Exploring The Great Indoors

Vermont is gorgeous and beautiful and perfectly made for exploring the great outdoors. But with my tick paranoia at an all-time high, grand hikes through the nearby Taconic Mountains were out of the question. Instead we made our way through East Dorset and neighboring Manchester to explore what the great state of VT could offer beyond its majestic scenery.

Having read about local historic site Hildene--the summer home of President Lincoln's son Robert--we made that our first stop of the day. Robert Todd Lincoln, the only one of the children to survive to adulthood, built the mansion in 1905 and the home was continuously occupied by Lincoln descendants until 1975 (longer than any other Lincoln family residence!). Overlooking a massive green valley, the estate and the grounds surrounding it are absolutely stunning.

Unfortunately, no photos are allowed inside, so I can't show you the enormous 1,000-pipe organ in the entrance hall, believed to be the country's oldest residential pipe organ still in its original location and in working order (!). But hopefully you get a sense of it by this awkward pose we struck in somewhat of an organ pipe shaped formation.

Keeping the historical home tour going, our next stop took us to the Robert Frost Stone House Museum in the town of Shaftsbury. Surprisingly, the house is only partially made of stone (zing!).

The museum (if it can really call itself that--only two rooms!) features original furnishings and knick knacks from the time period Frost lived there (1920-1929) during which he wrote many of his most famous poems, in particular "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" which he penned at the dining room table in 1922.

I can't say we were especially impressed with the place, especially compared to Hildene, but I suppose we can brag that we stood in the very spot where an American classic was written. I think? No matter, by this time our stomachs were growling hangrily so we quickly traded in house for barn. The Chocolate Barn, to be exact.

Very healthy lunch options. I think my choices adequately represent all four food groups. Wouldn't you agree, Mom?

Such a nutritious lunch helped us fuel up for the next strenuous & exhausting activity: pedal boating. Sure, pedal boating doesn't appear to require much skill or strength, and the only other people also renting one was a Japanese tourist couple clearly visiting from overseas (in the green boat ahead of us!), but I won't lie and say my thighs aren't still burning. And we only went around the lake a few times! The locals, meanwhile, lapped us in their BYOCs (bring your own canoes).

On the way to the lake, we also passed by this abandoned marble quarry, which now serves as the town swimming pool during the summer months. If we'd had our bathing suits with us, I was ready to jump right in. Followed by a relaxing deep REM sleep in the grass like that orange shorts/camo hat guy.

Finally, it was time to head home, pack up the car, grab the last of the kettle corn & say our goodbyes to Vermont.

On the drive back to New York, I very helpfully provided top-notch navigation skills once again. Kevin really appreciated it.

If you ever find yourself in southern Vermont, the beautiful Hildene House is well worth a visit & be sure to make a pit stop at the Chocolate Barn. Your sweet tooth will thank you!

Tweet Pin It Now!

Is There a Tick on Me?

While in Vermont this weekend, enjoying the beautiful outdoors and soaking in the picturesque country vistas, with endless green forests and postcard-perfect mountains, all my brain could register was is there a tick on me?! Honesty, all weekend long I quietly freaked out every time my sneakered foot fell even somewhat close to the edges of roadside brush or tall grass. I swear I'm not a crazy hermit, and do love the outdoors, but Kevin and his uncle John (who's home in East Dorset we stayed at) kept yammering on about the dangers of picking up deer & horse ticks the size of a pin out in the fields (no doubt just to goad me on), filling my head with nightmarish scenes of waking up to the bullseye-shaped rash of Lyme Disease. Ultimately, frantically searching my arms and legs for a teensy black dot every night proved fruitless & psychotic. So far, no proof of tick life. But enough about ticks. To start off more appropriately, the 4-hour journey by car began as any good road trip should: with kettle corn.

While KSchneid drove the whole way (my driver's license is just for show), I helped navigate.

Those stellar navigation skills really paid off when we arrived at our destination 45 minutes early with plenty of kettle corn left (never mind the built-in GPS). As we drove through the sleepy town of East Dorset it felt like stepping into a time machine. Every home like a dollhouse very carefully preserved.

