Confession: when we started driving through the "hills" in New England and feeling the pressure of the altitude change, we had to remind ourselves that the Appalachian Mountains start much further north than where we usually think of them in the southern states. We took in beautiful sights every day, and especially loved the frozen waterfalls that were on the sides of the roads. It was hard to get a picture of them though!
Vermont day took us deeper into the 'mountains', where we got to see frozen rivers,
and covered bridges,
and maple syrup and cheese at Sugarbush Farm! After a quick visit with some missionaries, that is. The work never stops!
Grandpa Mark, always making us laugh.
The cheese was so good! We loved eating it in the Moose for a lunch on the go.
Similar to Iowa's flood pool, Vermont had a snow pole!
So cold, and so beautiful!
We even had a snowball fight.
Inside the maple syrup barn-
Maple syrup tapping is a bit different than I've always pictured it, with a system of tubes connecting the trees in addition to the buckets that collect the syrup. Maple syrup flows in March, which is just when we happened to be there!
And it wasn't too hard to imagine how beautiful this place must be in the fall.
With our feet wrapped in plastic bags again we were able to trek a ways up the maple trees trail.
Emma was a very stern teacher in this small chapel.
We made a quick stop by Quechee Gorge, the impressive 165-ft gorge that we all would have loved to hike down if only it wasn't so muddy and cold.
These towering pine trees remind me of my childhood, and they are nowhere to be found in the Midwest.
Noah loved this typewriter in the antiques shop. He was so disappointed when I told him we couldn't take it home.
These pictures make me laugh!
Next stop was a much lesser known church history site- Joseph Smith's birthplace in Sharon Vermont.
This is the outline of the Smith family log cabin where he was born.
This site is marked by a beautiful granite obelisk that is basically in the middle of nowhere. Again, so fascinating to think what life must have been like in 1806, with the hardworking Smith family trying like so many early Americans to find their place and make their way.
The senior missionaries shared these summer season pictures with us.
The snow was its own kind of beautiful, too.
We finished up our day in Vermont with a delicious dinner at a hole in the wall with great service. We had to try the poutine- French fries with gravy and cheese- a dish that looks disgusting and tastes great and will definitely stick to your sides and keep you warm during the cold New England winter!
Noah was set on trying the Impossible Burger- with added bacon. He said it was delicious and we all laughed at his ironic order!
Vermont mac and cheese has officially ruined me on any other mac and cheese forever more.
The girls and the boys took turns dancing on the empty stage. One last chance to get wiggles out before we hopped back into the Moose and home for the night!
The most repeated quote of the day was "Vermont! Must be lovely this time of year with all that snow." And it definitely was!
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