http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/ A blog with news, advice, and tips for touring Vermont. Fairly good information since April 2006. en Copyright 2004-2005 info@grunberghaus.com info@grunberghaus.com Ublog Reload 1.0.5 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=528

We're always very happy to share our recipes here at the Grunberg Haus. In fact, some of our recipes were handed down by the previous owners 11 years ago when we bought the inn, others we brought with us, and still others we've come across while searching for new ideas to offer our guests. So we don't jealously guard our recipes and instead freely pass them along for others to enjoy.


One person we shared a recipe with has written about it on her blog called A Mom Named Mindy (sadly no longer online). The recipe is very easy so give it a whirl and perhaps you will fall in love with applesauce pancakes as much as Mindy has!

Two quick notes: the lemon juice may not seem important but the acidity is what gives the pancakes their "body" and helps them brown properly. Another trick we use here is full flavored Grade A Dark Amber Vermont maple syrup.

Thanks Mindy! We hope to see you again some day.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus]]> Thu, 05 May 2011 20:01:36 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=528 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=527

The Vermont Department of Tourism is giving away $100 in a weekly drawing that you can enter online. It only takes a minute to answer about 12 survey questions and you're entered to win a $100 gas card. Nowhere else will pay you anything let alone a hundred dollars a minute!

[But wait, there's more! We'll even throw in beautiful scenery like the one above!]

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sat, 30 Apr 2011 18:30:06 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=527 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=526

Vermont Restaurant Week starts today, April 29, and runs through May 5, 2011

Vermont's annual restaurant week is a great way to eat at some of the state's best restaurants at a deep discount. The event, organized by Seven Days newspaper, includes dozens of restaurants with prix-fixe menus showcasing their chefs’ greatest dishes. Each meal(appetizer, entree´ and dessert) is priced at $15, $25 or $35 per person. Moreover, ten percent of the proceeds from event will be donated to the Vermont Foodbank.

This is a very popular event featuring very popular restaurants, so reservations are a good idea.

To find participating restaurants, go to the Seven Days Restaurant Week web page and find the red box with the "Choose a Restaurant" headline on the right side of the web page. I did not count all the restaurants but it looks like more than 75 are participating and they range in location from Middlebury to St. Albans. You can find the list here.

The event has a Facebook
page too if you would like to check news during the week.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:12:09 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=526 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=524 "Timber Ripper" coaster is a few weeks late in opening because it was so complicated to build but it's completed now and scheduled to open tomorrow, Dec 23.

The fastest $13 you'll ever spend! . . .



Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:07:37 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=524 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=522

I saw this photo on Bolton Valley Resort's Facebook page and had to share it. Today is "Santa Skis or Rides Free Day" at Bolton - everyone who wore a Santa costume got a free pass for the day.

And it's a beautiful day here with sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20's. Last week we had light to medium snowfalls every day adding several inches each time. I think all the local ski areas, with the exception of Mad River Glen, have been operating for a while and it seems like each day they announce more trail openings.

The two best websites for information on Vermont skiing and snow boarding are Ski Vermont and the Ski Maven blog.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sun, 19 Dec 2010 11:46:38 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=522 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=521

There is a fun, new YouTube video about Dog Mountain's 2010 fall festival in Saint Johnsbury VT. Stephan Huneck, artist and founder of Dog Mountain and its famous Dog chapel, passed away earlier this year so all the events from now on are in part memorials to his life and work.

Coincidentally, Frog Hollow gallery in Burlington is currently staging a Stephan Huneck exhibit through the end of this month. It features Huneck's prints, sculptures and books including a posthumously printed book entitles "Even Bad Dogs Go To Heaven" and even a replica of Dog Chapel.

Frog Hollow is the Vermont State Craft Center and features works from 250 Vermont artisans. It's located at 85 Church Street in Burlington. Their summer hours are still listed on the website but it should be open most days during winter. You can call (802) 863-6458 for details.

Both Dog Mountain and Frog Hollow also have Facebook pages.

