6/14/22
Wow. This state is indeed incredible.
I spent the most of the daylight hours exploring the small town of Brattleboro (population 12,000) with its historic buildings, cute pocket parks and old-time common, incredible green-mountain views, and one of the largest grocery co-ops I’ve visited, despite the size of the town.
After I had spent some time “downtown,” I decided to do some hiking in the forested trails right on the edge of town. (Literally within a couple blocks of my hosts’ house.) I had noticed that there was a castle-looking thing peeking through the trees near the top of a hill, so I made it a mission to go and see it up close. It felt enchanting.
Then it was time to begin heading to the train station, so I made my way back past a picturesque reservoir near a solar-paneled red barn, and bade a fond farewell to my Warmshowers hosts.
I headed down the hill to one of the most diminutive Amtrak stations I’ve seen, enjoying the green views along the way. Boarding the train with the rig was once again a bit tricky—the taciturn conductor muttered “this shouldn’t be allowed on board” as he helped me to heft it up the stairs—but the train itself was rather empty, which felt luxurious after all the packed Northeast Corridor trains I’ve taken recently. And the evening-light views out the window were once again spectacular.
I arrived in Essex Junction, about ten miles east of Burlington (no Amtrak station in Burlington) at about 8:30 pm, and biked the easy half mile to my new hosts’ home. Tomorrow I will make my way in to the fabled Burlington!
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