Trapp Family Lodge - One of Vermont’s Finest - TRIP REPORT - Page 4 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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The tour and the cruise both looked really interesting.
They were certainly worth doing once, and maybe again if we have guests with us.
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Originally Posted by JoanW
The water looks wonderful, and clean too. I was surprised by the size of the city too.
I was too--didn't expect it to be so large.
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Glad you had a great time in Burlington and a great dinner! Pixies for DD's toe!
Thanks, it's healing nicely.
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Originally Posted by pamcarey
Sounds like a great day! Lake Champlain is very pretty.
Thanks--it really was beautiful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CinderAbby
Just getting caught back up. It's a shame the chocolate factory tour really wasn't a tour. I would have been bummed too. Your cruise on Lake Champlain sounds really relaxing and just the right amount of time too (not too long but not too short). I'm glad you got to go back to the glass blowing. They used to have a place at DTD (long before it was even called DTD) that did things like that. I don't know if they do anymore. Sorry your daughter got hurt but thankfully you acted quick and kept her from fainting. And what kind of policy is no sharing - that's not very consumer friendly IMO.
More Please
Wow, didn't know DTD used to have a glass blowing place.
I know! I've never seen a "no sharing" policy at a restaurant before--ever.
I had intentionally not planned anything for this, our last full day here at the Trapp Family Lodge. I wanted us to have the time to repeat some activities or do something that we hadn’t had a chance to do up until now. Nobody really wanted to hurry out this morning, so we each did our own thing—just hangin’ out.
After breakfast, I took my ipod and sat out on the porch to enjoy the morning view and try to take in all the beautiful scenery. I listened to my favorite songs and thought of my dad. Up here on this big hilltop with nothing between me and the clouds except a few mountains and some trees I really did feel a little closer to heaven. No tall buildings or power lines, no highways or traffic noise, nothing to come between the two of us. I felt strangely comforted through my tears of sadness.
A while later I went inside and read a magazine, then watched some television. I started to think about going home tomorrow. I didn’t want to leave, but our time here is almost up—for now anyway. I checked my voicemail at home which reminded me that school was starting for the kids on Tuesday. They were looking forward to seeing all their friends again.
It has been a busy summer, and I’m really grateful that we were able to spend the last week of it here. We can’t wait to come back again and again and hopefully bring Mom along with us.
We decided to get showered and head over to the main lodge as everyone was getting hungry for lunch. We checked out the lunch menu in the lounge and it looked good so we had lunch there. We would have liked to eat outside, but since it was such a beautiful day, all of the tables were already taken. So we ate inside the lounge. DH chose the Club sandwich, DD and DS had chicken fingers and fries and I had a panini grilled cheese sandwich and a fruit plate.
After lunch we visited the gift shop in the main lodge to see what goodies they had. There were lots of hand made Austrian goods, like plates and wooden bowls, as well as clothing and linens. We didn’t purchase anything though. We noticed a public computer right outside the gift shop which reminded me that we could now check-in for our flight tomorrow. I tried to check-in, but I didn’t have my confirmation number with me. So we will do that later tonight via the laptop when I have the paperwork in front of me.
As we were leaving the lodge, the kids asked if they could walk back to the guest house stopping by the fruit trees to pick some apples. I had really been hoping to take a drive to find one of the many local covered bridges to take some pictures. So DH and I agreed to split up. I drove everyone back to the house and picked up my DSLR and they headed off on a walk to find some fruit trees.
After a 10 minute drive I was right in the area where the bridge should have been, but I must have missed the turn. So I drove on for a few miles until I found a road that appeared on my map so that I could confirm my error. Yep, I missed the turn. I turned around and headed back for the small dirt road I assumed was the correct road. Finally I came upon the bridge. It was an old, one lane covered bridge. I couldn’t help imagine how much prettier it would be to take pictures of if the leaves were changing. But here it is nonetheless.
This bridge is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a young scorned lover who hung herself inside long, long ago.
I got out of the car and took some pictures and then walked closer. Just to the right of the bridge, there was a path that led to the water below. I thought about climbing down, but I was wearing sandals and was afraid I would slip. I’m sure the kids would have had fun playing down in the water. Too bad they didn’t come along.
I got back in the car and drove around looking at the local sites before deciding to head home. Once home, the kids were excited to show me the fruit they had picked. They had two red apples, one golden apple and two pears. They were very proud of their fruit and had already washed and placed them in a bowl.
I began packing up the things that we wouldn’t be needing tonight or tomorrow. I only left out our shoes and clothing for tomorrow and jackets for tonight, our big finale. I gathered all of the many booklets, brochures, and maps I had collected and packed them to go home for future reference. There were still a few things that we didn’t do this week, and I wanted to be sure to keep the information for next time.
I was really looking forward to tonight, our last night. I had booked a private horse drawn carriage ride that would end at the very same time that a family campfire was to begin out in the meadow. So we would exit our carriage and walk over to the campfire.
As I was thinking about the evening, I realized that since we had eaten a late lunch we would normally just eat a late dinner. But our ride was to leave at 6:30 p.m. which would mess up any plans for dinner. I wondered what kinds of groceries the little bakery had in stock. Were they even still open at 5:10 p.m.?
DD and I decided to take a walk and see what we could find. When we got over there, the doors were still open even though the sign said they closed at 5 p.m. So we wandered inside and were glad to see several other guests there too. The dry goods section sold snacks, milk, cheese, breads, pasta, etc. We wound up buying a block of Vermont cheddar cheese, some bread/crackers, and water bottles.
Once back at the house DD and I put together a cheese/bread/apple tray for everyone to snack on. The apples were the ones they had picked earlier and of course were deliciously fresh and tasty. We cleaned up and headed down to the main lodge around 6 p.m.
We were told to meet to the left of the lodge. We parked and waited at the outdoor center which was immediately left of the lodge. Since we were still early, I walked over across the street to what appeared to be gardens.
There were huge vegetable and flower gardens here. They were beautifully kept and had chairs and benches strategically placed throughout so that guests could come and sit to enjoy the scenery and flora. We found out later from our carriage driver that they use all the flowers they grow in the flower arrangements inside the TFL. The vegetables are used in the restaurants as well.
As we wandered around and took pictures, we saw a sign indicating that the carriage ride would pick up over here.
So we took some pics (above) while we waited near the sign and soon, off in the distance we saw the horses and carriage emerge from a wooded trail. There were two big Belgian male horses named Rex and Burt pulling the carriage with bells jingling about.
The carriage pulled up right beside us and unloaded the previous passengers, one of which was a very young girl (1-2 yrs.) who was sound asleep on her mother’s shoulder.
A nice lady saw us waiting for our ride and offered to wait for us to climb so that she could take our picture for us. We thanked her as she handed the camera back. And then off we went through the field and down into the wedding meadow where they apparently host lots of weddings. We circled the white wedding tents and caught a glimpse of where the campfire would be shortly.
I snapped this shot over my shoulder--a little crooked
We then crossed over the gravel road back to the side where the lodge is and went up behind it and into the woods—down Fox Trail. Our driver was very nice and talkative, asking the kids questions and telling them stories.
Before long our half hour was up and we were heading back to the pick up point. She asked us where we were parked. We told her we were parked in the parking lot to the left, but were heading back down to the meadow for the family campfire after stopping at the car to grab a few things. She said since we were the last ride of the evening, she would take us to the car so we could get our things. DH jumped out when she stopped and grabbed our blankets and water bottles and hopped back into the carriage. She then proceeded through the parking lot and turned to go back to the pick up spot. As we passed the front of the lodge where people were going in and out, they started waving to us and some even took pictures. We felt like royalty for a moment.
Once back at the pick up spot, we climbed down and thanked her for the wonderful ride. I also went to say hi to the big strong guys who had pulled us the whole way—Rex and Burt. Then we walked down to the campfire.
Once we arrived at the campfire, which was quite a walk, we noticed that there was only one person there. But she had a guitar and didn’t look like a guest. I guess TFL pays her to come to the campfire and sing folk songs.
Within a few minutes a truck pulls up and a guy gets out with some firewood, matches and a box of supplies. Turns out he was the guide that had taken us on the Maple Walk earlier in the week. It was like seeing an old friend again. He was selling supplies to make s’mores for $5. We purchased a bag and started roasting our marshmallows.
