Today's breakfast was the Green Mountain Omelet. This thing was huge and filled with apples, sausage and Cabot cheddar. It was good, but I could not eat it all. The lady said it was 3 eggs and they must be huge eggs. I had plenty of time to take the scenic routes back to Burlington as my plane didn't leave until 5:30. I drove up through Smuggler's Notch again and continued along route 108. I then followed the 15 to the 104 to the 104A to I-89. These country roads were all 2 lane and the speed limit was no higher than 50. Lots a beautiful views of the farmland and mountains. The trees must have been so beautiful the week before. Once I got back to the interstate, I decided to take Hwy 2 across Lake Champlain onto Grand Isle. It was really windy and cold out so I did a lot of hopping in and out of the car to take pictures. Ferries cross Lake Champlain to New York. There is one that leaves from the island and it runs all year round. I believe it is a 12 minute crossing. You can also continuing driving north on the 2 and enter NY way up at the top before you cross into Canada. I did not bring my passport so I did not drive all the way up. The lake offers lots of nice scenery with the Adirondacks to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. There is even a lake monster, Champ, that has been sighted numerous times. Unfortunately, I did not see him!
I headed back to I-89 and south two exits to Burlington. There is another ferry that runs out of Burlington, but it closed on the 10th so I was not able to take it. It must be for tourists and I guess the tourist season is over. I drove down to the waterfront through the University of Vermont campus and the downtown area of Burlington. There was free parking along the waterfront and a nice boardwalk and bike path. I found a place with lower priced cheeseburgers and some pretty good fries. I wanted to walk on the boardwalk for a bit, but it was dripping and cold so I went to the aquarium. It seemed like a great place for kids. There was a touch pool and lots of interactive displays about the lake and the surrounding area.
I got bored with that and decided to just head for the airport. The exit I had used to get to the waterfront was supposed to be the exit for the airport, but there were no signs anywhere directing you. I ended up stopping in a grocery store to get directions. It was in completely the opposite direction I was going, but in the end, I found it. The Burlington airport has free Wi-fi and there was no line at the check-in counter or security! Now if only O'Hare could add free wireless and figure out how to move people along faster! Now I have a 2 hour wait until my plane leaves and then a 2 hour layover at JFK before I will finally arrive in O'Hare at 11!
This Vermont trip was great. I was able to relax, see lots of beautiful scenery and eat lots of delicious food. If I come again, I will make it a week earlier, pay the higher hotel price and get to see more foliage. I would recommend Stowe as a destination as it has easy access to much of northern Vermont, has lots of little shops and places to eat and is just quite charming. If you enjoy outdoor activities, there are lots of those options for all seasons. The people were all friendly and it was very easy to find your way around, other than getting back to the airport! I would love to come again!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The hills might be alive
Today was going to be a hiking day. This was important because I started off the day with a crepe that was probably way too fattening and sweet to be a breakfast, but it was. It had caramelized peaches with mascarpone cheese and raspberry syrup. Oh my!
It looked to be a rain free day so I set off for the Smugglers Notch State Park. There was a hiking path to a pond that I wanted to take that was supposed to be about 2 hours. The road through Smugglers Notch is only open part of the year and I could see why! Once you get past the gondola area, the road becomes very windy, narrow and lined with giant boulders. It was one of those roads that I don't like to drive on, but I will be doing it again tomorrow when I head back to Burlington. Anyway, the drive was very beautiful and probably was even more so a week ago when the leaves were all on the trees. I pulled over at one parking lot along the route, but there weren't any signs that it was the main parking lot so I kept going. Well eventually I ended up down on the other side and decided I had to turn around and go back. Turns out the parking area I had stopped at was the main parking. There were those little information sign places, but no signs in them. And no rangers to direct you. I saw other people heading up a steep rocky path, which must have been the way to the pond, but I am not comfortable hiking on paths that aren't well marked so I skipped it. Maybe the signs are only up during the main season. In any case, I headed back the way I came. Parked in Stowe and wandered around a little, but shopping wasn't something I was interested in and it kept drizzling. I did take some time to wander through the town cemetery where the first burial was from the 1780s.
