Despite Covid and all of it's awful shenanigans, Sammy and I had the opportunity and pleasure this past October to travel to Rutland, VT to visit with my brother Matt, sister in law Erica, niece Madalynn, and also my dad and sister Robyn!
We were tedious with our preparations, going nowhere for the previous 2 weeks before flying. We were equally as cautions at the airport and on the airplane. Flying was great. I loved how everyone just kept to themselves and every middle seat on the plane was empty. It should always be like that, lol!
After landing (we landed in Philly,PA because that made for a cheaper flight!), we got our rental car and had a long drive to my brother's house in VT. We didn't get in till late and after our initial hellos to Matt and Erica (Madalynn was asleep already!), we were more than happy to clean up and head straight to bed! We were pooped out!
Day 1 - Thursday - We started our vacation with a trip to Weston,VT. The weather was gorgeous, so we were all up for some walking around! There we visited the amazing Vermont Country Store where we bought a bunch of Vermonty goodies. I could have stayed in that store for HOURS! It was seriously amazing. Next was the Weston Christmas Village Shop that had, and I am not exaggerating, thousands upon thousands of Christmas ornaments! Sam was in heaven!
Next was the Weston Christmas Village Shop that had, and I am not exaggerating, thousands upon thousands of Christmas ornaments! Sam was in heaven! When we were finished shopping, we stopped for some fudge and apple cider. Totally a Vermonty thing to do!
There was a public park just a short walk form the shops, so we headed on over to enjoy the foliage views and play in the leaves! Madalynn was all about getting her Uncle Sam with leaves! The park was gorgeous. We really enjoyed our time just rustling through the leaves, taking in the view.
We ended the day with some back yard corn hole, chill time, and pizza and cookies when my dad showed up! Day 2 - Friday - The weather was less than ideal, but we needed to think of some plans we could do that would put my dad not too long of a drive from where he needed to pick my sister up so she could visit with us for the weekend, so we decided on Lake George, NY! There wasn't too much to do there due to Covid. Most places were closed. And it kept raining on us, so we didn't get the opportunity to walk very far. But we did get to go into a few shops, we made a stop down along the water, and we ate a tasty lunch out! Afterwards we headed back to Rutland and my dad continued on his way to get my sister.
That evening Miss Madalynn really wanted to take us bowling, so we hit up the bowling alley close to their home for a few rounds! I am a terrible bowler, haha. Should have put up the bumpers and used the ball slide! Day 3 - Saturday - Apple picking and corn maze day!! First we went to Boyer's Orchards for a bit of apple picking. My dad was back with my sister, Robyn, so we had our own little gaggle to get the apple picking done! We had a super fun time and picked a variety of apples. When we were finished, we stopped in their little shop and picked up some freshly made sugar donuts. I wait all year for fresh sugar donuts and these ones did not disappoint!
Our next stop was the Maple Museum! We took ourselves on a self guided tour and learned about maple syrup and how it was collected and made. After the tour we spent some time in their shop. Needless to say, I left with a lot of maple syrup and other tasty goodies! It was also a must to get a photo of their huge maple syrup jug out front. The back label cracked me up. Servings per container...."A Lot" haha. Last on the list for the day was a trip to a corn maze! I don't remember the name of it, so I can't link to it, but it was an amazing place. Not only did they have a huge corn maze, but pumpkins you could buy, a snack shop, and a whole yard full of activities for kids to do. It would definitely be a place we would take the kids if it were in our area. I loved that this corn maze had tall stairs and bridges to climb and cross over, it let you take in the gorgeous views of the area (and also get a peek at where you were in the maze!). I don't know how long we were in it, but we were all pretty pooped out by the time we made it to the exit, lol. It was time for some snacks and chill time while Madalynn played.
Day 4 - Sunday - This was my last day with my sister. She was only able to come visit for the weekend. For our special Sunday breakfast, Matt and Erica made plans at the infamous Sugar & Spice. That place is like heaven. You walk in and are instantly greeted by the smell of pancakes and maple syrup. Their menu is huge, the food delicious, and they even have a gift shop on the bottom level! It was wonderful. I wish we had a Sugar & Spice here in Goldendale. I would be there every day!!
After breakfast we headed to Quechee, VT where we went in this amazingly HUGE antique mall, walked through the most awesome toy museum, did a little tasting at Vermont Spirits,and visited a bunch of other shops to pick lots of snacks and treats.
We also had the privilege of hiking part of the Quechee Gorge Trail. We didn't actually hike down to the water, but the part we did lent itself to some amazing views! It was so beautiful. And who doesn't love a hike among all the fall foliage!?When in Vermont, one must go cheese tasting! Luckily for us, we found a farm that makes its own cheese and was able to follow all covid restrictions and still give out cheese samples. I didn't get any photos of us sampling all the delectable cheddar....because we were too busy sampling all the delectable cheddar! They even gave us a paper to rate our favorites so when we finished the cheese tour, you could buy what you wanted from their little shop. Now, I'm not suppose to be eating dairy, but let me tell you I gorged myself that day. I have never tasted better extra sharp cheddar in all my life! I wish we had bought 100 bricks of their cheese. It was such a beautiful farm too, after our cheese fest we sat at a picnic table outside just soaking up the sun. It was also time to say goodbye to my sister. Once we were finished at the farm, my dad left to take her home.
Cheese tasting complete and my dad and sister on the road, we made a little stop at a covered bridge so we could get out and walk around. Sammy had never been on covered bridge before, so that was fun for him!
