#44: Moonlight in Vermont

The “leaf peepers” hit New England in full force this October; and for better or worse, I ended up being one of them.  My vulnerability to scenery is well-documented and no different than the next visually capable human.  The autumn splendor begins when there are just enough rays of sunlight left peeking through the gray clouds to illuminate that forgotten section of closet containing boots, sweatshirts, gloves, and a big umbrella.  The I-95 and I-93 turn into parking lots, is if they weren’t already.  But what truly marks the start of fall is that indigestion-mimicking feeling that accompanies the inner monologue of, “I swear if I hear ‘pumpkin spice’ one more time…” 

The Burlington International Airport is the only commercial full-service airport in Vermont.  Conveniently located just 3 miles from the center of the most populous city in the state, it is estimated that 2024 will be runner-up to the busiest year the airport has ever experienced.  Appropriately, a multimillion-dollar expansion project was underway during this visit.  Perhaps the construction will include more jet bridges; lest the second largest airline in the United States will continue to deplane its passengers onto the ramp in 43°F rain. 

Ah, the rain.  As we learned in Dubai earlier this year, I sadly cannot control the weather when I travel.  Walking two steps off the plane into a shower was foreshadowing for the entire trip.  Unfortunately it poured nonstop for multiple days in a row.  At one point there was sleet and on another day there was snowfall.  I became more proficient at taking pictures with one hand while holding an umbrella over the camera with the other.

The small city of Burlington, as it turns out, does a rotten job representing the beauty within the greater state of Vermont.  Any review of the town will praise the historic Church Street Marketplace as one of its main attractions.  Named for the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House built at the head of the street in 1816, the outdoor pedestrian mall is lined with quaint shopping boutiques in addition to more well-known brands such as Banana Republic, Athleta, and Lululemon.  It is also home to multiple head shops and a hardy homeless population.

Homelessness, drug addiction drive public safety concerns in largest Vermont city: ‘I don’t walk at night’

Similar to what I recently experienced in the rough Oregon sanctuary of Portland, at least rampant drug use and homelessness bring down the room rates of nice hotels such as the Hotel Champlain in Downtown Burlington.  As its name implies, the hotel is near the shores of Lake Champlain which separates portions of New York from Vermont.  Several marinas and a U.S. Coast Guard station are located along the waterfront.

Thankfully the remainder of this trip primarily involved mountain roads and much smaller towns devoid of camping tents and the public usage of fentanyl.

Located between the 750-person village of Jeffersonville, Vermont and the notorious Smugglers Notch mountain pass (which I did not photograph due to falling snow and a stuck trailer) is the Grist Mill Covered Bridge spanning the Brewster River.  More than 100 covered bridges remain in Vermont, with many having been built in in the late 1800s.

Further south along the scenic Route 108 is the famous ski town of Stowe, Vermont.  But long before enough snow sticks to nearby Mount Mansfield to fire up the ski lifts, Stowe becomes a leaf peeper haven.  Traffic comes to a standstill, the restaurants fill up to hour-and-a-half waits, and the clomping of unnecessary winter boots can be heard on every sidewalk in the mountain valley.  Those seeking to avoid the swanky, selfie-seeking crowds may wish to enjoy the hidden gems of Stowe that are its hiking trails.

Continuing south from Stowe, the popular Cold Hollow Cider Mill is just before the town of Waterbury.  Lucky visitors will see Cold Hollow’s famous cider made right before their eyes by means of a press built in the 1920s.  Nothing pairs better with the fresh juice of a McIntosh than hot apple cider donuts, but in true Vermont fashion the store at Cold Cider also has a plethora of other gourmet goods like maple syrup and local honey.

As if syrup, cider, and donuts weren’t enough, just down the road from Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury proper is an entire factory of sweet treats:  Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream.  This original factory from 1985 isn’t their biggest location, but it can still produce a couple hundred thousand pints of ice cream per day when in full swing.  For $7 or less, visitors can partake in a modest 30-minute “tour” which mostly just consists of watching a video about the company’s progressive values (call me crazy for simply wanting some ice cream and not a discourse) followed by taking peek at a portion of the production floor from a small, overcrowded viewing room.  I suppose you get what you pay for.  The ice cream included on the tour is a small sample of a single developmental flavor (i.e. not yet chosen for mainstream production) and is handed out in little paper condiment cups with no spoons.  The tour abruptly ends following the guide making a few dairy related dad jokes, and attendees may elect to buy real cones or cups of ice cream from the Scoop Shop outside.  There is also a playground, some selfie opportunities, and a “graveyard” for the flavors of ice cream which will not be returning to the grocery store shelves.

The next destination after snaking through the lines of tour buses at Sugar Mountain was thankfully off the beaten path and lacked the proselytizing of activist ice cream:  Burtt’s Apple Orchard in Cabot, Vermont.  The Burtt family has over 12,000 trees providing some 40 varieties of apples.  Customers are encouraged to grab a picking pole and head into the orchard to pluck their own fruit.  A patch of pumpkins and multicolored squash is irresistible in the weeks leading to Halloween, as is the sweet smell of warm apple cider and donuts emanating from the farmstand.  A stray laugh or two is heard from children getting lost in the corn maze or sending a rotten apple soaring across the meadow using a giant stationary slingshot.  This is what fall is all about.

It would be a shame to visit Burtt’s Farm without jaunting a little further down the same dirt road to the AM Foster Covered Bridge.  A reproduction and therefore nowhere near as old as many other covered bridges in Vermont, the setting is still perhaps one of the most picturesque.  The “bridge to nowhere” was even worthy of a Smithsonian photo contest entry a few years back.  However, for the best pictures, I recommend doing a Google Image search; the place is breathtaking during sunset or when blanketed with snow.

Standing there in the field with a belly full of apple cider and donuts looking at half of Vermont showing off its landscape of brilliant fall colors, the trip suddenly felt complete.  There was a still a full day left to spend at the State Capitol in Montpelier, but in that moment I knew it wasn’t going to get any better.  It is in that same spirit that I’ll conclude this blog post.