I ended up heading out of town to the Trapp Family Lodge. Yes, those Trapps of Sound of Music fame. The movie is really very far from being accurate. All the names of the children were changed, the story of how Maria ended up with the family is different and lots of other things. But, the family seems to take it all in stride as they have weekly showings of the movie at the lodge. Apparently they ended up settling in Stowe because it reminded them of Salzburg. I could see why when I drove past the front of the lodge. It looks out over a valley towards the mountains. These are not nearly as tall as the Alps, but are a good substitute if you can't go home due to Nazi's! The nice thing about the Trapp Lodge is the abundance of hiking trails. Visitors can purchase a $10 day pass and have access to all the grounds and trails. If you aren't a guest or do not have a pass you can only enter the Lodge and eat at the restaurants. There are several gardens and the family cemetery. They have a brewery, make maple syrup and have cows. I first got lunch at the cafe. Several sandwich choices, some quiches, soups and meats and cheeses. I ate outside as all the inside tables were full and I was the only one. I guess it was too cold!
After lunch I finally got my hiking in. One path leads to a chapel. This path was mostly uphill and through the trees. I was the only one at the chapel and it was so peaceful. Then some kids arrived, rang the bell and played hide and seek. Not so quiet anymore! I then took a walk along Sugar Road to the Picnic Knoll and then back along the Russel Knoll track. The Picnic Knoll was the perfect place to run up a hill and twirl around. Luckily there were no other people there! Got my shoes wet and was all warmed up by the time I got back to the car. I started the journey with two sweaters, a coat and gloves. Ended up with just the one sweater. It was very quiet on the paths and they were well marked and a bit muddy from all the rain. I would highly recommend the Trapp Family Lodge as a place to hike if you aren't an adventurous person since you can't really get lost. They also have skiing and snowmobiling in the winter and mountain bike trails. I think it was well worth the $10 fee.
By the time I was done walking around I was pretty tired. So I just headed back to my room to sit down. I went to Piecasso again for dinner, but got a slice and a salad to go.
It looked to be a rain free day so I set off for the Smugglers Notch State Park. There was a hiking path to a pond that I wanted to take that was supposed to be about 2 hours. The road through Smugglers Notch is only open part of the year and I could see why! Once you get past the gondola area, the road becomes very windy, narrow and lined with giant boulders. It was one of those roads that I don't like to drive on, but I will be doing it again tomorrow when I head back to Burlington. Anyway, the drive was very beautiful and probably was even more so a week ago when the leaves were all on the trees. I pulled over at one parking lot along the route, but there weren't any signs that it was the main parking lot so I kept going. Well eventually I ended up down on the other side and decided I had to turn around and go back. Turns out the parking area I had stopped at was the main parking. There were those little information sign places, but no signs in them. And no rangers to direct you. I saw other people heading up a steep rocky path, which must have been the way to the pond, but I am not comfortable hiking on paths that aren't well marked so I skipped it. Maybe the signs are only up during the main season. In any case, I headed back the way I came. Parked in Stowe and wandered around a little, but shopping wasn't something I was interested in and it kept drizzling. I did take some time to wander through the town cemetery where the first burial was from the 1780s.
I ended up heading out of town to the Trapp Family Lodge. Yes, those Trapps of Sound of Music fame. The movie is really very far from being accurate. All the names of the children were changed, the story of how Maria ended up with the family is different and lots of other things. But, the family seems to take it all in stride as they have weekly showings of the movie at the lodge. Apparently they ended up settling in Stowe because it reminded them of Salzburg. I could see why when I drove past the front of the lodge. It looks out over a valley towards the mountains. These are not nearly as tall as the Alps, but are a good substitute if you can't go home due to Nazi's! The nice thing about the Trapp Lodge is the abundance of hiking trails. Visitors can purchase a $10 day pass and have access to all the grounds and trails. If you aren't a guest or do not have a pass you can only enter the Lodge and eat at the restaurants. There are several gardens and the family cemetery. They have a brewery, make maple syrup and have cows. I first got lunch at the cafe. Several sandwich choices, some quiches, soups and meats and cheeses. I ate outside as all the inside tables were full and I was the only one. I guess it was too cold!
