Vermont 2023 Trip Report (Days Two through Four)

Written by ceddammit

Day 2: After yesterday’s exhausting hike / mosquito-splatting workout, I slept for nearly nine hours! So, this seemed like a good day to go to the American Precision Museum, which I knew wouldn’t take nearly a full day. As usual, I didn’t bring my camera to the museum. So when I did some lolly-gaggin’ along the way, I took just a few pictures, using my phone. This includes a stop to check out this funky, multi-element railroad bridge:

The physics are blowing my mind!
I’d guess this is not the first bridge to cross at this point…
…the stone piers look much older than the trusses and such

When I arrived in the town of Windsor, I stopped for lunch at Windsor Diner. This is truly the classic 1950’s American diner, not one of those chains of reproductions. I ordered the special of the day, which was macaroni and cheese with a side of bratwurst. It was very yummy, and the price seemed reasonable.

Next, I made my way to the American Precision Museum. Upon my arrival, I learned that they were in the process of moving heavy equipment around, so about two-thirds of the museum was closed. But, to make up for that, admission was free (normally ten bucks, sez their website). The subject of this museum is the advancement of precision manufacturing over the last 200 years or so. Items on display include everything from hand-crafted firearms of the late 18th century, to drill presses from the 1930’s, to modern 3D printers. To be honest, this place is probably only of interest to machinists and general science geeks. Being one of the latter, I enjoyed my visit, but still only spent a couple of hours there. The museum is in a fairly scenic spot, and is located inside a historic armory, so I got a few pics right around the building:

Falling water from Mill Brook provided energy for early industry.
Concrete arch bridge downstream from American Precision Museum
Front corner of American Precision Museum’s building
Rear corner of American Precision Museum
American Precision Museum, Windsor, Vermont (Photographed September 28, 2023)

Day 3: Today is the day for the one thing in Vermont that I have been most looking forward to: the Shelburne Museum. Located just south of the city of Burlington, from what I’ve heard, this place may be on par with Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska. I arrived at the Shelburne a few minutes before opening (10 AM) and stayed until a few minutes before closing (5 PM), yet did not manage to get to everything I had wanted to see, much less all the other stuff I didn’t even know they had. Like yesterday, I did not bring my camera, and then couldn’t help but snag a couple shots with my phone:

A round barn!
The Ticonderoga – a steam ship that transported passengers and freight on Lake Champlain for nearly 50 years

I started at the Circus Building. This is a horseshoe-shaped building, built to showcase a 500-foot long scale model of an old-school circus parade. Also on display are a most interesting collection of circus advertising posters and a broad assortment of carousel animals that have been preserved and/or restored. I say “animals” because it’s not just horses. There are also giraffes, goats, a lion, deer with what appear to be real antlers, and I’m probably forgetting some others.

My judgement: The Shelburn is indeed on par with, though somewhat different from, Pioneer Village. The main difference is that a significant portion of the Shelburne display space is devoted to art galleries and/or changing exhibits, while Pioneer Village is entirely dedicated to the “history of the plains pioneer” – no art galleries, no traveling exhibits.

And on the fourth day, Cedric rested.

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