Mt. Equinox Skyline Drive

Skyline Drive - which leads to the top of Mt. Equinox near Manchester, Vermont - is one of the numerous scenic drives within the Green Mountain State. The 5.2 mile privately owned toll road is like a mini-Blue Ridge Parkway offering amazing vistas of the Taconic, Green, White, Adirondack and Berkshire mountain ranges. Extremely popular in the Fall and a break from the heat in the Summer, this road is a well-visited tourist attraction.

The highway dates back to the 1940s when it was built and developed by Joseph George Davidson - the former President and Chairman of Union Carbide. Davidson purchased over 7,000 acres of land in the late 30s that included Equinox Mountain. He began to build and develop the road just prior to World War II. After the end of the war, he re-started construction of the road and it opened in 1948. Davidson would consider building a ski resort and other items on the mountain before forging a relationship with the Carthusian Order of the Roman Catholic Church. The Carthusian Order is an enclosed monastic. The relationship with the Carthusian Monks started over discussion over generating electric power. Over time, the monks developed a relationship where they moved onto the property and Davidson began donating annually to the order 50 acres of land. Upon his death in October 1969, Davidson turned over management of the entire property to the Carthusians who have held the property ever since.

At a peak of 3,848 feet, Mt. Equinox - or Equinox Mountain - is the highest point in the Taconic Range. The toll road begins at Historic Vermont Route 7A south of Manchester. The main visitor center serves as the toll booth. The 5.2 mile road consists of a nearly 3,000 ft elevation gain. The toll is pricey - it is $15 per vehicle and $5 for each additional passenger. The high toll helps support the Carthusian Order and to pay for the construction of the Saint Bruno Scenic Viewing Center at the top of the mountain. The viewing center opened in 2012 (My photos are from 2005 well before any construction started) and details the history of the mountain and of the Carthusian Monastery and mission. The toll highway typically opens over Memorial Day weekend and remains open until Fall.

Sources & Links:

Skyline Drive ---Equinoxmountain.com
Five Scenic New England Mountains to Drive ---Kim Knox Beckius

Comments

Hidden California State Route 710 and the Pasadena Gap in the Long Beach Freeway

Infamous and the subject of much controversy the Pasadena Gap in the Long Beach Freeway has long existed as a contentious topic regarding the completion of Interstate 710 and California State Route 710. While the Pasadena Gap of the Long Beach Freeway effectively has been legislatively blocked the action only came after decades of controversy. While the Pasadena Gap of the Long Beach Freeway is fairly well known what many don't know is that a small segment was actually constructed south Interstate 210 and the Foothill Freeway. This disconnected segment of the Long Beach Freeway exists as the unsigned and largely hidden California State Route 710. On June 29, 2022 the California Transportation Commission relinquished California State Route 710 to the city of Pasadena. The blog cover above depicts a southward view on the completed Pasadena stub segment of the Long Beach Freeway which ends at California Boulevard. Part 1; the history of the Pasadena Gap of the Long Beach Freewa

Deer Isle Bridge in Maine

As graceful a bridge that I ever set my eyes upon, the Deer Isle Bridge (officially known as the Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge) surprisingly caught my eye as I was driving around coastal Maine one Saturday afternoon. About 35 miles south of Bangor, Maine , the Deer Isle Bridge connects the Blue Hill Peninsula of Downeast Maine with Little Deer Isle over the Eggemoggin Reach on ME 15 between the towns of Sedgwick and Deer Isle . It should be noted that Little Deer Isle is connected to Deer Isle by way of a boulder lined causeway, and there is a storied regatta that takes place on the Eggemoggin Reach each summer. But the Deer Isle Bridge holds many stories, not just for the vacationers who spend part of their summer on Deer Isle or in nearby Stonington , but for the residents throughout the years and the folks who have had a hand bringing this vital link to life. The Deer Isle Bridge was designed by David Steinman and built by the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville,

Paper Highways: Proposed US Route 66 Alternate to Las Vegas, Nevada

During February 1956 the State of Nevada in concurrence with the States of California and Arizona submitted a request to the American Association of State Highway Officials to establish US Route 66 Alternate to Las Vegas. The proposed US Route 66 Alternate would have originated from mainline US Route 66 in Kingman Arizona and followed a multiplex of US Routes 93-466 to Las Vegas, Nevada. From Las Vegas, Nevada the proposed US Route 66 Alternate would have multiplexed US Routes 91-466 back to mainline US Route 66 in Barstow, California. The request to establish US Route 66 Alternate was denied during June 1956 due to it being completely multiplexed with other US Routes. This blog will examine the timeline of the US Route 66 Alternate proposal to Las Vegas, Nevada. The history of the proposed US Route 66 Alternate to Las Vegas, Nevada On February 15, 1956, the Nevada State Highway Engineer in a letter to the American Association of State Highways Officials (AASHO) advising that six c

Gribblenation

Search This Blog