The Green State - Vermont

Back on the road after a week in the office took me to the lovely state of Vermont. Vermont and New Hampshire are two states that I've never really looked at as a top priority on my "To Visit" list. My drive from Albany, New York to Burlington changed my mind about where Vermont ranks on my most beautiful states list. I drove through the Adirondack State Park, which is very surreal. I don't know what the square miles of the park is, but it pretty much includes most of upstate New York. Luckily the weather was nice, because it was very hilly and mountains were everywhere. Tillie bought me a subscription to Men's Journal for Christmas, and the last issue was my type of issue. The 50 Best Places to Live in the United States headlined the magazine, and Burlinton, Vermont is ranked number 19 according to the magazine. Unfortunately I had to visit in the winter. Despite the cold weather, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Burlington is a very lively and liberal college town located on Lake Champlain. Watersports and boating during the summer months and skiing only 45 minutes away for the winter months. I felt at home a little bit, with all of the cows around, but the majority of them are dairy cows. I guess it makes sense that Ben & Jerry's is located in Burlington. I took the tour of the factory, and I'm intrigued by the company. If you're bored, check out their website www.benjerry.com. From Burlington I had to head up north to Montreal, Quebec. Instead of driving straight there, I took a little detour to check out Stowe, Vermont. Stowe is a popular skiing village, and it is where the von Trapp family (Sound of Music) moved to after they left Austria during the Nazi area. The only reason I know this is because I spent three days in Salzburg, Austria all by my lonesome when I was overseas. I got sick of hearing the songs from the Sound of Music at my hostel, where they offer the Sound of Music tour, which I very easily turned down. Good times in Vermont, and I'll have to drive through it again on the way back to Southern New Hampshire.