Stowe, Mt. Mansfield & Ben & Jerry’s Factory, Vermont - August 14
Today we drove the short distance to Stowe which is a ski town that sits at the foot of Mt. Mansfield. It’s a picturesque place with lovely homes, boutiques, art galleries and just about any type of restaurant you could possibly want. We also drove into the countryside and saw weathered barns, corn fields, cattle and covered bridges. Just the epitome of how you’d picture Vermont.
There is also a 5.3 mile Stowe recreation Path (paved multi-use trail) that goes through meadows, woods and alongside the river with beautiful views of Mt. Mansfield.
We started our day at the Stowe Mountain Resort where we took the gondola up Mt. Mansfield for some great views. It doesn’t go all the way to the top or we could have seen Lake Champlain. It was cool and windy up there and they also had a neat looking zipline down from there. (too cool and windy for me) We walked around up there for a while before heading back down and driving back to Stowe for lunch.
views from the ride up
at the top
ziplining down
the hiking trail to the top - we didn't do it
this was the trail - we weren't up to rock climbing and thunderstorms seemed likely
views on the way down
at the bottom
Visiting these ski resorts reminded me of our skiing days. We enjoyed skiing for quite a few years and then we moved to Florida and flying back west to ski was a hassle. On our last trip we were on a ski lift in what seemed like a near blizzard freezing to death when Greg looked at me and said “We could be on a cruise for the same money and some place warm”. As we skied down in a total white-out on a catwalk we called it a day. We skied one last time in Lake Tahoe, I forget the slope, but as we were getting off the ski lift Greg went one way and I went the other and somehow our skis got tangled together. I felt the pull that I couldn’t ski away and turned to look, and Greg’s leg was at a very odd angle. He had torn the ACL and that was our last time skiing. He actually tried to get back in the ski, but that wasn’t going to happen. He got to ride down on the lift and they wouldn’t let me go down with him, so I skied down alone. Here are some old photos of us:
We stopped at a place called Piecasso. Yep, I meant to type Pie-casso. They had thin hand-tossed pizzas. We ordered some garlic knots that were very good and we got a white pizza. (olive oil & garlic base with ricotta, mozzarella, broccoli, garlic, basil and tomatoes) It also was very good.
After that we walked along the multi-use trail for around a couple of hours. Great views and we saw a few birds. Mostly Cedar Waxwings. There are 2 birds that are seen in the area that we have never seen, but so far, we have not found them.
Next we went in search of covered bridges. We found three which took us though the beautiful countryside.
Stowe Covered Bridge
Gold Brook Covered Bridge - Emily's Bridge
Red Bridge
Our last stop of the day was to visit Ben & Jerry’s Factory and we took the 30 minute tour. We got on the 4:00 tour. Yes, there were lots of corny jokes of “moooove” on up the line. Greg mooed as we moved up closer. The tour starts with a 7 minute film on the history of the company. Then, you go into the viewing area of the small factory where they make 1 flavor of ice cream each day. No photos are allowed. The guide continues to make corny jokes as we watched the process. Then, it was time for the tasting room. The flavor today was Strawberry Cheesecake.
the guide
she r ang the cow bell at the start of the tour
After the tour, we stood in line at their scoop shop. They have tons of flavors there that we had never heard of before. I got Chocolate Therapy (Chocolate Ice Cream with Chocolate Cookies & Swirls of Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream) & The Tonight Dough (Caramel & chocolate ice creams with chocolate cookie swirls & gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough & peanut butter cookie dough) Greg got the Chocolate Therapy and Chip off the Dough Block. (Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Ice Creams with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Chocolate Chip Cookies) Jim, I know you are in the car now headed for ice cream.....
After that we visited the Flavor Graveyard. The only one I really remembered liking was Wavy Gravy.
solar panels
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3EjC26xsU8hbufYe8
Tomorrow, we are headed to a couple of birding areas and a couple of chocolate factories.
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