US Route 5 is the original route following the Connecticut River, with Interstate 91 serving as the modern route.  It runs from the Canadian border crossing at Newport, in northeastern Vermont, south to New Haven, Connecticut.  It's never far from Interstate 91.  US Route 5 hugs the eastern edge of Vermont, as the state's eastern border of New Hampshire is defined by the aforementioned Connecticut River.  The only exception to this is north of St. Johnsbury, where the Connecticut River juts easterly, allowing northern Vermont to billow eastward into New Hampshire, like a storm cloud.  In western Massachusetts and central Connecticut, US Route 5 does exactly what you expect, following closely alongside Interstate 91 and the Connecticut River.  It passes through Springfield, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut.  It forms Connecticut's central backbone.  The southern end is an interchange in New Haven where it merges with Interstate 91's final stretch; just to the south of this exchange is the point where Interstate 91 ends at Interstate 95.

You really can't choose the weather that greets you, as you reach the photo opportunity you set out for.  This photo was taken in St. Johnsbury, on a rainy day of touring around Vermont.  US Route 5 has a short alternate alignment around the west side of downtown; it's so close to the main alignment that I'm not sure why it exists.  The photo, taken in October 2015, comes from where US Route 2 meets the alternate of US Route 5. The sign assembly depicted faces south.
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