docs@hocsf.UUCP (10/17/84)
My fiance and I just returned from a very relaxing vacation in Vermont. I thought I'd share my impressions with all you kind net.travel folk. The first night we stayed in the Saxton River Inn in Saxton's River, Vermont, which is about 7 miles from Bellows Falls and I-91, just north of Brattleboro. It was a very nice place. We had a room with a hall bath that cost $31.80 for the night. The restaurant in the inn was excellent. I don't know of too many places that serve West African Peanut Soup, but it sure was good stuff. The cost of the room also included a continental breakfast. The next 4 nights we stayed in the Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, Vermont. Lower Waterford is about half between St. Johnsbury, Vermont and Littleton, NH. It's right on the Connecticut River. This place is so charming, it's enough to make you sick.(Or quit your job and move there.) Everywhere you look there are all sorts of rabbits. The living room and bar are very cozy. The rooms are nice; most of them have fireplaces and views of the White Mountains. The innkeepers are from England and are so sweet. They make the inn a very comfortable place. The food is excellent. I think they pipe the cooking smells throughout the building because the place smells great when they're serving a meal. They only serve breakfast and dinner. Neither are included in the price of the room which runs from $35 to $65, depending on the season. All rooms come with private baths. There are hiking trails that serve as cross- county trails in the winter. The inn is not open for November or the first half of December, or April(mud month). This inn scores very high points for charm, warmth, food, and location. You're not very far from the White Mountains. (We drove up to the top of Mt. Washing- ton, hiked around a little, and other things. I'll get to that stuff.) And you're not too far from most of central and northern Vermont. There is not much to do in Lower Waterford. It is a tiny town- the inn, a church, a post office and a few houses. That's all folks. It is beautiful all the same. Lower Waterford is supposed to be the most photographed town in Vermont. Kodak featured a picture of the town as their Christmas greeting in Grand Central Station a little while ago. It is very New England. But not far from Lower Waterford, there are many things to keep you busy. There is a nice, though small, museum in St. Johnsbury. There are dozens of places to buy Vermont maple syrup, and gifts, many hand-made in Vermont. The White Mountains are chock full of great things to keep you busy. Lots of covered bridges, outlet stores, and, of course, mountains. We went to the top of Mount Washington and felt like we were on top of the world.(Unfortunately, smog has made inroads even there; our view was obscured by a thick layer of smog covering the entire area. And people still think that acid rain is some kind of lie. Ha!) We saw some crazy guy hand-glide off the top of the mountain. What a sight! We went to the Lost River, which is exactly that. It is a river that disappears in a jumble of boulders. You hike through the boulders on wood platforms, and there are little caves that you can crawl through. Lots of fun. Must be very pretty in the spring when the wildflowers are blooming, since they have an extensive wildflower garden. We also went to the Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, NH. It is a farm that is owned by the Society for the Preservation of NH Forests. They give guided tours of the Estate. You get around the estate in a hay wagon pulled by two huge Belgian horses named Colonel and Major. The estate has great views of the mountains, and the history of the place is very interesting. There's also a working dairy farm there, and the family who runs it will tell you all about dairy farming, cows, milk and how tough it is.(Boy, is it TOUGH!) We got to see a calf that was born only 3 hours earlier. My, this is getting rather long. If any of you out there would like more info on what we did, the places we ate at, or anything else, drop me a line and I'll fill you in. Sharon Badian-ready to move to Lower Waterford to get fat on English bangers(sausages to us Americans)