All dog lovers should plan a visit to Dog Mountain located just outside Saint Johnsbury Vermont. It's open seven days a week year around and has festivals each year. For your GPS, plug in the address: 143 Parks Road, Saint Johnsbury, VT, 05819

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:37:07 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=521 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=517
Photo taken in Waterbury VT, October 27, 2010

One of the great things about Vermont is its natural beauty even in seasons when you would least expect it. Right now is a good example. Most of the colorful leaves are not only past peak, they're lying on the ground. We're transitioning into Vermont's "stick season" where all the trees look like sticks. While it does not have the gaudy color of two weeks ago, the hillsides are still eye catching. At the lower elevations there are splashes of bright yellow and larger patches of rusty reds. It can be quite striking.

Yesterday was a good example. I enjoy this time of year when the sun is low on the horizon in the morning and late afternoon. It makes for dramatic natural lighting and it's especially fun to observe when the sky is a cobalt blue or swirling gray with sunlit highlights.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:25:51 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=517 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=515

Our weather today was not conducive to foliage viewing but it's predicted to be better tomorrow and fairly good on Sunday. Many areas are past peak now plus the wind and rain has knocked off many of the leaves that changed colors. However, there are still some areas coming into good color.

As I've mentioned previously, the Vermont foliage report I think does the best job is on vermontvacation.com where you can find observations by VT forest rangers who know what they're talking about and are not hyping travel to Vermont. Here is a link to the October 14 Foliage Report.

If you plan to tour VT in the next few days, I recommend that you line up lodging reservations in advance. We are nearly full tonight and full Saturday night for example. However, we have many rooms available Sunday night. That is likely the same situation for most Vermont lodging properties but not all. Click this VT Lodging Forecaster link for a useful guide to how busy inns and motels around the state are. It varies by location.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:09:14 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=515 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=511
We got off to an early fall foliage here in Vermont but the colors are still

changing and we have many days left before we're past peak everywhere. I

was looking at the hillside across the street yesterday and was pleased to

see so much bright red and orange has shown up.


As usual, some hillsides are further along than others. Looking closely at the

trees here at the inn, I see some trees that have few leaves left holding on

and other trees that have only just begun changing and are still mostly green.


The tree above is in front our inn and always looks spectacular for a week or

so every year. It doesn't look very good the rest of the year and I hardly pay

attention to it. But when fall rolls around, this tree is one of the first to blossom

with a bright color that makes up for the other weeks of the year.


When the lighting is just right, this maple has a day-glo orange color that is

sometimes so bright, it almost looks fake - as though someone painted it a

color that you would only see on a hot rod, not a tree. It is past its peak now (I

took the photo about a week ago) but plenty of its sylvan neighbors here are

looking very good.


Some people here predicted a quick end to the foliage because of the early

start but they've been proven wrong and I think we have at least a good ten

days left and longer in some areas like the Lake Champlain valley.


Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:20:56 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=511 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=510

Vermont's Killington resort has a "K55" deal available for a short time that you should
take a look at if you are thinking of skiing there a few times this year. The K55 is a
one day lift ticket that costs "just" $55 which is almost a 35% discount from the weekend
window rate of $85. The offer expires October
15.

The K55 is not good during the usual peak periods of late Dec-Jan, mid Jan
MLK weekend, and Presidents' Day week in late Feb.

You are limited to ten tickets but if you are going to buy that many, you should
take a look at some of the other discount programs Killington offers such as
the Express Card or the On-line Etickets. Of course the best deal is a
season pass. You can see some details and analysis on this Alpine Zone page.

Known as "The Best of the East," Killington is the largest ski area in the
East. It has 200 runs and 33 lifts spread out over seven mountains. But a
contender has mounted a challenge to that claim, Sugarloaf in Maine is
adding more acreage and will be larger in some categories. If you care, see
the "East's New Beast - Sort Of" article on Skinet.com.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Wed, 06 Oct 2010 20:38:24 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=510 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=507

I've watched Vermont fall foliage reports for a decade and the one I put the most faith in comes from Vermont Department of Forestry rangers. They are out in the field and they know what they're talking about. Heck, they even studied it in college. For years. At great expense.

