My May in Vermont

Things change here in Vermont very quickly once we reach May. Spring turns from Vermont from mud and maple back to the Green Mountain State. Once the snow completely melts and the grass and trees are able to breathe a bit, different shades of green seem to sprout from the valleys to the mountains all at once. Then the dandelions begin to appear. Before we know it, the middle of May brings ramps, fiddleheads, and deep green fields covered in bright yellow dandelions.

We began May in the Mad River Valley, foraging for wild baby leeks (ramps) and exploring the valley before tourist season hits. We make the trip to the Mad River Valley a couple times a year, and also enjoy driving through it on our way to the Middlebury area. I’ve updated the site with an article on Warren, but the Mad River Valley has many towns, forests, covered bridges, and swimming holes to explore outside of Warren also.

All of those green sprouts are ramps!

The first spotting of fiddleheads in early May.

Anth and his ramps!

You have to get your hands dirty!

Vermont’s Great Indoors: Waterbury

I’m on a constant quest to find small towns that offer all of my favorite indoor indulgences: delicious cuisine, top rate beer and wine, and friendly company. I’m on the lookout for towns I can visit that only require crossing the road to go from one great establishment to another. These towns may be far and few, but I recently found one more to add to my list: Waterbury, Vermont.  Waterbury, Vermont is the kind of town that appreciates food and drink. Known best for being the birthplace of the Alchemist Brewery (parents of the top rated beer Heady Topper), Waterbury offers a relaxed tone perfect for indoor amusements.

Although the Alchemist Brewery no longer owns a brewpub in town, the Blackback Pub & Flyshop will give you exactly the atmosphere you are looking for. Located on the corner of Main and Stowe Street, Blackback is comprised of two rooms and one bar completely made out of old bowling alley flooring. Although there are a couple of televisions, the entertainment is mostly good conversation. On my last visit to the pub, there were 16 beers on tap with half of them being from local breweries and all of them being top rated craft beer. It didn’t take long for me to get comfortable with a Hill Farmstead beer, and a highly recommended burrito. In addition to serving great brews, the Blackback Pub & Flyshop is also home to the Mad Taco, one of the best known burrito spots in Vermont.

When you’re ready for a change in scenery, it won’t take long to find your next destination. Cork Wine Bar & Market is Blackback’s neighbor and offers a variety of wines, beer, cheese, and other delicacies such as oysters on Wednesdays. The interior is simple yet gorgeous and there is a wide, carefully selected variety of wine by the bottle for sale. There is no better way to enjoy Vermont than with a glass of local wine, a wedge of local cheese, and a spot on Cork’s patio. Fridays and Saturdays can be quite packed at this local hotspot, but it is well worth it, especially for the live music on Saturdays.

If wine isn’t your thing, then head across the street to the Reservoir Restaurant and Tap Room. With a whopping 38 draft beers, a full bar, and a pool table, you won’t be disappointed in your options. This place specializes in comfort food, but the outrageous beer list certainly shouldn’t be overlooked.  There is always something going on at the Reservoir including frequent beer promotions and live entertainment.  

You will undoubtedly visit Waterbury, Vermont because it is beer capital of Vermont, however, you are likely to come back because it offers all of the indoor amenities we value and appreciate in one place. To get to Waterbury, follow 89 North two exits past the Montpelier exit.

Don’t Miss Warren

Be careful when driving through Warren, Vermont. If you don’t know what you are looking for, you

could just miss one of Vermont’s original classic villages.  To get there, you must take route 100, a curvy, hilly road that sticks close to Vermont’s rivers and mountain valleys, and is also known as one of the most scenic drives in all of New England. Watch out, the Warren Village sign is your only reminder to change course towards town. Once in town, Warren Village welcomes visitors with a timeless atmosphere and many outdoor recreation opportunities, certain to make you feel like a kid again.

Throughout the 19^th century, Warren was a lumber and grain milling center. The mills produced everything from wooden bowls to shingles and exported most products to southern New England. You can experience this 19^th century history by visiting many of the original town buildings. There are over 75 buildings and sites in all that are a part of the Warren Historic District. Start your tour in the center of Warren Village, on the hill that houses the Warren United Church. The church dates back to 1838 and is a good viewpoint of the rest of town. Be sure to also include: the 1867 schoolhouse (now the Municipal Building and Library), the Village Cemetery of 1826, and the Warren House Hotel (1840) which is now the town’s general store. Although this building has a new purpose, it is still the center of village activity.

The Warren Store is a Must-Stop for local specialties, exotic clothes, and friendly chatter.