Day 5 - Monday - A nice mellow day for a nice mellow hike! Madalynn was really wanting to take us to her favorite hiking park, so of course we were up for the adventure! Pine Hill Park has a super fun kiddos trail with tons of nature inspired activities for kids There are lots of different areas with signs suggesting different activities for kiddos to do, like build a fairy house with bark, etc. The kiddo trail does eventually branch off into a normal hiking trail, which we continued on for quite some time. It was seriously the most enjoyable hike! The kids would have loved it! We don't get colors like that here in Goldendale as we are mostly pines and oaks. I miss the colors!
The remainder of the day was spent hanging out and helping on some gutter work!Day 6 - Tuesday - I don't remember the name of the first stop we made on our drive, but boy was it beautiful. Its just this lake surrounded on 3 sides by beautiful fall foliage. It made for a gorgeous view!
Further down the road on our drive we stopped at the Thundering Brook Falls Trail. I LOVED this little trail. Loved the boardwalk part, loved the falls part, loved the stream part. It was a super easy stroll to the falls, then Sam and I trekked higher up the mountainside to get a closer view of the actual falls. I could have stayed there all day, just enjoying the sights and sounds. On the way back, we hopped off the boardwalk and walked town to the stream for a bit. Also on the way back, Madalynn took a plunge off the boardwalk because she wasn't watching where she was going and I will never forget the look on her face. We all laughed at her expense, poor girl, hahahaha. But she was unharmed, so it was ok, lol.
After we completed the canopy walk, we decided to walk some of the trails around the area. It was cool seeing the canopy walk from the ground. The ground trails were equally as beautiful and we enjoyed our time walking them just as much as the canopy walk.
After our trip to Vins, we took our time getting back home. We drove through the country side enjoying the scenery, houses, and also stopped at a pretty red covered bridge for some photos and a little walk.
Thus far we had eaten lunch out a lot, and dinner a few times as well, but this night in particular we ate dinner at home and it was delicious. It was nice to jus thang out and relax after a long day of walking!
Day 7 - Wednesday - It was really rainy for our last full day in VT, but that didn't stop us from getting out of the house. We hit up some more Vermonty shops, including The Vermont Flannel Store. We also stopped in at Woodchuck Cider House for a little bit of cider tasting! I might not be into beer, but I DO like ciders. I really enjoyed a lot of their ciders, especially the pineapple one!
For our last dinner in VT, we headed to a hibachi place close to their home, Sushi Yoshi.It was DELICIOUS! It was only my second time being in a hibachi restaurant, so I definitely enjoyed the show. I think Madalynn did too! I didn't order hibachi though, I ordered pot stickers and egg rolls. They were soooo good! I was so full when we walked out, lol.
Day 8 - Thursday - Time to hit the road to PA! Not only were we fortunate enough to make the trip out to VT to see some of my family, but we were also able to orchestrate being able to visit with my best friend growing up, Jill, and her husband Tim!
It was really hard to leave Matt, Erica, Madalynn, and my Dad. As excited as we were to get to PA, I really wish we could have spent more time in VT. And I really wish the kids could have come. *sigh* Hopefully we will be able to make it out again before the kids get too much older.
We left Matt and Erica's in the morning and started our trek out to PA, stopping at Dunkin Donuts for a treat, and detouring just a little bit to drive through my home town and the surrounding areas and take some photos. Like the back of my house growing up (which my dad recently sold), my street sign, the park we used to play at, the Best Western Hotel where I used to work, my middle school and high school, my aunts house, etc. It was fun to drive around. It would have been nice to have had a whole day to stop in at places, but a quick drive through was as good as it was going to get this time.
We made it to Jill and Tim's with a little bit of daylight still left, so that was great! It was so nice to catch up with Jill over a delicious dinner of tacos on their back deck. We chatted for hours before calling it a night to get a good nights rest for the next day's adventure. Day 9 - Friday - In PA, it is a must to get a pretzel with cheese and a philly cheese steak. Luckily Jill and Tim knew exactly where to go to get each of those! We were not disappointed.
After we stuffed our faces, we headed to Valley Forge National Historical Park. Anthony would have really loved exploring the area! I swear we walked MILES....and I was wearing heavy socks and boots, not my usual flip fops, and it was hot out....so I was sweating my butt off! Had I known it was going to be hot out, I would have dressed accordingly, haha. Despite the amount of walking and sweating, we had a great time walking around Valley Forge and reading about it's history.
A little ways down the road (we made it back to our car and drove there, lol) was Washington's Headquarters. I really enjoyed this part of our day because we could walk right up to the buildings. Normally they would all be open and you could go inside, but Covid had everything closed. Still, being able to walk about the buildings and see the stone work and such was amazing.
That night, Jill and Tim made us reservations at their favorite Italian restaurant in Conshohoken, Trattoria Totaro. We walked there. Haha. But it was ok, we were all rested and cleaned up from the day, and the walk through Conshohoken was lovely. It was fun to have Jill and Tim play tour guide and show us around on our way to dinner. Dinner was soooo good!!! We stuffed ourselves silly! Good thing we had to walk back home, haha, at least we got to burn some of it off! Once back home, it was time for jammies and some chill time. We stayed up late chatting, just enjoying the evening.Day 10 - Saturday - Jill and Tim ordered us breakfast from a local breakfast joint in town. We ate it on their back porch while watching the clock and gearing up to say our goodbyes. Ugggghhh, I hate goodbyes. Just like VT, our trip to PA was far too short. And I wish the kids could have been with us. They would have loved being there, playing with Jill and Tim's cats, running all around their house.
As much as I didn't want to leave, I was looking forward to being back home. I really missed my dog. HAHAHAHA And the kids. lol We love traveling, but there really is no place like home.
What an awesome trip. I am so thankful Sam and I were able to spend this time with family and friends, even during a time of stress because of Covid. It was an unforgettable trip and I am very thankful for everyone who went out of their way to play host to us and make it fun and special.
Love you all!
With love,
Mama Hauck
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