I did it, I have now been to all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Vermont actually means Green Mountains (vert mont in French), and I must
say, it is the perfect name. The Green Mountains run from North to South up
the center of the state.
The lush rolling hills were endless (80% of the state is forested) and the
autumn colors were just starting to peek out.
The capital of Vermont is Montpelier, which is the country's smallest
capital city with only about 8,000 residents.
Our visit included a stay at the Quechee Inn at Marshfield Farm - a restored
1793 country home with large suites, period furniture and a fabulous
restaurant. Quechee is a historic mill town, upriver from an impressive 165
foot deep canyon.
The Simon Pearce Glassblowing Factory located in Quechee was set up by an
Irish glassmaker in 1981 in a restored woolen mill by a waterfall and
covered bridge. There were many beautiful and unique pieces on display and
available for purchase.
The visit included a tour of the Cabot Cheese Processing facility, home of
classic Vermont cheddar. Vermont claims to be the cheese capital of the
country. For me, cheese is right up there with chocolate.
Had to stop and check out the Vermont Country Store (I have shopped from
their catalog in the past). It was fun to see so many items for sale from my
childhood.
And, of course, what visit to Vermont would be complete without a stop at
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, which included delicious samples as part of the
tour. I loved the "cemetery" where they have whimsical tombstones erected
for the flavors that they no longer produce.
Also made it to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the tallest
mountain east of the Mississippi, which is at about the same elevation as
Denver. Supposedly it is only clear enough to see the surrounding area from
the top about 20-30% of the time, and I could see all the way to the
Atlantic Ocean!
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