BillJ

We had just spent a week in Montreal and Quebec City, site seeing and eating at upscale, gourmet restaurants. You may wish to review the trip report on that section of our trip on the Canada board. The weather had been rainy, windy, cold and grey, with only a little hint of fall colors.

I began planning this trip in the spring, after cancelling plans to go to Egypt due to the civil unrest there. It has always been something we’ve wanted to do. We wanted to stay in B&B’s throughout this segment of the trip, and that requires advance planning as reservations become tight this time of year. It is always a bit of a crap shoot on exactly when the colors will be at their best, but there are a lot of tools on the internet to help you get a handle on the odds. After much analysis and hand wringing, my SWAG result had us entering Northern Vermont on Oct 6 for 8 days.

Coming down from Quebec City, where we had experienced miserable weather, it began to warm, with blue skies. (I wished I would have set aside more time for the Eastern Townships, such as Magog, Knowlton, Lake Brome, etc.) At the border, Rte 139 south from Sutton, we were behind about 3 cars. When it was our turn, the one guard asked us a lot of questions, particularly about where we lived, why we were there, etc. He also asked if we had any alcohol, firearms or foodstuffs. We had none. Then he scanned our passports, and told me to open the trunk, but stay in the car. I know he looked inside at least one suitcase in the trunk. Then he sent us on our way.

Though getting late in the day, we were pleased with the clearing skies and lack of wind. We turned left at Richford on the 105 toward North Troy and got our first taste of fall foliage, New England style. This road twisted and climbed through mountains. We stopped at many vistas and overlooks. Colors were not quite in full regalia, but we could get the sense of what we might see in the next few days. We were excited about the improvement from our storm filled previous week.

Our destination this night was Cliff Haven Farms B&B, up the west coast of Lake Memphremagog. To get there we jogged up to Troy and then down to Newport Center, hurrying along now, because it was evening. At Newport Center, we turned east over to the lake, then north and found our B&B about a mile south of the now closed border into Canada. We loved this B&B, one of our favorites on our trip. I rated it a 5 on Trip Advisor, where you can see my review (CaliforniaBillJ). We stayed in the Chocolate Room, with great views out to the lake and beyond. The grounds were beautiful, with a pond and a sugar shack. I only wish I had planned more time here. Many people stay here for several days and take day trips from here.

We were greeted by Mim and Jacques, who was cooking some pheasant. The old house and aromas from the cooking gave us an instantly warm and welcome feeling. They were so friendly and kind. After getting up in our room, they gave us some restaurant recommendations, and we went into Newport to the Eastside Grill. This very active restaurant is a grill type, with lots of simple and reasonably priced choices. In the morning, our breakfast of French toast had some of Jacques’ syrup.

We left the next morning with Stowe as our destination. That morning there was a freeze, much to the delight of our hosts. They thought it might be the thing needed to turn the leaves. The skies continued to be cloudless. A good sign.

We backtracked to Newport Center, gassed up the car there, then jogged over and picked up the 242 just east of Jay. This road through Jay Peak area was beautiful, and we could tell the colors were turning before our eyes. Such a refreshing change from the week of rain, wind and cold that had preceded. We stopped a lot at little villages and pullouts, etc., taking pictures and generally being tourists.

Our drive took us down from Jay Peak through Montgomery Center, Jeffersonville, and then 108 over Smuggler’s Notch. What a treat. At Smuggler’s Notch summit, the road is very narrow, closed in winter, and cars are parked every which way. We joined the chaos, and just walked around the area of large boulders and lots of colored foliage.

Then we headed down into Stowe and the closer we got, the more traffic there was. There was a huge crafts fair going on before we got to town, but we passed it up. In old downtown Stowe, we somehow found a parking place, and wandered around. At the General Store, in the front was a good soup and sandwich place, where we had a late lunch. Excellent. We took some pictures of the iconic church and backtracked to a garden shop that interested DW. After some more pix, off we went.

South of Stowe, our DeLorme Atlas showed the Gold Brook Bridge, so we turned on Gold Brook Road, but alas, no bridge. Looks like there once was one, years ago, but now just a regular bridge across a small creek. I don’t think this was Irene at work. The “new” bridge looked too old.

We continued on fun back roads, mostly dirt towards Waterbury, our destination. Multi-colored trees canopied over the dirt lane. Sunlight filtering through to the road. We were thrilled with the route we had selected, the first time to get off the main highways. Very beautiful and tranquil. Very few cars.

