Day 6: Connecticut to Vermont

I woke up hungry so had a slice of left over pizza; yummy!  It was time to get on the road for a day of driving.  I had a couple of places on the list to stop and check out so off we went.  Our first stop was to the Submarine Force Museum which is home to the historic ship USS Nautilus Sub SS571 in Groton, Connecticut.  NAUTILUS was the first nuclear powered ship and the first vessel to go to the North Pole.  As we pulled into the parking lot so did several fire trucks.  There was a band and a tent so obvious an event was being planned too.  We waited and all was clear but it would be at least a 45 minute wait to tour the submarine due to some government regulation about having to wait for the ventilation to clear so we walked around the outside, snapped a photo . . .

 . . . and left.  For years when we visit ships and subs, I have always wondered what the number means . . . SS571 . . . well, it means that the NAUTILUS was the 571st submarine built for the US Navy.  Who knew?  It is also about 319 feet long with is longer than a football field.  We loaded back in the car and continued on the road again.  Our next stop would probably be classified as one of those wacky off the beaten path stops.  The funny thing is no one on the trip really knew where we were going except for NYC so it has been fun . . . now if the role was reversed, I would probably be not so happy.  So where did we stop . . .

Now I am not a PEZ collector but when I saw this was close to where we would be driving today decided it would be a fun stop.  Someone complained . . . so you pay a few buck to walk around and see all the PEZ dispensers and play a Bingo Game . . .

. . . once you get a bingo you turn it in for a free PEZ.  There was a window that showed the factory floor that you could see what they were packaging for the day . . .

. . . remember Made in America!  They were packaging Halloween dispensers already!  It was a fun stop and the complainer even said, "wow, that really was fun!"  Like I am going to waste our time doing something boring.  This was our last planned stop for the day.  So we zipped through Connecticut and Massachusetts with our final destination being Vermont.  Now, let me just say that we all thought Vermont was beyond words beautiful and were ready to pack up and move there!  It was so green . . . hence the states nickname, The Green Mountain State . . . and beautiful and the weather was fabulous too.  We arrived in Burlington, Vermont and quickly set out to walk since we had been in the car all day long.  It was so nice to walk around the pedestrian zone and finally stopped for dinner at The Farmhouse Tap and Grill . . . locally used produce and meat and so yummy!  It was a long day so headed back to the hotel for a swim and relaxation all while planning tomorrow's driving and activities too.  Not a bad view to end the day . . .