Day 7: Vermont to New Hampshire

And today we start with this wake up . . .

. . . and back on the road again too!  We are moving around every day which is how I planned it.  I know it may seem like a lot of movement/driving but I wanted to see something in each state.  We had a yummy breakfast with the freshest local berries . . . my mouth was watering!  So to continue the theme of odd stops (it really isn't that odd), our first stop was at Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.  Now being from Texas we are devout Blue Bell Ice Cream fans but when in Vermont you just have to stop!

This was to the factory tour . . .

The tour was fun but no photos allowed . . . you get to see the actual production from above looking through glass windows and the tour guide was funny.  At the end you get to sample the flavor of the day which happened to be Salted Caramel Blondie . . .

. . . and as if the sample wasn't enough someone wanted more but at least he shared!

We made a visit to the Flavor Graveyard where some of the worst selling flavors of all time rest.  According to our tour guide this was one of the worst selling and tasting ice creams.  It was quickly pulled from the market . . .

Again there were more school groups but thankfully they had their own special tour. Now I know how people feel when we would pull up for field trips.  Since we are in Vermont we needed to check out some of the old bridges you always hear about . . .

The sign at the top reads . . .

It was lunch time . . . yes we had Ben & Jerry's for breakfast!  A quick drive to the capitol of Vermont, Montpelier.  We had lunch at La Brioche Bakery and Deli which is part of the New England Culinary Institute.  The soup and sandwich was yummy and Colin liked the bread.  It was so nice outside we enjoyed just being outdoors!  The capital building is beautiful with the big gold dome and beautiful flowers too!

The fun continues at Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks where we learned the process of making maple syrup.  Here is a photo of the process used to tap the trees and transport the sap . . .

It takes 40 gallons of maple sap to equal one gallon of maple syrup.  Now I know why it is so expensive!  We walked around the farm and sampled the different varieties (Golden, Amber, Dark and Very Dark) of maple syrup.  While they do vary in color it is all about the taste.  Colin was most excited about feeding these two kids apples and carrots . . .

Nothing but green, wide open fields . . .

It was back in the car as we headed towards New Hampshire through the White Mountain National Forest.  So beautiful but time was ticking.  We made a quick dinner stop and to the hotel to relax.  Colin was so excited to see the hotel had two huge indoor water slides!

I bet he sleeps sound tonight!.