The lakes are frozen, people are ice fishing and I can see that they are boiling the sap. We recently visited Burlington, Vermont and it was a totally new experience from the last time we visited. Previously, we had gone swimming in Lake Champlain and picked apples in the orchard, but not this time.

We stayed at our favorite orchard bed & breakfast, Allenholm Farm, in South Hero, Vermont, which is owned by Ray and Pam Allen, fourth-generation apple farmers. They have over 90 acres and grow 25 different types of apples. They rent the downstairs of their home as a 1- or 2-bedroom bed & breakfast, complete with living room, pool table and bathroom. They also have farm animals that love apples and peppermint candy.
We took many day trips, for which northern Vermont is well-suited. It is easy to hop on a ferry to New York, drive north 30 minutes to Canada, or head east to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. We decided to head for the great white north first. The Canadian border officer asked a few questions and let us pass. American citizens can still cross into Canada without a passport (at the moment). We headed to Montreal and visited the Biodome, which was an incredible combination of four totally different ecosystems. We spent quite a few hours there and then rode up the incline elevator to the Olympic Tower. Afterward, we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. It's a lot smaller than the one in France, but it was perfect for us.

The next day, we rode the Lake Champlain ferry to New York and drove to Lake Placid. We found out that we could ride in a real bobsled at the Olympic bobsled training track. For $40 a person, we signed our consent, put on our helmets and climbed aboard our bobsled that included a driver and a brakeman. All 6 of us were stacked like Pringles when they gave us a push and we went flying down the track. Up on the sides, right, then left. It was awesome! We were going about 50 mph and all we could see was white!

This was one of the newer tracks, built in 2000, and with the latest technology, they can keep that track open all year round. For the real daredevils, you can pay a little more and ride the whole track, which takes you up to 70 mph. We also checked out the Olympic hockey center and watched the Can-Am tournament.

One of the specialties of Vermont is food. We visited the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory where the employees get to take home 3 pints of ice cream every day. We got some free samples and we hated to leave, but next we were off to Cabot Cheese. They have every cheese you can imagine and have a variety of samples to try. We stocked up and headed to Morse Maple Farm. The lady at the information booth gave me directions and warned me of the frost heaves.

What's a frost heave? I inquired.

The lumps in the pavement from the freezing and melting of the snow, she replied.

We certainly don't have those back home in southern Virginia! We carefully navigated the frost heaves and watched as Mr. Morse boiled the sap that was coming in from the trees to make maple syrup. It smelled great. Morse Maple farm produces four different grades of maple syrup. Next, we went to Lake Champlain Chocolates, where the smell and the treats were delicious.

You can™t go to Vermont without stopping at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. They have dozens of bears to choose from and also have a Bear Gram service where you can send a beary nice message to your spouse, mom, to a sick friend, or for any occasion.

Taking day trips were great, but it's also nice just to sit at home and relax. At night, our family would walk outside to our patio and be mesmerized by the quiet of the night. We heard no trains, no planes, no helicopters¦perhaps only a car once in a while.

We also played checkers, had fantastic views, great hosts, incredible breakfasts and we will definitely go back to Vermont! Where else can you see the Milky Way at night and have cats for an alarm clock?

Questions? Comments?
Email Denice at dpcvt@hotmail.com