As the sun was setting we noticed this lovely sight behind us. It was pretty close to a full moon. This would be helpful later on the long walk back to the car in the pitch dark without flashlights.
The campfire was wonderful. Many families floated in and back out again. We were the first to arrive and the last to leave. I just love moments like this—simple but lovely. Sitting by the warm campfire with my family listening to someone sing and play guitar is a memory I won’t soon forget.
We decided to take a cue from the guitar player when she put away her guitar and there were only two families left. We took that as a sign that it was time to go. We reluctantly gathered our things and walked back to the car. I even said as we walked away “but I don’t want to go” just as a little guy had said a few moments before when his parents told him it was time to go.
When we got back to the house, we did a little packing and then went to bed.
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We were up by 7 a.m. and I headed straight for the shower. As the others took turns showering, I finished packing up. We checked out at the main lodge and drove a few miles down to Shamrock’s Restaurant (diner). They were one of the few we could find that served breakfast here in Stowe. Breakfast was good here, but make sure you bring cash because they don’t take credit cards or personal checks!?!
We got on the interstate and headed for the airport stopping once we got close to fill up the gas tank. Turns out this was a helpful detour because we found all kinds of familiar stores and restaurants here. I pulled out my notebook and made notes of what was here--for future reference.
We were getting closer and as drove through a neighborhood, there was the airport. It was so weird that the entrance to the airport was literally across the street from small single family homes. We arrived at the airport and parked the rental car in the designated area and then headed inside to return the keys. Since we were early, we decided to wait in the lounge area where they had free wi-fi before heading through security.
DD and I went down to the bookstore to pick up a magazine and a few snacks for the plane ride. While inside the bookstore, I received a phone call from my neighbor who was keeping and eye on our two beagles for us. She proceeded to inform me that one of my dogs had been parading around with the partial remains of some kind of animal. She wreaks with an awful smell and is quite messy. They wanted to know what they should do. I told them to leave her alone and I would deal with her when I got home. Looks like my plans for this evening have been made—wash dog(s) and clean up animal remains. Oh boy, vacation is officially over—back to reality.
We arrived home safely and began unpacking and getting ready for the first day of school on the 8th. The kids started calling their friends to see if they had classes together, phones began ringing, the washer and dryer were put into action, and the normal craziness of our lives began again.
We quickly and easily fell in love with Vermont and the Trapp Family Lodge and look forward to many, many more family vacations there. We all feel it was our best vacation ever!
What a wonderfully relaxing vacation! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Did you purchase into a condo there? I knew you looked, but did a miss the big announcement that you'd signed up?
Here's the original post--from Tuesday's portion of the trip report...
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissMousey
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
We stopped into the Villas office as the work day was just about over and we needed to talk to Bill. We did it! We signed a contract for a fractional share of one of the Villas. OMG, I can’t believe this. It feels like a dream. We will get two week up here each year. One late summer and the other we get to choose each year. We just love it up here! I know it sounds completely spontaneous and almost irresponsible to jump into something so quickly. But I promise you we aren't normally like this. We were just so sure about this we couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
So, yes we did it although we haven't actually settled yet. We're very excited about it and are considering it our anniversary gift to each other. We're celebrating our 21st anniversary in two days.
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I just got caught up only to find that was the end of your vacation .
What a absolutely great last night - a carriage ride, a campfire and a full moon - what more could you ask for. I'm sorry your neighbor had to throw cold water on your plans though. What your dog did didn't sound pleasant in the least.
Thank you so much for trying out a TR. I really enjoyed reading it and going along on your vacation. I also loved all of your pictures. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd say the one with your husband and kids before your carriage ride would be it - they all look so happy in the picture. It's just too bad there wasn't someone there to take one with all four of you.
I enjoyed this trip report when I read it a few years ago. I found it again to re-read while taking notes. Making this part of my plans for 2012. Thanks!
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Pixies for DD's toe! 
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Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Thanks for sharing it with us. 
although we haven't actually settled yet. We're very excited about it and are considering it our anniversary gift to each other. 
We're celebrating our 21st anniversary in two days. 
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