Folks in North Carolina used to joke (about air travel) that to get to Hell, you had to go through Atlanta.
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| They are very succinct in Vermont |
Apparently in New England, if you want to drive there, you have to go through Boston.
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Outside Brattleboro
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Back in 1984, I had a yarn store in Pittsboro. There were still textile mills in the US and jobbers that sold "mill end" yarns--small amounts of yarn left on cones after an industrial run of fabric--amounts too small to be of use to the mill but perfect for handweavers. Several jobbers were located in New England. My then neighbor and fellow yarn junkie, Kathie Morr, agreed to join me on a buying trip. After more than one wrong turn, we joked that the horrible road signage in the northeast was part of a national security plan to confuse the enemy in the event of invasion. When I planned this trip, I just presumed things had improved but my New England Navigation Consultant assured me they had not. Just back from a trip to Cape Cod, she said the signs were so bad, if she hadn't been born in Boston, she'd have gotten lost. So despite the fact that the GPS and AAA routed me via one of the concentric circles around Boston, the Consultant sent me up to Brattleboro VT via toll road and then off into the hinterlands of federal and state highways towards Portsmouth then on to Saco ME. I was only in the car 7.5 hours today. Only. But I made it and without getting lost in Boston.
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| Welcome to Vermont |
I saw a number of interesting signs today. I had forgotten that moose are a road hazard. Each state had its own version of a warning sign but Vermont's was the first that I saw and the brevity caught me off guard. Vermont has an incredible welcome center. It is immense and combines elements of an old barn, a covered bridge and an elegant ski lodge, all of which the tourism department wants to sell you on. Their welcome slogan, painted on a cable gondola, was also striking: Winter in its Original State. I'm not sure it's entirely accurate but it gets you thinking, presumably about skiing here.
The first sign I saw in the Welcome Center in Maine is below and rather than trying to sell you something, expresses a concern for your health. I didn't even see water for sale in the building. Clearly they are working with a different marketing crowd.
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| Welcome to Maine, maybe? |
Oh, and for those of you who got your Speedy Rewards card so you could get a nickle off Speedway gas for shopping at Lowes Foods, here's some news. If you swipe that card each time you get gas at Speedway you accrue points. In half a dozen states (sadly NC is not one of them) you can cash those points in to buy cheaper gas. I had nearly 9000 points accrued and I spent them all in New Hampshire and got 50 cents off each gallon I bought. Whoot! But I digress. The best part of taking the back roads, besides avoiding Boston, was to see the towns and old farm houses. It is hard to snap pictures through the windshield before the light changes but I did catch a few wonderful old buildings.
Ben's plane lands tomorrow. I'm in Saco very near the coast in a pretty commercial part of town but there is lots of history and local color here we hope to explore nearby. I'm going to let Ben drive tomorrow and get you some really
good pictures. With intention. Not just what I can catch at an intersection.
I am finally out of oppressive humidity. There is a wonderful breeze with a jacket-weather cool to it. I expect to sleep well tonight. I'm going to need to be alert navigating to the airport. We will hope the roads are better marked...
I saw a number of interesting signs today. I had forgotten that moose are a road hazard. Each state had its own version of a warning sign but Vermont's was the first that I saw and the brevity caught me off guard. Vermont has an incredible welcome center. It is immense and combines elements of an old barn, a covered bridge and an elegant ski lodge, all of which the tourism department wants to sell you on. Their welcome slogan, painted on a cable gondola, was also striking: Winter in its Original State. I'm not sure it's entirely accurate but it gets you thinking, presumably about skiing here.
Oh, and for those of you who got your Speedy Rewards card so you could get a nickle off Speedway gas for shopping at Lowes Foods, here's some news. If you swipe that card each time you get gas at Speedway you accrue points. In half a dozen states (sadly NC is not one of them) you can cash those points in to buy cheaper gas. I had nearly 9000 points accrued and I spent them all in New Hampshire and got 50 cents off each gallon I bought. Whoot! But I digress. The best part of taking the back roads, besides avoiding Boston, was to see the towns and old farm houses. It is hard to snap pictures through the windshield before the light changes but I did catch a few wonderful old buildings.
Ben's plane lands tomorrow. I'm in Saco very near the coast in a pretty commercial part of town but there is lots of history and local color here we hope to explore nearby. I'm going to let Ben drive tomorrow and get you some really good pictures. With intention. Not just what I can catch at an intersection.
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