After lunch I finally got my hiking in. One path leads to a chapel. This path was mostly uphill and through the trees. I was the only one at the chapel and it was so peaceful. Then some kids arrived, rang the bell and played hide and seek. Not so quiet anymore! I then took a walk along Sugar Road to the Picnic Knoll and then back along the Russel Knoll track. The Picnic Knoll was the perfect place to run up a hill and twirl around. Luckily there were no other people there! Got my shoes wet and was all warmed up by the time I got back to the car. I started the journey with two sweaters, a coat and gloves. Ended up with just the one sweater. It was very quiet on the paths and they were well marked and a bit muddy from all the rain. I would highly recommend the Trapp Family Lodge as a place to hike if you aren't an adventurous person since you can't really get lost. They also have skiing and snowmobiling in the winter and mountain bike trails. I think it was well worth the $10 fee.
By the time I was done walking around I was pretty tired. So I just headed back to my room to sit down. I went to Piecasso again for dinner, but got a slice and a salad to go.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Cider, Ice Cream and Cheese Oh My!
Today seemed to be about food. I woke up all refreshed from a long sleep in a comfy bed. For breakfast, I decided to have the Eggs Benedict. The homemade hollandaise sauce was delicious. The breakfast filled me up and I did not think I would need lunch.
It was pouring rain when I went to sleep and the sun finally came out just as I was leaving the breakfast room. I was going to spend the day touring the various food places and driving farther east and then north to get back. I stopped at the visitor center in town and the lady there suggested that today might be the better of the two days as there was only a 50% chance of rain and Sunday was a 60% chance. So, with the sun shining on the mountains, I decided to head for Mt. Mansfield. Mt. Mansfield is the tallest point in Vermont at 4,393 feet, which is not quite a mountain to those of us who have seen the Rockies, but it's called one here. There are several ways to get most of the way to the top. You can hike, take the toll road or take the gondola ride. Well, I don't hike up mountains and the toll road costs $26 and is a dirt road with tight turns and steep pitches. I don't do that either. So, I decided to take the gondola ride even though I'm not fond of those either. This one seemed to go on forever and it got windier as you got farther up. But it was worth it because the views from the top were pretty nice. It was pretty windy and pretty cold up at the top. I was glad I had my gloves and my sweatshirt on. Pretty soon, the clouds moved in and it started raining so I headed back down. The ride down had a lot more swaying and was less pleasant than the ride up. I was glad I had arrived right when they opened, got to the top before the rain and was able to avoid the crowds that were arriving as I was leaving.
I decided that it would be a food sampling day after all since the drizzly weather had moved in. First stop was the Cold Hollow Cider Mill. The parking lot was full so you knew this place was going to be great. You can watch them pressing cider and have a sample all for free. The store was filled with local jellies, mustards, various pancake mixes and of course maple syrup products. They also had various products open for sampling. For my "lunch" I got a fresh cider doughnut and bottle of apple cider.
Next I stopped at the Ben & Jerry's factory for their tour. This one was 30 minutes and had a huge fee of $3. I got a Cran-Pineapple smoothie as the rest of my lunch while I waited for my tour to start. First you watch a short video about how the company got started and then walk along a hallway to view the production room. They don't make any ice cream on the weekends so I wasn't able to see everything in motion. The last stop is the sampling room. Today's sample was Triple Caramel Chunk and it was delicious. You get a pretty large scoop for it being a sample. Outside they have a flavor graveyard with the headstones of some of their "dead" flavors. The tour guide said there are 7-10 new flavors every year and that means 7-10 other flavors go away. I have never really eaten Ben & Jerry's ice cream before since it's the fancy expensive kind so this way I got to have some without paying a lot of money.