Their report is available at the Fall Foliage page on the Vermont Dept. of Tourism page.

You will find reports on other websites but if you look closely you will see that they base their reports on the foresters' reports. In other words, they go to the website I mentioned above and rewrite it a bit.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Fri, 01 Oct 2010 20:23:38 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=507 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=506

Fall foliage in Vermont is off to a good start. Small spots of color have been visible for about a week and now they are gradually becoming larger spots. No bright reds yet, mostly yellows showing. It seems a little early to me but I think the foliage should last well into the second half of October because we've had good rain the past few weeks to help the trees avoid stress and thereby not shed their leafs faster.

The photo above is from a newsletter I got from Jay Peak, about an hour's drive north of us nearly on the border with Canada. Their leaves are roughly a week ahead of ours here in the Waterbury area.

So, is it leaves or leafs? Click here.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus]]> Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:37:16 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=506 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=503

I've written previously about how much I enjoy Megapickles, a daily photo blog by John Hughes, a professor at Saint Michael's. The Vermont landscapes and architectural photographs are well done and fortunately they make up the bulk of John's work. If you want to see what Vermont look like to a superb photographer, this is where you can find what you're looking for. The photo shown in the screen capture above is a good example. The reduced size here takes much away from how striking this photo is so please click the link and see the original. In fact, I suggest you go to the Megapickles website and see especially the photos posted between Sept 4 and Sept 11.

When I visit John's photo blog I'm reminded that there are many beautiful places all around the world and I'm fortunate to live in one of them.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:43:22 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=503 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=501

"How to Survive the Recession - A Vermont Perspective" by Bob Stannard:

A fun read by Manchester Vermont resident Bob Stannard made up from some newspaper columns he wrote in recent years plus new material especially for this book. Bob figured he could help his country in this time of trial and tribulation by explaining how Vermonters get up every morning (well, most mornings), pull on their boots, and go about the task of wrestling with the bear (i.e., living).

Bob sketches the characters (and I mean characters in every sense of the word) he has met and events he has witnessed or instigated, and uses these vignettes to show how Vermonters deal with the challenges and rewards of life.

The book in written in a conversational voice thankfully lacking in pretense. If you stopped by Bob's house, sat down with him in front of his fireplace and asked him what it's like to live in Vermont, this book would be his response. It's a very easy and quick read.

For the most part he does not stray too far into being preachy. He often just presents people and events and then lets you draw the conclusion. For instance, he enthusiastically veers into talking about playing serious blues harmonica ("harp") with the likes of B.B. King. He relates the stories King tells of losing a profitable gig to another blues performer and how his early manager cheated him. Yet King remains non bitter, even grateful for the experience and cherishes what these men did for him rather than what they did to him. That's how to live a full and happy life.

The book available directly from the author: Bob Stannard

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:20:38 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=501 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=500
www.vtfalls.com website

I don't know why we all love waterfalls. Perhaps we've never seen a bad one. We've seen other bodies of water look bad such as muddy streams, filthy rivers, scummy ponds, and polluted lakes. But not a waterfall. If somebody did something to pollute one, it would get flushed out quickly.

Perhaps it's "The Sound and The Fury" as Faulkner would describe a big waterfall. Or the speed. Some of them are like roller coasters after all and many of us would like the exhilaration of riding one like that. Waterfalls look like fun!

Whatever the reason, it's always to thrill to see one, especially a big one. Vermont has many waterfalls due to our steep terrain and frequent precipitation year around. A good source of information on waterfalls is www.vtfalls.com, a website run by photographer Chris Hungerford.

Chris is a full time science teacher and part time photographer living in St. Albans VT who specializes in outdoor photography. He has photographed and filmed many Vermont "waterfalls, cascades, glens, rapids, gorges, and many other natural wonders" as he says on his waterfalls website. He also has a website for his other photography that you can see here and on Facebook and Twitter.

