We had a leisurely wake up and got down to breakfast just in time for the 10am cutoff. It was a lot better than the Hampton Inn, but our French toast and omelette was still a rather heavy offering for our stomachs right out the gate. The weather seemed more cooperative today. In fact, the area appears to be going through a bit of a heat wave. For Vermont, this meant temperatures went above 80.
In the “heat wave,” we enjoyed a hot tea and a scone out on the porch of the main farmhouse and eased into our day. We didn’t have any large commitments, so we didn’t head out until around noon. I had set up a sort of road trip circuit to hit up some cute Vermont villages. Presumably these are all much more mesmerizing in the fall months when all the leaves turn and the ghosts come out, but we were happy to settle for the tourist-less experience.
Our first stop was in Weston, Vermont. Our only stop was the old mill. It is apparently some sort of historical museum. It was closed. In fact, everything was closed. Weston, Vermont: Check. Off we went to Okemo Ski Resort. Nicole had memories of coming here during her youth and got to see the old clock tower associated with the area. Okemo: Check!
Our next stop was 35 minutes away in the village of Grafton, but we first stopped briefly in Chester to document what appeared to be an abandoned railway station and a deteriorating town. It was photogenic, so we took photos. As far as wanting to live there, that’s a no from me. Chester: Check. Grafton, however, was a real nugget. Like everywhere else in Vermont, most things were closed. We just missed the cheese-making demonstration, but we were able to visit the country store and grab a couple of cookies to substitute as a late lunch and ate them outside on their veranda.
Grafton had it all. Quaintness, character, covered bridges. From there, we drove about 55 minutes back to the Hill Farm, counting all the Subaru wagons on the way. Nicole was eager to get back and say hi to the alpacas again. While Nicole swapped vegetable stories with Pedro, the head grower, one of the other workers gave us a bucket of sliced apples to feed the alpacas. It was difficult to coax them out of the shade on this hot day, but eventually, one went for it.
You would think others would have followed suit, but the one brown alpaca basically ate the entire bucket by itself until a white one ate a few slices at the very end. We think their names were Crystal and Rachel. Classic alpaca names obviously. We then walked along the farm’s walking path which didn’t really do anything for us. No views or interesting things to look at — just lots of insects buzzing around our ears.
Having been just ten minutes away from the town of Manchester this whole time, we hadn’t yet been there, so we hopped back in the car to check out a few shops before they closed. Our first stop was the Smugglers’ Notch Distillery. While they specialize in various whiskeys, they also had an assortment of maple syrups that Nicole was in the market for. Conveniently, they had some in 100mL bottles — TSA appropriate. We also got some specialty pickles. We were given a flight of syrups to try before we bought any, which is kind of an odd thing to sample when you think about it. They all tasted the same to me — sweet.
After swinging by a bookstore for a few, we continued on to the Ye Olde Tavern where we had our dinner outside. I had turkey. Nicole had chicken. Both were very hearty. We retired for the evening back at the Hill Farm, where the workers had given us a bucket of wood so we could start (or attempt to start) a fire to relax in front of.
Miraculously, through the use of some wet twigs and egg cartons, we were able to get it to ignite and it lasted for some time without much meddling before naturally dying out. Overall it was a relaxing day that somehow kept us busy. We have to get the rental car to a very nondescript drop off point in Caldwell, New Jersey tomorrow by 5pm. It won’t take us all day to get there, so don’t despair! There may be more Vermont (and maybe alpacas!) in store.
passports & pepto bismol 