In Waterbury, we stayed at the Old Stagecoach Inn. We had room 1, right across from room 2, the rumored haunted room. Nothing strange happened while we were there. This was our first introduction to the devastation caused by Irene just a few weeks before. The Inn’s parking lot had been inundated, totaling all cars parked there. The basement had filled with flood water, destroying all his inventory and records stored there. In other parts of town, the damage was obvious, with lots of stuff still out in front yards as owners tried to dry out and repair their homes. We were to see more of this later.

I can’t be too hard on this inn from a rating standpoint. They’d been through hell and were still digging out. This is an old building, and shows it’s age. The bed was comfortable, the owner friendly, the breakfast was excellent. The room was in need of a good cleaning, but hey, the whole town was in stress.

We ate at two really good restaurants just up a block from the inn. Can’t complain. It’s a wonder they were even open.

Next morning after a great breakfast, got in the car and drove to Montpelier on Rte 2, again staying off the freeway. Took some pix of the capital building. Across the street from the capital building is a cute little victorian house with a sign “Secretary of State.” I love it. Our stupid state has a whole block of 10 story buildings for that office.

Back on Rte 2 heading east, we hooked up with 14 north to Calais, Woodbury and Hardwick. In Hardwick, we parked and walked around a little, including across the little pedestrian suspension bridge. Kind of neat. North of Hardwick the road runs along two pretty lakes, as well as some marshy areas. Eyes out for moose, didn’t see any. Did however continue to see more color in the trees.

We turned off the 14 into Craftsbury, and continued to Craftsbury commons, where I had learned was having a “farmer’s Market.” Well, such as it was. About 6 booths, one of which sold apple cider, which I sampled. We walked around the common area and marveled at all the buildings, which were all white with black shutters. The common was surrounded by a white rail fence. DW commented that if we removed the cars from the scene, this could be 1800 or so. True. We were thrilled we had come to this little village. It was so much fun to talk to the locals.

The craft shop across the street was open and had lots of interesting things. There is also a college there, Sterling College. I looked it up later, only 100 students. I think they had all gone to occupy wall street. Yes, a liberal college.

Lots of agriculture around here. We left here via Dunstan road out the north end of the village heading east. Again, our DeLorme Atlas took us on some dirt roads to a covered bridge. More scenes of flood activity, with debri in bushes high above the river bed. We continued on the dirt roads to Greensboro, passing by the east side of picturesque Caspian Lake, and stopped at the general store; Willey’s Market. Talk about everything from soup to nuts. They got it. Food, clothing, car parts, paint and hardware. One stop. Didn’t really have a café or anything, so thought we’d drive on back to Hardwick.

Walked across the street to a crafts store and got into a great conversation with a lady who used to live in Calif and returned here some years ago. She told us of an alternative road to Hardwick that was more beautiful. Using our Atlas, we did it, and it was so scenic. With views back to Greensboro over beautiful Caspian Lake, then a short passage along a ridge with views out to the west, then forested roads into Hardwick. The roads are:

From Greensboro, southwest on Breezy Lane to Lakeshore
North on Lakeshore to Lakeview
West on Lakeview to Overlook
South on Overlook, which turns into Bridgman Hill Road, which goes into Hardwick.

All café’s in Hardwick were closed, so we picked up some snack stuff at the grocery store and ate in the parking lot looking over the Lamoille River.

Heading back south on 14, we stopped at Bragg Farms, just north of Montpelier. We saw a short movie on the maple syrup process and talked to a guy that judged syrup. Quite interesting. The girls there told us of the nearby Colburn Road covered bridge and gave directions. Again on some dirt roads, found the little bridge and more flood evidence around the nearby fields and trees. Drove through it and continued on the dirt road which connected to the 2 which we took all the way back to Waterbury.

A great day of touring, lots of interesting things to see, farms and beautiful homes, especially Craftsbury Commons, more color and beautiful views. This is turning out very nicely.

The next day we left Waterbury; destination Lower Waterford and the Rabbit Hill Inn. On our way we stopped at Rock of Ages Granite company’s plant in South Barre. DW recently remodeled the kitchen in granite counter tops, and was interested in the quarry. It was much more than I expected. Rock of Ages doesn’t do counter tops. Just monuments. Huge monuments. Very impressive.