My last food destination of the day was the Cabot Creamery. It was about an hour drive from Stowe to Cabot. Along the way I passed through Montpelier, which is the capital of Vermont. Montpelier is the smallest capital city in the US and the House and Senate chambers are the oldest legislative chambers in their original condition anywhere in the US. I stopped for a tour, which was free, of the capitol building. It was very interesting to learn about the building, which is the third version of the state house and was built in 1859. Everything in the building is original, from the light fixtures to the furniture. Modifications have been made for electricity and technology, but the carpeting and drapes are either original or replicated to look original. The tour guide said this was odd for everything to remain, especially with the modernism that happened in the '50s, but Vermonters are frugal and that's why they never replaced anything! The legislators are in session from January through May and are not considered full-time. Only the governor and lieutenant governor work all year. The legislators have other jobs and are only paid a small amount for this job I guess. Another interesting thing was the chair in the governor's chamber. It was made out of wood from the U.S.S. Constitution, better known as Old Ironsides. This is the only piece of furniture that you aren't allowed to climb all over! It's only used for ceremonial pictures of the governor. I was very glad I stopped and got to explore the building.
After another half hour later and I was finally at the Cabot Creamery. I love cheese and this place was wonderful! Cabot is mostly famous for their cheddar, but they make all kinds of dairy products from cheese to butter to sour cream to yogurt. They even do Greek yogurt and apparently quite well because they produce a lot of it for a pretty reasonable price. There is a tour here as well for an even better fee than Ben & Jerry's at $2. This tour also starts with a video about the Cabot farming co-op and how the milk from the cows is turned into cheese. After the video, a nice young man took us into the factory. The Cabot plant makes the yogurts, dips, sour creams and flavored cheddars. They don't usually make just plain cheese. There is another plant that does just butter and another that does just cheddar. Lucky for me, they were making stuff and we were able to see them making Pepperjack cheese and yogurt. It was pretty cool. And of course there were samples at the end. All kinds of their products were out to taste. Dips, spreads and lots of different cheeses. I think my favorite was the Seriously Sharp!
I was going to drive back to Stowe via a northerly route, but it was already 4:00 when I was done eating cheese and I did not want to be driving in the dark and run into a moose on the road! So I headed back the way I came and got dinner at The Shed. This restaurant is just up the road from my hotel and is apparently closing on Monday. I shockingly ordered the fish n chips and it was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the stuff Renee and I had in Kaikoura. Nothing will top that! But the fries were really good and I was served quickly even with all the large groups that were there. It is raining again, but I hope it will be clear again in the morning so I can do some walking.
 |
It was pouring rain when I went to sleep and the sun finally came out just as I was leaving the breakfast room. I was going to spend the day touring the various food places and driving farther east and then north to get back. I stopped at the visitor center in town and the lady there suggested that today might be the better of the two days as there was only a 50% chance of rain and Sunday was a 60% chance. So, with the sun shining on the mountains, I decided to head for Mt. Mansfield. Mt. Mansfield is the tallest point in Vermont at 4,393 feet, which is not quite a mountain to those of us who have seen the Rockies, but it's called one here. There are several ways to get most of the way to the top. You can hike, take the toll road or take the gondola ride. Well, I don't hike up mountains and the toll road costs $26 and is a dirt road with tight turns and steep pitches. I don't do that either. So, I decided to take the gondola ride even though I'm not fond of those either. This one seemed to go on forever and it got windier as you got farther up. But it was worth it because the views from the top were pretty nice. It was pretty windy and pretty cold up at the top. I was glad I had my gloves and my sweatshirt on. Pretty soon, the clouds moved in and it started raining so I headed back down. The ride down had a lot more swaying and was less pleasant than the ride up. I was glad I had arrived right when they opened, got to the top before the rain and was able to avoid the crowds that were arriving as I was leaving.
I decided that it would be a food sampling day after all since the drizzly weather had moved in. First stop was the Cold Hollow Cider Mill. The parking lot was full so you knew this place was going to be great. You can watch them pressing cider and have a sample all for free. The store was filled with local jellies, mustards, various pancake mixes and of course maple syrup products. They also had various products open for sampling. For my "lunch" I got a fresh cider doughnut and bottle of apple cider.
