Vermont (Part 2)

First stop on our second day in Vermont: The Ben & Jerry's Factory. Who doesn't like ice cream in the morning? We opted to take the tour, which didn't last very long, but which was pretty comical, even the "corporate video." It was probably the least corporate thing I've seen and quite amusing. The factory part itself is quite small, but it was cool to peek down on the pints of ice cream speeding down the belt. The best part of the tour was, of course, the tasting at the end. Our group had Half Baked. This is one of my favorites, so I was happy, but it might have been nice to taste a flavor I'd never had before. One of the highlights for us was a stop at the Flavor Graveyard, where tombstones with stirring elegies, paid tribute to flavors that have passed away.

A pint of Americone Dream later we were on our way to the Northeast Kingdom. How awesome is that name? I want to live in a Kingdom! The Northeast Kingdowm, for those of you not in the know, is a collection of towns in the (surprise, surprise) northeast section of Vermont. All of the towns are small and idyllic. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in Craftsbury Common (see pictures from the first trip entry) before heading over to Lake Willoughby.

Lake Willoughby is a glacial lake wedged between Mt. Pisgah and Mt. Hor. It's stunning, especially when viewed from above, so we made the hour's ascent to the top of Mt. Pisgah. As we neared the top, we began to encounter pine trees and the air smelled crisp and sweet like Christmas. It was a great hike.

Back down the mountain, we proceeded just a few miles further to our night's accommodations: the Village Inn of East Burke. What a great find! A small bed and breakfast, the rooms are large and nicely decorated and out back there's a jacuzzi, a burbling brook with a fire pit beside it, and a large garden from which you're welcome to help yourself. The breakfast was something else too...homemade toast and jam, produce straight from the garden, fresh eggs. Mmm. We're already making plans to go back to this place...maybe to take advantage of their winter time ski packages.

We ended our time in Vermont with a dinner at Juniper's at the Wildflower Inn. The food wasn't anything to write home about, but the view was spectacular. We sat on an enclosed back patio and watched the sun set into the valley as butterflies and hummingbirds fluttered nearby. If it didn't get so darn cold in winter, I'd seriously consider moving to Vermont. If you haven't been, go. It's a great place.