Reality Check Tour 2022: Contrast in Cultures: Florida to Vermont

 

It has been one week, today, since I left Boca Raton, Florida.  Driving up to Sanford (Orlando area), Florida to catch the Amtrak Auto Train to Lorton, Virginia, the heat was almost suffocating.  I thought the heat was bad in Florida, but nothing topped the heat from Lorton to Damascus, Maryland - especially in bumper to bumper traffic in 98 degree weather.

A sea of humanity in metal cages (i.e., cars) on Highway 15 from Leesburg, VA to Frederick, MD.  I used my "motorcycle card" by zipping past miles of standstill traffic via the shoulder.  I justified it by a legitimate rationalization: I am exposed to heat without the luxury of air conditioning that was enjoyed by those in cars.  A typically 1.5 hour ride took me 4 hours.  I arrived in Damascus to attend Janis' family reunion - a great first 2 day stop filled with fun and human interaction.

Amtrak Tamara, my host while on the Auto Train.  She has three boys; the oldest is 29 years old and who has already produced 5 grandsons for Tamara.  Yikes.

Outside Bob's & Linda's home in Damascus, MD.  About to depart for points north - headed to Amish country.

 

A smiling Amish women driving her horse and buggy.  She flashed a huge smile at me ... she understood the stark cultural contrast: one horse pulling a buggy vs. 170 horsepower Ducati.  There is value to each form of transportation.  I would rather be in a buggy in Amish PA than in a hours long traffic backup on Highway 15 in Virginia - any day.  

Or ... would rather be driving through narrow covered bridges than be on Interstates:

I arrived at my lodging in Lititz, PA, - just north of Lancaster, PA.  I was very surprised to be confronted by Jesus Freaks asking me if I knew of the Gospel.  And these proselytizers were confronting those participating in a Gay Pride festival in Lititz Springs Park.

Gay Pride in the middle of Amish Country.  No judgment here - just a strange cultural contrast.  A way of life which contrasts with the culture all around them (Amish), verses those participating in an intentional display of identity politics meant to confront the culture around them,  

The next morning, I resumed my travels - determined to reach Middlebury, Vermont.  On the journey to Middlebury, I passed the exit to Cooperstown, NY (I have been to Baseball Hall of Fame, so I did not stop).  I then went through Oneida, NY - home of silverware.  

Oneida was the home of one of the original "free-love" utopian societies - beginning in 1857.  John H. Noyes was the leader of this group of wife-sharing religious enthusiasts.  He was run out of town by the citizens of the area who were, themselves, religious, but obviously not of the free-love kind.  So, in order to make ends meet, those remaining in the free-love sect started up the Oneida silverware company.  You will never look at Oneida silverware the same way :). John H. Noyes was the forerunner of the Hippie Movement of the 1960s.  America has had movements that we think are new today that actually date back from the country's founding.  Culture wars are not new.

I immediately was struck with awe as I crossed into the State of Vermont.  Vermont has banned billboard signs,  The effect is dramatic.  A person is not confronted with commercialism at every turn.  A more pristine land where you can actually appreciate the nature that is all around you.  A simple policy that culturally contrasts with those states around Vermont.

There was no room at the Inn (so to speak), so I ended up staying at the Lilac Inn in Brandon, VT.  I was befriended by the chef of the B&B, Bobby, who accompanied me to the only open pubs for dinner.  Sam was our server:

The next morning, I travelled to meet up with a friend.  I met Ed at the Ducati dealer in Pompano, FL a few weeks back.  He was now staying at his ole stomping grounds near Burlington, VT for the summer.  We rode our Ducati motorcycles to a country store and had a maple "Creemy" - like a very high-class soft serve like you would have at Dairy Queen - but 10 times better.  Real maple from a local tree mixed into ice cream made from locally milked cows.  Vermont is definitely a dairy state.  That night I met up with Ed at Leunig's restaurant in Burlington.

We had a little party at the bar in Leunig's before I went back to my Burlington hotel.  The next morning I was to continue my journey to Bar Harbor, Maine.  A long day on the road since it was all country roads across Vermont and New Hampshire.  On that journey, I passed through Montpellier, Vermont, the capital city:

 In the movie, Baby Boom, Diane Keaton, moved from NYC to a small town in Vermont.  In one scene of the movie, she is in a typical country store when tourists from New York enter the store and say "everything in Vermont is just so cute".  I felt this way when I saw the State Capitol building,  However, Vermont, since Baby Boom, has become a tourist destination and may have lost a little bit of its charm.  Burlington was somewhat of a disappointment to me - a pretty run-down city of approximately 50,000 people.  The marketplace was a restored modern area with plenty of great restaurants and stores.  But, the housing and streets were a little depressing.  The surrounding countryside was the real winner for me. 

I am in a Bar Harbor, ME B&B writing this account.  I can see that my world is about to change yet again.