We are off on our cross country trip. We packed the van, handed the house-keys to the sitters and headed west yesterday afternoon. Our first stop is my mother's house in Vermont where we will spend the night, pick up one more travelling companion and head out first thing in the morning. My mother happens to live almost in the shadow of a place called White Rocks National Recreation Area, which is a must see attraction in its own right.
I've written a complete review and description of the place here.
Essentially, the granite mountainside was torn off by a glacier leaving a fall of boulders that stretches from valley floor to mountain peak. All winter long, snow and ice packs into the crevices between these boulders so that by spring there is a deep ice pack insulated by tons of chilled rock. As a result, air flowing over the rocks is cooled and follows the ice beds down into the valley. As you enter the valley, through July at least. You feel the air temperature drop by ten degrees or more as this chilled air settles there.
There is a steam that issues from the base of the ice beds as well which is ice cold all year round. It's probably a good idea to use a micro-filter or other purification system before drinking from it, but we never did as kids. This is theonly place in Vermont where it is possible to have a snowball fight in early July (depending upon snowpack and summer temps.)
So we'll hit the road at 7:00 am, headed for Niagara Falls.
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