On Thursday, Day #4 in Vermont, we drove across the state and visited Sugarbush Farm, which specializes in maple syrup & cheese.
On our way home we cut across Virginia to get back to I-81. We had a goal in mind… no not our home and bed… White Duck Taco… they closed at 9. Some pretty hard rain coming through the I-26 mountain pass slowed us down and limited visibility but we made it there in time. I prefer the Buffalo Chicken Tacos, Amanda really likes the Fish Tacos.
Maple syrup flows from tree taps into buckets like this. It is of similar consistency and taste to water before it is thickened through evaporation. A gallon of finished maple syrup requires between 20 and 50 gallons of sap depending on the darkness / thickness desired.
Their cheese sampling station allowed you to try cheeses aged for different numbers of years as well as some varieties utilizing different spices, peppers, and herbs.
We walked away with 5 lbs of cheese and plenty of maple syrup.
We really enjoyed their syrup and cheese… but think their marketing department could use a little enhancement… Interesting… because I know a graphic designer that loves farm fresh foods.
After leaving Sugarbush farm we enjoyed some of Vermont’s best known architecture… covered bridges.
And before leaving Southern Vermont we checked out the Quechee Gorge and a local antique store.
Throughout the week we really enjoyed the Church Street Marketplace. The Church Street Marketplace is an area of downtown Burlington where all vehicle traffic has been suspended allowing for a easy roaming around and lots of sidewalk seating.
At night the street is lit up with these multi colored cannopies.
We couldn’t resist one last visit to Ben & Jerry’s on our last night in Burlington. Their original store sits in the Church Street Marketplace.
The drive back brought us on a different route. Down the east side of Lake Champlain through Vermont farm country and into upstate New York. The lake left some beautiful fog lingering in the fields.
We spent the night in Washington, DC on the way back, enjoying dinner with one of my Peace Corps buddies, Cormack Molloy. He had noted the Jefferson memorial was one of his favorites and that
a lot of people skip it because it is a bit out of the way on the Tidal Basin.
We made sure to include it and were glad for it.
If I were asked to provide a favorite President, it would probably be Jefferson. Below is some apt advice for the modern republican party to reflect on.
One of my favorite pictures from our trip. Can’t think of another way to experience more beauty and
history in 2 hours than a walk around the western half of the national mall.
This was Amanda’s first ever visit to DC… We look forward to going back for a longer
period and checking out some of the Smithsonian museums.
Amanda waited patiently for for this next photo, much more patient than her husband. It was a summer Saturday in DC, so there were people everywhere… after about 5 minutes, a two second window allowed her to capture this.
This was my first time in Washington DC since the completion of the World War 2 Memorial so I was very glad to be able to spend some time there.
On our way home we cut across Virginia to get back to I-81. We had a goal in mind… no not our home and bed… White Duck Taco… they closed at 9. Some pretty hard rain coming through the I-26 mountain pass slowed us down and limited visibility but we made it there in time. I prefer the Buffalo Chicken Tacos, Amanda really likes the Fish Tacos.
