On Monday we said a reluctant farewell to the Berkshires and drove north into Vermont towards Killington. There was a noticeable difference in the scenery and atmosphere as we crossed the state border. There were still lots of trees but the scenery had a much wilder edge to it and the hills were getting higher. We had booked into the Hillside Inn at Killington which was great budget accommodation with big comfy beds and plenty of room. Like the rest of Killington it was in a slightly sleepy mode - Killington is one of the US east coast's top ski resorts and whilst it'll be packed to the rafters with skiers in the winter, through the summer it is frequented primarily by mountain bikers and hikers. The main gondola lift was open so we were able to go up to the summit of Killington Peak but whilst ground level was basking in hot sunshine the peak was shrouded in cloud so our panoramic views were non existent. We did feel like we were on the edge of the world though! We had a wander round the disc golf course (where you try to throw Frisbees into metal baskets) and decided that Killington had potential for winter ski visits.
One amusing side note: on our first night in Killington we went out to eat at Casey's Caboose, a great burger-style restaurant in an old railway carriage. Just inside the front door was a video game machine. Not for Vermonters any old driving or Pacman video game - this one was called Deer Hunter and the game weapon of choice was a large rifle. Say no more.
Killington and its environs was preparing itself for bank holiday weekend festivities and one of the events was a hay modelling competition. Many of the businesses had constructed or were in the process of building a variety of hay structures including several bears, a snail and a tortoise. Our favourite was a rather macabre hog's head outside a restaurant!
From Killington we drove towards Quechee Gorge, a spectacular narrow gorge along the Ottauquechee River. As well as spectacular views there were the ubiquitous local produce and craft shops, some of which we couldn't help but visit!
On Wednesday morning we waved goodbye to Killington Peak and continued north along the scenic Route 100 (ie lots of trees) towards our destination of Waterbury in north Vermont. There were lots of tree-lined mountains and several signs for ski resorts and lifts. We were definitely in the heart of Vermont's ski country. In Waterbury we dropped into the Green Mountain Coffee visitor centre (Vermont is known as the Green Mountain State and we had been driving along the edge of the Green Mountains Forest State Park), yet another lovely local produce centre, before driving to our home for the next three nights - Stowe Cabins in the Woods. They were as described - wooden cabins in the middle of the woods - and were very comfortable once we had removed the plastic mattress covers from the beds (why put them on in the first place? It's impossible to sleep on them). We perfected our scary growl just in case we came face to face with a bear and we think there must have been coyotes or some other large wild animals around as we heard some very strange noises at night time.
Our little cabin was surrounded by visitor attractions so filling our days was no problem. First thing Thursday morning we went to the place that Isabel and Rachel have been most excited about visiting - Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory! We did the tour, which was informative and very amusing and ended with a tasting of a new experimental flavour with the invitation to give feedback. Look out for Raspberry Cup in the Ben and Jerry's kiosks - creamy raspberry ice cream with chunks of dark chocolate filled with raspberry cream. Take it from us - it was delicious!
After the tour we went to the Flavour Graveyard which is packed full of Ben and Jerry's mistakes, in other words all the flavours which were sent to ice cream heaven after failing to titillate the taste buds of ice cream lovers. It's hard to understand why some of the flavours failed to make the grade whilst with others it's hard to understand how Ben and Jerry ever thought they would succeed. We passed an enjoyable couple of hours learning about ice cream, eating ice cream and buying ice cream and ice cream related products. Very satisfying!
In the afternoon we drove a few miles to Stowe, another famous east coast ski resort. As it looked remarkably similar to Killington (ie mountains with lots of trees and occasional cleared pathways which are presumably pistes in the winter, a few lifts, lots of car parking spaces and an access road lined with hotels, motels and restaurants) we didn't hang around and drove instead to the Von Trapp Family Lodge. The Von Trapps of The Sound of Music fame eventually settled in the USA following their flight from Austria and bought a working farm in the mountains of Vermont, which reminded them of Austria. Over the years the working farm extended to become an extensive estate including a luxurious (and expensive) hotel built to look like an Alpine lodge, a mountain biking and cross country skiing circuit, a brewery, a bakery and a cheese-making business. We sneaked a look at the hotel which had stunning views. Maybe one day we'll treat ourselves to a weekend stay (in our dreams...).
