June 2022
We pride ourselves on finding unique things to do on vacation. With the balloon festival being a bit of a bust, we'd used up a lot of our "extra" sightseeing ideas. We did some research and figured we'd covered maple syrup and cheese, but Vermont has another big export besides Ben and Jerry's which is still closed for tours thanks to COVID. It's granite. So, we went to Rock of Ages where they quarry granite and turn it in headstones and a ton of other things. We saw their visitor's center, went to their quarry and then visited a local cemetery that shows off a ton of their amazing work. Usually, if I'm in a cemetery it's for genealogy reasons. This one was pretty amazing for the headstones alone. We then grabbed a maple creemee, the last item on our Vermont checklist, and hit the road toward home.
We visited Rock of Ages to learn about granite before heading home.
Massive piles of unused granite are along the side of the roads around Barre
This is the EL Smith quarry where massive pieces of granite are pulled from the earth.
The pools at the granite quarry are incredible shades of blue due to the minerals in them.
Massive derricks are used to lift and move the huge chunks of granite.
This is the EL Smith quarry where massive pieces of granite are pulled from the earth.
This is the EL Smith quarry where massive pieces of granite are pulled from the earth.
Another quarry in a neighboring county can be seen from the top of the EL Smith quarry.
The pools at the granite quarry are incredible shades of blue due to the minerals in them.
Quarry workers doing their thing.
A pano of the entire quarry
It's hard to fathom the scale of the quarry until you see the vehicles in it.
Some parts of the quarry look like something from an old museum photo.
You couldn't pay me enough money to climb that ladder!
Massive derricks are used to lift and move the huge chunks of granite.
So much granite has been pulled from this quarry and so much more remains.
This yellow rider box is is used to lift people in and out of the quarry.
It's hard to fathom the scale of the quarry until you see the vehicles in it.
This tool is used to split massive chunks of granite after holes are drilled into them.
This yellow rider box is is used to lift people in and out of the quarry.
Walking the grounds of the Rock of Ages visitor center and checking out some of their handiwork.
Granite bowling alleys never caught on because the granite lane breaks bowling balls.
You don't have to worry about this compass rose wearing away.
They make headstones in every shape imaginable, like this teddy bear.
Laser etching is a new form of headstone creation, though I still prefer the work of the master carvers.
After our visit to Rock of Ages, we went to check out more of their work at Hope Cemetery.
Simple and understated is clearly not what this family was going for.
These pyramids are 2 of the stranger headstones in the cemetery.
This granite chain is pretty amazing and shows off the strength of Barre granite.
This race car headstone stands out for sure.
I'm going to guess they were Italian.
Imagine the skill required to carve this scene
This plane was one of my favorite headstones
If these sculptings look like the people in the graves, then this is some amazingly talented work.
Canada is represented too.
I thought this one was very tasteful
This one brings new meaning to buried under a rock.
I feel like this family was given a catalog of clip art to choose from.
The detail on this one is really impressive.
You can't miss a giant soccer ball.
This jagged one sure stands out.
Footstones to match the jagged headstone.
This was one of my favorites. It's classy, yet it still stands out.
Gray Barre granite as far as the eye can see.
If your headstones require an instructions pedestal, you may have over-complicated them!
The carving work on this violin headstone is so detailed.
This one is unique and a just a little weird.
One of the creepier headstones
Sit down a have a rest at this headstone.
The last item on our Vermont checklist was a maple creemee. We got one and it was so good.
The last item on our Vermont checklist was a maple creemee. We got one and it was so good.
And yes, we brought home some maple syrup and Vermont cheddar cheese. You have to!