Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Bennington VT and Moosefest 2005








BLAKE'S DAD POSTING

Tuesday July 19th: Joe's Hole Posse arrived in Bennington in two waves -- Gills and Samoa in the 9 o’clock hour, followed by Don King and Super T an hour or so later. They all got rides in to town by shuttle service -- authorized in the case of Blake and Mike and a friendly stranger with a converted bus for Lisa and Keith. The 4 of them were in the main downtown area of the city when Joan and Dennis arrived at about 12:30 p.m. after the two and a half hour drive from Cheshire, CT. Blake and Mike were first seen riding around Main Street on yellow bikes loaned out to thru-hikers from some of the local stores. They got to sign out a bike (and lock) and were free to use them around town. Bennington, VT is tucked into the lower corner of western Vermont about 3 miles from NY State and 8 miles above Massachusetts. It is a classical New England small city that has a history that connects all the way back to the Revolutionary War. In a matter of minutes Lisa and Keith joined the 4 Connecticut folks and there were hugs and handshakes all around. A local postman was asked for an opinion on a restaurant and in a matter of minutes, all 6 of us were seated at Karmodys -- a downtown eatery. Mike’s mom and her boyfriend were due at any minute, and just as the waitress took our orders, the two of them walked in. In an instant our table for 6 became a table for 8! The service was a bit slow, BUT for a change this was a relief as we got to visit in a comfortable environment. We had a relaxing meal with lots of catching up and questions asked and answered all around the table. With the meal over, groups went separate ways to shop, check computers at the library, and do a little historical looking around the area. Blake and his mom and dad visited the Bennington Monument (took the elevator to the top) and only the haze and humidity kept us from seeing into NY State and Mass. We also visited a local cemetery that is filled with the graves of Revolutionary era dead as well as the New England poet Robert Frost. Very cool, especially for two high school English teachers. Most of us met again around 5 and Joan and Dennis got ready to depart for CT. There was going to be a hiker’s festival in town at night…courtesy of local merchants with food, 10 Cent beers and a movie! The Posse plans to be on the trail tomorrow a.m. (Wed) and will be in Massachusetts before the day’s hiking is done. They plan to be in CT by early next week. Weather has been brutal with high temps and humidity, but all 4 looked great though. The expressions of joy, accomplishment, and pride on all Posse faces (and in their eyes) are PRICELESS!

The moose ( over 50 painted ones) are all over the town as this is a first ever Moosefest all summer. There is a link in case you’d like more info on just what Moosefest is all about: www.benningtonmoosefest.com

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home