We got up around 6:40 to load everything up, have breakfast (a turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, muffin, banana, orange juice), and head for Montreal, Québec. Unfortunately, there was a lot of traffic leading into downtown, which is where we had to be, so our time was affected substantially by that. Our goal was to get to the Montreal Biosphère, originally constructed for Expo 67, which my mom attended when she was a little four-year-old. Although we only had about an hour, we got to quickly see most of the exhibits, which focus on the expo, sustainability, the environment, power generation, and related topics. It's such a unique structure and museum. There was even a little garden right in the middle of the museum, plus a vertical wall garden.
We had lunch (tuna wrap, cheese stick, crackers, apple-berry juice, water) on the way back to our wonderful home country. We crossed the border at Trout River, a tiny little station; we didn't have to wait at all! From there, it was a very brief drive to the Almanzo Wilder Homestead near Malone, New York. If you've just started reading my blogs, I highly encourage you to go back and read my entries from July 2014, which is when my mom, brother, godmother, and I took a "Little House" sites tour throughout South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa; in September of 2014, I rounded it out with Missouri and Kansas. New York is naturally the farthest and most difficult for me to get to, so I had always assumed it would be a long way off -- if ever -- that I got to see the last real home site related to my favorite book series. It's always amazing how things work out, since today I got to check that off my list. Our tour guide was incredibly friendly and informative, constantly challenging those of us who had an extensive knowledge of all things "Little House," yet at the same time keeping it simple enough for people who didn't have as much knowledge (for example, our tour had a couple from Japan). We were shown three replica barns, built on the exact location and to the exact specifications of the original barns; the barnyard where Almanzo trained Star and Bright, his oxen, to drive; the well pump house (we got to hand-pump refreshingly-cool water...not the original pump); a sugar maple that stood when the Wilders lived there; and of course, the farmhouse. The beautiful red structure is the only home mentioned in the "Little House" books standing in its original position. Naturally, over the years repairs were warranted; however, they have worked to keep as much authenticity as possible. The house is gorgeous, both inside and outside, and we were given detailed information about every single room -- kitchen, dining room, parlor, dirt room, pantry, master bedroom, and upstairs (where the boys and girls had separate rooms). I was allowed to take as many pictures as I wanted, but am not permitted to publish them, so I would be happy to privately show them to anyone interested! If you ever happen to be near Malone -- or even within a few hours, for that matter -- I would highly recommend visiting. It's an incredible preservation of a beloved part of our country's history.
After spending over three hours exploring there, it was time to make our way across Vermont (a favorite state of mine since the views are spectacular). We stopped quickly in Montpelier for fuel and a light supper (tuna-macaroni salad and a peanut-butter shake), and arrived just after 9:30 at Carlson's Lodge in Carroll, New Hampshire. I wonder why we are staying here....? You'll have to come back tomorrow to find out! :)
Garden at the Montreal Biosphère
Montreal Biosphère
Almanzo Wilder Homestead
Replica barns at the Almanzo Wilder Homestead
Trout River, where the Wilders washed their clothing and cut ice in winter.
~Anna
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