It was a cloudy day when we left with a prediction of rain arriving around noon, so we decided to go to the Von Trappe Lodge 1st with the hopes of being able to walk around the property before the rain started. We did take a longer, more scenic route to get there and that was a very good choice. We really enjoyed seeing all the large, interesting barns, old wooden buildings, and then winding through Smugglers Notch State Park and viewing all the beautiful trees.
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| The trees are slowly starting to change colors! |
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| The barns in this area are large, picturesque, and being wood, require a lot of maintenance! |
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| It was very overcast and foggy! |
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| One of the ski lifts near Stowe! |
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| If it would have been a sunny day these trees would have been spectacular! |
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| Wow ,this was an old mill! |
When we arrived at the Von Trappe Lodge the rain was just beginning, so our walking was very limited. We did enjoy their gift shop and then walking through the 1st floor of the lodge. In the early 1940's the Von Trappe Family toured the US as the Trappe Family Singers before settling in Stowe, Vermont on an enchanted farm with sweeping mountain vistas reminiscent of their beloved Austria. In the summer of 1950, they began welcoming guests to a rustic, 27 room family home/lodge. After a devastating fire in 1980, the original structure was replaced by the new Trappe Family Lodge, a striking, 96 room Alpine Lodge situated on 2500 acres offering magnificent indoor and outdoor amenities. The entire property is owned and operated by the Von Trappe Family.
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| The lodge was beautiful, but again, it would require so much maintenance! Many beautiful hanging planters and window boxes! |
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| This is inside the ski, biking and gift shop! |
From there we headed south stopping for lunch at a local Subway. Then on to the Vermont Annex where we visited the Cabot Cheese Store, Lake Champlain Chocolates, and the Smuggler's Notch Distillery. We got to sample many kinds of cheeses, granola, rich and creamy chocolates, and then Vodka, Rum and Bourbon. It was a fun experience.
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| Some more beautiful scenery along our drive.... |
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| ...and a colorful gift shop! |
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| The fog and haze continued! |
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| More colorful trees! |
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| Time to sample more cheese! |
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| Chuck was really enjoying lunch - I mean the samples! |
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| After cheese, you need something sweet, so on to the Chocolate factory outlet! |
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| Way tooooo much temptation! |
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| Delicious chocolate! |
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| Then on to the Distillery...... |
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| .....where for $3.00 you could sample all 5 of their products. Ken paid to sample and then was very generous. He allowed Melissa and I to have a 1/3 of each sample. Chuck was okay not trying them. |
Then it was on to Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory for a tour, including a movie about their humble beginnings, free sample of the Triple Caramel Chunk Ice Cream (delicious), and then of course we felt obligated to buy a cone of our favorite variety - I had Cherry Garcia and Ken chose Salty Blonde Caramel - delicious!!!!
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| This is their gift shop! |
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| You go up 25 steps to the movie theater and all the walls are painted with cows, etc. Lots and lots of painting... |
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| ,,,and it goes on and on! |
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| Even the movie theater walls were painted! |
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| And they were painted on the way to the sample room! |
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| Today it was triple caramel chunk - Yum!!!! |
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| Ain't that the truth????? |
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| This wall lists the customers favorite kinds of ice cream and half baked is #1 followed by Cherry Garcia! |
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| This is a replica of the motorhome Ben and Jerry drove across the US to give free samples to folks along the way so they would be aware of their ice cream. It burned when they were near Vermont and their journey and company got National attention. I guess it was a good thing it burned! |
From there we went to Green Mountain Coffee so Melissa, our coffee person, could sample some of their special blends. We all sat on the porch enjoying the rain while she enjoyed her "brew". Then who should we see getting out of their truck, but Michelle and Tom from Michigan. We had met them when we were at Bolton Landing in New York and chatted briefly because they were staying at the Reis House Bed and Breakfast. Amazing how you can cross paths so unexpectedly. We chatted for quite a while and she seems to be rather fascinated with our RVing lifestyle. What a nice couple and we enjoyed seeing them again. Maybe our paths will cross again in the future!
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| Here they had a room that told you how they make their coffee and how it started! |
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| Melissa is ready for her cup of coffee! |
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| This is Michelle from Michigan.So glad we met her and Tom. |
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| Waterbury is the town where Green Mountain Coffee is located! |
We returned to the CG by 5:15 and it started to pour just when we got inside Waldo. I think it is going to be a very rainy evening and night! Ken and I packed our clothing and personal grooming items for our 2 night trip to visit Ernie and Noela. Then it was time to download the photos from today and work on the blog.
I talked to Melissa and we decided not to get together tonight. First of all it is raining so hard it would be difficult to walk to their motorhome and we all have plenty to do before we leave tomorrow.
We are supposed to get 2 to 3 inches of rain here through tomorrow night, but not as much as Lake George, where we just came from. They are expecting 4 to 7 inches by tomorrow night. That will make a "mess" at that campground.
Nice post!! This is Michelle from Michigan!! It was great to see you again and I hope you found away to keep dry. The rain was constant and crazy. We went to Burlington and walked down Church Street. Thanks for including us in your blog! I feel a little famous. :)
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