The listing of waterfalls by name, height and nearby town is helpful but the VTfalls website does not tell you exactly where the falls are. You could end up spending a lot of time looking for them. While that can be fun in itself. it would be more enjoyable if you knew you were at least on the right track.

One solution is to stop in the nearby towns mentioned in the list and simply ask someone there. All the locals will know where their nearby waterfall is. Another solution is to purchase the book, "New England Waterfalls" by Greg Parsons and Kate B. Watson. It's an excellent guide and has driving directions.

If you are visiting in summer and are interested in swimming holes, you could combine it with your waterfall search because some of the falls end up in a pool suitable for swimming. The best source for swimming hole information is SwimmingHoles.info/VT and see my August 7, 2007 Vermont Travel Notes blog entry and the August 18, 2008 Waymark.com blog entry.

NOTE: the usual cautions about venturing outdoors apply. If you are walking, hiking, swimming or just messin' around near rock cliffs, deep pools of water, and fast moving rivers, there can be some danger involved. Don't assume that if the locals are doing something goofy that it must be safe. It's not - it is both goofy AND dangerous. Decide for yourself how much of a chance you are willing to take. For years there was a sign at Moss Glen Falls, between Warren and Granville, recording the dates and details of the deaths and paralyzing injuries of daredevils that took place there. The falls are beautiful but they are like a lot in nature: lack of sense can get you knocked even more senseless.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:31:39 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=499

Starting a positive review with a criticism is probably the wrong way to go about it, but I'll do it anyway because I won't be able to continue writing unless I get it off my chest.

A recent Slate magazine headline, "The Only Luggage You'll Ever Need" is wrong. The article is about the Patagonia Maximum Legal Carry-on (MLC), which looks like a great travel product and has many positive user reviews on Patagonia's website. It's sized to fit in airline overhead bins or under the seat in front of you.

How that qualifies as the only luggage you will ever need, I don't know. There may be times when you need to travel with a suit or dress for instance. They won't fit in this bag and even if you managed to fold them up enough to get in, they wouldn't look too good at the other end of your journey.

I will admit this bag would probably be my go-to bag most of the time. I'm a big fan of Patagonia products and have owned a few including a great fly-fishing rain jacket I'm still using after more than a decade of use. I don't own this travel bag but if I still flew on business I most likely would. These days, I only fly once or twice a year (thankfully) and I'm in no rush. If I have to wait a few minutes at a baggage carousel, I don't mind.

I look back and chuckle about years of hustling through airports, choosing the best seat assignments, closest car rental lots, etc. But I was in the consulting bidness so we were always conscious of our hours. Either we were billing the time or we were losing revenue. There was no neutral time. If that's the way you fly, and you prefer carry-on luggage, this is probably what you want. It looks like it would be a good one for car trips as well.

I remember looking for a bag like this years ago. I tried several somewhat like it over the years but nothing ever really served well. This one looks like it would have been a home run. It also converts into a back pack and is made of water proof 1200 denier polyester - as tough as polyester gets.

I'm a big fan of Slate too so if they like it, I'm sure it's top notch.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:59:25 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=499 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=498

Once the site of a thriving granite mine, Hardwick VT became a pleasant but hardscrabble looking town after the mine closed. Then it got hit by a major fire five years ago which destroyed several important old buildings in the middle of town. But it has made an admirable comeback in recent years. Most of that is due to the local food movement. Several articles have appeared with headlines along the lines of : "The Town That Food Saved."

The current issue of Yankee Magazine now describes Hardwick as "The Center for an Agricultural Economy." It was written by Bill McKibben, a Vermont resident famous for his work on global warming. Mr. McKibben writes about some of the key people involved with the local food movement including the local investor funded restaurant, Claire's, and organic seed producer, High Mowing Seeds. It's an interesting read and provides insight into many of the related types of activities going on in Vermont today.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus, located about half an hour from Hardwick ]]> Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:30:45 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=498 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=496
Photo credit: www.central-vt.com/moose "Montpelier, Vermont, the nation's smallest capital city had an unexpected visitor Monday, July 19th as a moose wandered leisurely during the lunch hour. This picture was taken by an administrative assistant at Vermont State Housing Authority on 1 Prospect in the city. A co-worker, Lindsay White, remarked that she loves the ruralness of Vermont, and this was the exclamation point of the day! "

I think the most frequent question we get from guests is "Where's a good place for dinner?" A close second is "Where can we go to see moose?"

