After Kade's cross country race in Copetown, we carried on down the highway headed for Vermont. We often struggle with the decision about whether to make the trek or not. It is a long drive for a short time away. But we LOVE Vermont and we LOVE spending time at Dan and Sarah's and we LOVE seeing our kids connect so easily and so well with their cousins. Yes that is a lot of LOVE and that I guess is why we just bite the bullet and decide to go for it!
Sarah is a wonderful host and she keeps us busy and makes sure that every calorie we gain with her fantastic cooking and baking, we burn off soon after with her hikes up monster mountains!
Kevin taking Konnor for a little jaunt down the driveway.
We arrived Friday night around 8pm and first thing Saturday morning (after breakfast) we headed for Mount Killington. We were originally going to watch the sunrise from the top, but after doing the math, realized we'd have to be up at some unearthly hour like 4am. So we went for the relaxed approach and headed out when we were ready. Kevin and Kade stayed behind with Konnor, Josh, and Jacob and the rest of us headed out and up!
This was a tough climb! We went up that ski hill in the picture above. It is steep.
I definitely needed to stop and take pictures every once in a while. The rest of the troopers were patient with me :)
Thankfully we had a few rests as we journeyed to the summit!
This is the method of transportation that everyone else takes up to the top. Smart people!
The views as we clambered up and along were amazing. Colours were definitely at their peak and it is hard to imagine not believing in a Creator! The heavens really do declare the glory of God!!
Kylie and Josiah made it to the top long before the rest of us and when we all got to the top and went in the restaurant at the top, we were referred to as "those crazy people who CLIMBED up!" The restaurant was amazing with glass walls all the way around. The views were splendid.
You could just look out and see mountain range after mountain range filled with so much colour!
Vermont in the Fall is something everyone should experience!
There was about a 10 degrees drop in temperature when we reached the top. There were a lot of winter coats and hats up there. Being that we just exerted ourselves, we were warm . . .but we cooled down quickly with the temperature drop and the wind.
We did snag a ride down on the gondola which was a very nice way to go down :)
Later in the afternoon we went to one of Sarah's friends house who has all sorts of "boot camp" obstacles set up in her yard. The kids and adults had fun trying out the obstacles. I realized that I actually am very weak and lacking in upper body strength.
Kylie looking her best!
We attempted family pictures after church on Sunday.
The four wheeler was a major attraction for the boys. Kevin and Kade spent a lot of time bombing around the farm on it.
After lunch on Sunday it was time for mountain number 2. This was "just a little one".
Needless to say, resting spots were still very welcome. We strapped Konnor on to Sarah's back in order to slow her down a bit. It only worked a tiny bit.
Beautiful views again from the top.
Our wondeful hosts.
Konnor enjoying breakfast.
Josiah and Kylie doing some early morning colouring/drawing.
Monday morning we awoke to COLD!!! It was slowly cooling down as the weekend progressed, but Monday morning was downright chilly! Out came the winter coats! Though it was thanksgiving in Canada, it is not in the US, but Sarah let the kids stay home from school for the morning so the kids could visit for one last morning.
We went out to one of the other farms where they are putting up a new barn.
The kids enjoyed seeing the cows and tractors and life on the farm.
One last ride . . .
Our last stop was visiting Jacob's maple syrup operation. Jacob and a friend are working together to set things up to produce maple syrup in the spring. They have worked hard and invested time and money and it should be very exciting (and busy) for them in the Spring when things start flowing. They are very enterprising and hard working boys!
Then it was time for good bye. Never our favorite part at all, but we needed to get on the road and they needed to get to school!
Thanks again Dan and Sarah for such a wonderful weekend. We are so spoiled when we visit and we really enjoy the adventures you take us on. Though we wish you lived a lot closer, we are thankful for the opportunities to visit you and enjoy another part of the world and we are thankful for the "one on one" time we get to spend with your family. Thank you!
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