Next I stopped at the Ben & Jerry's factory for their tour. This one was 30 minutes and had a huge fee of $3. I got a Cran-Pineapple smoothie as the rest of my lunch while I waited for my tour to start. First you watch a short video about how the company got started and then walk along a hallway to view the production room. They don't make any ice cream on the weekends so I wasn't able to see everything in motion. The last stop is the sampling room. Today's sample was Triple Caramel Chunk and it was delicious. You get a pretty large scoop for it being a sample. Outside they have a flavor graveyard with the headstones of some of their "dead" flavors. The tour guide said there are 7-10 new flavors every year and that means 7-10 other flavors go away. I have never really eaten Ben & Jerry's ice cream before since it's the fancy expensive kind so this way I got to have some without paying a lot of money.
My last food destination of the day was the Cabot Creamery. It was about an hour drive from Stowe to Cabot. Along the way I passed through Montpelier, which is the capital of Vermont. Montpelier is the smallest capital city in the US and the House and Senate chambers are the oldest legislative chambers in their original condition anywhere in the US. I stopped for a tour, which was free, of the capitol building. It was very interesting to learn about the building, which is the third version of the state house and was built in 1859. Everything in the building is original, from the light fixtures to the furniture. Modifications have been made for electricity and technology, but the carpeting and drapes are either original or replicated to look original. The tour guide said this was odd for everything to remain, especially with the modernism that happened in the '50s, but Vermonters are frugal and that's why they never replaced anything! The legislators are in session from January through May and are not considered full-time. Only the governor and lieutenant governor work all year. The legislators have other jobs and are only paid a small amount for this job I guess. Another interesting thing was the chair in the governor's chamber. It was made out of wood from the U.S.S. Constitution, better known as Old Ironsides. This is the only piece of furniture that you aren't allowed to climb all over! It's only used for ceremonial pictures of the governor. I was very glad I stopped and got to explore the building.
After another half hour later and I was finally at the Cabot Creamery. I love cheese and this place was wonderful! Cabot is mostly famous for their cheddar, but they make all kinds of dairy products from cheese to butter to sour cream to yogurt. They even do Greek yogurt and apparently quite well because they produce a lot of it for a pretty reasonable price. There is a tour here as well for an even better fee than Ben & Jerry's at $2. This tour also starts with a video about the Cabot farming co-op and how the milk from the cows is turned into cheese. After the video, a nice young man took us into the factory. The Cabot plant makes the yogurts, dips, sour creams and flavored cheddars. They don't usually make just plain cheese. There is another plant that does just butter and another that does just cheddar. Lucky for me, they were making stuff and we were able to see them making Pepperjack cheese and yogurt. It was pretty cool. And of course there were samples at the end. All kinds of their products were out to taste. Dips, spreads and lots of different cheeses. I think my favorite was the Seriously Sharp!
I was going to drive back to Stowe via a northerly route, but it was already 4:00 when I was done eating cheese and I did not want to be driving in the dark and run into a moose on the road! So I headed back the way I came and got dinner at The Shed. This restaurant is just up the road from my hotel and is apparently closing on Monday. I shockingly ordered the fish n chips and it was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the stuff Renee and I had in Kaikoura. Nothing will top that! But the fries were really good and I was served quickly even with all the large groups that were there. It is raining again, but I hope it will be clear again in the morning so I can do some walking.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Cross another one off the list
Here I am on my second vacation of the year, albeit a much shorter, cheaper and closer to home trip. Vermont is the only state in the Northeast that I had never been to and decided a fall trip to Stowe would be the perfect long weekend trip. So, as of 1:15 PM EST today, I only have 8 states left to get to! The day started off bright and early with a 6 AM flight out of O'Hare on jetBlue. My dad kindly drove me at 4:30 in the morning. There were a lot more people at the airport at that time then I thought there would be. The flight left on time and was uneventful. Had a short 2 hour layover at JFK and then a 41 minute flight to Burlington, VT. I would like to point out that jetBlue is an excellent airline in my short, 2 flight experience. There seemed to be more legroom than other planes I have been on, save maybe some overseas flights. Your first checked bag is free, they have complimentary beverages and snacks (and that was even true on the short leg to Vermont!) and video screens in the seat backs with DirecTV and Sirius radio! And they had free Wi-fi in the terminal at JFK! I was really impressed by the amenities considering the ticket price was pretty cheap and that all other airlines are cutting everything I mentioned above. I had never flown them before and used them due to the price being the cheapest when I was looking. I will certainly be comparing their prices for future flights.
