~Sunday, October 10, 2021-
Day 483
Made a power breakfast of smoothies, French Toast, bacon (for Jeff), and eggs, for our bike trip into Stowe today. We only got a teasing glimpse of this charming small town of 4,500. Stowe is kind of like what Aspen is to Colorado. Pricey!! The median home price is around $550,000 which may not be quite as high as Aspen’s, but still expensive. We left Sadie back at the “ranch” to have a much deserved rest day.
The Stowe Recreation Path is an internationally recognized bike path stretching from Stowe Village to the Top Notch Ski Resort and has many points of entry along the way. This 5.3 mile path was constructed in 2 phases, with the first phase being from 1981 to 1984, then again from 1986 to 1989 and at a cost of $680,000. Reminds me a little of our Napa Vine Path which when completed will be a 47-mile walking and biking trail system, connecting the entire Napa Valley from Calistoga to the Vallejo Ferry. This project began in 2009 with 10 phases. When we left our hometown of Napa in 2020, they were 50% completed.
The Stowe Path on the other hand, criss-crosses the West Branch of Little River multiple times with their picturesque wooden bridges,
leading you to some of the most breathtaking mountain views. Along the way are multiple breweries, restaurants, lodges and local businesses. So I guess you could say that this bike path is a recreational asset to the town of Stowe.
Back in 2010, Friends of the Rec Path presented a proposal to make this a year-round accessible path, requesting to have it groomed during the winter months. Request accepted. The Stowe Town, with community effort, purchased equipment needed to maintain the path. It certainly has become a multi-use path with all-season use for biking, walking, running, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and rollerblading. They’ve even enhanced the trail since then with 2 bike maintenance stations located at Lintilhac Park and Chase Park. The station provides all the necessary tools to perform repairs from changing a flat to adjusting brakes. They even provide hanger arms for your bike to allow the pedals and wheels to spin freely while making repairs.
I must have had the camera on 80% of the time as we couldn’t get enough of the scenery. We were fortunate to even see a
horse drawn buggy on a dedicated horse trail which paralleled our path and a mini-petting farm with a corn-maze, buzzing with families and their curious toddlers. Of course we made note of all the amazing breweries and restaurants, for later, with their inviting outdoor seating. You also couldn’t help but witness the scene at the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival, with their large event tents, live music and multiple craft booths.
On our return trip back along the path, we stopped at the ever appealing IdleTime Brewery for a few eats and sips.
The place was packed inside and out. But to us, the coolest part about it was the large outdoor rectangular bar where you could mozy up for a beer (or two), watch the Fall views while cozying up to an outdoor fire. There was only 1 corner seat at the bar left, which Jeff encouraged me to take while he stood. Yes ladies…..chivalry still exists!! We were fortunate to have the most attentive, friendly waiter/bartender waiting on us. I’ve never seen anyone work with such intensity and energy (other than my brother-in-law). What was funny, is our waiter said he was only running on half steam since he just worked (2) 12-hour days, normally not working Sundays. Can’t imagine what being rested would look like. The guys next to us were having a fun time while the ladies were out shopping. Typical scenario...right? Can’t wait to check out the shopping in downtown Stowe myself. At least Jeff now knows where to come. Anyway, Jeff LOVED their IdleTime Double IPA and the food was delicious!! Their pretzels are ever so famous as we saw at least a hundred coming out of the kitchen, hanging from one of those banana hook things, with an assortment of dipping sauces. One pretzel…..$16!! It better be good. Jeff had a Reuben while I had an Impossible Burger that was one of the best I’ve had. And their fries are to die for.
What a beautiful day and we couldn’t have picked a better time to witness all of Vermont’s October glory. When we arrived back at the campsite, it was nearing dark. We certainly had one rested, revitalized pup. In trying to warm up the trailer, I noticed while Jeff was outside getting organized, that the heater had turned off only a few minutes after being turned on. Oh, oh…..either we’re out of propane or something’s going on with the heater. As you may recall, we’ve had an issue in the past with the sail switch (which signals the propane to fire up the heat). The last time, we found something as simple as dog hair preventing it from moving. Boy, these things are sensitive. Jeff opened the side compartment and found a little in there, but thinks that it might be something else this time. 😩This seems to happen when we have no hookups, leaving us to use the generator to run the fireplace for heat. But we’re past the generator hours so will have to just deal with cooler temps inside the trailer. Will investigate this issue tomorrow.
Since we had eaten a late lunch and no dinner, at around 10:00, I was craving a light snack. Haven’t had that tasty treat in a while. Sadie jumps up the minute she hears the kernels hitting the pan. While Jeff read, Sadie and I partook in a little snack time while listening to a French radio station. We’re only a few hours from the border of Quebec ‘ya know. You’d think I would have moved the dial, but it was kind of fun listening to one of my favorite languages and trying to decipher what was being said since it was my language of choice during my middle and high school years. I only recognized a few words 🥴.