Answering the first question is easy because we have dozens of good restaurants in the immediate area.

Answering the second question is tougher because we don't have dozens of moose hanging around nearby. We have one (perhaps more) around the inn that must come through about once a week judging by the fresh tracks we see that often. In fact a guest and his family last week pulled into our driveway one evening to find a moose standing right in front of them just a few yards off Route 100.

Moose are most frequently in remote, rural areas but they are located all over the state and, as seen in the photo above, they can even wander into a city This one was spotted in downtown Montpelier, the state capital. Once in a while deer are seen feeding on the state capitol lawn in the evenings but moose are a very rare sight in the city.

We have more moose road signs I think than actual moose. The last time I saw a statistic, the VT Fish & Wildlife Division estimated our herd between 4,000 and 5,000. In fact, the last two moose hunting seasons, F&W increased the number of permits to help reduce the size of the herd. This year, they reduced the number of permits back to 700 something. About 200 moose are killed by automobiles each year in Vermont. Moose have little or no fear and they will usually not hesitate to step in front of a car.

When I'm asked about where to see a moose, I tell people that you need a lot of luck to see one. For instance, the photo at the top of this blog was taken by a guest a few years ago through the windshield of his car. By the time he got the car pulled over and stopped to get out and take a better quality photo, the moose had already walked across the road (Route 100 between Warren and Granville) and was headed up into the woods. The point is that if he had left from our inn a minute earlier or a minute later, he would have missed the moose entirely.

But having explained that, we suggest the area around Island Pond, VT for good moose watching. Island Pond is a good central location for exploring the most remote part of Vermont known as the Northeast Kingdom (NEK).

The Appalachian Mountain Club website has a little primer on moose watching you might like to read. Note especially the warnings about getting close to these animals. They're not known for being aggressive but they are wild animals and you can never be sure whether they will attack. A mother moose (cow) will almost certainly be aggressive if she is with a calf.

An even better article is on the Island Pond, VT town website .

Route 105 is Vermont's "Moose Alley" but other roads such as 114, 111, 5 and 16 are worth driving as well. The back roads are also worth exploring but make sure you have enough gas in the tank before heading into backcountry.

But I would not go to the NEK just to see moose. I'd go to see the countryside with the idea that seeing a moose would be a special bonus.

Here is an enjoyable double (!) moose sighting video shot in the NEK by jenawesome



Good luck on your moose hunt! And drive carefully, especially at night.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:02:36 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=496 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=492

One of the new Vermont travel blogs I've been reading for the past few months is called Love Vermont. It's written by Katherine Kerrigan who describes herself as a "girl who fell in love with a state and a state of mind" which is actually a common situation in Vermont and one that applies to me and many others who find their way here as well.

Her blog yesterday is especially helpful for Vermont travelers looking to find unique dining experiences. "top ten tuesdays - waterfront dining" is a great little article with quick reviews of the best dining next to lakes, ponds, and rivers throughout the state.

I've only eaten at four of the ten restaurants so I have some work to do. But in a state awash in great dining, it takes more than the decade I've been here to get to a large number of them let alone all of them. But that's part of the charm I suppose - the never ending discovery of new places to enjoy Vermont.

One word of advice about one of the restaurants, Hen of the Wood located near me in Waterbury: it is a small restaurant that is highly popular so reservations well in advance are always a good idea. The waterside here is a nice waterfall and river immediately behind the old brick mill building which houses the restaurant. See my January 11, 2009 blog post which has a winter photo (ice and snow) of the falls but will give you and idea of the setting during more hospitable weather.