After you have enjoyed the classic ambiance of Warren Village’s rich history, you can move on to Warren’s outdoor amusements. On your way out of the village, though, don’t miss Warren’s unusual covered bridge. The Lincoln Gap Bridge, built in 1879-80, is a queenpost type covered bridge; unusual in how the two portals differ, meaning that the entrance extends farther than the exit. To this day, a town ordinance exists that restricts any alterations to the bridge unless two-thirds of the voters approve a change.

Don’t forget to stop at Warren’s covered bridge. Make sure to drive through, then park and read about the bridge on the plaques inside.

A trip to Warren in the summer is not complete without experiencing its natural wonders. An absolute must is a visit to what the locals know as Warren Falls. Although somewhat hidden off route 100 south, Warren Falls, is a natural water park for all ages, complete with water slides naturally carved out of boulders and diving platforms high enough to get your adrenaline going. Whether or not you are interested in taking a dip, the cosmic variations of blue and green that exist throughout the falls are sure to impress. Next, drive or bike down route 100 south to Moss Glen Falls. This unique landform is not a swimming hole but is an easy hike to two magnificent, clear blue waterfalls. If the swimming holes of Warren are too off the beaten path for you, take a trip to Blueberry Lake, a warm, pristine lake that was actually once a marsh. The lake is great for swimming, kayaking, and sailboats.

Warren is a must stop on any trip to Vermont. It is close to many other Mad River Valley attractions in addition to being less than an hour to Stowe, Montpelier, and even Burlington. Although summer is the best season to enjoy its many swimming holes, Warren is remarkable during any season.

Enjoy more pictures below:

Warren Falls is one of Vermont’s most beautiful swimming holes.

Officially Spring: Wild Leeks

You can’t come to Vermont without getting caught up in the localvore movement in some way. Vermonters love local food of all types. So, after a long winter of beets and potatoes from the year before, ramps (wild leeks) and fiddleheads awaken our collective taste buds, a welcoming reminder of the months to come.

Well, we were surprised with fresh picked ramps at the co-op this afternoon. For those of you who haven’t had a wild leek, also known as a ramp, these earthy greens are the perfect natural blend of onion and garlic flavors.

Tonight, we decided to introduce Spring into our meals by making Ramp and Cheese Enchiladas. These were easy to put together in less than 20 minutes.

I took one bunch of ramps, and using both the bulbs and greens, chopped and sauteed them. Then, I rolled two tablespoons of sauteed ramps and three tablespoons of Cabot sharp cheddar cheese in a whole wheat tortilla. These were covered in a tomato black bean sauce and baked in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

White Mountains view from Danville, VT

This photo was taken on April 17, 2013. I see these mountains from route 15 on my drive home from work through Danville, VT every day. The White Mountains are located in New Hampshire just over the border from Vermont.

Weekend Sabbatical: Lowell, Massachusetts for the Afternoon

Historical Mill District from the river

Last weekend, last minute, we decided to attend the Stout Festival at the Armsby Abbey in Worcester, Massachusetts.  Although we have enjoyed New England and the Boston area for four years now, we never actually spent any time in Worcester. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to check out both a city we haven’t enjoyed yet and one of the top rated beer bars in the world. And, yes, I did say world.

From Vermont, we usually take 89 south most of the way through Vermont and Massachusetts until we hit 93 south through Boston. This brings us through Lowell, MA which we hadn’t stopped at for a few years. Lowell is an old manufacturing center, mostly within the business of textiles. It is now, surprisingly, the four largest city in the state. The town is no longer centered on textile mills when it comes to the market, but the mills are still a major part of the town’s geography. In fact, much of the mill district has been restored, even becoming part of the Lowell National Historical Park.  Lowell is also the birthplace and burial place of Jack Kerouac, a well known novelist and poet of the beat generation.

Upclose: Lowell Mill Equipment

We stopped for just a few hours, long enough to walk up and down the city streets, take in the old mill district, have some amazing lunch, and stop by Kerouac’s grave for the second time.

Highlights:

-History: You can learn a lot and get a better feel for the city if you take a moment to read the historical signs and outposts set up along the river, streets, and historical mill area. Having the mill as a backdrop to the city really allows you to envision it as it was in the 1800 and 1900’s.

Jack’s Grave During Another Visit (Fall)

–Jack Kerouac sites: Lowell is home to many important places in Jack’s early and later life. If you do some research before coming, you could stop by his childhood home, bars he frequented, parks he wrote in, and of course, where he is laid to rest.

-Culture and town life: When I hear of Lowell, I think of the average size Massachusetts town. However, Lowell is a city. Lowell is also a cultural hub, calling its home to many different ethnicities and cultures, evident by the different types of stores, churches, and clubs that call it home.

