Vermont

Fall colors in Middlebury, Vermont

We camped overnight in the Green Mountains National Forest our first night in Vermont. We were the only ones in the entire place (the Moosalamoo Campground), which is just a little more than half hour away from Middlebury. It's kind of eerie not seeing another soul (even a park employee) anywhere, but simply dropping our overnight fee in the box ($10 in this National Forest) and taking our pick of any one of dozens of sites. These days we've been shutting down campgrounds left and right. It seems the average (sane) person is put off by rain and near-freezing overnight temperatures. Lightweights.

Erin taking a walk through Moosalamoo before sun sets and the wolves come out

The next day we went to Burlington which, at 42 thousand people, is the largest city in Vermont. Burlington is an incredible little (and liveable) city. Situated on the shores of Lake Champlain, it's only two hours from Montreal. To me it feels kind of like Durango, Colorado meets Portland, Oregon -- surrounded by plenty of nature, great restaurants and microbreweries, terrific coffee houses and a great, funky/artsy aesthetic.

Sky monkey sculptures on a building in downtown Burlington

Erin at a restaurant in Burlington overlooking Lake Champlain

Church Street in downtown Burlington

We spent the night with our friends Steve and Laurie and their mega-cute daughters, Mira and Maeve. They live on a large wooded lot which feels like it's in the middle of absolutely nowhere, but is just a short drive from Burlington. The next day we went to the Shelburne Farms for a hike and some bonding with the farm animals.

Entering through the gates to the magnificent Shelburne Farms in the rain is kind of like approaching the Land of Oz

Steve, Laurie and the girls on top of a hill at Shelburne Farms overlooking Lake Champlain

Steve driving blind

Erin posing with the Parker-Clarks

A carved wooden xylophone

Off to New Hampshire.

Not complaining, but we've seen a lot of this kind of weather in New England