This winter seemed very long and reluctant to depart. As much as I enjoy winter cooking, I was just about ready to see the end of the snow and ice.

But we had one more trip planned for the maple studies. As you can see in my earlier posts, I had learned much from several sugarhouses in Maine, but I wanted to get a Vermont perspective too.

Of course, Vermont is famous for maple syrup, so why did we keep going to Maine? Because every weekend it seemed there was more snow in the Green Mountain State. We could get better driving in Maine, and as you saw there is no shortage of sugarmakers in the Pine Tree state.  It's a long way from Plymouth to Vermont, and a blue-sky day makes the drive fun.

We finally got a blue-sky weekend day in Vermont, so we made tracks to see what we would see. It was the very end of March, and at home by Cape Cod Bay there were crocuses up and daffodils emerging. Our itinerary was to go to Brattleboro in the SE corner, then across scenic Route 9 to Bennington in the SW corner, and then up the west side as far as Rutland along Routes 7a and 30. Spring was coming slowly to southern Vermont. There was still plenty of snow on the ground, but it was melting and the rivers were rushing with snowmelt.

It was a beautiful day for a drive in southern Vermont! Our first stop in Vermont was a fine breakfast at the dedicated locavore Chelsea Royal Diner in Brattleboro.

Then we set out for Bennington on Route 9, soon reaching the Paradise Farm Sugarhouse in West Brattleboro. I love Paradise Farm because the works are convenient to the shop, so I could go talk to the fellows tending the evaporator in the steamy boiling room while Lorna could shop comfortably and select a cider donut for later.

Eventually we made our way to Bennington where Lorna plundered the big Camelot Village Antiques Coop (a great place for nifty old-style kitchen gadgets, dishes, etc in perfectly usable condition), and then we headed north toward Manchester.

I wanted to get to Manchester because I needed to find some kitchen gear that I was having trouble finding anywhere else. When that happens, I go to Vermont Kitchen Supply because they always seem to have exactly what I need. I find that many kitchen supply stores have cutesy versions of things I already have, and plenty of things I don't need, but the ratio of cute to useful tends rather more to the former for my prosaic tastes. They do have attractive goods, of course, the thing I like is the high probability of finding something I truly need.

Besides Vermont Kitchen Supply, Manchester includes many, many other shops that make it a fine destination for a day trip. Its location at the junction of two very scenic roads (VT7 and VT30) puts it right on your way for a break during a scenic drive.

When passing through Manchester, I make a point of stopping a the Garden Arts Fresh Market in Manchester. They have a great selection of locally-raised meats, some cheeses and a few beers, and I get my fix of Deano's Jalapenos to nosh on while Lorna enjoys that cider donut.

Then we got back on the road again, meandering up Route 30 through farm country, through Dorset to Poultney and up along Lake St. Catherine and across Route 4 into Castleton and Bomoseen. It was dusk by the time we got there, but that was the plan; we were determined to have dinner at the Lakehouse Pub and Grill on Lake Bomoseen. The potato-crusted salmon shown here is one reason, and the view of the iceboats on the frozen lake at the top of this post is another reason. We had driven many miles, with many more to go before we got home; a fine dinner with a great view really helps!