work for the day and was willing to join Dick and me on this 5.1-mile hike which gained 1,540 feet in elevation!  We were all plenty sweaty and had tired legs by the end of that hike!  It was totally worth the effort, as the views of the surrounding kingdom from the summit, including Lake Willoughby, were beautiful!  It was such a treat to share this hike with Kaitlin, who is now a college student!  

Starting out, fresh as daisies!

                       

Over the river and through the kingdom!

Lake Willoughby

At the summit!

St. Johnsbury is eleven miles from our campground and we had fun exploring that small town as well!  There we took a historical walking tour, finding homes built in the 1870’s, the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, the Athenæum and many beautiful churches.  

Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium

The Athenæum

Railroad Street is one of St. Johnsbury’s shopping districts and there we found SMD Outdoors.  This shop just happens to be owned by Chris (whom we met on our mission trip).  I’ve been wanting a fishing pole and talking about purchasing one for this entire trip and I finally got my chance!  Thank you, Chris, for helping me pick one out!  I love the name of this shop.  SMD stands for St. Michael’s Defense!  If you are not aware, St. Michael is an archangel who is a protector of the Jewish people and guardian of the Catholic Church.  

All ready to go fishing!

                   

Whirligig Brewery is also located on Railroad Street and not only has delicious beer, but a Ms. Pac Man arcade game!  Dick and I had a ton of fun challenging each other to this classic game while enjoying a cold one.  Sometimes it’s hard to remember we are adults!

With the intensity of my competitor, I should have known what the outcome was going to be! 

Lamoille Valley Rail Trail leaves St. Johnsbury and takes you to Danville (all uphill!).  We rode five miles up the trail, enjoying the scenery through this beautiful kingdom!  The thick forested area only reinforced the wisdom of the Vermont name, which means “Green Mountain”!  For the entire five miles back, we barely pedaled our bikes, rolling along the former train track with ease!

Yep, it's the Northeast Kingdom!

Fifteen miles outside of St. Johnsbury is Goodrich’s Maple Farm.  It’s easy to find, just look for the giant maple leaves painted on the boulders next to their driveway!  There, we took a tour and learned about the process of making maple syrup.  There is a strong possibility that some of the syrup ended up in our shopping cart and made its way back to our camper!  

Pancakes anyone?

Our day trip to Stowe, Vermont was extremely delightful!  This bustling village of 5,200 people certainly has more than enough things to keep you entertained!  It’s a busy ski resort area in the winter, offering snowshoeing, cross country skiing, downhill skiing and more!  Although the gondolas were running, we passed on riding them to the top.  We had to save a few things for our next trip here, right?!

Actually, I'm pretty glad there isn't snow!

Stowe’s Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church is really a unique church!  It was built in 1948 on the site where Joseph Dutton was born.  Dutton spent most of his life on the island of Molokai working with the lepers.  He cared for their wounds, bandaged lesions, cooked meals, and increased public awareness of the lepers’ plight.  He sounds like quite the brave man and very much a hard worker!  Blessed Sacrament’s exterior walls are painted with scenes depicting Dutton’s work on the island.  The interior of the church has a band of 36 painted windows with scenes from Christ’s life. If you are in the area, this humble church is certainly worth a stop!

Probably the most interesting thing about Stowe for us was learning that this is the location where the von Trapp family settled after fleeing from the Nazis in 1938!  They built a home a few miles outside of Stowe on land that reminded them of their Austrian homeland.  In 1950, they began hosting skiers during the winter, and before long, their family home became the Trapp Family Lodge.  The lodge they originally built burned down in 1980 and has been replaced with a very large lodge that continues to be a popular vacation destination.  It is still owned and managed by members of the von Trapp family.

The Hills Are Alive with the Scent of Hops!

In addition to their lodge, the von Trapp family owns and operates the von Trapp Brewery and Bierhall, where we dined on their Cheddar Lager Soup to complement a glass of their bier!  It was fun taking in a bit of the von Trapp history while partaking in their current successful business!

Driving north out of Stowe took us up to Smuggler’s Notch, which was really cool!  The drive itself was on a narrow, windy road, weaving around giant boulders, praying we wouldn’t meet an oncoming vehicle!  Once we reached the summit, we found a parking spot and hiked around the area a little.  We also took in a group honing their rock-climbing skills.  The area has a lot of history and is reported to have been a place where potash was hidden while being smuggled into Canada.  President Thomas Jefferson had put the Embargo Act of 1807 into effect due to American ships being raided and the impressment of American sailors.  Bottom line, people still wanted to make a living selling their potash to Canada and smuggled it out through this area!  The same thing happened here again with alcohol during Prohibition!                                         

The entrance to Smuggler's Cave

The "Notch"

Reconnecting with Carolyn, Chris and Caitlin was such a treat during this stay!  In fact, Carolyn made arrangements for us to meet with their entire family, along with Fr. Curtis (who we also met in Puerto Rico) in Littleton, New Hampshire.  There we enjoyed Brazilian barbeque at The Little Grille.  We not only had an amazing dinner, but we were able to meet Carolyn and Chris’s two younger children, Brooke and TJ, who had not gone on the mission trip.  

Deliciously wonderful company!

The server just kept coming with new things to try!

Having never been to New Hampshire, Dick and I went a couple of hours early to check out Littleton before dinner.  Although the stores had already closed by the time we got there, we did find a beautiful trail following the Ammonoosuc River (say that five times fast!) that featured both a covered bridge and a suspension bridge!  

I vote to delete a few of the vowels from this river's name!

You just can't help but smile!

For some strange reason, I found myself thinking about my dad while we were wandering around Littleton.  When we got back to the camper that night, I pulled out Dad’s journal from his 1992 bicycle trip from Bar Harbor, Maine to Eldridge, Iowa.  Sure enough!  Dad had been peddling through New Hampshire about 20 miles south of Littleton when he had some type of mechanical problem with his bike.  Someone ended up giving him a lift to a bicycle repair shop in Littleton where he hung out for a short while!  He had eaten dinner at the Littleton Diner, which is still in business today.  It was tempting to make a trip back to Littleton and eat at the same diner where Dad had!

On our final night in Kingdom Campground, Carolyn, Chris, Brooke and TJ came and shared a campfire with us.  Yes, we had s’mores while we gathered together for one last time (for this trip!).  We’re hoping to continue to keep in touch with this beautiful family and meet again somewhere!  Who knows when God will have our paths cross again!

Next up:  Bar Harbor, Maine