Fall 2008 SOV "Reunion"

[ctyanky]

bm: Awesome! This will definately be one for the record books! What a riot to have us all in one place and to put faces on our screen names! You can certainly count me in! I'm planning on at least 2 trips next fall, with one for sure - the first weekend in October.

I'm up for anything with lots of adventure! As I said in an earlier post, I have to come up for a whole weekend and I am flexible on dates. Did you think that the NE Kingdom is too far and that Central Vermont would be a good starting point? (I love the NE Kingdom though, it would be so much fun for us all to go on Hinton Hill Road to Lake Willoughby!) We'll rely on you and PWT to make the final decision on when foliage might be the best and what routes/backroads would be most exciting - I'm sure everyone would love to discover new places!

We have almost a whole year to play around with the meeting place(s), how we are going to navigate the routes, eating joints (hopefully we can do Peavine and JR's Eatery?), best hot spots for the photographers in the group, etc.

Can't wait to hear from others, what they would like to see, revisit, some historic bridges, waterfalls, new towns/villages, places that will "wow" us and beckon us to return again and again!

This will be fun planning in the months to come, especially with the cold weather creeping in soon

[Andy]

BM: Just my wacky mind set. But shouldn't this be called the SOV "UNION"?? Wouldn't it be a "RE" Union AFTER we all met the first time?

[pwt54]

I should warn you that I'm thinking of doing my Florida trip next fall. We missed the foliage because of the weather, plus my Mother's cataract operation was sucessful, so she will be able to see the colors better. We might be heading out on the 12th or 13th. This isn't written in stone, but the first 2 weeks in October would work for me. May Pond is a good location. Plenty of room to park, the question is, how long can we resist the siren call of the purty leaves?

[ctyanky]

Abby: great! I just spoke with my annual fall travel friend and she will try to send her hubby off on a fishing trip to their house on the Cape that weekend. We are going to be way up near Stowe so hopefully we can all meet in a manageable locale and then start planning a fun excursion. The reason for us being further North obviously, is the chance for better foliage so early in the month. (Praying for another banner year of course!)

I'm guessing for the first reunion we should just concentrate on a one day event? Being the first weekend in October, shouldn't we be in Northern VT??? Maybe others interested in the 1st Annual SOV Reunion will chime in over the next couple of months about different choices......

PWT: where are you!
bm: aren't you from Brandon/Middlebury area? What are your thoughts?

[pwt54]

Sorry for the delay. I put my laptop away for the family Xmas dinner and was too lazy to bring out until today. I will be leaving for Florida on Oct. 12, so the 4th or 5th are good for me. The 4th is a workday, but I can take it off.

[pwt54]

The snow took a big hit last week. Some folks blame global warming. They are wrong! This warm spell started right when the politicians landed in New Hampshire last week and ended when they left. I was over in Littleton,NH a week ago last Sunday for my yearly pilgrimage to the candy store on main street. The candy counter is huge and loaded with all of that old candy you can't find just anywhere. I think it's called Chutt's. It was hard to find it through all of the political signs. My weekends are Sunday and Monday. I like it. Shopping on Monday is easier. The weekend weather calls for light snow, nothing big. High (??!!) temps 6 to 12 degrees. Best snow cover might be the southeast area, but it looks good in the northeast mountain areas. As far as which day for the reunion, I will have no trouble taking that day off.

[ctyanky]

PWT: Saturday would work out best for us for that first weekend in October. Hope Saturday is doable for all (?) We have no problem traveling to any agreed upon meeting point.

(Friday is our travel day up and getting settled in the inn. Not sure where we are staying at this point, but it will be either in Stowe or possibly in Brandon. Sunday is when we work back down the state to Connecticut.)

Over the new couple of months, maybe we could at least finalize the day/location, get a luncheon place to meet and greet, and work from there for a fun foliage destination. Better yet, perhaps you and bm can surprise us and we'll follow!

(bm: is that diner on the Middlebury/Brandon line too small and crowded for a meeting place?)