Love Vermont is one of several fine Vermont blogs I have included in the right hand column of Vermont Travel Notes under the heading Travel Friends. I recommend going through it for ideas of things to see and do while traveling Vermont. There are a lot of good ideas there written by people who love Vermont and love to share their knowledge.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Wed, 05 May 2010 11:08:00 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=492 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=490 few minutes drive from the village of Waitsfield. It's not only a great place to stay but also the perfect venue for a Vermont country wedding if you're in the market for such a dream event.



Dave Hartshorn, shown in the video, owns a farm and farm stand nearby on Route 100 - - about half way between my inn and the Inn at the Round Barn. He has vegetables, maple syrup, honey, and other goodies on hand most of the summer and early fall. It's worth a stop just to see rural Vermont at work.

I have had the good fortune to sample some of chef Charlie Menard's creations and I am happy to confirm that his work is outstanding.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

]]> Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:11:27 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=490 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=489

Here's a great way to get a personalized tour of the most picturesque parts of Vermont and also get some help in photographing it all. It's like getting two for the price of one!

Steve Mermelstein is a professional photographer who
makes a living doing commercial, fine art, and wedding photography. He also operates VT Photo Tours, a company in South Burlington Vermont that escorts small groups of people to photograph some of the most picturesque scenery around this beautiful state. You can see some client samples here.

Not only does Steve know where to go, he knows what time of day to be there to get the best light. As someone who has found a great scene but was unable to get a good photo because I was facing straight into the sun, I know the value of being at the right place at the right time.

As Steve says on his website, "You’ll have opportunities to take photographs of breathtaking landscapes, lakes, ponds, classic and historic architecture in small villages, covered bridges, barns and farm scenes, and/or visit locations where wildlife is often observed."

Plus, he's very willing to modify the tour to meet client requests.

Prices vary from $299 for a half day tour to $399.99 for a full day (up to 3 persons) and usually concentrates on northern VT but he is happy to accommodate southern VT tours for a small additional gas fee. Groups larger than three are welcome too.

Steve even has a money back guarantee! See the website for more details and contact information.

Right now he is booking both Spring and Fall foliage foliage tours.

Steve is on Facebook and Twitter.

Jeff Connor, Grunberg Haus ]]> Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:46:42 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=489 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=473

MSN has an online video series hosted by Andrew Zimmern in which he travels around the country recording interesting places to visit, usually focused on food. Zimmern was host of the Travel Channel show, "Bizarre Foods" and now hosts Travel Channel's "Bizarre World" in addition to being a chef, writer, and teacher.

Zimmern was recently in my area of Vermont to visit Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Little River Hotglass Studio, and Cold Hollow Cider Mill. He doesn't just visit though - he gets right into production, creating his own Ben & Jerry's flavor in the test room, blowing a glass jar at Little River Hotglass, and making cider doughnuts at Cold Hollow.

These Appetite for Life. episodes are a good way to get some behind-the-scenes views of popular attractions in Vermont and elsewhere.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:32:36 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=473 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=471

The Alchemist Brewery and Pub is one of the most popular spots in this area for tourists and residents alike. Anyone who is a beer lover should put The Alchemist on your must-do list (bucket list?). It's located on South Main Street in Waterbury VT.

To keep up with what brewer John Kimmich is preparing, you can subscribe to the blog RSS feed. A recent entry talks about the gluten free offerings as well as other Summer Time Beers. John started preparing gluten free beer and food offerings after his wife and co-owner Jennifer discovered she needs to consume gluten-free products.

The food there is excellent so be sure to give it a try too. Executive Chef Jeff Lang uses a lot of locally grown fresh produce in his imaginative menu which you can look over on the website before you arrive.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:13:25 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=471 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=470
Mad River Glen moose population has grown by two this year.

One of the most frequent questions we get here at the inn is "where can we go to see a moose?" There are several areas nearby where the possibility is greater but sighting a moose is a rare occurrence even for people who live and work in the forests.

