A Recap (and I'm not broken!)

Let me just start off by saying the following:

Vermont is incredible and I did not injure myself at all snowboarding.

Now on to the details.

Jenn and I left Rhode Island a little later than expected on Friday morning. Who I am kidding, we expected to not wake up when the alarm went off....so a little later than planned. There was 3 inches of snow on the ground in South County when we embarked on our journey north, which was a very good sign. The drive up through Massachusetts and New Hampshire was relatively uneventful.

Once we hit Vermont, however, we entered a different world. I'm not sure how or why this happened, but the scenery around us went from blah to breathtaking in a matter of miles. In addition to the mountains and the cute villages scattered on the landscape, there was a sense of calm there. At noon time on a Friday, it seemed like we were the only car on the road.

Jenn was determined to see a moose and therefore had pseudo conversations with them every time we passed a "moose crossing" sign.

"Come on moose! You've got the next 3 miles to come out and show your face to me"

She did this at every single moose crossing sign on the trip up and back. We did not see one single moose - you can imagine her disappointment. I was beginning to think the moose were purposely not coming out just to spite her. Or maybe they were all at a moose convention in Canada that weekend. It's hard to say really. But we definitely did not see any moose. It was a shame.

We stayed in Burlington the first night and I experienced the wonderfulness of this tiny, unique city. It is very vegetarian friendly, it is quaint and charming but funky and chic at the same time. I really did love it...and can imagine that in the summer time, it must feel like one of the most wonderful places on earth. I ended up buying probably the greatest t-shirt that has ever been made. It is a tribute to both Vermont and Sadie, Jenn's dog, who also happens to be a black lab. And the most wonderful dog that has ever lived. I am full of superlatives and emphatic terms of endearment tonight....but it is the only way to properly describe my Vermont experience.

The shirt:




If you're not as in love with dogs as I am, you might not understand how wonderful this is.

So we left Burlington, reluctantly, and headed south towards Stowe where I would attempt to glide down a mountain on a small piece of fiberglass. I know, I didn't think it was such a great idea either.

Oddly enough, not only did I not injure myself - I liked it - a lot! And I wasn't terrible either. Granted I spent enough time on my ass for an Australian ski instructor to look at me pathetically and ask, "Is this your first time?" Nah, I just love slamming my ass against firmly packed snow. Jesus. Even more hysterical is the fact that little kids were zooming past me on their little skiis and snowboards....without fear at all. Jenn pointed out that because kids aren't afraid of much, they don't hesitate while going down the mountain which actually helps them. I'm sure they haven't dislocated their kneecap when one ski decided to stick into the snow and not release from the boot, completely twisting their leg as if it could move independent from their torso. At any rate, ignorance really is bliss.

The woman who ran the inn was a trip - Alice gave us a very warm welcome and the sense that she was probably very lonely and loved when people came into the office to talk to her. I found this out while attempting to get some hot chocolate and check my email after we returned from the mountain. She cornered me near the hot water pot and began to ask me about our trip so far. I mentioned we had been to Burlington before coming to Stowe and she made sure to warn me of the dangers of a "big city." It was all I could do to not laugh, as I supressed my smile and nodded solemly, yes, Burlington, with all of those outdoorsy, dreadlock wearing hippies and free spirits....they might force you to wear tye dye and be one with nature. Oh the horror!

It was kind of her to warn me. She also made some comment about college students and working full time - something to the effect of "I don't know they do....stay up all night and work all day. That's how they get into the drugs, help keep em awake. My god, I don't know how they do it." Yeah....I know writing my position paper for Ethical Problems in Modern Society was really when I hit rock bottom with my heroin addiction. Doing lines in the library while reading Kant. Damn. Alice is so wise.

All mocking aside, she was very kind and our stay at the inn was pleasant....though the free "breakfast buffet" left a lot to be desired. Nothing like a mound of refined starches to start your day!

In truth, it was a great long weekend and I miss Vermont already. Though I have sworn up and down I would never move north where it is COLDER than here (see my chipmunk blog for further understanding), I could definitely picture living in Burlington. Even if it is a dangerous big city.

And don't worry, I bought some maple syrup. How could I leave without it?