Escape over the mountains.

Wednesday's travels took us north on Interstate 91, with the first stop being the small settlement of Quechee and the Quechee Gorge. We took a walk to the base of the rugged gorge. Locals refer to it as a little Grand Canyon, and although it is quite spectacular we feel that is drastically overstating the fact. We then diverted onto Interstate 89 North towards Burlington, near the border of New York state. En route we passed through Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, a relatively small town. This is the way all state capitals should be - slow paced, small enough that you can walk everywhere, and featuring lots of shops that sell the simple things like hand tools and wrapping tape. We continued on to our primary destination, the township of Stowe, Vermont. Apart from being a very popular winter ski resort, the nearby hills are home to the Trapp Family Lodge. You will all remember their story as portrayed in the musical "Sound Of Music".
In 1938, George Von Trapp, his wife Maria and their nine children fled their native Austria, leaving family, friends and all their belongings behind. The family made a life for themselves as the Trapp Family singers and toured the world. Initially they settled in Pennsylvania, but longed for the mountains of their Austrian homeland. So in 1942 they purchased a farm on a mountaintop property in Stowe, a location that was reminiscent of their native Austria and today the location of The Trapp Family Lodge. After they retired as the Trapp Family Singers, they began building up the lodge for friends and vacationers to stay during all seasons of the year. It now comprises the family lodge plus three or four similar lodges, all built in the Austrian style to house paying guests. The surrounding landscaped grounds combined with the picturesque view make this a very desirable place to stay - but not in our price bracket. We had lunch here, from the onsite bakery at a picnic table overlooking the valley below. It was not difficult to visualize how gorgeous this complex would look during winter.
Then on to Burlington, located on the shores of the immense Lake Champlain which creates a natural border to the west and the state of New York. We headed due south following Lake Champlain on route 7 all the way to Bennington, then east on route 9 back to Wilmington. A big day out, covering 369 miles, but well worth the effort. We have really come to love the lush green woods of Vermont which really set off the vivid white timber houses with their colourful hanging baskets and window boxes.
Thursday, time to catch up on laundry etc. in the morning then a relatively short drive (60 miles) to the south to soak up more of this stunning scenery. We took time to stop in Bennington for a look around - a very arty town.
Kevin & Gail.
www.alaska-2006.blogspot.com

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