Bennington Battle Monument

It’s been almost three years since I first visited the Bennington Battle Monument, but when I saw it from the highway, I knew I had to see it.

I can’t remember where I had left or where I was going, but it was just one of those serendipities that happens with thousands of miles logged on this nation’s highways. This could possibly be on your way between Burlington, VT; Manchester, MA; or Boston, MA and Albany, NY. Per Wikipedia, the monument is a 301-306 ft. obelisk commemorating the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War where two detachments of British soldiers were defeated while trying to capture a store of weapons and food.

What I do remember is that I was on some backcountry highway with rolling hills and the Fall foliage was showing its brilliance. I looked out the car window and saw the top of the monument poking out above the treetops and as soon as I passed the road sign directing me to the exit, I pulled off onto the surface roads.

Neither my presenter or I were disappointed by the 10 minutes it took to drive there and the 20 minutes it took for us to take some pictures, look around, and get back in the car. What a good detour on an otherwise normal drive between seminar cities.

[ Wikipedia article ]  [ VT official site ]

Running in Boston

No, not the marathon!

If you're at the Hilton Garden Inn in Waltham, MA and have the urge to get some exercise during the daylight hours, look for Prospect Hill Park [ link ].

250 acres of woodlands, walking paths, and camp sites can give you that breath of fresh air you need after a long day outside the seminar room. There are paved roads up to the top of the hill, too, for those muddy days up north.

Lookout onto the city of Boston from atop Prospect Hill

The top of an old communications tower at the top of the hill