After months of planning, we finally pulled out of New Hampshire and pointed the RV south and west. Day one delivered a presidential cheese factory, a disappointing country store, and one genuinely exceptional covered bridge.
Battening the Hatches and Hitting the Road
Our planned trip had finally started. Thanks to friends helping with our plans and watching the house, we could leave on our search for America. We left after updating the smoke detectors, winterizing what needed winterizing, and doing all the small things that pile up before a long trip. The route for day one: New Hampshire to White River Junction, Vermont, then on to Williamstown, Massachusetts. Our mindset was simple — stop wherever something caught our interest.
"That's the promise of slow travel — you stop when something catches your eye, and sometimes what catches your eye turns out to be extraordinary."
Plymouth, VT: Coolidge's Cheese Factory
Our first stop was Plymouth, Vermont, to visit the Coolidge Family Cheese Factory. President Calvin Coolidge's family has been making handmade cheese here since the 1890s, and the operation is still going. Wonderful family history, still making great cheese. Easily five stars. From there we continued to Weston, Vermont, to see the Vermont Country Store — a place I'd heard about for years. My expectations were high, shaped by memories of a real country store from decades ago with a Concord Coach on display and a big pickle barrel in front of all the candies you could imagine. The Vermont Country Store didn't come close. Tour buses, nicknacks, and a fudge room. Barely two stars.
The Scott Bridge: Five Stars, No Question
We took a detour to see the Scott Bridge in Townsend, Vermont — the longest wooden covered bridge in the state, built in 1870. It was exceptional. Get out of your car or RV and walk the full length. The engineering is remarkable, the setting is beautiful, and it costs nothing. Five stars, no question. Day one of a long trip, and already we'd found something genuinely worth the detour. That's the promise of slow travel — you stop when something catches your eye, and sometimes what catches your eye turns out to be extraordinary.
