Vermont scenery

Saturday, June 5 - Just as we had hoped, we saw some fantastic scenery as we drove through Vermont. Here are some highlights:

Pancakes and ice cream

Saturday, June 5 - The goal of our last Saturday of the trip was to see a lot of Vermont, and to get some tasty ice cream from Ben & Jerry's. However, we kicked it off with an added bonus: breakfast at a Burlington highlight, The Skinny Pancake. Not only do they make all kinds of sweet and savory crepes, but they were also the venue that night for our new favorite band, Holy Ghost Tent Revival. Too bad we couldn't stay a second night.

We took a quick walk through town before heading to the second most important destination for Sandy on this trip (after L.L. Bean in Freeport): Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, VT. Sandy knows how to pick 'em. L.L. Bean is the most visited tourist destination in Maine, and Ben & Jerry's is the most visited destination in Vermont.

The first thing that you do on the tour at B&J's is to watch the MOO-vie of the history of the company. That's after you take the Vanilla-vator up to the second floor, if you don't want to take the stairs. After you see the factory, you then get a nice-sized sample. Today's flavor: Oatmeal Cookie Crunch.

After the tour, our last stop was the Flavor Graveyard behind the factory, where there's a tombstone for every flavor that has gone to meet its maker. Every flavor has it's own poem, such as:

Wild Maine Blueberry (1990-1992):

Wild Maine Blueberry

From the land of the puffin

Now when we crave you

We turn to the muffin.

Or,

Peanuts! Popcorn! (2000-2000)

Peanuts! Popcorn!

Mix 'em in a pot!

Plop 'em in your ice cream!

Well, maybe not.

Jazz Fest in Burlington

Friday, June 4 - We couldn't have timed our arrival in Burlington more perfectly. We were pleasantly surprised to find the town rockin' as we drove into downtown -- it was the first night of the 10-day Burlington Jazz Festival! One of the main streets through town, Church Street, is now a

pedestrian mall, and that's where all the action was happening. The first band we saw was Jesse Dee, right in front of City Hall.


After we grabbed a drink and somthing to eat at one of the outdoor cafes, we bumped into another performance going on by a band that literally had the crowd jumping. These guys were mesmerizing to watch. The band is called Holy Ghost Tent Revival, and they have a jazzy, bluesy, bluegrassy, New Orleans-y feel, and they had more energy and excitement than you can imagine.


A picture cannot do these guys justice, so take a look at the video below. It's hard to see in the video, but these guys had so much energy that the stage and tent were shaking. It wouldn't have been shocking if the stage had collapsed. Take a look. The sound isn't that great, but if you watch it all the way through, you can see how they had the crowd in the palm of their hands.

Back to Vermont

Friday, June 4 - On our way back to Vermont, we passed a wind farm in rural northern New York. We've had a fondness for the wind turbines since we first encountered them on Road Trip '08.

We crossed over from Vermont to New York via a small bridge in rural Rouses Point, NY which is less than a mile from the Canadian border. Despite the great time we had in Montreal, we turned right. So many more new things to see in Vermont!

There were some beautiful views as we drove south through the islands in the northern part of Lake Champlain. It was a race to get to Burlington before sunset!

Hello Vermont, Boujour Canada

Wednesday, June 2 - After such a great day on the canopy tour and relaxing lunch on the porch of the Mount Washington Hotel looking at the mountains, it was really hard get into the car for a 3 hour drive. But, this is a road trip, not a stay in one place trip. You never know what fun is around the corner.

Once on the highway, we entered our 3rd new state for the trip: Vermont. Only passing through today though, en route to Montreal. We'll explore Vermont in a couple of days. And speaking of surprises around the corner, we made a last stop in the USA to get gas before crossing the border in Orleans, VT, and what was right next to the gas station? The home of Ethan Allen furniture.

We got to the border and immediately turned off our data roaming on our iPhones. No Words with Friends or Foursquare checkins for Sandy in Canada. Oh my! (FYI to anyone who's interested: if you want to play Words with Friends with someone, Sandy's always up for a new game. Screenname: sandyg128.)

We broke in our new passports, and when the agent gave them back without stamping them, Sandy asked if she would stamp them for us. "Ok, since there isn't a big line." Guess that's not a big request on the US-Canadian border...

It's funny how it immediately feels different when you leave the US. Neither of us has been out of the country for a while, and it's been even longer since visiting Canada. We made it to Montreal without incident, although there was a flash rainstorm for a few minutes.

We went straight to our hotel in Old Montreal, Le Petit Hotel, and went to a restaurant/wine bar down the street called Modavie, where they have live jazz. Live music + glass of wine + windows open onto the street = very relaxing evening. Feels like Europe!