Life Alive Wrap and Music

Before we left Lowell, we stopped by for music and lunch at Life Alive, located on Middle Street. This café calls a few different towns in Massachusetts home including Cambridge and Salem also.  There food is vegan and vegetarian, yet well known and delicious to all types of foodies. They infuse so much taste into every wrap, salad, and rice bowl, that it is hard to miss the meat. I heard this over and over from each meat eating foodie that stopped by. The atmosphere is also a lot of fun.

Hopping the Pond: Revisiting an Unlikely Friend

I’ve woken up, sweaty palmed, in a daze, just a few hours outside of Dublin by plane. That means I’m somewhere over the Atlantic, right around where I always seem to wake up, worried about colliding with the ice cold waters thousands of

Irish Breakfast en route to Brussels

feet below me. It’s funny how sweaty you can get over the idea of freezing to death.

It’s in that moment, though, that I realize I’m more than halfway there. Soon, breakfast will be served and so will preparations for landing. I’m able to trick myself into calming down, and before I know it, I’ve made my way to my favorite little spot in the Dublin airport where I can enjoy a true Irish breakfast: grilled tomato, vegetarian baked beans, over easy eggs, and of course a Guinness.

We used Dublin for the cheap plane tickets this time around. It’s a great hub for

Ryanair, and an easy stopover when it comes to transportation, language, food, and drink. On our way into Europe we only have time for breakfast here, but on our way out we’ll get to spend the night. We enjoy our breakfast before boarding the plane en route to see an old friend: Brussels.

Hopping the Pond: Post Travel Memories

Boy have I been busy with work and school since our last vacation! I can’t believe it has been four months already. I would like to get some of my trip written down here before those memories begin to fade. So begins the “Hopping the Pond” series.

Kayaking, Belgium, December

 

Springing into Mud Season

Vermont Mudding

There are a few signs Spring is beginning in Vermont:1. The rest of the Northeast has already acknowledged Spring has begun (usually 3 weeks prior).2. Back roads are completely under mud. If you have never driven a Vermont mud road in the Spring, it is hard to explain, but I will try. Roads that are dry and flat in the summer, and a nice, flat sheet of snow in the winter, turn to total crap the other 2 months of the year. You get three main types of mud: 1. the thick, car trails, as seen above, 2. the giant, deep potholes, and 3. wash board divets. All try their best to ruin you car and make you drive 5 mph. When you are given advice to purchase a four wheel drive vehicle when living in Vermont, it isn’t for the snow, it’s for the 4 inch mud car trails that grab on to either side of your wheels and take you wherever they decide you will go.3. Smoke billows out of maple huts off every major Vermont road. Yes, Spring is equal to maple season in Vermont. It begins in southern Vermont and then heads to central and northern Vermont a few weeks later. During this time, you can’t drive down a Vermont road without noticing maple syrup in production. These are all very apparent right now. On my drive home from work yesterday, I first noticed three different maple farms in production. Then, once I was only four miles from home, I hit the great mud road from Wolcott to Elmore. I was successful in my journey home, although I hit potholes so hard that my CD skipped, turned my four wheel drive on during a jaunt up a hill covered in 4 inch car trails, and got a slight headache due to the endless wash board pivots. Unfortunately, this back road will stay covered in mud for at least another month, so I guess I should just get used to it now.

March 19, 2013 (SNOW!)

Putting the date as a post’s title brings me back to the days of paper bound journals and diaries. I thought it was fitting today, though, because not a year goes by when we try to remember when last year’s latest snow or big storm was.

I don’t remember last year’s latest snow or storm. I do remember that around this time it was hotter in Vermont than it is in the summer. Because we live in the mountains, further north than most of the states, even our summers are quite cool. It’s actually quite nice because we can enjoy all day outside, even on the hottest of summer days.

Anyways, this year is a bit different. Although it started warming up a bit last week (30’s), we have already received about 4-5 inches of snow last night, and it is still going! We should be in the foot range by tomorrow morning, although it could be more or less.

I really love that we are having a late snow year. I was reminded of how much I missed it last year as I was riding my snowboard down the slopes on St. Patrick’s day. Can’t beat that. One thing about Vermont, though, is that even a big snowstorm doesn’t keep Vermonters inside. I still made it into work by 7am, as usual, and it is just like any other days.

We will see if we continue to get more snow through late March, early April. I remember when we first moved up, we had a 2 inch coating of snow right around my birthday (April 9), so we could still have a few more weeks of winter left!