Bingham Falls at Smugglers Notch near Stowe Vermont.
Ben and Jerry’s
We went on the 30 minute guided factory tour. It was interesting, but the best part was tasting their ice cream of the day. In 1978 Ben and Jerry took a $5 correspondence course on ice cream-making and opened their first ice cream shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. Our favorite is the Cherry Garcia, named after Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. They were purchased by Unilever in 2000.
Smugglers Notch
It is a narrow pass through the Green Mountains near Stowe Vermont. Smugglers Notch is closed to traffic in the winter. There are dramatic 1,000-foot cliffs and a winding road impossible for trucks to navigate. In the earlier days, only a footpath and trail for horses existed. In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson passed an embargo act forbidding American trade with Great Britain and Canada. This was a severe hardship for northern Vermonters, since Montreal was closer than other markets in the US. Many local people continued illegal trade with Canada, herding cattle and carrying other goods through the Notch. Later, fugitive slaves used the Notch as an escape route to Canada. During the Prohibition years, liquor was smuggled from Canada over the improved road built in 1922. There are numerous small caves which the smugglers used to hide their goods.
Bingham Falls
We took Jake on an easy hike to the falls. A couple of guys were enjoying jumping off a cliff at the waterfall. They said the only painful part of the jump was the cold water even though it was almost 80 degrees outside.
Rock Art Brewery
We passed it almost daily, so finally went inside. Its a tasting room and they sell their products. Their liquor license does not allow them to sell by the glass and they don’t serve food. Overall, these were very good beers.
Lost Nation Brewing
Their beers were great, better yet, they served food. Sandy liked the grapefruit beer called The Wind. We met some entertaining people who just got off work and we enjoyed a beer with them.
Trapp Family Lodge
The Sound of Music was loosely based on the story of the Trapp family. They left Austria in 1938 during the annexation by Nazi Germany. They toured the United States as the Trapp Family Singers. The Trapp family settled in Stowe Vermont in 1942. They began welcoming guests to a rustic 27 room lodge in 1950. Unfortunately, the lodge burned down in 1980, but the structure was replaced. Eventually a cross country ski lodge was built. Baron Georg von Trapp died in 1947. Maria von Trapp died in 1987. The family began brewing their own beer called Von Trapp Brewing in 2010. We ate at the brewery and enjoyed the beer and food.
Chocolates
We stopped at the Lake Champlain and Laughing Moon chocolatiers. Both of their chocolates were very good and different from each other. Who needs Godiva!!
Green Mountain Coffee
It was founded in 1981 as a small specialty coffee roaster and store in Vermont. It sources, produces, and sells coffee, hot cocoa, teas, and other beverages under various brands in portion packs for its Keurig brewing systems. It was fun to see its production facilities in Waterbury, Vermont. We use the Keurig brewing system and get the Green Mountain Coffee from Costco. I prefer the taste of french press brewed coffee, but it’s so much easier to use a K cup.
Maplewoods RV Resort
Its was mostly seasonal people. There was no one near us. The cable was good. No antenna channels. No wifi. Water pressure was 50 psi. Pedestal power was 115 volts but boosted to 120 volts with the Hughes autotransformer. They had a very nice pool (water temperature still too cold to use), but no spa. There was a resident groundhog who Jake enjoyed chasing each day.
