Vermont - August 6, 2017

We spent a couple of days in our campground in Derby, Vermont - in the far north to clean the RV, repair a few minor problems and regroup.  Even though we were getting pretty good with dealing with Canadian money and the metric system, it is so nice to be back in the USA and all things familiar.  The cleaning job took two days - we had huge amounts of dust in every outdoor compartment and some locks would not work they were so clogged with junk.  Some of the dust had filtered inside, so we had to empty and clean every compartment inside and out.

We contacted friends in Burlington, Vermont and arranged to visit with them and stay in their driveway Saturday night.  We headed south on scenic route 100 through Stowe and the northern part of the Green Mountains, but the rainy weather with low clouds prevented us from enjoying the mountain scenery.  We did, however, enjoy driving through the small New England towns with quaint downtowns.

Carole and Bob made a wonderful dinner of grilled butterflied whole chicken, which we learned is now called Spatchcock by the Foodies.  All we knew is it was juicy and delicious!  Jack was saving his glacier ice for special occasions and he contributed a chunk for drinks.  Sunday, we played a round of golf with Carole and Bob at their course, Rocky Ridge.  Absolutely beautiful course, but I forgot my camera and my phone, so no photos of the incredible mountain scenery..sorry!

After golf, we headed back east to Montpelier to stay for the night so we could be at our appointment with the RV repair shop on Monday morning to have them look at our overhead bunk that will not stay aloft without propping up with blocks and to replace our tv antenna that broke the 2nd day we in Vermont.  At least we got one day of American tv before we lost it again.  Monday morning, they replaced the antenna, but could not repair the bunk.  That area may become an extra storage area as the part is over $600 and the labor will be substantial. We think that the Labrador and Quebec roads may have actually caused the damage to the bunk.  I told you so's are painful.

Great visitor center at Ben & Jerry's

The RV guys finished up before lunch and afterwards, we toured Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory that told the history of the company started by two 7th grade friends that were on a mission to build a food-related business that would be environmentally responsible and a voice for peace.  Masters in advertising marketing - and the ice cream is good, too.

The line went on and on for those wanting to buy an ice cream

After seeing the factory, we headed down to a flavor sampling

After lunch, it began raining, so we abandoned our plans to visit a few tourist spots and got a campsite early and expect to spend more time exploring the area tomorrow.