99 degrees is highly unusual for Vermont but this is our lot yesterday and today. We drive south on scenes two-lane route 116 to the small town of Bristol where we had lunch at minifactory, a cool contemporary space: excellent food, very slow service. It took 45 minutes to get our food. I had a very basic entree- delicious flaky griddle buttermilk biscuit with homemade cream cheese and homemade rhubarb cherry jam. The restaurant’s odd name comes from its honey-based Jam-making minifactory. Noah and dirck had more complicated sandwiches but still… the place wasn’t that packed.
There were a few shops to wander in (vermont honeylights) and a pretty village green – less pristine than real and functional. We drove through nearby Middlebury college. In Bristol we also drove around the Tillerman, a 1797 farmhouse that is now an inn, restaurant and concert performance space. Looks great. It was closed on a Monday.
Our search for a place to swim in the river proved frustrating. I wasn’t willing to risk the huge slippery boulders leading to the enticing falls and flats. We watched teenage kids do crazy high drives from big rocks (and later learned a kid was killed in this area a day earlier.) We also got a $15 ticket for parking along the rural road, behind many other parked cars that also got tickets. Finally we ended up where we should Have begun- the perfect river entry spot in Waitsfield– shallow entry, sand not rocks or slippery boulders!
Dinner was inventive Mediterranean food at James Beard-nominated Honey Road. Very good. Reasonably priced.
On our last day we braved Shelburne Farms, a historic farm south of Burlington with surprisingly grand buildings that barely resembled barns – lots of heavy brick, wood, and copper. After a half hour of heat, we got back on the bus for the drive across fields with hay being harvested to the parking area. Next time I’d like to get to the Shelburne museum and house with an inn and gardens. The photos I took are crazy, like something out of a Gothic movie.
Although we were warned on Monday that our flight home on Tuesday was imperiled by possible thunderstorms in Chicago and advised to rebook, we found no great option so took our chances. The plane left on time but was stuck on the runway for maybe 20 minutes due to a thunderstorm…in Burlington. Then we were off, and arrived in Chicago on time. Noah also made it back to DC (a day late, after his flight was cancelled for no obvious reason.)
TakeBetsywithyou 