As we crested a steep hill, this little beauty came into view. Kevin's uncle and aunt live here. With their own apple orchard. Seriously.

The above three photos taken by Kevin's uncle this past spring (hence the blooming apple trees!)

Ready to shed our city selves and soak in the literal postcard we'd stepped into, it only felt right to venture down to the orchard and pretend to pick apples.

Silently petrified I'd picked up a tick along the way (every apple now starting to look evil), the pretend apple picking came to an end with the delicious wafts of grilled veggies and skewers drifting down from the back porch.

As we munched dinner al fresco, our eyes got a chance to feast too.

Most importantly, no ticks were involved in the making of this post.

More of our Vermont (mis)adventures later this week!

*In case you missed Friday's post in the hullabaloo of holiday weekend travel, check it out here. Wouldn't want you overlooking such life-changing discoveries as the accent nail.

Tweet Pin It Now!

A Fork In The Trail

Finally, finally, New York decided to get it together and show up for Spring (except today is monsooning). This past weekend brought out the best of the best in perfect warm-but-not-too-hot temps, blooming trees and flowers at every turn, and nary a cloud in sight. All the usual spots to soak it in--Central Park, Battery Park, etc--quickly fill to the brim with eager New Yorkers starved for sunshine at times like this, so Kev and I decided to go big and really soak it all in at Bear Mountain State Park. A short drive up the Hudson River, Bear Mountain is a beautiful expanse of woods, lakes and trails overlooking the river with spectacular views from every vantage point.

With lofty ambitions of tackling a "challenging" hike, yet not a clue as to which trail that might be, we set out blindly for a path that appeared sufficiently steep and winding. Starting out, happy and un-sweaty:

Things got pretty hairy pretty quickly. Five minutes in, gleefully trotting along oblivious to what lay ahead, we came to a fork in the trail. Kevin felt both options looked promising.

To the right, a nice orderly stone stairway built into the path to form the next leg of the trail. To the left, nothing but dirt, leaves, rocks, and twisted tree limbs forming not much of anything. Imagining ourselves modern-day Robert Frosts, we chose the "adventurous" and "more challenging" fork less-traveled by to the left.

Immediate regret. There's a reason the road less-traveled is less-traveled. Foolishly believing we could blaze our own path like a pair of pioneering explorers, our legs and (my) Lululemon yoga pants were no match for scaling the side of a mountain. Only a few yards in, thighs burning, lungs heaving, with sweat beads dripping into our eyes, thoughts of This might have been a mistake began creeping in. Kevin may or may not have cursed the bear of Bear Mountain. I took a tumble at one point. All I can say is, taking the road less-traveled certainly made all the difference.

More than ready to trade in challenging for easy, legs still shaky (ok so we are out of shape!) from descending the trail of terror, we hobbled along to one of the more picturesque spots in the park--easily accessible via a well-marked 1 mile paved path. Which lead to a breathtaking view of the Hudson River valley...

And even spotted our first deer!

Sometimes the road more-traveled by provides the best views.

.

Tweet Pin It Now!

Braving The Elements

Winter is out in full force here in New York. Yesterday peaked at a balmy 15 degrees and that was the high for the day! With such frigid temperatures driving folks indoors, it would only make logical sense to make the best of days like this spent cozily in bed in my pjs watching old episodes of Lost, right? Not for this girl! Two pairs of socks, five layers of clothing, one knit hat and mittens, and one heavy coat later, I marched out my front door determined to "enjoy" the winter season along the Hudson River by my apartment. Whelp, let's just say I didn't last long -- the gale-force winds and instant runny nose got the best of me. However, the day was beautifully clear and crisp (too crisp!) and made for some fantastic photos... Which are best appreciated from the comfort of a duvet-covered bed with a steaming mug of hot chocolate!

Other brave souls

Itty bitty Statue of Liberty off to the left...

Tweet Pin It Now!