Sunday, July 19, 2009

Boy do I have a busy day planned for the kids today. After getting up and having French Toast and Bacon for breakfast. I tell the kids to put on their bathing suits and to pack the ice chest for our picnic lunch. They want to know why bathing suits - but I tell them it is a special surprise.
We hit the road. First we stop at Cold Hollow Cider Mill. It is New England's largest producer of fresh apple cider. They also produce 10,000 cider donuts a day! While we were here we were able to see how cider was made. We saw bees making honey. The smell of fresh cider doughnuts filled the room - and we watched them made....of course we had to try some samples!
Next we headed down Rt 100 into Bolton, Vt. We turned up this small side road - to bring us to our next destination. I could see the confusion on the kids face as I pulled up on the side of the orad behind a few other cars and told them we were here. They were even more confused as I led them down this small dirt path through the woods. But then we came across our destination - Bolton Potholes. This is a set of 3 waterfalls. The top waterfall cascades into a 5ft pothole. Then it cascades into a 25ft pothole. The third waterfall cascades into a river channel. The water in the potholes was emerald green. The river channel was shallow enough for the kids to explore. Nick wanted to put his head under a waterfall - well see the pictures! The current was too strong to get to the big one - so he settled for a smaller one! As we were getting ready to leave - some other people came and were jumping into the potholes - it reminded me of the Cliff Divers in Acapulco. As we headed back to the car - the kids asked if we could come back - so I guess they really liked it! We had a picnic lunch of homemade fried chicken and chocolate chip cake before leaving.
We then headed back to the house for everyone to get changed out of their wet bathing suits.
Next we stopped at a few of the local stores. Our next stop was a covered bridge in Stowe. It was built in 1844. It crosses Gold Brook. There are 3 stories about how the bridge got its name....
The first is that a person was on the way to her wedding when her horse bolted and threw hew while crossing the bridge and she died from her injuries.....
The second is that she person was jilted by her fiance and hung herself from the bridge rafters.
The third is that the person fell in love with someone that got her pregnant. When her father approached the person to marry her - he killed himself at the bridge. After the twins were born - she went there and killed herself too.
I know - all horrible stories - but it is how the bridge was named.
So for a prize - name the bridge?
Oh by the way - people say you can see her ghost there - but we didn't!
Next westopped at Cabot Cheese. You can sample EVERY one of their cheeses there! They also have a wine tasting for $1 for 3 wines! Nick tried a Chipotle Cheddar - I think I saw steam come out his ears!
Our final stop for the day - Ben and Jerry's ice Cream factory. We took this tour and heard the story on how there 2 friends created this incredible business. But it is not just the great tasting uniques ice cream that makes them great. It's the way they have chosen to give back to their community, their costumers, and their employees. - Their employees get 3 pints of ice cream a day!!!! Mimi is ready to start work there. We were then able to sample some! We then took a walk out to the Flavor Graveyard. This is where all flavors that they no longer make are honored.
After returning to the condo, we had tacos for dinner. Zack and I went swimming. Now we finish up the blog - and to bed we go.....
Oh - a bonus question - While we were at Ben and Jerry's we saw cars from how many different states?
Good luck on the contests - 1st right answers win the prizes!