The moose photo at the top of this Vermont Travel Notes blog is a good example. It was taken by a guest in early November several years ago while he was driving on Route 100 between Warren and Granville VT, a popular place to spot moose because of the swampy areas alongside the road. It's not a particularly good photo because he quickly took the shot through the car windshield. He got some better quality photos after he stopped the car and got out but by then the moose was into the woods and walking away so the angle of the photo does not work well. But he was lucky to see it at all. If he had left here a minute earlier or a minute later he would have missed the moose entirely. That's moose spotting for you (or seeing any unusual wildlife for that matter).

I have seen two moose this year but that is very unusual. Most years I don't see any. We have one walking through our property about once a month but we never see it. He or she comes through late at night and all we see are the footprints the next day.

Last winter, we had a few skier guests tell us of seeing a moose near the trails at Mad River Glen. One of them even hit the moose after coming around a corner and seeing it standing right in front of him. He reacted fast enough to squat down so he only bumped the moose a little bit. It must not have bothered the moose too much because it merely looked at the skier for a moment and then walked slowly into the woods.

The moose above may be the same one and, as you can see, it's a female with two calves it had this year. This moose photo and other Mad River Glen photos can be seen on the Gallery page at the Mad River Glen web site.

So, if you want to go moose spotting, the best area is the most remote part of Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom as it's known. Just try the roads around the town of Island Pond. Even if you don't see a moose, it's a beautiful area to do some sight seeing. Stop in some of the local country stores and ask around about where people have seen moose lately.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn except for the moose photo by Deb Steines and Bob Rogers on the Mad River Glen website ]]> Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:26:33 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=470 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=469
Photo by John Hughes

We often recommend Burlington to our guests and, if they decide to go, we suggest they stay up there to watch the sunset over Lake Champlain. This photo is a good example of why. It's from my favorite photoblog, Megapickles, which has a new photo every day by St Michael's College professor John Hughes. I highly recommend bookmarking the site and checking it frequently. I've been following it for years and it consistently has great work.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:11:22 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=469 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=467
Jeremy Leiner in "Rent" - photo courtesy of Weston Playhouse, all rights reserved

The rock musical, "Rent" is playing at the Weston Playhouse and receiving rave reviews. Great reviews are common at the Weston Playhouse and the comments for this play indicate that the cast and crew of "Rent" are giving a traditionally strong Weston performance.

Here are a few of those comments:

"It blew me away! I’ve been coming to the Playhouse for close to 20 years and this production goes to the top of my “fave” list."

"This was a wonderful show. A terrific cast, amazing voices, a fabulous set. You’ve got to see it…Go with an open mind and you’ll leave with an open heart. Well done all of you!"

"Came to the Sat. matinee and didn’t expect to be so overwhelmed by the show. First rate cast delivered a first class performance. The standing ovation was well deserved. How lucky we are to have such quality theater here -Broadway has nothing on Weston!"

"Rent" had a strong run off Broadway and later on Broadway where it won a Tony Award® for Best Musical.

The play continues through August 22 on the Playhouse Main Stage, Village Green, Weston VT

Note that the play has a rating of NC17 - Adult language, content, and brief nudity. It may not be appropriate for people under the age of 17.

Weston Playhouse productions often sell out so it's a good idea to get tickets in advance.

Weston Vt is also home to the Vermont Country Store, one Vermont's top shopping attractions. It's very close to the Playhouse, on the opposite side of Main Street.

(c) 2009 (except the photograph above owned by the Weston Playhouse) Jeff Connor]]> Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:46:15 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=467 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=466
Our parking lot, September 27, 2008

With all the rain and cool temps, it seems like we haven't started summer yet so fall has to be far off. And, while we have about two months before the fall season rolls in, planning for it should be started.

Looking at our reservation book, I can see the early birds have been calling steadily already. We are far from full in late September and early October but we are close enough now that you should make lodging reservations very soon for the last week in September and first two weeks of October (maybe a week later in southern Vermont). Fall foliage is our busiest time of year and if you want to find a place to stay, especially on weekends, you should decide now.

