August 26 -September 2, 2017
We finally made it to Vermont, State #47! Our home for the week was Meadowcrest Campground in Marshfield, not too far from the capital, Montpelier. It was a small campground with only about 15 RV sites and a few tent sites down by the river. BUT the kids had a FANTASTIC time. There was plenty for them to do and no associated fee to do them. So they could play air hockey and an electronic basketball game all they wanted. There was also an AMAZING slip-n-slide down the hill side,
a playscape, and a small above ground pool. The weather, however, this time of year is on the cool side. So while they did use the pool, they only lasted about 30 minutes.
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| (Using THREE inner tubes to try an keep herself out of the frigid water!) |
Many people recommended Smuggler's Notch State Park and so we had to check it out. The kids had so much fun exploring a cave area.
Then we hiked to Bingham Falls. The carved rock reminded me a lot of New Hampshire.
There were also many local companies that offered tours. The problem is that many of these products are seasonal and so some of the “tours” are only videos or some printed signs.
The first was Cabot Creamery. A very nice tour and able to see the cheese making process. And plenty of cheeses to taste. YUM! We also learned that they use a plant-based rennet, making all of their cheeses (with the exception of the one containing bacon) vegetarian. Important for us now that we have a little vegetarian in the family.
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| (No pics allowed inside) |
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| (That glum face was intentional) |
Next up was Bragg Sugar Farm House. This was only a video since maple sugar begins in late March and lasts only a few months. We also got to see their equipment, including the 2200 buckets that they collect the sap in EACH DAY! I really enjoyed this and learned so much. Like, did you know that the tree determines the grade of syrup. As the season progresses, it holds onto more of its sugar, which changes the grade. Vermont has its own set of regulations for production (more restrictive than the US). And the flavor of maple syrup is affected by the type of maple tree it comes from and the soil. Not all maple syrups are the same. Bragg Farm is definitely doing it right though because their syrups were DELICIOUS!
Rock of Ages Granite Quarry offers tours which cost $5 per adult. We did this based on the recommendation of a neighboring RVer in Maine. Our experience wasn't stellar and I think that is due to our tour guide. His discussion was very random and jumped from topic to topic so between that and the cold weather, I really lost interest. When I could follow, I did hear some interesting things. So I would still recommend it, but just hope that you don't get our guide.
Cold Hollow Cider Mill was the next tour. Well not really much of a tour. They had a couple of signs and I didn't really take much interest. I'm assuming there is not much to see here until the fall when the apples have ripened. Their cider was REALLY good, but I wasn't too impressed with the cider donuts. After taste testing, we bought some unsweetened apple butter and cider jelly. They also had a number of other local foods for sale and we picked up a few to test out (results pending).
And lastly, was Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. It was $4 per adult. Unfortunately, they were cleaning the factory (which takes more than 8 hours and they do it between flavors) at the time of our tour. But they have some nice videos that play in the room where you get to peer down at the equipment. It was nicely done. We got to taste their new flavor, strawberry hibiscus, which was surprisingly good. Then we bought a few other flavors to test out. I am sad to say that I was disappointed. I really hoped that I would love it since I could buy it in Austin or wherever but it just did not compare to the ice cream in Maine, nor did I even like it better than HEB's creamy creations! Nice tour, but no thank you on the ice cream.
We enjoyed our time in Vermont. The campground and the owners were great. It was pretty and well-maintained. But Vermont didn't impress me as much as I had expected. I imagine it is gorgeous in the fall or even in the spring but at this time of year everything just seems overgrown. I feel like the grass, wildflowers and weeds are about the swallow this place up! Perhaps they do not mow and just allow it all to die back over the winter??? And there were so many homes in need of love, it was a little depressing at times. It was far from ugly, but if we return, I will definitely vote to wait until leaf peeping time!
Now we are off to Canada for our second Fulltime Family Rally!
