Summary
On our own for the first time is several weeks, we decided to drive to the charming ski town of Stowe, Vermont. The drive was beautiful, verdant green forests and (small) mountains. There were lots of opportunities to stop along the way but we chose Cold Hollow Cider Mill for a famous (and disappointing) apple cider donut. Had lunch and a wander in Stowe before heading back to Burlington for a nice seafood dinner overlooking Lake Champlain.
Details
Today’s our last full day in Vermont and Burlington. We would have flown out today but the price difference for the flight between today and tomorrow was significant. We’re happy to have one more day of brisk, cool weather.
When we wake it’s a gray drizzly rain. This is the Burlington I remember. After breakfast we head out. The plan is to drive up to the village of Stowe, somewhere near a ski mountain. I knew all that back in the day but this is now.
The drive is really pretty. It’s green with no billboards. That’s a rule that some intelligent people put in place way back when and it’s served the state very well. We do see a few farms. We don’t see many other businesses, or houses, or signs of human habitation. It is a refreshing change. We’re driving along the Winooski River, upstream which is a beauty of its own. Sadly since I’m driving I’m not taking any pictures (sorry).
We’re heeding the travel advice of ChatGPT. He/she/it planned it down to the minute and our next scheduled stop is at a famous cider mill for a look at their kitsch and a donut. They’re obviously expecting leaf-peepers who are looking for olde-timey looking signs with funny sayings that indicate a love of alcohol and an acknowledgement of lack of any culinary ability. Also they expect people to buy sweatshirts and sweaters and gloves. I guess it gets cold up here. And they have lots of maple and cider products to buy.
We’re told we need to try their apple cider donuts. They’re making them real-time and then (if the order calls for it) slicing them in half and adding the ‘kreemee’ in the middle (maple flavored soft-serve). We’re sure it’s wonderful but we’ll just get a regular donut to try. What do we learn? It’s dry and would undoubtedly benefit from a thick layer of soft-serve ice cream.
I duck into the Stowe USPS to buy some postcard stamps. There’s one old man behind the counter, think of Bob Newhart but not as heavy. It’s very cliché, so slow. I’m in a long line and at the front, between the lady sending the box and the lone clerk there’s lots of chit-chat back and forth, being neighborly friendly, catching up on things, asking about job and kids and husband. Totally oblivious to how long the line is. I finally give up. I can try later.
We stop in and tour a touristy general store. They have a huge place and whoever their buyer is, they’ve really overbought. They obviously couldn’t decide what to get, so they got it all. They do have a checkers board on a barrel with stools all around if you have an afternoon you want to kill. And a piano.
Across the street we stop into the village grocery shop (to see what they have). To the lady at the register I ask “Do people ever come in looking for postage stamps and if so, what do you tell them?” Nope, no postage stamps. So I guess I don’t need to ask then, eh? I do buy an apple.
We have a reservation for lunch at The Whip Bar and Grill, which is part of the Green Mountain Inn. The Inn seems to take up a big portion of downtown Stowe. (Or maybe Stowe is a subsidiary of The Green Mountain Inn).
We didn’t need a reservation for lunch after all. At noon, when we’re eating, we’re one of a couple of occupied tables out of a couple of dozen. Bianca is our waitress, just like James Lillich’s wife. Well, not really. This one’s name is B’onka, but we’re guessing it’s pronounced the same. Normally the waitstaff in these Vermont ski lodge towns are there for the winter skiing or are students somewhere nearby. B’onka isn’t a skier but is a student. She’s working to get her beautician’s license in Hyde Park. What state that’s in, not a clue. The food is ok, not great.
Afterwards I try the post office again. Same number of service people (person) behind the counter and same (lack of) sense of urgency. It’s quaint. It’s finally my turn and I buy four stamps. Big spender.
We fly out tomorrow so we soon are driving back to Burlington. We hang in the room for a bit, pre-packing, before venturing out one last time for dinner. We’ve made another reservation and this one we probably did need. We’re having seafood at The Shanty on the Shore (just up from The Spot on the Dock).
We hem and haw over the question “inside or out”. It is a bit cool out (at 6 o’clock at night). But we finally decide we need to sit outside here. We won’t be able to do that for dinner in Austin for quite a few more months. Where we’re seated we have an awesome view of the lake, the mountains of New York across the water, and the coming sunset. The dinner we get is quite good, made even better by the innumerable glasses of wine we each have (or eventually split).
As we walk home the dark descends quickly. I’m quite confident in my navigating abilities as we walk, so no need to bother with GPS. It turns out to be a much longer walk than anticipated in large part because I overshoot our street by quite a ways. On the positive side we do have a nice (very) long after-dinner walk.
The rest of the evening we spend packing for our early morning drive to the airport. Our flight home is at 9 am but we have to return the car etc. so we’ll be up early.
Photos