We saw a short video, then got on a bus for a short ride to the quarry, where we learned about the quarry operation. The quarry is 600 feet deep, and what we had watched in the video came to life. It’s a long way down.

Back in the car, we took some really small roads to find a covered bridge, which turned out to be very small, and had obviously been moved to its position on some private land. The Atlas is not quite correct here, and I got turned around, ending up on a dirt road hardly more than ruts that ended up in a dairy farm. Barely room to turn around. It was so pretty in there, with the trees canopying over this “road.”

We found our way out into Barre, took Plainsfield Brook Road (dirt), which turned into Lower road into Plainsfield, where we picked up the 2. Drove through Marshfield and north to Cabot on 215. Got to Cabot for the Cabot Creamery tour, which was very informative. We bought some cheese there, and ate it for lunch. Found out Cheddar Cheese is naturally lactose free. Well, whadaya know!

During this whole drive, we saw stunning vistas of multi colored trees. Beautiful contrasts of the trees, bright green meadows and stark white buildings. Farms with silage crops, dual silos, and hay bales in the fields, wrapped in white protective material of some kind. The wild green grass that fills meadows a stark contrast to the ever brightening colors. We were excited that it looked like we were into the good colors, and seeing New England as we had only dreamed about.

After Cabot creamery, we tried to find a covered bridge shown in the atlas, but it was not there. So instead we sought out and found the Greenbank Hollow Bridge at Cabot Springs Road and Westshore. This bridge has been restored on the sight of an old village from the early 1800’s. This was a very remote area, with beautiful trees canopying over the dirt roads. As we walked around the bridge area, looking at the old foundations overgrown with shrubs, and reading an historic marker explaining the locale, an old Model A Ford roadster, top down, completely restored, came put-putting up. What a treat. I snapped off a picture of the car framed by the bridge. I love it.

We found our way back to Rte 2 and on to St-Johnsbury, then south almost to the New Hampshire Line on Rte 18 to the Rabbit Hill Inn. Stayed 2 nights in this highly regarded in, and we weren’t disappointed. You need to reserve well in advance, and we were a little late. We had one night in “Reflections” and another in “Canopy.” They took care of moving all luggage.

There is a full bar, and the living room and bar are jovial places to be in the evening. Brian is a great bartender. One can only imagine the frivolity that existed in the old days when this was a stage stop on the 9 day journey from Boston to Montreal. It has a lot of history. I placed a review on the Fodor’s hotel section.

They have a small dining room there with a small but impressive dinner menu. We ate there both nights, even though there are plenty of restaurants in nearby towns. It was just so convenient and easy after site seeing all day.

More to follow.

dfrostnh

Great trip report! Finally, someone brave enough to use the DeLorme to find the real back roads. It would be fun to follow your route, we don't get to VT often enough and I'm esp interested in Hardwick since reading "The Town That Food Saved". Looking forward to the rest of your report.

emalloy

Sounds like you picked the best moment to visit the area. We're having a less than spectacular display of fall color in southern New England, thanks to hurricane Irene. Lots of tattered leaves and salt damage along the coast.

Keep the report coming, Thanks

BillJ

dfrostnh; I learned about the DeLorme Atlas here. We could not have done those back roads, mostly dirt, without it. But the Atlas is not infallible. You have to have a good sense of direction, which I do. But also, really, you are never very far from a town or village. It was a lot of fun on those little roads.

emalloy; the folks up north think that the continual rain and warm weather had a lot to do with the delayed colors. As soon as that frost hit, they were happy. But yes, even up in the Eastern Townships of Canada, many trees were thin, or even stripped, before they colored.

BillJ

Here is the rest of the report:

The next day we started out earlier than norma. Into New Hampshire to take in some of what the Franconia area has to offer. We started with the gondola ride up Cannon Mt. It was windy up there, so the wind chill was significant. But it was a great ride. It was mostly sunny, so we got great views of the surrounding mountains. Colors were everywhere. Very impressive. Off to the north, was little Echo Lake, a pretty little lake that we stopped at later. Up at the top there is a café with lots of food choices.

Note: The gondola ride is $14. The hike up Franconia Notch Flume Gorge is also $14. But if you buy a Discovery Pass, which gets you into both, you only pay $26. A $2 savings.

