Mt. Ascutney / 251 Club adventures
Our summer calendar was filling up quickly. Ann and I had only one camping trip under our belts. Our trip to Bomoseen State Park, a few weeks prior, left us wanting for more. So we scribbled another date in before it was taken
Lake Bomoseen State Park
It has been a rainy Spring and Summer, lased with state wide flooding. A week leading up to our trip to Mount Ascutney State Park had rain in the forecast. The forecasted weather is most accurate within 3 days, so I was not too concerned. As the days closed in the forecast never changed. It was a good chance we were going to encounter rain. We discussed canceling but that was not an option. Switching into a leanto was a consideration. I called the Parks several times, with no luck.
Our attitude with the kids and grandkids has always been that "you get what ya get n you don't pitch a fit". It was time, once again to live out the example. We prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. We determined early that we were going to make the best of it. No matter what!
Fortunatley for us, we had some towns in the Mount Ascutney area that we needed to pick off for our 251 Club checklist. Driving through the rain was more appealing than sitting in it.
Ann will tell you that on the first morning of our camping trip, I'm as anxious as a kid on Christmas morning. I can hardly wait to get going. I usually pack the night before, leaving me pacing the floor in the morning, waiting for Ann to get ready. It's a miracle if we are ever out the door before 11 am. When we left the driveway at 8:30, I swear I heard a choir of angels singing! Things were looking up.
Packed and waiting
We had some unfinished business in Norwich from a former 251 Club adventure. Our son told us that King Arthur Flour, in Norwich, has an amazing kitchen. Since it was along the way ( sort of ) we decided to make that our lunch stop. We were not disappointed
King Arthur Flour
When we hit Windsor, which is just down the road, on Rt.#5, it was time to throw out the parachute and slow down. Simon Pearce was a good place to start. We took in the artisans blowing glass from a mezzanine and looked around at the beautiful glassworks they had created. A little too pricey for us. Ole cheapskate here, was glad the tour was free.
Simon Pearce
The earliest you can check in to a Vt. State Park is 2 pm. Camping for me, starts the minute I leave our driveway. Adventure time to me is like wringing water out of a wet sock. The more you can get out of it, the better!
Packed to the ceiling with camping gear; we arrived in the Mount Ascutney area around 2 pm. I was content to drive around and do some reconnaissance for the towns we wanted to visit. I think this is where Ann heard her choir of angels singing. The decision to drive around was made easy by the amount of rain falling out of the sky. I didn't tell her that though.
By 5:00 we were close to the campgroud and a break in the clouds was forming. We figured this was our chance to check in and set up camp.
There wasn't much time to strategize, as thunder and lightening was rumbling in the distance. We opted to cover the picnic table first. I broke out the extra large tarp and bungi's. My knot tying consists of a bunch of square knots that turns into a wad of embarrassment. I like the stretch and secure method, until one slips out of my hand and comes back with a vengeance to the face. When the stars parted from my vision, I thought I had received a frontal lobotomy! The area between my eyes began to swell. The juice running down my face was neither rain or sweat. My sudden yelp must have summoned my wife's concern. "That's going to hurt" she said. "Well it's ahead of schedule, cuz it hurts right now"! It's a miracle that I didn't cuss! Not even once!
Whapo!
We finished securing the tarp to Brutus, who sat parallel with the picnic table. This allowed the doors to open, so We could easily access our food without getting wet. Good thing because the skies opened up as we finished securing the tarp. Any thunder we heard was from the sound of rain pounding on our tarp like a base drum. We had to yell to each other just to communicate. ( And we were actually getting along!).
Phase 1 setup
This was a good time to cook up some food and allow the rain to pass. It was a simple meal of stew and some sides from the cooler. The harder it rained, the more secure we felt under our makeshift awning. Water poured off our roof like water out of a fawset. Beating the odds brings a strange satisfaction to me. Even Tucker seemed to be pleased.
Always an opportunist, I seized the moment to sell Ann on a batwing awning system. This system would go up quickly and wrap around the truck 260 degrees. I think I gained some ground on the sell. No more bungis n blood!
Tucker got tired of pacing under the picnic table and went to his sleeping quarters in the truck. He was comfortable watching mom and dad from his comfy confines. He stayed in there until the rains stopped.
It was clear that more rain was coming. We had to hustle to put up our 10 man Tajmahal of tents. This was only our second time putting it up together. There was bound to be some hiccups. The two of us ran around the tent like Banchi Indains on the war path! We had one malfunction. One hip joint was not fully extended or locked in place. The Taj Mahal for 10 had a lean to it that rivaled the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Things must have looked comically bleak for our neighbors, who were watching from a far. The diluge of rain came again with a sudden vengeance. The rain caused extra weight on the roof and increasing the lean. Fortunatley we were inside. Ann, being 5 foot nothing was trying to hold the roof up when the skies opened. She looked like a midget trying to hold up a moose with broken hip. We began to laugh at our calamity as I joined in the fight to save the Taj Mahal. The rain did not stop, but it slowed down enough to make some hasty adjustment from the outside. Our neighbors had to be impressed that we didn't swear or kill each other in the process. I know I was!
