Ready to Explore

I have lived in this beautiful state of Vermont for the better part of nearly 40 years, but it took seeing it through the eyes of someone else to really want to get out and see what has been in front of me all these years.

Over the past few weeks, I have decided to tackle a couple of things I'd pondered doing over the last several years, but also discovered something new to add to my list (I'm sure I'll find many more on my way).

The first is known as the 251 Club.  The 251 Club is an informal group that encourages people to visit each of Vermont's 251 towns in a fun way.  For $10 with an additional $10 a year or $45 for 5 years, you the following:

• Complimentary membership for everyone in the subscriber's household.
• A Personal Profile Page on the club web site to track progress with an interactive map, organize travel notes and post photographs.
• A Public Page Link to send personal profile information to others who may be interested.
• Access to Member Resources, information and archival material stored on the club website and available only to members.
• A subscription to three annual issues (Winter, Spring-Summer, and Fall) of The Wayfarer club newsletter
• An invitation to become acquainted with fellow members at an annual fall luncheon

They also sell 251 Club items, such as a ball cap, stickers, and lapel pins, but the most exciting, at least to me, was this travel journal.  The description from the website says:

VERMONT TRAVEL JOURNAL

The 6" x 9" journal is the perfect traveling companion, deliberately sized to fit in most glove compartments, purses, backpacks, briefcases, and totes. Its durable cover has a smooth matte finish and the spiral binding allows the book to lay flat for ease of use.

All of Vermont's 255 civic/geographic entities or "places" - 237 towns, 9 cities, 5 unorganized towns, 3 gores, and 1 grant - are listed alphabetically, along with their charter, grant or ptent date, on lightly-lined writing pages.

The adventurous traveler is encouraged to record a favorite memory from each of these places, or to simply validate their visit in the allotted space to create a unique, treasured keepsake.

A map of Vermont county and town boundaries is also included, as well as a useful list of Vermont Travel Resources - maps, books, and websites - an all in one reference and notebook.

The journal's 160 pages are printed on classic, cream colored, acid-free, archival paper that will preserve travel memories for years to come. Vintage Vermont postcards from another century provide the design element for the covers and complimentary interior pages.

We might end up getting one to check it out, but I want to make sure our plans stick before we make an investment in this project.  I'm notorious for starting things and then forgetting about them after a short period of time.

The second adventure I plan to tackle this year is FINALLY completing the Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge.  This challenge provides a PDF score sheet containing several pages worth of outdoor family activities, each assigned with a number of points.  Once you complete 250 points and meet the criteria of each category, you mail in your score sheets (one per family member) and upload your pictures from your adventures.  You will then be sent a coin that allows FREE Vermont State Park admission for the rest of the current year, in addition to the entirety of next year!

The third adventure I discovered while poking around for things to do during Vermont Days, this past weekend, which allowed for free entrance to all Vermont State Parks and Historical Sites.  This happens the second weekend in June each year, so if you missed it, keep an eye out for information next year.  The Vermont History Trek is similar to the Venture Outdoor Challenge, in that they provide a score card with suggested activities, rated with points for each.  When you net 150 or more points, you mail in your card and photos/videos, and get a Vermont History Trek ball cap, which will get you and your family admittance into State Historic Sites for FREE the remainder of 2018, as well as 2019.

As for this past Vermont Weekend, we went to Lake Elmore on Saturday and rented Kayaks, and then took to Boulder Beach on Sunday to play in the sand and water. 

I hope you'll comment below if you visited a Vermont State Park or Historic Site this weekend, and tell us where you went, what you did, and how you liked it!  Also, let me know if you've started the 251 club, Venture Challenge, or Vermont History Trek!  I'd love to hear about your experiences.  Ours will hopefully be logged here as well.