September 20 - Resting in Vermont

        It has been three days since I wrote.  I am still upset about the dog incident but there is, was, nothing I could have done differently. I also wonder what would have happened between us if the dog had made it across the road. There is no way of knowing.

        Since that day we have had three days almost all off the road as we found some rail trails. The trails, for the most part, were not far from the road but they were off the road which was a real relief as being on the road is not pleasant and one has to watch continuously for drivers as they sometimes are not watching for walkers.

        One of the joys of being off road is being able to see more wild flowers. I will show some of the ones we have seen in the last three days.

Japanese Knotweed - Renouée japonaise - (Polygonum cuspidatum)

        This plant is very invasive and has taken over many stream banks and roadsides in the areas of Vermont that we have walked on so far.

Flat-topped Aster - Aster à ombelles - (Doellingeria umbellata)

        I only know of two or three sites where this grows in the Hamilton area but there are many, many growing along the trails here in Vermont.

Calico Aster - Aster latériflore - (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)

Goldenrod species - Verge d`or - (Solidago sp)

        Given the many goldenrod species, my lack of time and knowledge of species in Vermont, I am just calling this a "goldenrod" without going into the specific kind. There are many species of goldenrod here.

Gentian

        I don't have this gentian in my database from Ontario but I think it is a Closed Gentian. One person we met on the trail called it a "Bottle-cap Gentian." Whatever it is, it is fairly rare and a special find according to the person we met. That being said, I have seen at least four blooming plants in the last few days.

Silverrod - Verge d`or bicolore - (Solidago bicolor)

        This is one "goldenrod" that I am sure of as it is the only white Solidago or at least the only one I am aware of.

Pearly Everlasting - Anaphale perlée - (Anaphalis margaritacea)

Heart-leaved Aster - Aster à feuilles cordées - (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)

Heal-all - Prunelle vulgaire - (Prunella vulgaris)

        I have lots more photos of flowers but will stop for now. (Fleur-Ange and Pauline are waking up. I started this at 5:30 when I had the time to myself.)

       We decided yesterday after walking into New Hampshire that the roads were narrower and busier than they had been in Vermont and several people have told us that the Vermont side is quieter so I need to sit down and remap our journey today. One advantage of Vermont is that I have an off-line map that I can use and, given that  there is very little cell phone coverage in this area so Google maps are not available not to mention the ability to talk or text one another as we proceed down the roads, I would prefer to have better map coverage. The state road maps are good for main roads but the side roads either do not show or if they do they are not named and we need as much information as possible when moving at our pace. With the wi-fi that we have today and for the next two evenings, I will be able to use Google maps and screen-shots to take photos to also have more map information.