Exploring Waterville Valley Vermont
Well it’s the end of another year and I want to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas (or the holiday of choice you like to celebrate) and as we go into the New Year with Covid on the rise again, Lisa and I want to wish you a safe and healthy New Year. Now onto Waterville Vermont.
This past fall Lisa and I found ourselves on Route 109 and this article will talk about finding the village of Waterville and what you can find there.
It’s 4 October and we left our Airbnb in Craftsbury and proceeded to pass through Stowe and Smuggler’s Notch on the way to Route 109. This season was a hard one to call and as we went south and west into Stowe the colors were nice but not what we were hoping for. We got into Smugglers Notch and…
As I was saying, it was also an overcast day so I didn’t really feel that I would make better images than I had already had in previous years, so we didn’t stop but this once. One note, Lisa and I had to wait for people with tripods and cameras who were standing in the middle of Route 108 trying to get their perfect shots at the entrance to the notch. Let me say once again… At NO time do any of us have the right to stand in the middle of the road blocking traffic!
Once they cleared the road (they walked, not ran to get out of the way) we headed up and over “the notch” and for the 4th Of Oct, I was not impressed with the colors in the notch. (But let me say “I am” a Leaf snob)
Getting to Waterville Vermont
We came out of the Notch and into Jeffersonville Vermont. This is where Routes 15 and 109 converge. Today we’re going to take 109 out of Jeffersonville, North by East to Waterville Vermont. As we were traveling along Rt 109 I spotted an interesting barn in the distance with a hill beyond it with decent fall color on it so I pulled over to grab some shots.
I walked out into the cleared field and shot the barn from a few different angles but not fully satisfied I wondered what it would look like from above… There was a light wind and I decided it was safe to put my drone up and see what the added altitude did for my airborne point of view.
I didn’t see anything that much better but then I flew a bit higher and I could see Waterville Village in the distance. I was starting to get wind warnings from my drone so I quickly brought it back to me.
Waterville’s Village Covered Bridge
Lisa was digging in the Gazetteer as I was flying and said there was a covered bridge up ahead in Waterville. We drove a short distance and entered the village or Waterville and as with most small quaint villages, you will find they are pretty sleepy. This one like most has a church, and town hall (looks like a 2nd church but it’s not) and Google says there are a few other small businesses, like the Waterville Market.
Lisa directed us to turn onto Church Street and within a few hundred feet we were crossing the Lamoille River and the Village Covered Bridge. We drove through and parked on the other side of the covered bridge where I thought my car would not be in my photos of the bridge.
No sooner did I take my lens cap off than I was hailed by the homeowner who lived next to the bridge. He invited me to go through the fence and into his yard where a bright red maple tree was.
This vantage point allowed me to get the red maple tree and the covered bridge together in the shot. Even though the family is open to this type of activity, I would still always ask permission.
I took a few shots and then the owner invited me over to where they had a table set up under a covered parking area. They had postcards, pictures, and mugs for sale, along with their own maple syrup. (they give free tastings) So the couple is supplementing their income with this side business. As you can see there is a reason they want you to visit their property.
The Drone POV (point of view)
It was still a bit breezy but I deemed it safe for a low flight. I want to say I’m a certified pilot so I did a preflight and took off. I flew my drone a little way up but I didn’t want to be blown into wires or a tree so I just got a few shots before bringing it back down.
After purchasing some maple syrup Lisa and I were on the road again to see what we could find. Come back and check what else we found during this journey.
Happy and safe journeys my friends…
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
- Visit my Fine Art America Gallery
- Visit my Amazon store to pick up New England-related materials
- Visit my Pictorem Gallery (Free shipping in the US and Canada)
- My Facebook foliage page
- Threads.net/@Jeff_Foliage
- Follow our new Fall Foliage FB Group!
- You can visit Lisa’s Artist Facebook Page by clicking here
Here is a quote that sums Autumn up for me:
“These views I see now are the same that my grandparents saw, and the same that my grandchildren will see. Autumn never really changes, just the people who enjoy it”. -Marie Santos.
Tyler Clement one of the Arizona Zonies.
Very true, although it does vary as too when it arrives but that is a different issue.
Here is a quote that sums Autumn up for me:
“These views I see now are the same that my grandparents saw, and the same that my grandchildren will see. Autumn never really changes, just the people who enjoy it”. -Marie Santos.
Tyler Clement one of the Arizona Zonies.
Very true, although it does vary as too when it arrives but that is a different issue.