Exploring the Queen City

So much to explore and so little time.  Even though the size of the city is only a bit over 40K this place is packed with things to do.  Unfortunately Saturday it was raining in the morning so we decided to do indoor fun stuff like visit the ECHO aquarium.

Interesting exhibit on coffee harvest and roasting (with free coffee to boot which is a luxury for me since I no longer have a coffee maker--don't have the space in our pint sized home) and then learned about all the frogs, fish, and lake creepy crawlies in the area.  Learned about the knocking call, which sounds like horse hooves on a wooden bridge, of a native frog called...can you name it?

Mink Frog

Also went to see the movie "Boyhood", brilliantly written and directed by Richard Linklater also know for a long list of other movies (including "School of Rock"--funny, FUNNY). This coming of age story of a young boy uses time like paint on a canvas. Excellent casting, acting, cinematography, screenplay...a must see but go see it on the big screen!  I give the movie two snaps up, five stars, and a standing ovation.  

On the way home we walked past City Market a giant Whole Foods so packed with people I thought it was a Best Buy on Black Friday, until I smelled the familiar Patchouli and spied the humongous bulk food isle. Burlington is very hip, hippie and hipster. The hipster look for the older folks reading:

Hats are in...knit hats, bowler hats, pork pie hats, paperboy caps, slouchy hippie hats...and dreadlocks! Lots of plaid here--lots of flannel plaid.  Doug is feeling out of place without his own plaid.  

Dogs are very welcome in VT with offerings of water bowls and dog ties up spots.  I see lots of folks carrying their smaller dogs like newspapers, many "store dogs" like Annie's "Nellie" at Village Booksmith in Boo, and dogs just tagging along on errands.  You can't go more than ten seconds without a dog passing by. Oh, and several cats on leashes.  One skater dude with his big fluffy cat on a pink leash (sorry I don't have photo cuz we were in the car).  

First peak into Stowe.

Sunday we headed out to Stowe since is was a beautiful sunny 65 degree day.  I had spied online that this weekend was Oktoberfest and I wanted to experience the VT version of lederhosen and beer.  Nothing like a yodeler, an um pah band, and a few accordions to get the toes a tappin' but nothing raucous...a very tame version of the LaCrosse drunk fest, no cars overturned, just lots of "wurst" and local beer from the Trapp Family Lodge.

We felt right at home enjoying our "wurst" platter and beer. We watched the polka dancers, and admired the older ladies with pins festooning their hats like a decorated General. We then wandered into and around town to browse and found the cute covered bridge and other very New England sites.

Next on the agenda was a hike up to Mt. Mansfield.  We decided on the Haselton trail, listed as a "moderate" hike, but of course found out later it was a "strenuous" 2500 ' vertical hike.  Our WI ant hill climbing legs got a workout but it was worth it for the view...of course at the top we discovered folks could DRIVE up to the top but what fun is that if your legs aren't sore for 2 days after?  

Starting out at the bottom it seems like a very tame trail...

...until we start on the rocks and it goes up and up, sometimes up a stream.  Vermont gets an A++ for well marked trails though.  Just follow the painted blue rectangle on trees and rocks.  Just about the time you don't know where to go there is a blue mark.

I call this the brain of the trail...the root system that calculates if you are fond of the trail and if it senses any animosity it spits you out somewhere at the bottom of the trail.  Think good thoughts...

The moss trail...how could one traverse this without touching the spongy moss on both sides? 

The hills are alive...but wait, there's more...not quite at the top.  Another half mile straight up the ski hill! I didn't think my ankles could bend that far forward.

Success!!! 

No worries about sleeping good tonight! Can't wait to go home to have a Google chat with our cuties: