Vermont flying trip with Charlie 2001
Charlie & I took my plane up to Vermont in October 2001 to see the fall colors. Actually, we started out in his plane but we discovered an exhaust leak so we turned around and flew back to Orlando. The next day we hopped in my Cessna and were off again. The weather cooperated nicely and we had mostly clear skies and temps in the 70's most of the time. After fuel stops at Hilton Head, South Carolina and Chapel Hill, North Carolina we stopped for the night in Frederick, Maryland. We arrived in Bennington, Vermont the next day. We spent four days in Vermont, first driving up to Rutland and then Burlington, a nice college town. We took a boat tour on Lake Champlain and enjoyed walking along Church Street, a pedestrian street lined with shops and good restaurants.
We then drove through the Green Mountains where the trees were just coming into their peak of color. This area is famous for its Revolutionary War patriots, the "Green Mountain Boys" led by Ethan Allen. In Waterbury we toured the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory and of course enjoyed the free samples. Actually, I enjoy any kind of factory tour; I find that sort of thing quite interesting. Then we drove south along highway 100 and then east to the Connecticut River and visited the nice but well-touristed town of Woodstock. We really liked Brattleboro, a quaint town and not too crowded with tourists.
After spending the night in Bennington, we got in the plane and headed west to Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is home to Cornell University and is full of good restaurants and coffee shops, and just generally has character. It's located on the south end of Lake Cayuga in the Finger Lakes region. The fall colors were coming in nicely and we took a day to drive around picturesque Seneca Lake.
On the way back to Florida we stopped for the night at Hilton Head just to see how the rich and famous live. We had arranged a rental car and hotel with the people at the airport, and they do treat you well, so you don't feel so bad about paying $2.90 a gallon for avgas. Upon landing we were directed to a parking place and they set out a red carpet (no kidding). A few seconds later they drove up with the rental car, right next to the plane. The island is full of beautiful trees and expensive resorts and private communities. Even the Holiday Inn Express was nice, and not a bad deal for $59 a night. Checked out the beach and had a good seafood dinner, naturally. We flew back to Orlando the next day.
We then drove through the Green Mountains where the trees were just coming into their peak of color. This area is famous for its Revolutionary War patriots, the "Green Mountain Boys" led by Ethan Allen. In Waterbury we toured the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory and of course enjoyed the free samples. Actually, I enjoy any kind of factory tour; I find that sort of thing quite interesting. Then we drove south along highway 100 and then east to the Connecticut River and visited the nice but well-touristed town of Woodstock. We really liked Brattleboro, a quaint town and not too crowded with tourists.
After spending the night in Bennington, we got in the plane and headed west to Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is home to Cornell University and is full of good restaurants and coffee shops, and just generally has character. It's located on the south end of Lake Cayuga in the Finger Lakes region. The fall colors were coming in nicely and we took a day to drive around picturesque Seneca Lake.
On the way back to Florida we stopped for the night at Hilton Head just to see how the rich and famous live. We had arranged a rental car and hotel with the people at the airport, and they do treat you well, so you don't feel so bad about paying $2.90 a gallon for avgas. Upon landing we were directed to a parking place and they set out a red carpet (no kidding). A few seconds later they drove up with the rental car, right next to the plane. The island is full of beautiful trees and expensive resorts and private communities. Even the Holiday Inn Express was nice, and not a bad deal for $59 a night. Checked out the beach and had a good seafood dinner, naturally. We flew back to Orlando the next day.
