“We are leaf peeping around Vermont and New Hampshire,” regular reader Chip Wilder wrote in an email this week. He sent along some pictures too. The trip included a water taxi ride into Boston, where the Red Sox fans were jubilant.
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Author: jeffpelline
Jeff Pelline is a veteran editor and award-winning journalist - in print and online. He is publisher of Sierra FoodWineArt magazine and its website SierraCulture.com. Jeff covered business and technology for The San Francisco Chronicle for 12 years, and he was a founding editor and Editor of CNET News for eight years, among other positions. Jeff has a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and a master's from Northwestern University. His hobbies include sailing, swimming, and trout fishing in the Sierra.
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Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report 
Depending on the specific weather conditions Vermont has had this fall, the foliage should have peeked a week or two ago. Spectacular viewing can be had almost everywhere one chooses to go. If Chip has traveled along Rt. 4, through Killington, Vt. to Rutland then he passed right by my former ski condo development, the Moon Ridge townhouses, developed in the 1980’s by me and my partner, Wm Davis, a Northwestern grad and founder of Golf Digest Magazine and one time President of the New York Times Magazine Division The rather large Moon Ridge sign posted on Rt. 4 was delivered to the site in my small 1979 Chevy Luv truck. At least I assume it is still standing at the intersection of Moon Ridge Rd. and Rt. 4. The Aspen East ski shop sits where a little old farmhouse once stood and served as my family’s and the Davis’ ski house from 1957 until the early 60s at which time the house and a few acres were sold but we kept some forty odd acres which served as the basis for the Moon Ridge development.
Vermont still exerts a magical attraction on me!
Ed – You are so right, oh my the scenery we saw had us stopping at the next turn off ALL THE TIME! We went first to Salem where we enjoyed Tavern On The Green and got our share of witches, then Spent 3 days in Putney, Vermont at old Santa Barbara classmate, then traveled up to Newport (almost to Canada), then back down to Conway and Glen, New Hampshire (stayed at Stonehurst-double wow!) , then a fabulous last few days in Boston. Even Uber gets lost in Boston, staying across the bay and taking the water taxi into town was perfect. The Sox were playing in Houston those nights and Legal Seafood, and The Chart House both had a bar crowd glued to the TV. I am bragging on all this because it was so spectacular, both leaf peeping and the city of Boston.
Vermont in the news…Signs saying “It’s alright to be white” appearing at a few Vermont schools. I used to enjoy spending time in Vermont in the late 60’s…skiing at Mt Snow. Apparently, as nice as it is, it was, and still is a very racist state, (being one of the most “white” states) except for the larger towns. A black elected legislator recently resigned because of the blatant racism and threats she and her family received. Of course Nevada County isn’t the example of diversity either.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/its-ok-to-be-white-signs-uvm-champlain-college
No doubt Vermont has its share of white nationalists but when I lived in Rutland I didn’t see much overt racism at all. Nor did one of my close friends, a black city policeman originally from NYC, express much outrage over such behavior. Nevertheless, there were very few blacks living in Rutland, then the second largest city in the state – if memory serves me correctly – and as you say it is one of the most “white” states but that seemed then to be more a function of lack of a diversified economy than any overt white ideology. After all, stony fields aren’t the greatest for agriculture and I can’t offhand think of any heavy industry dominating the state employment picture. And of course, unless one is steeped in winter sports such as skiing there isn’t much reason to journey up that far north during the long, cold winters.
The main trait needed to get along up in Verd land is to be open and honest when dealing with the locals. I always felt I was and I developed some deep friendships during my Vermont years. But my partner, now deceased, was a fast talking, insincere and interfering city slicker who caused a lot of ill feelings among the locals and was heartily disliked by many. New Englanders have the reputation of being very reserved and trying to pull things over on them will usually bring poor results.
I’m sorry you apparently had bad experiences up thar in the Green Mountains.
Looks like you’re having a great time Chip!!! Enjoy!!