Summer in Burlington

The Burlington Community Boathouse and Marina

Dave and Phoebe on the Burlington Waterfront

Burlington South Breakwater Lighthouse

**If You Go: Waterfront Park in Burlington

                     Burlington, Vermont

A Little Bit of Everything at this Vermont General Store

Dave, with Phoebe, scans the community bulletin board inside the H.N. Williams Store.

The H.N. Williams Store looks like an old Vermont barn along Route 30 in Dorset. The building's siding is a bit dusty and weathered; the front door creaky and free of any fancy signage. I've driven by the store hundreds of times over the past 25 years, but only recently did I finally step inside.

I've heard people rave about this store over the years, and now I understand why. I was impressed by the size of the store and the variety of items for sale: coffee, sandwiches, garden tools, pet food, work gloves, worms and crawlers, mud boots, hunting coats - you name it. Also, on every Sunday between May and October, H.N. Williams hosts the outstanding outdoor Dorset Farmers' Market (one of the best in Vermont).

In operation since 1840, H.N. Williams really looks like a typical Vermont general store: the old, sloping wood floors, the community bulletin board, a handmade ATM sign. But there's something else. Maybe it's the gathering of locals chatting near the register, or the friendly hellos to neighbors and strangers at the front door. Whatever it is, something about this place makes it feel like the heart and soul of Dorset.


**If You Go: H.N. Williams Store

H.N. Williams Store on Route 30 in Dorset, Vermont.

The store has everything you could ever need.

Comings and goings at the store.

The Dorset Farmers' Market, held Sundays outside the H.N. Williams store.

Skyline Drive on Equinox Mountain

My husband Dave checks out the view of Vermont's Green Mountains.

Of all of the mountains in Vermont, Mount Equinox is the one I cherish the most. My childhood home in Manchester was located at the base of the mountain, and I spent countless hours admiring Equinox's dramatic height and beauty.  I used to daydream that Equinox would become a ski area so I could race from the summit all the way down to our backyard in my Fischer skis. In retrospect, I'm eternally grateful that never happened.

Instead, Equinox has Skyline Drive, a 5.2-mile toll road that takes you to the 3,848-foot summit.  Built in the 1940s, Skyline Drive is the longest, privately-owned paved road in the United States. On a recent trip to Manchester, we drove to the top of the mountain on a beautiful, sunny day.  It has been 15 years since I drove to the top, and my husband Dave (from Massachusetts) had always wanted to take a ride up.  It was well worth the trip.

What's interesting about the mountain is that it's owned by monks. The road and about 7,000 acres are owned by the Carthusians, a Roman Catholic monastic order. Shortly before reaching the top, there's a flat stretch of road where you can see the monastery to the southwest.

The views from Equinox, the tallest peak in the Taconic Mountain Range, are panoramic and stunning. Even though much of the summit parking lot is closed this season due to construction of a new visitor center, you can hike to Lookout Rock for a better view. It's also worth stopping along some of the pull-off areas and flat stretches of road to take in the scenery. 

Drive carefully and take lots of photos.

**If you go: Mount Equinox 

Route 7A, south of Manchester

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