The weather was wonderful when I woke up - seemed like a day for exploring, exercise and cultural experiences! I spent some of the morning cleaning up in my condo. At 0730, I drove to Sacred Heart and attended the monthly Men of St. Joseph meeting (0800 to 0930). After it was over, I drove (via I-89) into Vermont. I made one stop at a rest area on Interstate (trying to check on some map information). A short time after that, I used VT-132 and Justin Morrill Memorial Highway to reach Strafford Village (arrived at 1030). There was no cell signal at all so I was pleased that I'd already found what I needed. I first visited the local (historic) library and found shelves and shelves of Archer Mayor books. I then walked around in the village. It probably goes without saying that recovery from the July 2023 flooding in rural Vermont will likely take many years. In many small towns, creeks overflowed their banks and the water table rose above the level of basement ceilings. In addition to private residences, historic landmarks in the Green Mountain State were also damaged significantly. While waiting for flood relief funding, some of the latter venues had to get creative in order to recover some of the revenue lost during the summer season. Today, the Justin Morrill Historic Site offered a special “architecture tour” of Strafford Village and I decided to go support their fundraising effort (1100). For about 90 minutes, some of the Friends of the Morrill Homestead showed me and five other visitors around the area. We first stopped at the former home of Congressman (later Senator) Morrill, known for sponsoring several “Land Grant” acts that helped higher education develop across the US. Next, we visited the two libraries in town that were endowed by the Morrill family, a general store that served the village in the early 19th Century, the 1799 Town House and a blacksmith shop run by Morrill’s father. Before leaving, we paid our respects at the Morrill Family mausoleum. Overall, this was a really good trip through Old Vermont and an opportunity to learn how this little state has positively affected the entire country through the years. Hoping the fundraising today, along with the generosity of others, will help to reopen the damaged buildings at the Homestead... We finished our pleasant walk by 1230. I then drove (via Justin Morrill Memorial Highway) to South Strafford, where I stopped to pick up sandwiches at Coburn's General Store (1240). When Mollie called me, I was surprised to find that I had cell service. I ate in my car and watched the many motorcycles passing through the scenic town. After getting done eating, I used drove east towards Thetford - to get through the washed out section of VT-132, I had to use a detour (Mine Road, New Boston Road and Gove Hill Road). I was able to rejoin the pavement near Rice's Mills and then continued southeast on VT-132. When I reached Academy Road, I used it to reach the Union Village Dam (1330). I’ve paddled the Ompompanoosuc a few times but never traveled so far upriver as this location. While visiting (for a scenic walk) today, I was struck by the views - the structure seems to be overlooking a dry valley. I’m told, however, that the flooding this July raised the water up to 92 feet! That must have been something… I couldn’t see it in the distance but the river passes through Strafford Village. The fertile, flat valley looks to be wonderful for farming - most of the time. But a home/barn could easily be submerged during some years. Maybe that’s why the population in the early Nineteenth Century was nearly double today’s Census tally. Thank goodness for the Army Corps and their dams… At 1430, I left the Dam area and continued northeast on Academy Road until I reached Thetford Academy. I parked there for a while so I could do some social media and talk to Brenna on the phone. At about 1530, I was ready to head to my next stop. I used Academy Road to reach VT-113 and then drove east to I-91. Next, I got off the Interstate at VT-25 and proceeded west (paralleling the Waits River) into Corinth. I then followed Brook Road to Richardson Road (gravel) until I reached the Montview Vineyard (1600). The place was quiet and pretty! I'd first met the owner (Olivia) when she let me sample wines at the Farmway in Bradford. This time, I came to her place and she said I was the only customer of the day. I sampled Vermont Sangria and then had a glass of the delicious, maple-syrup-infused wine. The "house dogs" (Jack Russells) were characters and spiced up the venue. I ended up talking with Olivia and her friend (Babbette) until closing time (1730). I felt like a VIP! Before departing, I bought three bottles of wine for Eileen's welcome home party (tentatively planned for the following month). Saying goodbye, I drove back to VT-25 and then checked out East Corinth (where Betelgeuse" was filmed). Next, I passed through Bradford on VT-25 and crossed the River to Piermont. I took NH-10 to Orford, where I stopped at the Boat Launch (1820) in an attempt to squeeze in yet one more activity. After eating some food I had in the car, I got my boat in the water quickly and started south (with the current) on the Connecticut River (1835). My target was a spot where I had last been on Wednesday (a private dock near Birch Meadow Campsite). On the way to the turnaround point, I realized I’d miscalculated on the distance (two miles) and remaining daylight (30 minutes). This meant I was in “hurry up” mode the whole time… Fortunately, I’ve picked up more stamina than I used to have and this helped me to paddle nearly continuously for almost 45 minutes. The current going north was noticeable but I benefited from a water surface that was glassy calm. As it got darker, there were very little noise except insects, frogs and beavers slapping their tails from time to time. Along the way, I noticed a “kayak camper” at one of the designated spots on the section between Lyme and Orford - it looked like a good spot! I also believe I saw a raccoon who scurried away from the water's edge when I paddled past him. Arrived back at the Orford Boat Launch at 1950 (completely dark) - I could only see where I was going because of subtle differences in the shades of gray. Felt great after finishing! I quickly loaded up my car in the dark and got on the road (NH-10, River Road and NH-10 again). Arrived home by 2030 - whew... Bet you can’t beat the awesome day I had in the Upper Valley!
