The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-10-29
For the Register.
Kecne Valley In Autumn.

street at | IA miles south from Adav =,
Ferry. The ferry is we'll estahlv ,a5
but has the usual fault Of CO.. I "
crossings In Addison County 81 ;nado.
quate facilities in entering and ,eav;ng
the boat. A proper str ,ct~ro ns ,;n,s
bers or planks access ,le IN teoms and
declining into the water. of sufficient
extent 10 oe Jnveniently reached by
the stecrsma'. with his boat, ought to
be reqmred and provided, aud avoid
awkaro' less of access and the inconven-
renee of unhitching teams, needless IN
general with we'll broke horses. The
Ferry Is 2 1-2 miles to Barber's point,
the same distance to Weeds hotel IN
Westport, in all from Middlebury, say
"a miles. Weeds hotel is we'll pro-
vided and kept, and very well placed,
ample grounds declining toward north
west bay, on which Westport is seated,
giving the Vermont view beyond the
water of champaign country and an
horizon line of the Green Mountains
of seventy miles, Camels Hump, LIN
coin, Bread Loaf and points In Rutland
County are quite distinct. In the night
with moonlight, the upper parlor win
dow view, and the sun rise, when an
ovcr-sprcading cloud from the west
has left but space enough for DIR.
Franklin's chief of celestial wonders,
are better worth observing there than
the annual pictorial display ofthc woods
OF which we think so much.
An excellent road of nine miles to
tho west reaches Elizabcthtown, which
is the diamond key-plate to the Adiron-
dacs, not always requiring oven n
trifling silver key. A very gradual as
cent reaches the pass overlooking the
village at Raven hill, six miles. The
village on the little river Boquet is five
hundred feet above tide, has two large
summer hotels, the county buildings,
good village hotel, population of 800
and in neatness within and graceful
beauty OF scenery around it is quite
unique in its attractions. Something
of rain attended the next eleven miles
of a ruder district to the entrance of
Keene valley, the road reaching this
from the height between Hurricane on
the right and opposite mountain swells,
of ITO feet, about that of Ripton Hol-
low; Hurricane Peak is 1868 feet above
tide, always in sight at Middlebury;
the venerable Pitch-off beyond it pro-
badly obscured. Turning south upon
the famous Kecnc flats you have an in
tervale district half mile or more
wide on the Ausablc, young but quiz
ct river, five miles, with narrower
table lands rising along it against an I'M
broken mountain ridge enclosing it,
high, but beyond which from near its
entrance, higher Adirondac peaks are
visible. Around this border the forest
concentration of autumn colOrs, embel-
| fishing every wood, has its pride of
place. Upon the easy road, boarding
houses not reaching the dignity OF no.
tells are scattered sparsely for five
miles; new ones are being finished, but
there is little which is startling in the way
of improvement. The Tahawas house,
picturesque private cottage on
rocky knoll and the oldest frame farm
house of the district claim distinction.
Summer rather than late autumn is the
time for Keene Valley. Enthusiasts
| should come in with the bob links and
linger in this charming cW de sac, till
the delights of Rasselas in his happy
valley have cooled down to the wisdom
of his philosopher, and the stated visit
or begin to think of sea food again. A
small new church, small store and
post office, appear near the Tahawas
house, but that is closed. Here by
Johns brook we take leave of those tall
eavesdroppers Dix, Skylight and Marcy,
which look into peoples second story
windows, or over their camp blankets,
as they say here, and hasten on for din
ner at Beede's. who, six miles. in, 240
feet above the flats, has the head of the
valley to himself, including Hopkins
Peak, Giant of the Valley and Noon
Mark, reckless of the season and
of the inscrutable Ausable pass OPEN
ing into the higher world beyond.
We find good table here, regular
summer hotel, two boardcrs remaining,
one an artist; and outside an open field,
with the mountains around shaping
themselves abut us. The three named
seen from Middlebury in depression of
Snake mountain, make single trident
combination. The Giant, broad,
rather than high, is yet a little
higher than Mansfield mountain
or 1910 feet. 1t fills the south east por-
ton of the border of Keene valley; the
Noon Mark, an obelisk figure, its
south extreme, but no break occurs ex-
cept as over a close forest, between the
sharp outlines of Colvin and Rasagon-
ia, the sky appears losing itself like a
curtain behind them.
Professor Brainerd gives the air limo
distance of the Giant from Chipman
Hill as 30 miles. Beede's elevation above
tide is 1860 feet. A view through the
valley to the north from an open emf
nence near, was taken in the morning
1t confirmed the first days impressions
and indicated the route beyond Keene
center, miles, we were to follow. The
| road west from Kcene, rising by the
Edmunds ponds, thousand feet in six
miles reaches North Elba in 12|
miles, and Saranac Lake i'm %.
From North Elba by Lake Placid,
Whiteface and Wilmington notch by
the west branch of the Ausable to
Ausable Forks is % miles; from
Kcene by upper and lower Jay by
the east branch to the Ausable Forks
is 10 miles, strictly river road of easy
grade but heavily travelled in the iron
traffic. The Forks village is a busy
place, and beyond a broader stream
and richer country leads the way by
the Ausable Station and Clintonviile to
Keesville, II miles, an eminently en-
terprising and prosperous village OF
5000 inhabitants. In all the line of
this Ausable route, mountains, iny mas
ses or single, are distributed, pictur-
csque in themselves, noticeable in the
landscape at distance, but never in |
truding upon the road. The higher
Adirondacs may be seen at the south |
by looking for them, but the nearest,
Whiteface, invisible at Jay, was first
seen unexpectedly at Keesville. At
this place on the morning of the fourth |
day, tho question of Ausable chasm
two miles north, set against that of a |
single days drive, So miles, home, set |
tied itself easily out of sight in that
wonderful gorge till another opportuni- J
ty. The Elizabethtown road passes |
by the Poke-o-moonshine mountain
group, whore is said to be rock chasm |
for the road, known In forest times as
a pocket of moonlight. Leaving this
group and the ponds beside it we pass
easterly in an open country by the |
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