Weston to Cooperstown



We were up early for breakfast at our B&B.  There was a heavy frost and it was 31 degrees.  The temperature rebounded nicely up to 68 or so.  It was bright and sunny all day. 

 

Dining room of "The Inn at Weston"

  

The backyard of the inn

 

There is a Vermont Country Store in Weston and they advertise that they have everything.  I believe that is true after being in the store.

 

 

 

 We left Weston and drove south on Hwy 100 to Manchester, stopped in an art gallery and looked at a $60,000 painting.  Keep going!  We stopped in Manchester Center at the Orvis mother store.  They have some unusual items like the oar bed below.

 

 

On the south side of Manchester is the home of Robert Todd Lincoln who was the oldest son of Abraham Lincoln and only child to survive to be an adult.  He was Secretary of War under Taft and later became CEO of the Pullman company which built luxury railroad cars.  He became very wealthy and built the home below at the age of 62.  He lived there for 7 months out of the year.  It is beautiful, but not extravagant.  He believed in keeping things simple although he built a large home.

The Lincoln family died out after a couple of generations and the home was given to the Science church which was unable to maintain.  A foundation bought and restored the home and 450 acre farm.  The home is known as Hildene.

 

 

Front approach to Hildene

 

Vew from the back of Hildene

 

Lincoln's Franklin car which was build nearby in Syracuse, NY.  It had an air cooled engine.

 

The back side of Hildene and the gardens.  Just behind the photographer is the drop off into the valley shown above.

 

Hildene is still a working farm.  Their specialty is making goat cheese and selling to the public.

 

We drove on down through a number of communities on Hwy 100A including Arlington and Shaftsbury.  We came to Bennington and went to the Bennington Museum and stumbled upon a gallery filled with the paintings by Grandma Moses.  She was a resident of this area.  We had a meal in the beautifully restored railroad depot in Bennington before leaving Vermont and driving into New York. 

The "Bennington Station" restaurant in the old railroad depot.

We drove through Albany as it was getting dark and then the additional 50 miles to Otsego Lake.  We are 8 miles from Cooperstown and plan to be there tomorrow morning. Again a night with limited cell service, but I do have internet and a TV.   While New Hampshire was mobile homes and run-down residences, Vermont was the opposite.  Vermont is pristine with everything in place.  I was prepared to see fields of dairy cattle, but only saw a total of eight beef cows in our trip across the state.  Again the people were very nice, friendly, and interesting conversationalists.

After leaving Cooperstown tomorrow, we plan to drive as far south toward Alexandria, Virginia as possible.

Until next time!