Tag Archives: Vermont

West River Railroad

When I see remnants of the West River Railroad like I did while camping this week, I think of my dad. About 80 years ago, he was a poor kid from Lynn, MA who signed up for the Civilian Conservation Corps and travelled by train to Brattleboro. There he boarded a small self-propelled train that chugged up the West River Railway to South Londonderry.

This bridge abutment marks the crossing point for the old West River Railroad

Dad was stationed at the CCC camp in Weston and excelled in athletics, particularly local road races. His group built the highway, by pick and shovel and wheelbarrow, now Route 100, up over the mountain to Ludlow. The best thing he did was to meet my mom, a South Londonderry girl, at a local dance and as they say, the rest is history.

The railroad was thirty-six miles long (There is a famous old book on it called “Thirty-six Miles of Trouble) and ran from Brattleboro to South Londonderry.

A rail trail along the old track bed now allows recreational users to enjoy the wonderful scenery.

While camping at Winhall Brook Campground, Penny and I did some exploring of the West River trail. From the north section of the park the trail goes a little less than three miles to South Londonderry. From the south section, you head south for a mile or so and run into the obstacles created by the construction of the Ball Mountain flood control dam.

The trail heading south from the campground. Firm and level, great for biking or walking.

We ran into bad weather and cut our camping stay short so I never checked out the hike up to an overlook to see the dam. However, there is a lot of information online on the trail which, with some breaks, continues down to Brattleboro.

Even the campground playgrounds have a railroad theme

My grandfather was a railroad engineer living in South Londonderry who was killed in a train accident in Connecticut when Mom was young. He rode the West River Railroad to work for years.

The West River Railway is part of our family DNA. It is great to see the local efforts made to restore the rail bed for horses, cyclists, hikers, skiers and snowmobilers. All aboard!

Winhall Brook Campground

On our first night at Winhall Brook Campground, a crisp fall temperature taxed our puny electric heater so we cranked up the radiant heater in the early morning to take off the chill. Penny loves it; she curls up right in front of the heater, toasting herself.

After a morning walk ( Broadwing Hawk and Winter Wren best birds), I sat in the sun outside the welcome center checking emails and blogs.

This is the water/electric loop. We are at S19 which is nice. The units are closer together than many of the no-hookup sites.

There was a lot of turnover in the loop today with three big rigs showing up. Foliage season is starting to attract many visitors. The colors are improving each day.

We took a mid-day drive a few miles up to the local cemetery where my Dad and Mom, and both my Pearson grandparents are buried. It is a beautiful site with a view of Glebe Mountain and a number of maples starting to show brilliant orange and red. Mary and I weeded and cleaned up around the gravestone – it was a good visit. Many of my aunts and uncles are buried there as well.

After fueling the truck in Londonderry, we bought a Vermont Apple pie and some local ice cream for supper.

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This place has been in business for 20 years and while a tourist attraction, makes a mean apple pie.

Last night, we had a delightful young couple from North Carolina over for dinner. It was simple: salad, spaghetti with meat sauce, bread, apple pie and ice cream. We never socialize but this was fun: they are tent-camping for three weeks around the Northeast and in the midst of car problems so this was a nice break for them.

I checked out the north loop this morning (Red-eyed Vireo, Gray Catbirds) which was empty. There are some excellent lean-to sites along the brook and the West River. I wasn’t impressed by any of the RV sites although some looked fine. There are no hookups on the North loop but a clean restroom, nice playground, and an attractive pavilion.

The West River looking south. Winhall Brook enters from the right. Water levels are low.

We have showers in the forecast today and serious weather system hitting later on. At first, we planned to  just hunker down and read – and be glad that we are not tent-camping in the wet. Been there, done that.

Taking a closer look at the forecast once we found 4G coverage, we decided to hook up and headed home early rather than slog home tomorrow in heavy rain. We’ll definitely be back.

An Early Fall Road Trip

After several weeks of repairing a rotted area of the front entry to our house, with the wonderful help and guidance of my brother Barry, I decided that a change of scenery might be nice. I had been wanting to check out a campground in southern Vermont so when Mary said that she was all for a getaway, and I checked availability, we were reserved for three nights at Winhall Brook Campground in South Londonderry.

This is our first experience with Corps of Engineers sites so it was great, if unusual for federal areas, to find that they had a section with water and electric hookups, which given the nighttime temperatures in the forties, were important to us.

The Airstream had been sitting down under the pines for a month so I moved it up to the house, removed some road dust outside and cobwebs inside, and then began the process of restocking it for the trip.

The trip down Sunday was easy – a beautiful Vermont day with light traffic. We picked up Route 100, Vermont’s ski highway which runs through the heart of the state, and saw dozens of motorcyclists and many a cyclist out for a Sunday ride. The meandering road and scenery is fun, even while hauling a trailer.

No one was at the campground’s welcome center so we headed out to our site, having pre-registered. I was concerned about the narrow bridge we’d have to cross (limited to vehicle 42′ or shorter – our truck and trailer is 45′) but it we had no problems. It was tight and I tucked in my mirrors.

We met the host, found our level spot in amongst the trees, and set up with ease. The power is strong, the water tastes, great, and the neighbors our quiet.

There is no cell coverage but the office has a good wifi signal. After a good night, we have warmed up the trailer and Penny and I are heading out for a chilly bird walk.

Put this campground on your “to-do” list. Did I mention that with the interagency pass that it’s only $13 per night? Best deal we’ve seen in years – for one of the best campgrounds we’ve visited. What’s not to like?