The second stop was “The Basin.” It is a beautiful little area along the Pemigewasset River. It is just off Rte 93 where parking is provided. There are little waterfalls and pools. A lovely little spot with babbling brooks and trees in a variety of colors, with leaves falling all around. It felt very peaceful and serene in there. Spiritual in a way. We spent a lot of time in there, just sitting on a rock or a log absorbing nature.

The next stop was Franconia Notch Flume Gorge, and the 2 mile “easy” loop trail. This was Monday, the end of the three day holiday. Often the most recommended time to hit peak colors, therefore, one of the most crowded of weekends. In this parking lot was the first time we had actually felt the crowds. In the sun it was warm, especially if protected from the wind. The colors were glorious. (To enter this trail is $14 per person, or like I said before, get the Discovery Pass for a discount to this and the Cannon Mountain gondola ride.)

We hiked up the gorge on this amazing system of catwalks and boardwalks attached to the sheer rock walls. It was amazing in there. Dark and a bit cold, but the water was pretty calm. The steep canyon walls drip with water, and ferns and lichens cling to the sides. It’s so narrow, it’s certain the sun never shines in there. It’s about .6 miles to the top of the gorge, then another 1.4 miles around the rest of the loop. You can cut that part off by taking the rim trail back to the lodge. The loop trail is wide and well maintained with a lot of up and down, and we didn’t think it was so “easy.” But we are up in age, and have some knee issues. There were families with kids as small as about 4. They were not happy after the first mile or so. But all in all, a beautiful hike with great views and a covered bridge to walk across at the 1.3 mile mark.

We had a good sandwich in the café in the lodge and then back in the car. We continued down 93 to Clark’s Trading Post Resort, a legendary trading post and the sight of a small railroad museum. Looked like a fun place with lots of arcades, rides and other stuff for the whole family, though I was a little sad to see a “bear show” going on.

Backtracking toward our inn, we pulled off on exit 34C just north of the gondola ride. To the east is a bridge on what looks like the old highway they have turned into a vista point. Cars are not allowed on this bridge, so you walk out on it for tremendous views to the east and west. Beautiful.

On the west side of 93 at this exit is pretty little Echo Lake. We pulled into the parking lot, which was about vacant, and walked down to the lake. We got some really nice photos of trees in full color reflecting on a perfectly calm lake. The lake appears to be very active in the summer, with a nice beach, but nothing going on now at the end of the season.

After checking out the next morning, we drove to Littleton and checked out the very long covered bridge there, then off to the cog train up Mt Washington. I had phoned early in the day, and the first train available was at 12:30. We got there about 11:30, collected our tickets and browsed around the store and museum there. The sky was clear and the wind had died to almost nothing. Mt Washington supposedly has the worst weather in the US; record wind was 231 mph. Nothing like that today.

We took the cog train up. (Tip: sit on the left (west) side as you look up the hill.) At the top there are many museum type historical exhibits, a list of all who have died on this mountain, a café, and a huge platform from which you can see about forever in many directions. A ranger is available for questions. The day before, while we were riding gondolas and hiking beautiful rivers, the wind was 80 mph up here, and they stopped the trains before they got to the top. Ranger said people don’t handle 80mph winds very well, and they loose stuff and some get hurt. So they don’t let people get to the top. You can still drive up there from the other side of the mountain.

We really enjoyed the ride. We walked around up there taking a lot of pictures until it was time for our train to go back down. We made sure we were on the right side of the car this time to get the incredible views out the west side of the car.

Our trek continued east on Rte 302, passing beautiful areas of multi-colored trees. There was no doubt any longer; we had hit the peak. The weather was clear and warm. There were some waterfalls to see, and quaint little villages, and more storm damage evidence. It was getting dark when we pulled into Jackson, driving through their covered bridge into town.

We stayed at the unremarkable Inn at Jackson for one night. No one, I mean no one, was present at the inn upon arrival. An envelop with our name on it was on the desk. In it was a key to the room and a note telling us the room number and what time breakfast was in the morning. Very curious indeed.

This old house was built by the Baldwin piano folks, early 1900’s. The architect was Stanford White, an American architect, second in fame perhaps only to Frank Lloyd Wright. He designed a great many of the huge estates and manors along the eastern seaboard. The breakfast was one of the best we had. I put a review in the Fodors hotel section.