Friday was another hot, sunny day and we headed west towards Burlington, Vermont's largest town. Burlington is on the shores of Lake Champlain which marks the border between Vermont and New York states. We had great views across the lake to New York's Adirondack Mountains. We strolled along the edge of the lake for a bit but we all found it too hot (the temperature has been in the high 20s and low 30s almost all week) so retired to the car and drove around the town to see Battery Park, site of an American Revolution battle, and the University of Vermont, one of the US's oldest universities. Both were very attractive as was Burlington as a whole. Like almost everywhere we've seen this holiday it gave the impression of wealth and grooming.
We had hoped to drop into the Shelburne Museum which is a few miles out of Burlington and features a miniature circus amongst many eccentric exhibits but we had promised Rachel we would visit the Vermont Teddy Bear Co factory another mile or two along the road so that took priority. We had a short but very sweet tour of the teddy bear production line which included many jokes and puns and inevitably the girls couldn't resist the gift shop, spending existing and future pocket money on a teddy bear each. Oh well - at least the bears come with a lifetime guarantee and we saw for ourselves the teddy bear hospital where injured bears are treated.
We loved our time in Vermont. It's spectacularly beautiful and wild, sprinkled with attractive and well-heeled small towns and with a tempting local produce store around every corner. The most impressive aspect of Vermont, however, is how it has managed to get its tourist industry organised. Every small town or region has a detailed tourist map with all the local attractions and shops marked on it and almost everywhere is well signposted from the main roads (I say almost because we did miss a maple syrup farm which we had hoped to visit for which the sign post was conspicuous by its absence). Our only disappointment is that we didn't see a single moose although as there are apparently less than 1,000 moose in the whole of Vermont we shouldn't really be surprised.
On Saturday morning we left Vermont behind and travelled into New Hampshire. New Hampshire's state motto is "Live Free or Die" - in other words, don't tell us what to do. Within five minutes of crossing the border into New Hampshire we came to a junction with traffic lights and witnessed the car next to us drive straight through a red light, just before three large motorbikes, two of which were carrying pillion passengers, turned towards us from the right and not a single one of the bikers was wearing a crash helmet. Roadside signs warned that "under 18s should buckle up", suggesting that if you're over 18 it's fine to drive without a seat belt. It's also a notorious gun state so we formed the very rapid conclusion that all New Hampshire residents are bonkers.
Our impression wasn't altered when we arrived at our hotel for the night only to find it packed with bargain hunters who were picking apart the hotel's contents. The hotel's apologetic owner explained that they were in the process of closing down and selling everything off and we were pretty much the last guests to stay there. At least our room seemed to have the correct number of beds and an intact bathroom and she did give us a small discount on the nightly rate.
We're staying just over the border into New Hampshire near Hanover. Hanover is yet another groomed, well-heeled college town and is home to Ivy League university Dartmouth College. Many of the university's oldest and loveliest buildings are arranged in a large square around a grassy area and the town is full of expensive looking shops and nice restaurants. I think Bill Bryson lives somewhere around here and I kept my eyes open in the hope of spotting him but he was as elusive as the moose.
After a wander round Hanover and lunch we returned to the hotel for a swim in the pool (thankfully it was still open). The hotel's garden has lovely views over the Connecticut River and the hotel's owner told us there was a swimming platform on the river so Barry and the girls jumped in for a swim. Dougal was most unamused and after barking loudly for a while resorted to jumping in himself and swimming out to Barry and the girls to tell them off before swimming back to the bank. Bearing in mind he rarely enters any body of water larger than a rock pool he must have thought they were in terrible danger! He's been exhausted all evening following his rescue efforts!
Sadly, we have to head back to Boston tomorrow but we've had a great time on our first holiday Stateside. There's lots to look forward to though - Monday is a bank holiday (Labor Day), Barry starts at the IHI on Tuesday, the girls are visiting their new school on Tuesday ready to start on Monday the following week, and then we're going to watch the Red Socks on Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers. Come on boys!
