Walking in a Winter Wonderland

"When it snows, ain't it thrilling, though your nose gets a chilling. We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way, walkin in a winter wonderland."



Although the true "definition" of hooky is the failure to attend, I like to think of yesterday as a "hooky" day. I did, in fact, fail to attend work...granted, it was a pre-approved paid vacation day, but still...it is more fun to call it hooky.

Yesterday was one of those days where you can't help but love Winter. I woke to a cloudy sky and snow lightly falling. I had a partner in crime for the day who was playing hooky in a more official way and was skipping class. We set out for a day of spontaneous adventure which was supposed to begin with a romp around the ice skating rink at Leddy Park. However, for some unknown reason when we arrived, it appeared they had chosen to close public skate 45 minutes early...it was very disappointing. We pressed on though, kept spirits high and hit the highway en route to Warren. I've been hearing about The Warren Store for so long and figured now was as good of a time as ever to finally check it out. The place is adorable...quaint and filled with little treasures of years past. The old fashioned candy reminded me of my years in Arizona and visiting the old fashioned candy store in Bisbee..the memories came flooding back. We enjoyed some lunch and hot beverages there, then checked out the surrounding stores, the view of the river and then popped into The Pitcher Inn. That place is gorgeous...rustic chic perhaps? We were both amazed to see such a beautiful place in the middle of a tiny town of Vermont...there were, no doubt, visions of staying there in the future.

After exploring Warren, we ventured back into Waitsfield and I gave a mini tour of The Round Barn...the last time I had been was for Emma and Kevin's wedding over a year ago. It's really a beautiful spot. One of my favorite new discoveries there was the exact replica, miniature version, across the street. If there hadn't been perfectly untouched snow surrounding it, I would have ventured over for a photo. The Round Barn was followed by a second attempt at Ice Skating at the Skatium in Waitsfield. The rink is not yet opened but it is a cute little outdoor rink and the guy currently managing it was a very pleasant individual...we had a nice conversation with him and his shaggy dog. I am so excited to venture back for a leisurely outdoor skate sometime soon.

The adventure continued with an attempt to find Huntington Gorge. We were unsuccessful but in the best way possible. We found ourselves driving through some of the most beautiful backroads in VT...the snow on the trees was literally breathtaking. At every turn we were exclaiming, "this is so beautiful!".

If only we had worn snow clothes and/or brought snowshoes, we could have truly enjoyed it in all it's splendor.

After many attempts at finding the gorge, we opted for a few Shed Mountain Ale's at Toscano Cafe Bistro. It was here that we came to the conclusion that all Richmond-ers are coached to misdirect non-locals who inquire about finding the Gorge...we were told multiple different routes, none of which seemed to work. The beers were exactly what we needed for the snowy winter day.

It was really a great day...and a day that created lists of more fun things on the to-do-outside-of-Burlington list.