Manchester, Vermont - July 24, 2008
It's technically not a toll road to heaven... but many drivers will tell you it can't be far away.
"You get that spiritual holiness of like, wow, this is God's country," says Maureen Maroney of the Mount Equinox Skyline Drive.
The 5.2 mile-long Skyline Drive twists and winds it's way to the top of Mount Equinox. While the views are heavenly, this drive is pure hell for some cars.
"I smelled the transmission coming. I hope going down I don't burn my brakes out," worried Pat Loftus, who was visiting from New Jersey.
The road climbs more than 2,000 feet in a matter of minutes.
The Skyline Drive is owned by a group of Carthusian monks who live in a secluded monastery below the road. The monks inherited the 7,000 acre property in 1971 from a man named Joseph Davidson who willed the property to the monks under the condition they take care of his wife, Madeline. 18 monks now live here, six miles from the nearest property.
"They all have their own hermitages or cells, however you want to put it, and they each have their own woodstove," explains Maroney.
And while the monks are very rarely seen outside of the monastery, they do take a hike to the top of the mountain every Monday.
"When you do see them walking, they walk like shepherds and they have a stick and actually walk with a stick just like shepherds would walk," says Maroney.
The toll road also provides access to this mountain, which was once home to several wind turbine projects. Dr. Davidson-- the previous owner-- was a conservationist and he also built two lakes on the property for hydro-electric projects.
"Lake Madeline is a 35 acre lake that Dr. Davidson built, named it after his wife, Madeline Davidson," says Fred Harvey of Mount Equinox Skyline Drive.
But the highlight of this drive is, of course, the summit-- 3,848 feet above it all.
"The view is gorgeous, like being in the Alps," said Fulvio Colzada, a visitor from Milan, Italy.
The historic Skyline Inn sits atop the mountain. Built in the 1950s, the inn once served as a haven for those who wanted to prolong their return to society.
"We've had them fly in in helicopters and everything and get married right here in the parking lot and stay the honeymoon in the inn," says Harvey.
The inn closed just a few years ago due to the challenges of keeping it open.
But the views remain-- attracting visitors from around the country... visitors looking for a slice of heaven-- right here in Vermont.
"It's peaceful. It's tranquil. It's Vermont, and that's what I really love," said Tom Avenia of West Wardsboro.
Click here for more information on the road, including toll prices and directions on how to get there.
Keagan Harsha - WCAX News
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