I have to say that Vermont is one of the prettiest places I have seen in the fall. I drove from Burlington to Stowe via I-89 and state route 100. As I hadn't had any lunch, I was hoping to find a McDonalds or something like that along the way at one of the exits. Well, I think I only went past 2 exits before I had to exit myself and no fast food! I don't know where else you would find that along an interstate. I stopped in the very cute town of Waterbury to find some lunch, but the visitor center was closed due to the flooding from Hurricane Irene and so was the attached coffee shop. All other places seemed to close at 2 and it was after that. So no luck other than some cookies I bought at the grocery store. It all worked out because I got some delicious pizza later on.
The drive from Waterbury to Stowe is quite scenic. A two lane highway that never got above 50 mph. The route reminds me of driving through Door County, with the little towns and shops, only much hillier! I got to Stowe and really thought of Door County as it was just bustling and people were walking around, even with the drizzly weather. I arrived at my hotel and found it to be so charming. I am staying here: Gables Inn I have one of the standard rooms and it is just cute. It's small, with room for a double bed, dresser, side table and chair and then has quite a roomy bathroom. No TV or clock or any fancy stuff, but free Wi-fi and breakfast. Just check out the breakfast menu! It's quite large and there are also weekend specials. I'm looking to try something with some Vermont cheddar! The owner greeted me and was very helpful. He showed me around and gave me some tips on where to go for my late lunch/early dinner that wasn't too expensive. Their dog, Yogi, is 14 and must spend most of his time lying in the office. He doesn't get around much anymore, but was pretty cute!
I decided that pizza sounded good and headed out to try Pie.casso at the owner's recommendation. Boy was it good! I got the Pizza Margherita with fresh local mozzarella. So good! You could see the guy flinging around the dough and the atmosphere was very cozy feeling. Brought my leftover piece and a half back to my room to munch on later.
It is now pouring outside and I'm ready to get into my jammies and plan out what I want to do tomorrow.
I have to say that Vermont is one of the prettiest places I have seen in the fall. I drove from Burlington to Stowe via I-89 and state route 100. As I hadn't had any lunch, I was hoping to find a McDonalds or something like that along the way at one of the exits. Well, I think I only went past 2 exits before I had to exit myself and no fast food! I don't know where else you would find that along an interstate. I stopped in the very cute town of Waterbury to find some lunch, but the visitor center was closed due to the flooding from Hurricane Irene and so was the attached coffee shop. All other places seemed to close at 2 and it was after that. So no luck other than some cookies I bought at the grocery store. It all worked out because I got some delicious pizza later on.
 |
| Really hard to take pics while driving. |
The drive from Waterbury to Stowe is quite scenic. A two lane highway that never got above 50 mph. The route reminds me of driving through Door County, with the little towns and shops, only much hillier! I got to Stowe and really thought of Door County as it was just bustling and people were walking around, even with the drizzly weather. I arrived at my hotel and found it to be so charming. I am staying here: Gables Inn I have one of the standard rooms and it is just cute. It's small, with room for a double bed, dresser, side table and chair and then has quite a roomy bathroom. No TV or clock or any fancy stuff, but free Wi-fi and breakfast. Just check out the breakfast menu! It's quite large and there are also weekend specials. I'm looking to try something with some Vermont cheddar! The owner greeted me and was very helpful. He showed me around and gave me some tips on where to go for my late lunch/early dinner that wasn't too expensive. Their dog, Yogi, is 14 and must spend most of his time lying in the office. He doesn't get around much anymore, but was pretty cute!
I decided that pizza sounded good and headed out to try Pie.casso at the owner's recommendation. Boy was it good! I got the Pizza Margherita with fresh local mozzarella. So good! You could see the guy flinging around the dough and the atmosphere was very cozy feeling. Brought my leftover piece and a half back to my room to munch on later.
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| MMMMMMM!!!! |
It is now pouring outside and I'm ready to get into my jammies and plan out what I want to do tomorrow.
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