Three-State Ride, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014

by Rambler Dan

 

...cont.

 

Passing through Bennington, we stopped at the Hemmings Motor News Sunoco station, but alas their collection of antique vehicles wouldn't be open another hour, so we rode on, doing the twist with Vt. 9 through Wilmington, close on the heels of a slow truck that we were glad to leave as we turned south onto Vt. 100.
 

There we left the traffic behind and navigated the narrow road as it closely followed the North River through mostly farmland, all very nice except for a short but very rough patch of pavement just prior to intercepting Vt. 112 at Jacksonville. Still following the river, we passed a small falls and some water works, the latter still showing damage from tropical storm Irene.
 

Soon we entered our nominal destination (though we know it's really about the ride), Shelburne Falls. First we ambled across the beautiful and fragrant Bridge of Flowers. Then a short walk down to the narrow streets of the village took us to the famed glacial potholes—the largest collection of that type of hydrographic feature anywhere. And they’re pretty, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The highlight of our stay was the trolley museum. We checked out the exhibits inside the main building and toured a caboose while waiting to board the trolley. Old No. 10 has quite an interesting history, having languished in a farmer's field for more than 60 years before being lovingly restored to its present state. The trolley makes a short back-and-forth run that terminates at a knoll overlooking the village while a conductor provides background on the trolley’s and Shelburne Falls’ shared histories.
 

If that weren't enough, the three of us, led by a volunteer museum docent, operated an antique pump car. We put our backs in it, and got 'er up to a pretty good speed!

 

Railroading really works up an appetite, so we headed down to McCusker's Market for some delicious deli sandwiches and then stopped at the candy store to cash in our trolley tickets for free chocolate coins. There are lots of places to eat and shop in Shelburne Falls, so it always merits a return visit.

 

After refueling just outside the village, the group turned west, following the picturesque Mass. Route 2 as it follows the Deerfield River, then twists and climbs into the town of Florida, where we enjoyed fine views at an overlook before descending via the hairpin turn in North Adams. The rest of the route took us through lovely Williamstown, then up another exciting climb to the Petersburg Pass and our homes beyond.