After breakfast, we loaded up and went south through Conway, checking out the Saco and Swift River covered bridges. Then we got on Rte 112, “The Kanc.” I had really been looking forward to this drive after reading so much about it. After Irene, this road had been closed, and I didn’t know if we would be able to travel it’s length. But it was open all the way, though evidence of the flood waters damage were obvious everywhere you looked.

It was beautiful here. Traffic was light, since it was now past the Columbus three day weekend. The “season” is over. Weather was holding, though I sensed a change in the air, and a nippy breeze was in the trees. Oh, this drive was outstanding. While the colors continued amazing, if you looked carefully, you could see that the leaves were gone from many trees higher up the slopes. Someone on Fodor’s thought the Kanc was over-rated. I disagree. For us tourists, it was excellent, and not to be missed. There were many nice places to stop and absorb your surroundings. Beautiful.

We stopped at the Albany Bridge, and mucked around in the foliage just below the bridge for some pictures. The river was so calm and peaceful; no hint of the raging torrent it must have been. A little further was a picnic area where one could jump around on the boulders in the river bed. The reds, oranges, yellows contrasted with the evergreens to create idyllic scenes. We were thrilled.

We stopped and hiked up to Sabbaday Falls. Leaves now carpeted the path, creating a classic fall scene. The water was flowing pretty strong through the rocks. We continued on 112 to Lincoln, thinking we’d get some lunch at Clark’s. However, when we got there, they were closed. Workmen were boarding up the windows. Winterizing. Closed for the season.

So on we drove on 112, but the highway on the west side of 93 didn’t seem to have the same magic. There were more signs of significant road damage that had been repaired. In Swiftwater, we checked out the Swiftwater covered bridge. When 112 hit the 302, and we turned right into Bath. What a great little town surrounded by hillsides alive with color.

The church was having a bake sale. We took pictures of the covered bridge. The brick store, billing itself as the oldest general store in America, is a classic. I bought a T-shirt (Live Free or Die) and we bought some snacks for lunch. I had a great conversation with a old guy sweeping up in the front of the store. “Yup,” he says, leaning on his broom, looking skyward. “Weather’s changing. Storm tonight.” (Probably just watched the Weather Channel.)

We drove west on 302 back into Vermont now, past Montpelier to Middlesex, and turned left (south) on Rte 100B, which goes along the Mad River. Here is where we saw signs of the most incredible devastation. The Mad River Valley was hard hit. Especially the little town of Moretown. I’m guessing that every building in this little village was ravaged by flood waters. Our innkeeper in Waterbury had said the water rose 11 feet in 3 hours. I can’t imagine the scene on that night here in Moretown.

Stuff was out on the streets drying out, while inside every building work was going on. Along the road, debris and mud was everywhere. Along the river as we drove, we saw hay bales wrapped in white in boulders above the level of the car. A tire was in a tree about 20 feet above the (now) babbling brook. Clothing was strewn in trees and shrubs all along the roadway and river bed. In the river bed were great clumps of trees ripped from the ground and piled up like match sticks. We drove along in silence, awed at nature’s power and also at the resilience of the Vermont people digging their way out. Incredible.

Just north of Waitsfield, we turned east on Tremblay Road, as a detour to our destination for two nights, the Inn at Round Barn Farm. At the end of Tremblay, we stopped at the Pine Brook covered Bridge. As we admired it, a nice Vermont lady stopped and offered to take a picture of us at the bridge. She lives high above Moretown so escaped the damage herself. But she was visibly shaken by the damage to her valley.

We found our way to the inn. The detour was necessary because the covered bridge in Waitsfield was closed. The bridge survived, but the approaches on both sides were damaged. You could walk on the bridge.

We were very happy with this inn. The room we had was “Terrace”, though it did not have a terrace per se. It was down a level from the entry, but on the ground floor in the rear of the building, looking out over beautifully maintained landscaped grounds. Breakfast was wonderful. The innkeeper had lots of conversation about travel options and the recent flood. I later gave him some money to donate to the relief effort. I’ve rated this Inn 5 on Fodor’s and TA.

They recommended a restaurant called “A Common Man,” in Warren. It was good enough, I’d say average, but a real nice setting in an old barn type of building. It was raining and stormy as we drove back to the inn, and I recalled the prediction from the guy in Bath.

