Cheddar Cheese, maple syrup and colorful fall trees

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Our trip is quickly coming to a close. We arrived in Vermont in rain and fog. As we drove past scenic lookouts or even an area that looked like it would have had a nice view we would comment “Yes I bet that is quite a view on a clear day.” Fortunately we did have a day of better weather and got out and about to see some beautiful scenery.

We drove one of the “color trails”. Our Vermont map has different ones mapped out, so we chose the one closest to us. We’re camped in the Northeast Kingdom. That just tickles me that we are in a kingdom. Actually we are near Groton Forest which is east of Montpelier. This is a general delivery mail pick up spot for us in Montpelier, so we did head into the city one afternoon. Apparently we were more focused on our mail and not on taking any photos of the lovely old buildings. There are no photos of Montpelier although I’m certain we had our camera.

My favorite road was along #108 near Smugglers Notch. It’s the part of the road that has no center line, is twisty, steep and closed in winter. It snakes through a forest and gigantic rocks. We drove through it on a rainy day and again didn’t take any pictures. The trees were primarily yellow and you’ll just have to imagine how beautiful it was that day.

We did visit the Rowell Sugarhouse and the Goodrich’s Maple Farm. At Goodrich’s we had a tour and sampling of the light/fancy and the dark maple syrup. It was fascinating to learn about the process of collecting the sap and how making maple syrup has changed over the years. We did make purchases and can do our own side by side taste test when we get home.

We have decided that it is time to go home. Our dear sweet Lizzie has been in a period of rapid aging and we’d like to get her home.

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Photos

Red
A lovely red tree

Colorful hills
Once the rain stopped and the fog lifted then we were in for a treat of fall colors.

Covered bridge
The property owner just decided to build this bridge. It does make a nice picture!

No more buckets
We were surprised to learn that tubing is used to collect the maple syrup. The trees still need to be tapped each spring, but the tubing stays in place throughout the year.

Rowell Sugarhouse
One of the many sugarhouses in the area where the sap is turned into syrup.

Cabbot Creamery
We did enjoy the samples of their products. It was good to try out the wide variety of cheddar that they produce...yes we did buy some for friends and family...we even bought some for ourselves!