From Maryland, we meandered northeast through Pennsylvania. Looking for an easy spot to park for lunch, we pulled off at Premise Maid Chocolates in Maxatawny, PA. Making lunch in the van before going into the store was a good idea. We found some tasty desserts and bought some fudge for later. The fudge was okay, but nowhere near as good as the fudge from Call of the Wild in Gaylord, Michigan last month.

By dinner, we were driveway camping at my sister’s house in Ballston Spa, NY.

The sun stayed up just long enough to learn a new game.

Thanks B&L for the quick visit!

From upstate New York, it wasn’t long before we crossed into Vermont where the welcome centers are truly welcoming. Information, clean rest rooms, comfortable lawn chairs, and fresh Green Mountain coffee (for a $1 donation) made us feel at home.

Noticing a slight drip under the van,  Beth found that Rutland, Vermont has a free dump station at the municipal water treatment plant. After taking care of that “fun” job, we continued into downtown Rutland where Beth went grocery shopping while I made lunch. There is plenty of free parking between the train station and grocery store.

Unfortunately our timing wasn’t right to see the Ethan Allen express on its run from NY City.

Rutland is built on a hill with lots of wood and brick buildings dating back several hundred years. The Italianate style building is part of the courthouse district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We may have to return and explore more of the town.

Moving northeast, we turned around after passing a cool covered bridge. Constructed from wood and local stone in 1836, the Taftsville Covered Bridge is a unique covered double truss bridge.

Damaged during the floods of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, it reopened after two years of restoration and renovation.

At 189 feet, it is the second longest covered bridge in Vermont.

Taftsville also has a combined country store and post office within walking distance of the bridge.

Continuing on from Taftsville we passed into New Hampshire. By evening, we climbed to 2,700 feet and set-up camp at the base of Mount Washington. Tonight it is time to clean the camera lenses and empty the memory cards as tomorrow will be a day full of mountain climbing trains.