C'mon Along With Me As I Take A Drive

After being cooped up in the house for more than a week, I decided to get out and take a drive. The weather was absolutely magnificent!

I rolled down the window and drove 50 MPH the whole way, taking care to pull over and let traffic by when folks behind me were in more of a hurry.

First destination was Pownal, VT (city data). Pownal is in Bennington County which is the most southwestern county in Vermont. It's a sleepy town with no real claim to fame except the racetrack. Years ago, the Green Mountain Racetrack was a horse racing venue that was converted to greyhounds in the 1970s. There is some talk about making it a training facility for Saratoga Race Course (horses) which isn't too far away.

In this pic, you can see the track is no longer in place; it used to go around the lake. Those are the famous green hills mountains of Vermont in the background.


We used to go watch the dog races all the time. Especially on the Fourth of July when they had a large fireworks display. I loved it; it was great fun. If it were just about well-kept dogs going out and chasing a fake rabbit (a piece of foam..."Here comes Frosty!") around a track once a night, things would be great. Unfortunately, where money is concerned, people lose sight of the big picture and the dogs suffered.

Dog racing started at Pownal in 1977 and ended in 1992 after the then-owners closed it under threat of losing their license for maltreatment of the greyhounds. A legislative ban on dog racing grew out of that incident.

As I was bopping about I saw a road sign pointing towards Williamstown, MA (city data). It was only four miles so I figured it would be a nice little excursion. I love Williamstown and I really need to get there more often. You may recognize the town's name from the Williamstown Theatre Festival where many actors come to cut their teeth performing on stage.

Along the way, I snapped a photo of this No Passing Zone sign. It is one of the few road signs that is placed on the opposite side of the road from the driver. I've only ever seen them used in New England.


Upon entering the town on the east side, you have to drive around a rather large one-way roundabout. In the center is a park with large trees, gardens, and the 1753 House. Constructed for the Williamstown Bicentennial, the house is a replica of a house from that time period and it was built using tools and materials available in 1753.


The area is home to Williams College. In fact, the school dominates the place. Williams College, established in 1793 with funds from Colonel Ephraim Williams, is a private liberal arts college. According to current U.S. News and World Report rankings, Williams is the #1 liberal arts college in the U.S. Enrollment is around 2,000 students. The mascot is the Purple Cow.

Here are some of the college buildings on the main thoroughfare through town.



Hopkins Hall


Griffin Hall


Thompson Memorial Chapel


From a placard on the chapel's door:

"Welcome.

This Chapel is a sanctuary, a refuge for all journeys of the spirit, a home for the prayers of all who long for hope and peace.

Seekers and visitors are welcome from any religious tradition or no tradition. Faith and doubt, convictions and questions, certainty and yearning, all belong in the sanctity of this space.

May your time here be a blessing to you, and, in time, may you be a blessing to others."

Also on the main route is the First Congregational Church founded in 1765.


Here is 'downtown' Williamstown. It is a short street of shops, restaurants, coffee houses, etc. and runs perpendicular to the road with the building shown above.


After my photo safari stroll around town it was time to hop in the car and head back to Vermont where I had designs on lunch in Bennington. I had a clam roll and a hot fudge sundae at the Tastee Freez. You could say I'm a man of simple pleasures. I was disappointed that they didn't have hard vanilla ice cream and had to settle for soft.

Bennington, VT (city data) is historically famous for the Green Mountain boys that fought in the revolutionary war and had success on the Bennington Battle Field. Shhhh, don't tell anyone, but the entire battlefield is actually located across the border in Walloomsac, New York.

The Bennington Battle Monument was erected to commemorate the success. It is 306' tall and was completed in 1889. Besides Vermont, you can see New York and Massachusetts from the elevator-accessed observatory situated about 2/3 of the way up.

It only took me about three hours to complete my journey but it was nice and relaxing.