Quechee Gorge

After leaving the Billings Farm we started driving back to our hotel in White River Junction.  On the way we spotted what looked like a fun place to explore, so we stopped at Quechee Gorge and explored the area for a while.

The park's location along US Route 4, and its proximity to many upper-valley attractions make it a popular tourist destination. Hundreds of thousands of visitors stop each year to take in the breathtaking views of the Quechee Gorge. Other visitors seeking an overnight stay enjoy the easy access to the park’s spacious campsites. The focal point of the park is Vermont’s deepest gorge...
--from Quechee State Park site

We first stopped by the visitor center which is shared by the Army Corps of Engineers, the local chamber of commerce, and the state park.

Inside we learned more about the history of the park--a mill was originally located here, but later the land was taken over by the Army Corps of Engineers.

After leaving the visitor center I walked across the bridge to a snack bar located just across the road.

The view down into the gorge is great from the bridge.

I met everyone else who had driven across in the van and took the youngest kid in a backpack and headed down into the gorge to explore.

First we headed down a set of stairs.

I always enjoy seeing maps when I'm visiting someplace so that I can see the entire area at a glance.

The trail went under the road right at the edge of the bridge.

The underside of the bridge looks pretty amazing from this angle.

There was quite a bit of foliage alongside the path.

The view back towards the bridge was pretty amazing once I got down the trail a ways.  I spent some time trying to capture the perfect shot, balancing out the shadows and the sunlight as it was quite late in the afternoon.

The rocks I had walked out onto were quite fascinating.

In some spots the water was flowing fast so I was able to turn a Live photo into a long exposure shot.

It wasn't a long hike, but it was beautiful and well worth the time.

There were only a couple other people in sight.

As I headed back up I paid a bit more attention to the path.

I took the route back to the visitor center in hopes of making a pressed penny, but sadly they had closed for the day and I had to make my way back to the car with no coin.

You can view a few more photos from the gorge in this album.

~Matt

Billings Farm - Part II - Animals

Not only does the Billings Farm have an excellent museum, but it is a working farm with quite a few animals.  The kids really enjoyed the opportunity to see a number of different animals.  We started off by venturing into the milking barn to see the jersey cows.

Billings Farm’s Jersey herd has a pedigree that dates back to 1871 and is still considered one of the finest Jersey herds in North America. Averaging 70 milking cows, heifers, and calves, our cows are known for their award-winning genetics, affectionate disposition, and high-quality, high-protein milk.
--from Billings Farm website

It was nice to be able to show the kids what the cows looked like close up.  They even got an opportunity to brush one of the cows.

I think though that their highlight was when one of the cows emptied their bowels just a few feet away and they got to watch things plop down onto the floor.  Outside we got to get close to some calves.

After that we headed towards the small animal barn.

As we approached I saw there was a sign on the door.

Once there we saw a warning to make sure the goats don't escape.

I think they were definitely correct about the goats being escape artists.

The building also held a number of chickens, which must be part of the farm's heritage breed flock.

According to the signs they were mainly different Cochin varieties.

We also saw some pigs, though I'm not sure if they were the Berkshire pigs that their website says were introduced early in 2018.

Outside plenty of sheep were visible in the distance.

We did get to get up close with one of the draft horses.

The farm sells a number of products related to their animals--most of which are processed off-site by another company if I recall correctly.

We later went back into the barn for a milking demonstration with the farm's Jersey cows.  I've been on dairy farms before, including one that used to be owned by my uncle, so the process wasn't entirely new to me.

I think that the kids enjoyed seeing where milk came from.  I don't remember if they'd seen a demonstration at a fair before this point or not.

All in all it was a very enjoyable experience and well worth the money.  You can find all of the pictures I took of the farm in this album.

~Matt

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park

 Across the road from the Billings Farm Museum is the Marsh-Billings-Rockfeller National Historical Park, named after three men that owned this land in succession and were great contributors to the history of American conservation.

Nestled among the rolling hills and pastures of eastern-central Vermont, the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is the only national park to tell the story of conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America. The boyhood home of George Perkins Marsh, one of America's first conservationists, and later the home of Frederick Billings, the property was given to the American people by its most recent owners, Laurance S. and Mary F. Rockefeller. The park was created by an Act of Congress and signed into law by President George Bush on August 26, 1992.
--from Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP site

I'm sure the site currently looks much different than it did when we visited in the summer of 2018.  This screenshot shows the current look of the park's website.

After visiting the shared visitor center on the grounds of the Billings Farm we walked across the road to visit the National Park.  Though originally one property they're not split between the sites, which nevertheless appear to have a very close working relationship.

We strolled towards the National Park's visitor center in the old carriage barn.

Part of the path was through the trees.

Stewardship was definitely an important principle of the individuals the park was named after and a key component of the exhibits.  It is most definitely also a biblical concept as in Genesis God told man to have dominion over the earth, which doesn't just mean to exploit it but to care for it.

I hadn't heard about all of the people who had owned the property, but the last one was familiar.  I'd heard of Laurance Rockefeller when we'd visited Grand Tetons National Park back in 2012 and drove down to the southernmost section of the park and saw the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve.

I enjoyed learning more about Marsh even than we'd just learned across the road at the farm.

We're so accustomed to seeing farms all over the landscape that we don't always think about the environmental cost was when they were created.  Looking back on it now this reminds me of what Charles C. Mann talks about in 1491--of how much the landscape of North America had likely been managed for many years by the inhabitants.  I would agree that farms are vital to feeding people, but we should be careful when we alter the land and we should be good stewards of the land and resources placed under our care.

This model demonstrates how much of the land was deforested (left in 1869) and how much it had recovered after careful tending (right in 1914).

Here is a clearer view of the sheep pastures and deforestation visible by 1869 when the land was sold to Billings.

By 1914 the hill had been reforested and the farm was thriving.

Frederick Billings, who gave his name to the current farm across the road, was a conservationist who bought the property in order to put ideas into action.

Mary French, the granddaughter of Frederick Billings, married Laurance Rockefeller and brought him into the history of the farm.  Of course the Rockefeller's are quite connected with preservation and the National Park Service being involved in Colonial Williamsburg, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, and more.

We didn't use one, but the park offers adventure packs that you can check out when you explore the trails.

We actually didn't get to walk around much of the grounds.  I think we declined a house tour due to the kids, but we did still see the outside of the mansion.  The trails were sadly too long to explore this trip.

It looks to be an impressive structure and I'd love to tour it someday.

After we saw the house we headed back over to the Billings Farm where we got to see a number of animals.  Read about that experience next time when we go back to summer-time Vermont.  All of the pictures I took of the park can be seen in this album.

~Matt