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The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Plant

by Brian on August 12, 2010 in Travel

The strength of Shannon’s empathy for this plant is so great that one could rightly mistake her for a Druid (unless, of course, they were also aware of her notoriously black thumb). For years, though, this hardy little plant has managed to not only resist her finger of death but also routine snacking by our first cat, Emma. It is a remarkable survivor.

Uncertain how the plant would fare in the RV, Shannon considered entrusting its care to her mother while we were on the road. In the end, Shannon decided to take it with us. And it was good. Sunlight has done remarkable things for our spindly little friend, and it has thrived during our three months of travel. But now, as we prepare to make way for the Canadian border, we are certain there is one thing this plant will not survive: customs. Either when crossing this way or that, some douchey customs agent will declare this little plant a dire national threat and, for the sake of God fearing Canadians or Americans everywhere, will do their heroic duty and have it destroyed. Of this, we have no doubt.

Fortunately, we are close enough to relatives who kindly agreed to act as “plant sitters” while we don berets in le Canada Français. Of course retrieving said plant upon our return will require a two hour round trip drive and a $25 ferry ride. Such is the burden of vagabonds who become attached to things.

An Interesting Trail

by Brian on August 11, 2010 in Vermont

Shannon scales Sterling Pond Trail

That’s all it took. Shannon noticed an interesting-looking trail, and moments later we had parked the car and were scrambling up rocky steps to who knew what.

We actually had no intention of hiking that afternoon. Our plans only included a scenic drive through Smuggler’s Notch on our way back from a short stop in Stowe, Vermont. The Notch is a winding 2,16- foot crag cleaved in Sterling Mountain. Breathtaking views of rocky cliff walls and mountain waterfalls can be seen while threading your car through the bolder-strewn switch backs of what is now Route 108. But if you’re lucky enough to have an eagle-eyed girl in the passenger seat, you can also see the trail head to Sterling Pond leading up the mountainside.

Sterling Pond trail ended up being more of a climb than a hike, with a 1,500-foot elevation gain over the 1.1 mile path. That’s basically like walking a flight of stairs from 14^th Street in New York City to the top of the Empire State Building on 34th Street, plus a couple hundred feet. We felt surprisingly good on the ascent, though. Maybe these hikes are starting to undo the years of entropy that had turned us into large bags of jelly. One can only hope.

The actual hike was the most interesting we’ve been on during this trip. Much of the trail is a shallow brook that bubbled around rocks and over our feet as we made our way up the mountain. Countless tiny waterfalls sprang from nearby rocks and cascaded across our path. At the top, a large flat rock at the tip of Sterling Pond offered a welcome place to take in the stunning views and catch some sun–and our breath.

This Isn’t Your Father’s Log Cabin

by Brian on August 10, 2010 in Vermont

This is Hildene, the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln, in Manchester, Vermont. He wasn’t the important Lincoln but apparently had enough cash to upgrade the old log cabin. We were just passing by, so we didn’t stop in for a house tour. But the grounds afforded us a nice stroll on a pleasant summer day.

Number 9, Number 9

by Brian on August 9, 2010 in Vermont

It’s a shame that the only Magic Hat beer you typically see is their #9, Not Quite Pale Ale. #9 is reportedly the brewery’s best seller, but I don’t know if that is because it is the most popular or because it is the beer that is most widely distributed. It’s a little hard to buy the beers that aren’t on the shelf. But maybe they’re not on the shelf because no one buys them.

This is clearly the kind of riddle that would confound Buddha; what is the taste of a beer not drank? We could meditate on this eternal puzzle, or we could take a pilgrimage to the Magic Hat brewery in South Burlington, Vermont and judge for ourselves. This was obviously a tough call: meditate in hope of enlightenment or drink beer.

Well, after indulging in a tasting of Magic Hat’s full lineup, we did indeed find enlightenment. We also learned that #9 isn’t their best beer. It’s probably not even in the top three. That’s not to say #9 is a bad beer. We actually like it a lot. It’s certainly a far, far better beer for Magic Hat than it was a song for the Beatles (not exactly high praise, I know). But we just like some of their other offerings better.

The surprise standout was Circus Boy, their Hefeweizen. I say surprising because neither of us typically likes wheat beers, but this one struck us as just right. Blind Faith, one of their original IPAs, and Single Chair Ale were also extraordinarily good. A beer that we probably owe a second tasting to is Encore, an interesting blend of an American wheat beer and a traditional pale ale. It has tons of flavor and a terrific mouth feel but just hit the wrong chord somehow. It is a unique enough beer to warrant a tasting, or in our case, a second chance; so give it a try if you see it.

The brewery offers self-guided and guided tours free of charge. Beer tasting is also served up at the delicious price of zero dollars. They do ask you to kindly refrain from stealing their glasses. If you want a souvenir, buy a growler. You’ll enjoy it more, anyway. And don’t forget to tip the bartender. Remember, you are drinking for free . . . cheapskate!

It’s Not a Fetish, Really

by Brian on August 6, 2010 in Vermont

A casual glance at this blog might give the impression that we have some kind of obsession with waterfalls. They have been a recurring theme lately, to be sure. That is really a function of two things: we like hiking but we also want there to be a payoff. Certainly wandering in the woods is better than a day in the office, but just seeing this isn’t usually enough reason to get us to go. Instead, we look for interesting destinations that we can’t drive to. In this part of the country, more often that not, that tends to be waterfalls. We’ve traversed ice caves and trekked to gorgeous vistas, and we hope to discover more unusual things in our travels. We gladly explore what an area has to offer. I imagine when we get out west, we will bore you with endless pictures of dry, red rocks. But until then, you’ll probably continue to see things like this . . .

Moss Glen Falls, in Stowe, Vermont, is a 125-foot waterfall that emerges from a gorge cut in the schist by Moss Glen Brook. The trail winds through spooky woods to the top of the gorge for a look at the falls from above. The hike is simple enough, but can be treacherous as slippery rocks and branches have the potential to send a careless hiker to the bottom of the gorge. Luckily, we survived the excursion and look forward to tempting fate again another day.

Although pictures are said to be worth one thousand words, even photographs are sometimes rendered speechless when trying to describe something as awesome as a powerful waterfall. In those instances, video helps, but still pales in comparison.