Episode Transcript
Welcome back to the Pass The Brockly Podcast. This is Episode Four, where we continue our Northeast adventure through Vermont and New Hampshire. Stay tuned. To reach Vermont, we intentionally planned our route through the back roads of Pennsylvania and upper New York so we could avoid the major city traffic heading into the Northeast. That decision ended up being one of the best parts of the trip because the scenery along the way was beautiful and far more relaxing than fighting traffic through the larger cities. As we entered Vermont, we traveled through Bennington and stopped at several historical sites, including a historic covered bridge and the Bennington Battle Monument. It was a really nice introduction to the state and immediately gave us that classic New England feeling. Continuing farther into Vermont, our main destination was Waterbury, home of the Ben Jerry’s factory. Along the drive, we stopped at several roadside shops and tourist stops, and of course we had to pick up some real Vermont maple syrup while we were there. One thing we quickly learned about Vermont is that maple syrup is serious business there. Small roadside farm stands and sugarhouses seemed to appear everywhere along the route. Honestly, part of the fun was simply slowing down and exploring those little roadside stops. When we finally arrived in Waterbury, one thing that surprised us was the number of large Prevost-style tour buses constantly coming and going. Apparently the Ben Jerry’s factory is a very popular stop for Northeast bus tours. The actual tour itself was really interesting. We got to see how the ice cream is made, learn about the equipment and ingredients they use, and of course sample some of the ice cream. But honestly, one of the coolest parts was the Flavor Graveyard outside. That is where Ben Jerry’s places all the retired ice cream flavors with actual headstones and funny messages written on them. It was definitely one of the more unique stops we made during the trip. Overall, we probably spent two to three hours there, but it really depends on how much you want to explore, take pictures, and enjoy the experience. Parking was probably the most difficult part of the visit. They do have RV and bus parking available, but because there were so many tour buses there that day, finding a spot for our RV took a little patience. So if you are traveling in an RV, definitely keep that in mind. As we continued through Vermont, one of the things we really enjoyed was simply driving the back roads. Vermont has a way of making you slow down. Small towns, mountain roads, white church steeples, old general stores, covered bridges, and rolling farmland all blend together into scenery that feels almost timeless. The farther north we drove, the more beautiful the scenery became. Every turn seemed to reveal another postcard view. One thing we would absolutely recommend if you are visiting Vermont during the fall season is to allow yourself extra time. You are going to stop constantly for pictures. And if you see a local farm stand selling maple creemees, which is Vermont’s famous maple soft-serve ice cream, stop and get one. They were everywhere during our trip and definitely became one of our favorite treats along the drive. After leaving Vermont, we made our way into New Hampshire. We did not make many major stops there because New Hampshire itself became more of a scenic drive for us. The drive through the mountains and forests was absolutely beautiful, especially with the fall foliage beginning to show. Honestly, the drive alone made the trip worth it. The scenery, the rock formations, the winding roads, and the changing leaves created some of the best views of the entire Northeast trip. As we made our way deeper into New Hampshire, the roads became part of the attraction themselves. Winding mountain highways cut through forests glowing with fall colors deep reds, bright oranges, and golden yellows everywhere you looked. Every few miles there seemed to be another scenic overlook, another covered bridge, or another small mountain town that looked like it belonged on a postcard. One of the things we loved most about driving through New Hampshire was how peaceful it felt compared to the larger cities farther south. There were stretches where it was just us, the mountains, and the road ahead. Those are the kinds of moments that make a Northeast road trip unforgettable. If you ever make this drive during peak foliage season, definitely allow extra time because you are going to want to stop constantly for pictures. One thing that stood out to us in New Hampshire was how dramatically the scenery changed as we traveled through the mountain regions. At times it felt like we were driving through a giant national park. There were rivers running beside the roads, fog hanging low over the mountains in the mornings, and long stretches where it felt like civilization had almost disappeared. We also noticed moose warning signs throughout some of the mountain areas, which definitely got our attention while driving. Even though New Hampshire was more of a pass-through state for us on this particular trip, it became one of the most scenic driving experiences we had during the entire Northeast adventure. As we came out of New Hampshire, we actually ended up near the southern edge of Maine again. Scarborough was only about ten minutes away, and honestly, we could not resist making a quick detour. We had to go back for more Holy Donuts. After talking about them so much in our previous episode, we figured one more stop was absolutely necessary. So we grabbed more donuts, visited the giant Chocolate Moose display again, and then finally continued south toward Massachusetts. Looking back on this part of the trip, Vermont and New Hampshire ended up being much more than simply states we passed through on the way to somewhere else. They became part of the adventure themselves. The scenic roads, the mountains, the small towns, the foliage, the roadside farm stands, and the slower pace of travel all combined to create some of our favorite memories from the Northeast. Sometimes the best part of a road trip is not the final destination. Sometimes it is simply the drive itself. That wraps up this episode of the Pass The Brockly Podcast. We hope you enjoyed following along with our journey through Vermont and New Hampshire. In our next episode, we continue our Northeast adventure as we explore Salem, Boston, Plymouth, and Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Thanks for listening, and we hope you will join us again on the next episode
