Category Archives: Wilderness

Green Mountain’s Hidden Treasures

Last time I went home to Vermont, my brother, sister-in-law, niece and I went for a ride thru the mountains. I always love it (even though my brother’s driving gets a little out of hand at times, but he does stop for pictures so I’ll give him credit. Love you.)

Every so often (depending on where you are) you will hit a back road with access to the Long Trail. You usually see a bunch of Subaru’s parked along side of the road first so you know you are near it. I can say that because I now drive one too!

Then if you are REALLY lucky, you will run into one of these. A fresh water spring coming right out of the mountain.

Yes, I tried the water.

Tasted fantastic, like water.

And it was very, very cold!

Happy Wednesday!

Belvidere Pond and The Wall

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While I was home I wanted to spend as much of my time outside as possible. With an early morning rain shower, going hiking was out of the question – I would be slipping in the mud all the way to the top. So my brother and I went canoeing. We went to Belvidere Pond in Belvidere, VT.

The story goes, that they can’t tell where the bottom is in this pond. I’m not really sure how true this is but it’s not exactly comforting to me. I’ve actually had nightmares about being stuck out there. So when my brother said he wanted to go, I wasn’t wicked excited but I figured he could fight the monstrous creature off if something came up out of the water. This is what happens when you are raised with a great imagination (thanks Mom!).

The area was so peaceful. We were the only ones out there for the few ours that we were there and it was quiet except for the few cars that were passing by on the main road which follows the pond. There’s even a parking area for people to just sit and take a break from their day to enjoy the scenery, which is apparently quite popular.

Our parents use to bring us out here when we were really little. Cars use to park on the side of the road around sundown and watch the moose walk across the road. It was really something. If you are lucky and come at the right time, I’m sure you could see one today. Does anyone else remember coming here to see moose?

On the other side of this little cove, the lake really opens up. It’s huge and beautiful.
There’s no pictures of us in the canoe – I chose to leave it in the truck. I have a history of flipping them as I get in/out of the canoe which wouldn’t have fared so well.

This is a pretty nice area to go canoeing and kayaking. There is a great area to get into the pond, some areas are shallow however it provides a great place to grab fresh air and just take a breather.

Here is a beaver dam which we saw while we were out. No beavers though.

After our canoeing adventures were complete, we decided to drive around a bit and check out the scenery. It’s a great pastime in Vermont.

My brother was trying to show me a friend’s deer camp nearby, so thru the woods we went.

Little did he know I would be more amused by the old stone wall we found in the woods.

You don’t really see a lot of these anymore. I think more people tear them down now. Back in the “olden” days, this is how people separated their property. It would take an awful lot to move one of these. But to see them in the middle of the woods, completely covered in moss and leaves, it makes you wonder exactly how long they’ve been there and what they’ve seen traversing thru these woods.

Happy Jack Road

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Happy Jack Road (aka Wyoming Highway 210) is a road in the middle of nowhere. It stretches about 40 miles between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming and amazingly enough it was probably one of the best 40 mile drives I could’ve asked for. I’m sure the people who live out there think “What’s so great about a road?” but to me, there’s absolutely nothing out there – that’s what’s so perfect!

Leaving Cheyenne, I had a slight detour trying to find Happy Jack, I accidentally turned onto this dead end road facing the F.E. Warren Air Force Base. Whoops… I didn’t want to go there. Then I found my way back and off I went.

You ever see those “I Survived” shows on TV where they talk about how you probably shouldn’t have survived this event in your life, but you did? For some reason it always gets me, those people who get stuck on those roads when a blizzard hits and they’re literally in the middle of nowhere (even though they drove thru the gate at the beginning of the road telling them not to pass)…. yea I’m pretty sure Happy Jack is one of those roads. When I hopped on this two lane stretch, there was a gate, and a sign, “Do Not Proceed When Closed”. Dually noted.

When I started out, the landscape was pretty flat. Little did I know how much that would change by the time I reached the end of the road. I would occassionally pull over to take a picture or two and try to soak it all in. The wind was blowing so hard my car door wouldn’t stay open.

I think this was the only group of homes that I saw along this entire 40 mile journey.

I wonder if it’s changed at all.

Imagine waking up everyday and seeing the Rocky Mountains like that?

Lucky folks. It’s gorgeous!

Occassionally, I would run into these, well I’ll just call them driveways. You could never see a home, barn, shed, nothing. Just the entrance.

This would be my kind of place to live!

The more I traveled down this forty mile stretch, the more the scenery changed.

No longer was it a prairie where I didn’t need a jacket. Soon there were plateau’s off in the distance. The sky was so vast, so large. Vermont doesn’t have red rocks embedded into the side of the mountains like this so it grabbed my attention, it was beautiful.

Plateau’s off in the distance welcomed rock formations, colder air, higher elevation and snow!

Two water reserviors were also nearby (Crystal Reservior and Granite Reservoir). These reserviours supply water to Cheyenne.

Medicine Bow National Forest is a little over halfway down Happy Jack Road. Created in 1902, it was named for the numerous Native American tribes who would meet for powwows searching for Mountain Mahogany. This wood was excellent for making bows and used in rituals to heal disease and illnesses.

It really makes you think back to a hundred plus years ago what the land was like. Besides this road winding through, I really don’t think it would’ve been much different.

Happy Jack Road eventually meets up with US 80 / US Hwy 30 which leads to Laramie.

The end of the road brings visitors center (hello bathrooms!) as well as this giant statue in honor of Abraham Lincoln. Sitting like a prize at the end of the road… He and his giantic head statue.