Just for the record, I do not ever dream of a White Christmas. I do love the movie (watch it every holiday season) but I do not love the white stuff (see the previous blog entry if you need further convincing). Still, it was actually my idea to visit New England in the middle of winter. I simply had a hard time imagining Vermont as anything other than snow.

Ok, I’ll admit, winter in Vermont is spectacular. Absolutely picture-perfect.

Knowing we were only there for the weekend made the cold somewhat bearable. That, and really good wool socks. Our car must’ve been shivering when it registered zero at 9:29am:

I think that was the first time any of us had been in true zero degree weather. But luckily, by early afternoon, things had warmed up:

The second thing that comes to mind when I think of Vermont is maple syrup. I used to think that maple syrup was tasty. That was before we visited the Morse Farm maple sugar works and tasted maple CREAM. Oh my. Heavenly. The jar we brought home did not last long. Anyway, the sap wasn’t running yet, but we learned how maple syrup is made. More importantly, we tasted several varieties of maple syrup, maple candy, and even delicious maple ice cream, known as a creamee, but not nearly as portable as plain old maple cream.

The famous maple trees

The place where goodness is made

As if maple syrup weren’t enough, everyone knows that Vermont is also home to Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Didn’t matter that we were stuffed full of all things maple, we managed to find room for our complimentary free scoop at the end of our ice cream factory tour.

And the ice cream factory was conveniently located near a Cabot cheddar cheese outlet! But despite all of the fat-laden delicacies in Vermont, the natives are slim and trim because they all seem to do this:

Now there’s a concept that’s foreign to me. Intentionally going to a snowy spot so one can intentionally go outside with the intention of having fun. Hmmmm. I could consider it for fifteen minutes or so. We actually did get outside to try something fun: a horse-drawn sleigh ride!

Our driver, Scotty, told us all about Vermont winters as he guided his horses Mack and Jack over the snowy trail. He was a true horseman, explaining that he really needed nothing more than his voice to persuade his horses to do his bidding. A couple of times, he let them trot a little, while I resisted the overwhelming urge to break into song: “dashing through the snow…”

Not to be outdone by the locals, a couple of us (those without broken limbs or fear of cold) strapped on cross-country skis and hit the slopes.

Alas, the woman to the left is not me, but is the instructor who nearly sent Bill into cardiac arrest with her enthusiastic tour. Meanwhile, back at the lodge, the good times kept rolling for those with broken arms. Pre-calculus, anyone? Oh yeah, we’re having a great time on the 50/50 tour.

The lodge was straight out of another movie — The Sound of Music. This was the actual Von Trapp family home in Stowe, Vermont. After leaving Austria, the family settled here and opened a cross-country ski resort. The setting was magnificent, and the hills were alive with the sound of ….. oh, you get the idea.

We drove along I-89 and I-91, and highways 5, 12, 100, 108 in Vermont. Our route took us through the relatively tiny capitol of Montpelier, and past the shiny capitol building.



We also passed countless wintry sights, including prim, white steeples,

dramatic, snowy scenes,

lethal icicles (can you imagine opening that door?),

and a few cemeteries straight from Godric’s Hollow.

Vermont’s winter wonderland was everything we imagined and more. I can completely understand why the General retired to Vermont and why Bob, Phil, Betty, and Judy put on a great show for him. I will even admit that snow can be beautiful and fun. If only it could happen at 72 degrees.

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Travel tip! If you’re planning to engage in a snowball fight with two baseball-playing children, make sure one of them has a broken arm. If you are age 50 or over, make sure they both have broken arms.

26. Vermont
A snowy village