Another school year is in the books. Last Thursday, we closed up shop on second grade (Jameson), fourth grade (Harper), year seventeen (Jason), and year sixteen (me). The year was, again, a strange one. It was fast, yet so many memories seem like decades ago. Jason and I are proud of our kiddos, who succeeded in school between two bouts of Covid, missed holidays, and the first significant loss of a family member of their young lives.
It seemed appropriate to start our summer with a little recentering. We wanted an escape, a mental rest, and some undivided time together. Friday morning, we scooted off to Vermont for a respite. This is part 1, Stowe.
Stowe is a little well known “mountain” town in Vermont, outside of Burlington. The highest peak in Vermont is Mount Mansfield at 4,300 feet, and Stowe lies at its base. We Coloradans may call those hills, but whether mountain or hill, the landscape is handsome. We spent nights one and two here in Stowe at the Top Notch Resort, which really was lovely.
We arrived in Stowe around 6:00 p.m. after flying into Burlington. It was deliciously cozy and drizzly, and we settled in for dinner and a quick yard game before snuggling into bed.
Kids on the east coast are still in school, so the resort was wonderfully quiet and comfortable. We went to bed early and slept happily. When we woke, the sun was blazing, but we knew it was not forecasted to stay out, so we took advantage and went for a long morning walk.
Stowe’s recreational path wanders next to all of these bucolic scenes. Just another day in Vermont’s lush breathing landscape.
After our walk, it was officially time to begin summer break: pool! We had an hour of warm and sunny.
Before the thunderheads rolled in over Mansfield.
When the first drop fell, we scooted back to the inside pool and hot tub until we made ourselves hungry for lunch.
We were excited to explore this cider mill nearby, and it was one of our favorite meals of the trip. Here, they make apple cider and cider beer. They have a wonderful cafe that serves breakfast and lunch using local ingredients. Harper and Jameson enjoyed french toast sticks with Vermont maple syrup, and Jason and I both had sandwiches with sweet potato bread, maple mustard, and Vermont cheddar and sipped on cider. Mmmmmmm. It was so good. We shopped a bit and explored the mill, and I took exactly zero pictures. This is one place worth the visit.
On our way back, we stopped to walk town in the drizzle. Local artisans had tents set up selling odds and ends, and a jazz quartet of sweet old men was playing on the corner.
The rain cleared around 2:30 which was a gift, because we had a 3:00 horse back ride.
For our resident expert rider, this trail ride was a little slow. Harper was ready to gallop off into the Vermont sunset, but the rest of us were happy to mosey through the streams and trees together.
After one giant pretzel and a little supper, we were ready to say goodnight to a full day in Stowe. But not before having a s’more.
Sunday morning arrived with warmth and sun. We checked out of the Top Notch, harnessed our inner Sound of Music, and headed here for one very important purpose: to meet the local highland cows. The Scot in me should say, “the highland cews.”
The temptation to join yoga was strong.
But I resisted. We hiked a mile down to the cow pasture where we met the cutest redheaded highlanders grazing away.
Jameson was traumatized by the manure, but Harper marched through it all like a champ. Can you tell?
It really was a beautiful morning. We were only at the Trapp Lodge for a couple of hours, but there seemed like much to do from mountain biking to sugaring to fishing to swimming and more. It’s on our list for next time.
Though we were sad to say goodbye to Stowe, we had a very sweet place to visit next …
