View at Sherburne
Not only did we keep it below 150 miles, but we kept it below 100, too (just!).
The weather forecast suggested that it would be cloudy sun in the morning and just cloudy later on, though the actual phrase was 100% chance of rain.
At 8.00am it was cloudy with some sun (OK so far) so we thought we'd go for the elevated view up Mt Killington on the cable car.
The cable car took up to 4200 ft where the clouds kept floating in and out. This isn't quite the summit, we had to walk up a rocky crag bit and through a wooded area but it then gave us a fine panoramic view over the area - pity about the thin cloud otherwise the vista would have been very impressive.
After about an hour and a cup of coffee later we're back on the 8mph cable car and the 1.2m ride back to base camp then its time to hit the road...
First stop is a back track to Sherburne and a nice view up the side of the hill:
View at Sherburne
Today's tour then really started as we headed up Route 100 through Pittsfield, which was a nice village as we went through on the road. So nice in fact that we thought lets go back and take a picture or two of the "New England village". The wonderful views were not quite so photogenic as all the attractive buildings along the street had either telegraph poles and wires, Recreational Vehicles or dumper trucks parked outside or even all of the above. First impressions are always the best.
Stocksbridge was next before turning left to go over Brandon Pass which had been given favourable reviews in the guidebooks. Don't believe all you read!
We stopped a bit en route - at a beaver dam, but no beavers out - and a couple of other places that should have been nice views but we couldn't see them (What DO beavers do during the day). In fact we passed "Brandon Gap" and didn't notice anything. In fairness, the weather had turn so it was misty and rainy which didn't give much added value to the views.
A right turn near the end took the road up to Branbury State Park and Lake Dunmore passing lots of nice houses (with telegraph poles ...etc...). It is here we had lunch (our sandwiches). It was a really nice place by the lake, even if it was raining, so in sunshine it would have been terrific. Clearly this is the case because there was masses of parking - we were one of three cars there. Another big plus for this place was the presence of rest rooms.
Having continued along the top of the Lake - some more nice views despite the weather, especially across the Lake - we join up with Route 7 and head South towards Rutland.
Two stops on the way back as the rain was now getting quite heavy:
Complementary Coffee in the foyer of the "Cortina Inn", served by a dozy pair for whom anything was too much trouble - a bit short in the customer care department there.
The mileage - 92 miles from start of day to end of day.
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