After breakfast, we went south on E Warren road to Warren, then south on 100 to Hancock. Our innkeeper told us to look for Moss Glenn Falls, which were very photogenic alongside the road. There was a lot of highway work going on in this area, where it seemed like every culvert had been blown out and needed replacement. We found the falls, and stopped and walked out on the boardwalks. But it was grey and raining. There were many places throughout the Green Mountains where controlled traffic was limited to 1 lane only.

The weather had turned grey again, and it rained on us off and on, until we got over to the other side of the divide. Right out of Hancock, we drove up the little road to Texas Falls, but the walkways and bridges were closed to the falls. Continuing west, there were many more signs of nature's fury.

Finally, at Middlebury, the weather was actually warm and sunny. We just drove around Middlebury for a while. The college area was particularly lovely. Color still in the trees. We looked for and found the Danforth Pewter Works. We bought a few things, and watched with interest as the artisans worked their craft.

The very nice saleslady told us to eat at “The Storm Café,” along the river. We found it easy enough, and walked across a pedestrian suspension bridge. We had a great lunch outdoors along the banks of the river. It was warm! The waitress said the river came up some, but did not flood the restaurant.

Leaving Middlebury, we soon found ourselves in Bristol, a really neat little town. In fact DW commented, “What a darling town.” They had 4 restaurants in the 3 block main street. Continuing east on 17, we returned to the Inn and began packing for our departure home the next day.

Our last dinner in Vermont was at Easy Street Bar and Grill, south Waitsfield. It was good enough. Plus the deserts were terrific.

The last day in Vermont, we drove the 1 hour or so to BTV, turned in our car, and checked in. (Note: At BTV, once you go through security, there's not much to eat.) Our first connection was IAD, and there were thunderstorms all along the east coast. So you can tell what happened. We left BTV late, but our connection was also late. But at LAX we missed our flight, barely making the last flight out. Luggage caught up to us the next day.

So that’s our trip. We saw a lot of stuff, starting in Canada, through Northern Vermont and New Hampshire. Lots of history. The Green Mountains, and the White Mountains. Caught the colors for what appeared to be their 4 or 5 days peak. Generally had a great time. Met some wonderful people, especially the people of Vermont, who have shown tremendous resilience in their struggle to recover from the recent storms. Our heart goes out to them.

TerrMys

What an excellent trip report. Very well-written and I'm happy that you were able to get off the beaten path now and then. A pleasure to read.

If you thought the fall colors were nice this year, I encourage you to return to New England in the fall another year. This was probably the worst foliage season I've ever seen; usually the colors are much more spectacular. But it sounds like you really enjoyed your trip nonetheless, and that's what matters!

BillJ

Thanks, TerrMys, yes we kind of knew that the colors weren't the best. Like I said, many of the trees where already shed of leaves without even coloring. Conversations with locals and other leaf peepers were the same story. Whether it was Irene, or lingering rain and grey skies, who knows. Well, it is what it is, and at least the weather broke for us and we got to see a lot of nice color, even if it wasn't "the best."
We did have fun.

tomarkot

Bill J, we posted a response to your nice report on the CANADA forum. We're glad you had fun on your trip, in spite of less then desirable weather! Thanks for the details you provided. We'll soon get around to posting our New Hampshire report segment.

BillJ

tomarkot. Will look for your NH post. We must have walked some of the same path in QC and about the same time. Will be interesting to see how we matched up on White Mountains.

Vttraveler

I enjoyed reading both this trip report and your posting in the Canada forum. I agree with you that Vermonters have shown "tremendous resilience" in the past two months in dealing with the damage caused by Irene. Everyone was worried that tourists would stay away during foliage season, and I am glad you had such a positive experience.

I don't live far from Cabot/Danville but have never visited the Greenbanks Hollow Bridge you mention, so I will have to do that.

BillJ

Vttraveler; Greenbanks Hollow was a very interesting place. There were several markers and a map showing the locations of all the houses and places of business. Most of the foundations are still there, though overgrown with plants, but still obvious.
It was a crossroads of sorts, and must have had quite a history. The covered bridge had been rebuilt in the 1800's if I recall. It seemed very peaceful there.

tomfuller

If there are still leaves on the trees you may be looking at some more damage today with the Nor'easter headed north from VA to ME. Some areas are expecting more than 8" of snow.
It will melt quickly but many small branches will come down.
I saw a shocked Weather Channel meteorologist in Harrisburg when he heard thunder in the snowstorm. He said it was the fourth time he ever heard it during a live shot.