Day 54: Ready, Aim...

If we chose to live anywhere besides Colorado based on sheer beauty, Vermont would get our vote, at least thus far in the trip. It's simply gorgeous here...mountains, granite outcrops, lush trees, river gorges. On our northerly drive along the eastern side of the state today, we saw many "Moose Crossing" signs; I wanted to catch a photo of one, but I was so distracted by the beauty along the drive that the bright yellow signs snuck up on me...I missed every single opportunity.

Our original plan for today's drive was to cut across the lower portion of Vermont, heading northeast out of our campground in New York. But due to road conditions, we opted for a longer route that kept us on the main interstate system...much easier driving when towing a 13,000-pound trailer, which is nearly 13 feet tall. Aero-dynamic we're not! Anyway, we made the most of our circuitous route, which took us through Springfield, Mass., by grabbing yet another national park site. This one, the Springfield Armory, was unlike anything we'd seen before. It's the factory grounds authorized by General Washington during the Revolutionary War in order to supply the army with weapons. It played a significant role in the Civil War, too. Its operations didn't cease until 1968, at which time all weapons manufacturing was contracted to private suppliers.

Many innovations in weaponry, as well as in assembly-line manufacture, were developed at the Armory. In its early years, it produced 13,000 muskets per year, most of which were made entirely by hand. As machine inventions were implemented, production numbers rose exponentially. By 1861, it was turning out 100,000 per year; that number had doubled by the end of 1862. Such leaps were made possible by the use of duplicating machines; the first such mechanism, a lathe that essentially cut a gun stock from raw wood using a steel template, is on display. It was powered by the Connecticut River, which ran below the factory, operating gears and belts connected to water wheels at the river level. Such ingenuity.

And just to touch on the humorous differences between boys and girls...we walked into the building alongside a boy and his family. (He appeared to be about Kelsey's age, 9.) His immediate comment was, "Ooohhh, I just LOVE the smell of gun oil!" And the first words from our girls? "Oh, look! We get to dress up in a ranger uniform!"

One of the very first duplicating machines

 The Organ...stacked rifles

The main building of the armory...one of many impressive structures, most of which are now used as a college campus