Plus Kip hadn't been given the tour of route 100 (north of Waterbury) so we immediately set out to see the cider mill (cider donuts!), Green Mountain Club, Cabot (cheese samples!), and of course Champlain Chocolates.
Yay for finding more of Dad's signs at the GMC!
What a beautiful table/map:
Udderly amoosing:
Oh, I almost forgot, we went here too:
Our next adventure involved a border crossing and a Canadian bakery - buying bread from a place our family has been going since we were little. That all went fine, but the return border crossing took a while. And included a car search. Not sure what they saw in us, but apparently it was suspicious. Eventually they did let us back into Vermont.
The rest of the morning was more fun, exploring places from our childhood. The train line along our school bus route has been converted to a rails-to-trails path so Kip suggested we go for a run. Sounds great!
There was still some snow here and there, but overall easily runnable and really cool to see the sights from the train track point of view. Hi John!
The next day we gathered with Jay, Billi Jo, and some of her family for a family reunion at Jay Peak, fun! The waterpark was entertaining, including a tube float, hot tubs, a climbing wall over water (excellent idea), and waterslides that made me giggle all the way down. Supper was also excellent, although I forgot take any photos of the family. Overall a very enjoyable day.
OK, it's basically April, how is there white stuff covering the car??
Kip is on a running streak, so a little snow isn't going to stop him:
Our next big day was a drive up to Montreal. It didn't take long to realize it was going to be a very cold and windy day for walking around the city, but it was worth it for some delicious crepes:
I didn't know Montreal has a Chinatown:
We had a nice walk throughout downtown, popping inside buildings to warm up every few blocks. At least the sun was shining.
The very tall Leonard Cohen mural, very nice:
This sculpture had us mesmerized for a few minutes, changing shapes as it moved, and we debated whether it had power running to it but decided it must be wind-driven:
A little video to demonstrate:
More animal sculptures:
We checked out a retro pinball arcade; we're finding more of these as we travel. I think Las Vegas has the most comprehensive one, but you kind of can't beat "free play Sunday" on the last weekend of each month in San Francisco.
I can't recall seeing a totem pole on this end of Canada before:
Excellent ostrich on skates:
High five:
Public art at McGill University:
The last stop in Montreal was the most fun - our 2nd time at a board game cafe (also glad to see more of these opening up). Love the concept of paying a little to hang out, have food, pick a game to play. We chose "Bears vs. Babies" because we like Exploding Kittens, and it was a lot of fun. Better designed, I think, giving us ways to slowly learn while leaving open more strategies to explore.
John and Kip had to get back to work the next week, while I got to stay longer and hang out with Mom. One highlight I've already written about was my FKT run around Grand Isle Loop - thank you again for the support, Mom and Renee!
The theme of the next week seemed to revolve around how Vermont is putting the "green" in the Green Mountain State. For example, an EV charger at the Waterbury library:
At the sustainability fair with Billi Jo - she was as excited as I was to see the Teslas on display:
I've never given much thought to electric bikes (I might as well just do the work and get the workout "credit" when I ride) but I did enjoy the opportunity to test one out at the fair:
OK, that was pretty neat! Thank you Billi Jo for snapping a couple photos of me having fun whizzing around the parking lot:
On another day Mom and I went to Montpelier to participate in a climate march for justice. A group of intrepid folks had walked from Middlebury to Montpelier, so we went to lend support as they crossed the final couple blocks to the state capitol.
But first - lunch at the Hippie Chickpea - and yes, it was as good as the name suggested. Tea while waiting for the food...
Then we gathered with the walkers plus a bunch of other folks at a church to get organized. And I do mean "organized" - I've not seen this level of coordination in a march before, quite impressive.
Also neat to see - the geese they brought along:
Walking and singing our way through town:
On the steps at the capitol:
Staying mostly dry and warm:
The purpose was to show support for some bills being debated in the legislature, and I think filling up the inner halls of the building made a point. There were some short speeches, more singing, then we filed out. It was inspiring to be a part of it.
We've had a couple of exciting weeks, haven't we? Renee thinks so:
Thank you Mom for a wonderful visit!
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