The Taj Mahal
We threw everything in the tent, went back to the picnic table to catch our breath, regroup, and stategize for our next move. This took a while as the rain made another heavy surge. When it did slow down, I made a dash for the tent. I started to blow up our new "high rise' air mattress, when I realized that I did not recharge the blower after our last camping trip. "Ann's going to be pissed"; I think were the words that came out of my mouth! I scurried to find the 12 volt charger adapter to no avail.
By this time the rains came in again hot and heavy. There was nothing to do but set up the rest of our gear and rest on our wobbly air mattress. It seemed like the rains were never going to stop. I passed the time away watching the water drip to the floor from our imperfectly set up tent. Every time I moved things to keep dry, another drip would manifest. "Now Ann's REALY going to be pissed", I exclaimed.
Just then I realized an hour or so had passed, and I hadn't heard one peep out of the Mrs. I opened the window a crack and peered into the darkness. In the "doggie window", behind Ann, sat Tucker. He was obviously content but concerned about being seperated from his master. Ann on the other hand appeared to care less. She was sitting in the passenger seat reading her book and unaware of my pondering. I waved my flashlight hoping to get her attention. Tucker, still looking at me, cocked his head, tipped an ear and disappeared to his bed. Ann kept on reading.
Ann and Tucker finally came to check on me after the rain slowed. I described how I saw Tucker and her through the rain and that nobody seemed to care. We enjoyed a hardy laugh. I hated to dampen the laughter, but I thought this would be a good time to introduce the leaking tent and wobbly air matress.
My jaw must have hit the ground when she said "oh well, we'll just have to make the best of it". When she said that earlier in the week, I figured she was just saying it for my benefit! Dam, was I wrong!
My only hope to charge the blower was to see if the bathrooms had an electrical outlet. Some parks do and some don't. It was a 50/50 proposition. I breathed a sigh of relief when I spotted a 120 outlet above the sink. I ran to it like a thirsty man in the desert. A ten minute charge is all I really needed. I passed the time away sitting on the toilet!
When we finally could all get together under one roof, we began to settle down for the night. The rains continued to come down hard and steady. A great sence of Peace and appretiation came upon us as we cuddled with Tucker who was between us. He couldn't be happier! We couldn't either for that matter. We were dry and had escaped insults, despite the opportunities
The rains finally stopped around midnight. By morning, we could finally break out the firewood from under the tarp and have our traditional fireside chat and divotional over coffee. Tucker insisted on being part of it by jumping up on mommy's lap and making himself comfy.
Fireside chat n divotionals with Tucker T
The weeks leading up to this trip had been very demanding on our time. We purposely made no plans, and lowered our expectations of ourselves and what we wanted to. We surrendered our day to our Creator. It's amazing what kind of freedom we experience when we do that. It's twice as amazing how full and rewarding a day can be when we do that as well
We took our time and only did what we wanted to do and when we wanted to do it. Yet we were able to have lunch at a mobile consession stand on the Black River in Springfield and have a great conversation with the owner.
Dining on the Black River, Springfield
We drove around and found the tiny little town of Baltimore. The population at the 2020 census had the town bulging at 229 residents. No State road goes through Baltimore, and all their roads are dirt. At the town clerks office, sat a grader. We joked that the town clerk is probably the road commissioner, fire chief, and town constable all in one!
We checked out and explored everything from resevoirs to fruit stands and whatever else struck our fancy at the moment. We managed to check off 6 towns from our checklist
You cant camp at Mount Ascutney without driving up the 3.7 mile toll road and visiting the pavilion half way up. This masterpiece overlooking the Connecticut River Valley is just another example of the craftsmanship found in Civilian Conservation Corps work.
Tucker had already proven to me that he could hike without a leash, but momma needed to see it for herself. We hiked the .64 mile from the upper parking lot to the summit with Tucker leading the way through the most difficult parts of the trail. At points he would look back to make sure we were coming. At the the summit we took in the sights and snapped a picture of our feet over the geological marker.
Our evening back at the camp was relaxing and peaceful. The next morning was much the same. We booked an extra day so that we didn't have to rush to pack. We were out the door by 1 pm.
We are seldom in a hurry to go home. We agreed to stop at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park along the (long) way home. We took Tucker for a short walk abbreviated by the hot weather.
Walking trail in the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park.
We concluded our trip with one last spontaneous dinner outside, at the Good Measure Pub n Brewery in Northfield. Tucker was allowed to dine with us and was the star of the show. He got plenty of rubs from kids and passers bye alike. We topped dinner off with a short walk around the corner for a cremee at The Common Cone.
The trip home was full of gratitude, as we "debriefed" one another from the recent days gone by. We had overcome a lot with our attitudes alone. Knowing that we were not alone, and that we were in it together with our Divine Helper, made the difference between a talkative ride home and a ride filled with silent scorn!.
I'll take that any day!
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