[pwt54]

I should have no problem taking that Saturday off. Whoa, ctyanky! There is no Brandon/Middlebury line. You have the towns of Leicester and Salisbury in between Middlebury and Brandon. Foliage might be a bit early down there at that time.

[ctyanky]

PWT: right you are! Just rechecked the ol' map! I only remember going from Middlebury to Brandon on the way home last fall. In any case, further north actually works a whole lot better for us in regards to foliage timing.

Will await your posts in the coming months for some great ideas on the reunion! (Love the diners!)

Snowing like crazy here but ice and rain cometh!

[ctyanky]

SOV Reunion Foliage Friends: We found a B&B past Stowe in Jeffersonville on route 108 for the first weekend in October, arriving Friday, October 3rd!!!!! We're very excited as we have never been to the Stowe area before and there seems to be so many great routes to explore! We plan to visit the village of Stowe and then take the toll road up Mt. Mansfield on Friday. Hopefully, our Saturday(?) reunion is somewhere in the northern sector of the state. Sunday we are planning to take the tram up Jay Peak and then head home on 100 most of the way down the state.

Feels great to have a reservation somewhere because that first weekend in October seems to be a hot weekend for weddings, parents' weekends and foliage!

So thrilled about our Fall 2008 adventure to Stowe and our first reunion somewhere in VT!

CTYANKY

[pwt54]

Okay, Saturday, Oct 4th. Let's work with that. Lots of nice rides around Stowe using the West Hill, Sterling Valley and Cole Hill Roads. Try to work in a ride on Route 12 between Morrisville and Montpelier. Always good color there.

[ctyanky]

bm: Great! We are on our way to getting the reunion on track! So Saturday, October 4th will be our reunion day and we have six months to plan our "fun-filled foliage fest". (How's that one PWT?) Maybe you and PWT can conjure up some extraordinary route or destination and we can find a good meeting place, perhaps a restaurant, when we find out how many people are actually participating?

I was going to "throw" an idea into the pot. Just a thought. Meeting in a Stowe Village or Stowe area restaurant and taking the gondola ride up the mountain and hiking the rest of the way to the top??? (Guess we have to find a backup as well if we have bad weather !)

It would be nice to meet each other in a restaurant setting and then do something foliage related of course and fun. Or instead of a gondola ride we could meet for lunch and then do a route in a caravan type follow along and end up at an unexpected destination that you and PWT have picked out? Something out of the ordinary that only the locals know about and with good photo opportunities?

We're flexible. Just tossing some ideas around to get started........

This could be quite an adventure!

[pwt54]

I can work with that. If some of us aren't up to hiking to the top, we can drive the toll road to the top. I'll start working on the tour routes.

[pwt54]

I've been in contact with ctyanky about his idea for using Stowe as a meeting point. Stowe has a lot of good points. Lots of good back roads, waterfalls, great restuarants, Mt Mansfield, and a good central location for that time period. But it will be crowded at that time. We ain't the only leef-peepers in the world. I've suggested teh Miss Lyndonville Diner in Lyndonville and driving the back roads up there. There are other good restuarants in that area but I'm not sure if they are big enough for all of us. The foilage should be peaking up there at that time. The Stowe area will be close to peak. For me chosing between the 2 areas is a flip of the coin. Then there is the weather. If the fall is like this summer, we may need a rowboat to get around.

[ctyanky]

Hi PWT: Great to see the thread back on the SOV Fall Reunion! I'll have to agree with you that it is a toss of the coin. We are flexible and either place would work for us, even though we are in Stowe. I like the idea of gathering at a diner for starters. Let's see what others want to do and we'll go wherever the majority rules! I'd love to do some backroads to a surprise site that the moderators have picked out. If we go on a "rough road type" destination we'll have to jump in the car with some other forum attendees! You can count on me and my friend (her husband will be at the Cape fishing!)

P.S. By the way, CTYANKY is female not male!!!!:roll: I got a kick out of that!