Northeast Kingdom (NEK), Vermont (Part 3)
Last of the series in exploring Vermont
It was our last day in Vermont. I wanted to hit all senses, blending in culture, nature, and food. Carl and I still hadn’t hit the Northeast Kingdom. Some said this area was the jewel of Vermont at her finest. It’s the place where Vermont takes off her Sunday glad rags and gets comfy in sweats and sneakers.
We set off from Morristown on the VT 100 to the Derby Line town library. The building was built straddling the US/Canadian border—the only one in the world of its kind. It was enough of a quirky Vermont element that struck and held my attention. Carl went along with this side trip, letting me choose the itinerary, this was not on the top of his list.
The rolling hills and wooded valleys were no longer dotted with perfect red barns and meticulous landscaping. I didn’t see anymore clean cows— instead I saw warning signs for approaching moose. The countryside had a rather melancholy, untouched appearance. Houses and barns weren’t close to the highway. The scenery was heavily treed, with unsigned dirt roads leading off to destinations unknown.
There were no visible towers or antennas and our cell phones didn’t have signal. When we needed to exit the VT 100 I used a paper map to guide Carl to our destination.
During our brief visit to Newport, located just eight miles from Derby Line, we stopped to refuel our car. The stop transported us back to the ‘70s.
Instead of the Subarus we were used to seeing, the area was dotted with old pickup trucks. The typical sight of well-dressed hikers and urban dwellers staring into their cell phones was absent. Instead, locals dressed in faded jeans and coveralls stood about; many were puffing on cigarettes, while others stared off into the distance.
The scene offered a stark contrast to the rest of Vermont we’d explored.
Haskell Free Library & Opera House
Derby Line looked like a ghost town. I kept looking around for border patrol, police, or anyone scurrying around downtown, but the Main Street was empty.
We parked and entered through the US entrance. The library had a fair amount of people in it, around 30 or so, only a few sitting and reading. In order to proceed further we showed our passports and I hit the shelves to see what types of books were being displayed.
The selection of English books was limited, while the French collection was significantly more extensive.
The library entrance was in the US, the books in Canada, and the reading room was international.
While exploring the library casually, we learned book banning was exclusively targeted at English-language publications. French-language books were freely available for borrowing without any limitations.
We chose to take a formal tour of the opera house, upstairs.
The architectural details were delightful. The cherubs and murals were 20th century theater décor. The drop curtain and beautifully painted sets—though very old and somewhat worn—still held their majesty.
We sat in the audience on the American side, the stage was set in Canada, a truly international experience, and one I will always treasure. It felt as though we were holding hands with Canada until exiting the building.
We headed out of Derby Line, (21.5 mi) via VT-105 E/VT-5A S and VT-5A S to Lake Willoughby, our nature part of exploring for the day.
I found a hike I wanted to try— we decided to grab lunch before hitting the trail.
Lake Willoughby
We found the Gap Pub & Grill as we headed toward the lake. We walked in and the bar was crowded with a bunch of local guys yelling and whooping it up—they paused all the racket while we looked around so we opted for a table.
We ordered a couple crocks of clam chowder, and split an order of spaghetti, with a Fiddlehead beer. The soup was so good I ordered a second bowl for myself. The food was delicious, and the server was friendly and informative about the area.
I figured finding the trailhead would be tough since I'm not great with maps, and they’re usually just tiny signs on trees unless they're super popular. I picked this trail because it wasn't too popular and we could do it in less than a couple of hours.
Tia, our server, jotted down some easy directions on a napkin, so we were ready to roll.
The lake nestled in a divide between two mountains resembling fjords.The towering cliffs of Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor ascended on each side of the deep blue waters, forming two parts of a whole that nature split apart. The scenery was spectacular as we wound around the lake.
We stopped along the water’s edge on the south side of the lake, the nude beach side. It was too cold to go swimming so we headed to the trailhead.
We started off at a brisk pace. The trail was well defined. The incline started to steepen fairly quickly and Carl decided after 30 minutes in that he’d had enough and gave me the go-ahead to forge on.
I didn’t last long.
I felt strange, as if someone was watching me. My mind wandered to thoughts of portals, goblins, and other wild ideas. After walking for about 20 minutes longer with this uneasy feeling, I decided to go back.
I didn't reach the top or see the lake.
The hike wasn't a complete failure. But next time, I'll make sure to remember to bring water, a backpack, a compass, and a first aid kit. Clearly, I wasn’t prepared. Hiking in Vermont turned out to be much different than the short, little trails in Michigan I was used to, and didn’t compare to Sierra Nevada’s or the Wasatch Mountains, either.
Last stop on the trip was to the Bread & Puppet in Glover, (11.8 mi) via VT-16 S/Glover Rd
Bread & Puppet Theater
If Newport had me feeling like I stepped back in the ‘70s, the town of Glover had me time traveling back to the ‘60s.
Artist, actor, dancer, and social activist Peter Schumann is the founder of the Bread & Puppet Theater. Now, I can’t explain this bizarre place, except to describe it is a museum of life-size puppets with giant heads and small bodies made of paper mache that tells stories of sorts.
The exhibits made you think.
The displays incorporate themes of social justice, environmentalism, and anti-capitalism. Through their shows, they offer current events, political issues, and blend humor with serious critique.
The Bread and Puppet Theater is also known for its "Cheap Art" philosophy, which aims to make art accessible to everyone. They sell hand-made art at low prices, arguing that art should be as affordable as bread. (Loaves of bread are baked before each theater performance.)
It was creepy and haunting, and I wouldn’t return. But that’s me.
You might find it fascinating.
I didn’t.
We walked through the exhibits, taking our time—in the back of my mind all I wanted to do was get the hell out of there, but it felt disrespectful not to give it a chance to make a better impression.
We did, and it didn’t.
What I did find interesting were the flower children lounging outside, sprawled across the grass where the audience sits while the performances were given.
They all like they were all tripping on acid, some were slowly waving their arms around, others were sitting with heads down examining the grass. There were no wafting scents of pot, and it was silent except hearing the birds chirping. Weird.
We drove away and didn’t look back.
Our last night in Vermont
We started this Vermont trip with one thing in mind: I wanted to see the von Trapp resort, the one I’d been trying to get to for over 20 years. The original intentions were to go during the winter to do some cross country skiing and snow shoeing.
It was summer, so the best I was going to get was a visit to the resort and grab some dinner on our last night in Vermont.
von Trapp Bierhall
I expected to hear the soundtrack from Sound of Music album playing in the background when we walked into the building.
Instead we was bombarded with acoustics that didn’t bother to dampen the screaming children, lively cocktail crowd, and the hoards of Mr. and Mrs. Old—tourists like us— who all wanted a glimpse of Julie Andrews or Christopher Plummer waiting to greet us, and whisk us away to the Austrian Alps.
We weren’t hungry so we decided to split a Bratwurst appetizer, grilled salmon entrée, mashed potatoes, and two Pilsner beers. The food was filling and delicious.
The bill came to $78 without tip.
It was the perfect end to our trip in Vermont.
See you next week!
I love that sign "we don't have wi-fi, so talk to each other." There should be more of those around. Vermont looks absolutely lovely - I've never been there.
I am looking forward to reading about where you will go next. And where you eventually settle down for good.
Derby Line is special. I am curious why English books are banned.