Vermont

It was a 4 1/2 hour drive to Smuggler's Notch from Bentley Brook. One thing we were learning is that it took a lot longer to get somewhere in New England than we would estimate, primarily because there are very few freeways and not that many 4 lane highways. We found ourselves traversing cross the country on 2 lane winding roads. The trade off was the scenery. Beautiful countryside just starting to show its fall colors and small picturesque villages every few miles. Smuggler's Notch, so named for the smugglers that used this narrow pass since the revolutionary war and during the years Prohibition. Below is a picture of one of the huge rocks hugging the narrow road thru the Notch. Very tight corner.

The locals shorten it to Smuggs. It is a great resort, skiing, downhill and cross country, mountain biking, hiking and snowshoeing. Vermont is also known for its covered bridges and just down the road from Smuggs was really nice one that is still in use. It crosses a lovely little river and there is an old grist mill next to it as well.

There was a trail through the woods that followed the river. We walked it for a ways enjoying the sun filtering through the trees in their autumnal glory. The next page has more pictures of the trail, river and bridge. It was a beautiful spot.

We took one day to take several tours of local farms and businesses. It turned out to be our favorite day of the whole vacation. It was a hoot. And very tasty.

We drove to Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, to the Morris Maple Sugarworks Farm. The picture below is of the building that housed their tasting room, gift shop and ice cream stand. We were treated to a humorous telling of the life of a Maple Farmer by the farmer himself. His father had established the farm and now he (last name Burr, don't remember first name) ran it with the help of his children and grandchildren. They also raised crops and livestock and Mr. Burr has written a couple of books as well.

The top right picture is of a hay baler like they used when I was a child. I don't know who the artist in the family is, but there were several Picasso style "sculptures" in wood around the farm. The top left and bottom right pictures as well as the bottom picture on the opposite page are a few of them. Can you spot the man at the top of the wood pile. I had to look twice before I realized it wasn't a real person. They raise a lot of mums in New England. They are everywhere in abundance. I had to take a picture of this basket of one of my favorite flowers.

The top photo on the opposite page is a picture of Mr. Burr in the room where he explains how they harvest the sap and turn it into maple syrup. Behind him is one of the machines used in the process.

Our next tour was the Ben & Jerry Ice Cream Factory. We took a fun and interesting little tour, got a free sample of ice cream and then went to their "Ice cream Shop" and had a dish of ice cream. It was wonderful, very creamy and delicious. But cold! It was a little nippy that day and after a dish of ice cream we were ready to take the Green Mountain Coffee company's tour and free samples.

As you can see we found someone to take our picture so we didn't have to do another selfie. I also captured Lee with "his purse" again to post on Facebook. Hee Hee!

We had a little trouble finding the place, but came across the Lake Champlain Chocolate factory outlet. They give tours and free samples too, but we were too late for the last tour. However, they did give us free samples and of course we had to buy some to take home. We finally located the Green Mountain Coffee's tour and shop in this Historic Railroad station that they had restored. The tour consisted of watching a video about the company and how coffee is harvested and roasted etc. There was a huge crowd in the shop, a bus of tourists had been dropped off there, so we didn't get to see much of the video, but we did get free samples of coffee. All in all it was our favorite day of the whole trip. It was a lot of fun.

The bottom left was taken on a walk in the woods near our condo and the picture on the right is another shot of the "Notch" taken on our way home that day.

On Sabbath we found this little church in Morrisville, VT. The website said there were 20+ members. We counted 30+ including Lee and I that day. They were so friendly and welcoming and invited us to stay for the potluck dinner after church. It was a wonderful Sabbath. It reminded me of what the little Ferndale church was like when I was a child. It made me homesick for that little church family again.

The top two pictures are of that little church. The bottom left is a picture of a beautiful large church building in Burlington, VT. The bottom right picture is a shot looking down Church Street which has been converted into a city market place by permanently closing off thru traffic for several blocks. We enjoyed strolling up down the boulevard and browsing the shops and purchasing some yummy cupcakes.