Border Music

On the second day of exploring more remote parts of the Northeast Kingdom. We drove to the small town of Island Pond (otherwise known as Brighton). About 15 minutes from the Canadian border, this was once a major railroad town, with thirteen sets of tracks passing through back in the late 19th/early 20th century. The only stop between Montreal and Portland, it was a logging town as well as a railroad town. After the great depression, the population shrank dramatically, and the place looks oversized and emptier now.

A very long covered pedestrian footbridge used to cover the thirteen tracks, now just two, and you can see Island Pond itself from the top of the bridge.

The town is now a minor destination for boaters, as well as fisherman, hunters and mountain bikers. It was pretty sleepy around there, and I imagined more tourists coming in from Canada in the summer (more on that soon).

Most of the stores were closed on a Sunday, but we found some restaurants, and had a good lunch at the Essex House, and then took a little drive further North. Entering the town of Norton, we noticed a sign that indicated we had passed the 45th Parallel, which is halfway between the North Pole and the Equator. Shortly after that, we saw a sign directing us to opposite parts of the US coast.

What I didn't see was any sign indicating that an International Border crossing was just up ahead. What otherwise looks like a former gas station is actually the US Customs building, which I drove partially past, before seeing the much larger Canadian checkpoint further up the road. Turns out the old building is on the National Register of Historic Places, and a young gentleman with an official looking uniform was shouting to get my attention. Due to the Coronavirus, the border is still closed, although some restrictions are slowly being lifted. However, casual trips across the border are not part of the reopening plan at this moment, which would explain why we saw no Canadian tourists in Vermont.

I immediately turned my car around, and headed back onto the State Highway, and in my haste headed toward Maine, and not Florida. It didn't take long before I realized this error, because now I was headed towards New Hampshire, with the Canadian border still very close by, and our cottage even further to the south of us.