VermontVacation.com

It all started the other night while mourning the last Magic Hat Wacko. It went something like this:

Pete: We should go to the Magic Hat brewery.
Leslie: That sounds fun. I’ve never been to Vermont.
Pete: How about next weekend?

I spent the week reading the Vermont tourism Web site and annoying him with possible routes and timetables. If there’s something that Pete and I don’t see eye-to-eye on, it’s the appeal of itineraries.

The alarm went off at 5:30 Saturday morning. With crusty eyes and Dunkin Donuts coffee breath (cute right?), we packed the bikes and a change of clothes and headed north.

Looking back through my photos, it seemed the trip is best described in three chapters (not chronological, but logical nonetheless).

Chapter 1: Beer and Food

A. Breweries
We went to one mega- and two micro-breweries, one brew pub, and one place that turned out to be a it’s-too-early-to-drink-beer-but-we-must-come-back-someday bar.

The resounding favorite? Long Trail. They are famous for their Blackberry Wheat beer and eco-friendly methods. This brewery’s picnic tables, super-friendly staff, and really good beer made it top of our list.

Honorable mention? Otter’s Creek. This Middlebury brewery poured us a sample of everything they had in-stock, on-tap, and maybe even stored in the basement. They weren’t the most knowledgeable, but definitely the most generous.

The surprise disappointment? Magic Hat. Too much marketing, too much merchandise, too many people. Magic Hat's the reason we went on the trip in the first place, but it turned out to be a real dud.

Missed opportunity? The Alchemist. It's a small brew pub in Waterbury. We were too early to drop in, but it is definitely worth a future visit.

B. Cider, Ice Cream, Maple Syrup and Cheese
I think apples, ice cream, syrup and cheese count as entire food groups in Vermont. And, well, when in Rome... We visited Ben & Jerry’s, a cider mill (where they let us operate the press), a roadside syrup stand, and a Gouda farm.

Chapter 2: The Outdoors

Everything in Vermont looks like a postcard -- especially this time of year. In the higher elevations, the foliage is well into its yellow/orange/red transformation. Pete amused me by pulling over occasionally so that I could get the perfect picture. This photo album includes a few covered bridges (a Vermont staple), a waterfall that we found along Route 100, and some pics from a bicycle ride around Lake Champlain.

Chapter 3: Other Stuff

Pete has a 1973 BMW motorcycle that he has been restoring for a few months now. It turns out that Vermont is a mecca for BMW aficionados. So, while he put up with my covered bridge fascination, I reciprocated by listening to alot of talk about spark plugs and carburetors. In between the motorcycles, bridges, and beer samples, we also saw a few other notable things –- a little truck convention, lots of carved moose, the Robert Frost museum, and a HUGE Revolutionary War monument. We even drove past Uncle Sam’s grave.

Pete’s impending house closing (which by now is OVER – congrats!) and a lot of hours at work had left us both rundown and stressed. It was the perfect time and location to get away for some good ol' fashion road trip fun.