June Birthday in Vermont

Mrs and I were finally able to get back to Jamaica, Vermont after two years.  It certainly didn't feel like two years, because time has been flying by recently.  We were supposed to camp in Jamaica in September, 2011, but cancelled due to the extreme devastation caused by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.  Needless to say, we were overdue for a getaway and were glad to be returning to Jamaica State Park.

This time around we chose a site new to us called "Beech".  We were bringing the dogs with us for the first time, and felt this site would work a little better with dogs.  It was a good choice, though I do think Ironwood would have been perfectly acceptable.  But we DO like Beech now, too.

We arrived on Thursday, June 14 and left the morning of the 19th.  Probably the most amazing thing about this trip was the weather.  Absolute perfection. Not one single drop of rain.  Could this really be Vermont?

We were joined for the weekend by friends from New Hampshire. They booked an adjacent site.  They brought their pointers as well, including one puppy.

I won't go into quite the amount of detail that I usually do with these posts, but will try to give a fairly good recap.

 D&K's Jamaica Grocery. Even if you're just passing through, this is worth a stop.  All you need and more if you're staying or camping in the area.  We really love this place.

 The Rt 30 bridge.  I'm not sure if this is meant to be a temporary bridge after the previous one was washed away in Irene.  The devastation to the area was incredible.  Vermonters really came together to get the roads and highways open again.  I feel for all who lost their homes in the raging water.

 Our "Beech" site.  We liked this site.  Very large and the leanto provided extra shelter.  We expected that the dogs would spend their time in there, but they didn't.  We used it mainly for storage, and had another place to go in the rain.  The rain NEVER happened, so we really lucked out.

 With the pups in the West River.

 Walking to the trailhead for a portion of the West River Trail with our friends and our mutts.

 We really needed a place we could let the pointers off-leash to blow off some steam.  Technically they should have been on leash here, but there were so few people around, we had no issues.

 Waterfall along the West River Trail.

 Harry swimming after sticks below the falls.

The dogs spent most of their time sleeping on the dinette bed in the camper, but here is Harry in my bed looking a bit annoyed at being disturbed.

Mrs helping our friend with a knitting lesson. Both knitted hats over the weekend.

Jamaica Coffee House is a good spot for some coffee and wifi if you need to stay connected.

The Overlook Trail is a loop that starts near our camp site and ends on the multi-use trail.  Good short hike on which we were able to let Harry and the other two pointers off lead.  This ledge overlooks Jamaica Village.

Harry in the West River.  He does love the water.

Enjoying a peaceful moment on the West River.  Note the super excellent sweater and hat that I am wearing.  Both knitted for me by Mrs.