Rebecca's Ramblings: A "Quiet" Summer -- part II: Vermont's Green Mountains

Our August 2017 we planned last-minute week-long camping vacation Vermont's Green Mountains. My husband's IT job was causing him extra hours and extra stress so we purposely choose a campground where there was limited cell service so that he couldn't work even if he wanted to (which he didn't)! Woodford State Park fit the bill nicely, with large wooded sites, hiking at our doorstep, and a lovely pond with kayak and paddleboard rentals.

Watching the boys set up camp

We kayaked while the boys paddleboarded

Reading, S'mores, and baseball

Vermont is so lovely and we enjoyed our week in the great outdoors. Tent camping (especially at a state park) and cooking over a fire doesn't break the bank, so this was probably the least expensive trip we've ever taken! It was great to take a bit of a break from our technology-filled lives and spend time around the campfire, making s'mores and jiffy-pop, gazing up at the stars, and just breathing in that fresh mountain air.

Relaxing at the campsite

We explored nearby Bennington, with its granite Bennington Battle Monument that provided great views of the area, even on a cloudy day. It was on this site that Brigadier General John Stark and his men successfully defeated the British in 1777; some say this was the turning point in the Revolutionary War since it prevented the British from capturing supplies that would have aided them in the subsequent battle of Saratoga.

Bennington Battle Monument, with General John Stark,
and the view from the top of the monument.

Just down the road from the Monument was the Old First Church, which first gathered in 1762. Robert Frost is buried in the cemetery on site. He's been a favorite poet since I memorized "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" in grammar school.

Robert Frost's grave at the Old First Church

Molly Stark was the wife of General John Stark, of Battle of Bennington notoriety. Molly gained fame through her husband's battle cry: "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" She wasn't widowed that day and Stark's army was victorious, thank goodness.