I lovermont

So the trip to Vermont was nice. Really really nice. That was my general reply to those asking at the office. Of course the lack of sleep may have had something to do with my vague generalities. I just didn't know of any other way to put it.

We started up Thursday morning and got to our B&B late Thursday evening. Settling in and meeting one of the inn keepers took what was left of the evening. The room was a decent size, clean and cozy and warm. We had to share a bathroom with the neighbors, but luckily that first night, no neighbors were coming in, so we could really make ourselves at home with worrying about making sure the shampoo was out of the shower.

Friday morning we woke early and headed down to the delicious smells in the dining room. Lemon and Ricotta stuffed pancakes with real Vermont maple syrup, and fruit cup with yogurt....YUM! After that we headed out for a fun filled day of eating. We drove some terrific little back roads and saw some incredible scenery. Discovered that Montpelier is a very small mountain town, despite the fact that it's the state capital. Granted Annapolis is no metropolis, but it made Montpelier look like, well, a backwoods town. We hit a lot of things on our drive. Including the Cabot Creamery, the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, the Grand View Winery, the Bragg Farm Sugar House, and naturally the obiligatory visit to Ben and Jerry's . Each place had plenty of free samples, along with a tour. No need for lunch, just keep driving to you see a sign for some sort of food shoppe. We can eat whatever they're selling!

Saturday was a little more relaxed, now that the major eating had been done. We took a gondola ride in Stowe up to the top of the ski slopes. Of course I figured it would be cold. I wasn't counting on it to be snowing. The snow already coating some of the trails was not man-made for a base. It had been laid down by Mother Nature herself. And we got to play in some of it. In October. A rarity to say the least for those of us born and raised in Maryland. Later on we toodled across to Burlington. Not quite the fun city I remembered, but a nice drive all the same. We really should have picked a different restaurant, but this was the restaurant we ate at 6 years ago when Andy came to visit during my summer at Middlebury. Nostalgia ruled, even if the food wasn't terrific. We drove around more picturesque backroads and eventually wound up in Waitsfield. According to the area map, the little town was just a few streets big. According to real life those few streets were spread out by a few miles. We hopped back in the car and drove around town. After that back to the inn where we enjoyed that evening's small drama of "The couple in the other room is talking very loudly." Actually it was just the man who seemed to be at full volume. He apparently never learned about inside and outside voices. And according to his life story that he was telling to the woman with him, his love life had not been the best. I'm not sure how it ended up for him, I fell asleep while he was discussing holistic cures, and shakras.

Sunday, our last day in Vermont was incredibly nice. The day was sunny and warmer (50 degrees vs. 40 something) and we drove down to Middlebury. I couldn't believe how much I'd forgotten. It has been 6 years, and I was only there for 7 weeks, so I guess it really shouldn't have surprised me. But the town was remarkably the same. Campus was lovely, and seemingly deserted. We had another nostalgic lunch at Mister Up's, and the food was very good. Lots of good memories.

The drive home was... long. I've discovered I greatly dislike New Jersey, and I'm not particularly fond of Delaware.

All in all it was a great trip. It's good to be home.