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Published: April 11th 2006
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Dinner In Poughkeepsie
The Four Amigos Strike Again! Josh and I left the craziness of NYC amidst a greenish looking cloud that eventually ended in a fluffy white snow storm. Snow and crazy traffic was a clear sign that our NYC experience probably should be coming to an end. A hour plus after leaving Long Island, we crossed the bridge that separated us from night and day, otherwise known as NYC and upstate NY. Heading up to Poughkeepsie was absolutely beautiful. The snow subsided and became rain, then drizzle and finally blue skies. Our route took us through a tree lined highway and rolling hills...Josh and I both decided that New York has done a great thing for the environment by keeping all of the people in one big spot - Manhattan, and letting nature spread throughout the other areas of the state. We met up with Zach and his wonderful girlfriend Amy at the Storm King high school which for those of you aren't familiar was the old stomping grounds of Paris Hilton for about 2 weeks before she was kicked out (for drugs - shhhhhh!). From what Zach told us, the school has worked on its image and recruiting quite a bit since then bringing in many
Downtown Burlington
A college student's paradise international, local athletes and more academic students. And...being just a stone throw away from the US Military Academy - West Point, the school has quite a few resources in teachers and facilities. Zach has been a teacher at the mostly boarding school for a year and was nice enough to show us around the campus, let us partake in the cafeteria hot chocolate and take us on a wonderful hike that ended in a panoramic view of the Hudson Valley where our camera promptly ran out of batteries! We definitely had a great time wandering around the wilderness after the last 3 weeks of city living. Thank you Zach and Amy for your time and hospitality. We understand time off is hard to come by.
Being so close to Poughkeepsie while at Storm King, Zach, Josh and I also made it into town to a local Mexican restaurant - Maya Cafe (recommended) where we met up with John Betti, the local insurance extraordinaire. A skinny John was his usual fun-ny self as we reminisced of the Hawaii days and upcoming wedding plans. Great seeing you John...Josh will see you in Vegas, Baby!
I forgot, or maybe never knew
Burlington Harbor
Similar to Claremont...except Claremont doesn't have this! that New York extended all the way to the Canadian border. Josh's friend Lara(to be mentioned at a later time) recommended a trip up to the Channel Islands of Vermont and then on to Burlington so on the road we went up, up, up and away - from New York that is. A scenic run for the border, Josh and I spent the day in the car downloading our New York experience to each other. The last exit before the border we ventured east to the islands which were absolutely perfect back country. Josh and I were trying to think when Vermont is NOT the place to be. In Fall, tourists come to see the leaves change, in Winter tourists come to ski at the 3 major resorts and in the Summer tourists come to river raft, kayak, hike, play. That leaves....yes, Spring otherwise known in Vermont as a hotel manager so eloquently put, the "Mud Season". This didn't dampen our Spring Vermont spirits any. We made our way into Burlington for dinner, and definitely took note of the young, fit community. The town houses 5 colleges and only has a population of 30,000. Reminded me a little of another
Burton Factory
Josh's New Favorite Place small town in California with the same demographic - CLAREMONT!! While in Burlington, we made a special trip to the Burton factory which I am sure will go down in the trip highlight book for Josh. Not only do all Burton factory employees get to bring their pets to work, but they also get free ski passes for the local mountains. Upon further investigation, it is important to note that although Burlington was a great city with a thriving economy and could possibly be a rolocatable place, the 20 below Winter is not really an option for us at this time. Sorry Josh!
On our way out of town we made a pit stop at the local Ben & Jerry's factory where we partook in a quick tour of the plant and a free sample of their new "Bananas on the Rum" ice cream. Yummy! Our tour guide let us know that among other wonderfully charitable things the company does for the community, it also gives each of its employees 3 pints of B&J's ice cream to take home EVERY DAY!! Can you even imagine that?? What would you do with that much ice cream? She said that she
Ben & Jerry's
Found the graveyard. No headstones...spooky! trades it for hair cuts and oil changes in Burlington. - Resourceful, very resourceful.
We took our time back down the State taking the slow road. It was a rainy day, but the valleys of Vermont were more beautiful than ever. Our last overnight stop before Boston brought us to Brattleboro, Vermont. A small, mostly elderly populated city has been rated repeatedly as one of the US's best small towns. A cute historic district, and a good local bar with friendly people with many Boston travel tips yielded a thumbs up from the Walter's.
Our drive into Massachusetts was much more than we bargained for. Two hungry stomachs led us to the tiny town of Athol. As luck would have it, Josh and I hit on the town's biggest day of the year - the 43rd annual River Rat Race. 300+ competitors hit the Orange River for a 2+ mile canoe race in frigid water. It was amazing. The town was out in full force cheering and trying to stay warm. Some racers arrived in the most high tech canoes while other came with their old-school clunkers. After a well sung Star Spangled Banner, performed by the northeast
More B & J's
Marisa's New Favorite Place Massachusetts American Idol 2nd place winner, the cannon roared and all 300 boats were off. Only minor dunks and a few scary moments, but a definitely win for us tourists just passing through!
We are on our way to Boston and look forward to Canada within the next week. Can't wait. Hope all is well.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain
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Mom Walter
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Keep the blogs coming! I love them! What a great trip you two are having!