That's not true just for us - every inn and motel is filling in their most popular rooms. You can wait until the last minute if you must, but you will get either the smallest or the most expensive rooms as options. And I certainly would not drive or fly here without having your lodging reservations lined up and confirmed. Every year we get some people looking for a room after they have arrived in the area and they often end up spending a lot of their valuable time looking for a room.

Last year's fall foliage colors were spectacular and the season was one of the best in the most people's memories. It was a year like this year with a very rainy June and July. Not so great for people but trees loved it. They had a low stress summer and celebrated with a fireworks display of color. I swear some of the trees looked fake they were so bright and colorful, especially the reds. Some of our maples had orange leaves that looked like they had been painted on with neon paint. I can't wait to see what our beautiful Vermont hillsides will look like this foliage season.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

]]> Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:39:18 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=466 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=465

I've seen Northwest Airlines planes for many years but I never noticed something peculiar about them until it was pointed out to me a couple of weeks ago.

The logo is obviously a compass marker pointing in the northwest direction when you view the plane from the port (left) side. But if you view the airplane from the starboard side, the logo is suddenly pointing northeast!

Northwest is northwest no matter where it is viewed from. And it is so marked on every compass in the world. Why Northwest Airline chooses to do otherwise on one side of their airplanes is a mystery to me. If anyone knows why, I would appreciate hearing from you. The first one to respond gets a $30 discount voucher toward a stay here.

By the way, Northwest (recently acquired by Delta) flies twice a day between Detroit (DTW) and Burlington VT (BTV). You can see flights from all the airlines into Burlington on the BTV website. There are 45 to 50 flights a day into Burlington from 12 airports in 10 cities.

© 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn]]> Sun, 03 May 2009 20:40:00 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=465 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=464

Nobody loves you as much as mom. You can give her a Mother's Day she will cherish with the gift of Vermont. Take her to a Vermont inn, restaurant, attraction, or simply a drive in the country.

If that's not possible this year, you can send Vermont to her with a Vermont Teddy Bear. They are very good at online orders and ship quickly. If you are going to travel to Vermont next weekend (Mother's Day is May 10), a tour of the Vermont Teddy Bear factory in Shelburne VT would be fun.

Vermont Teddy Bear has several pages of Mother's Day bears on its website, plus a grandmother bear too.

Make reservations soon and enjoy your day with mom.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sun, 03 May 2009 14:40:39 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=464 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=463
Billings Farm and Museum is now open

Two of my favorite places in Vermont are the village of Woodstock VT and the Billings Farm and Museum located there.

Billings summer season of events gets underway this Sunday, May 3, with the 23rd annual Plowing Match. This contest pits teams of oxen and draft horses against each other. Each team and its handler is judged on how well they perform together.

The doors open at 9:00 a.m. and competition begins at 10:30 a.m. starting with the walking plow contest and continues into the afternoon with the team sulky competition. Special activities will include horse-drawn wagon rides, visitor plowing with the Billings team, ox programs, and rope making demonstrations.

Woodstock is located about 15 minutes west of White River Junction. Take Exit 1 from Interstate 89 and drive west on Route 4. Zoom in on the Google map from the link here and you will see Billings Farm clearly marked.

There is much to see and do in Woodstock including great inns, restaurants, shops, Simon Pearce glass works, and great country drives in the area. Charge those camera batteries.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Fri, 01 May 2009 16:16:49 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=463 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=461

I was looking this evening at my Facebook friends/fans pages when I came across some surprising news from Northeast Kingdom Travel and Tourism Association's Facebook page.

They reported that Claire's Restaurant in little 'ol Hardwick, Vermont had been chosen for one of the most prestigious awards around.

Conde Nast Traveler magazine named it one of the top restaurants in the country, an award they gave to only 43 restaurants nationwide, and just three in New England.

In commenting on Claire's, Conde Nast Traveler said: "Appropriately, Claire's serves simple food that highlights exceptional ingredients from Vermont's fertile agricultural community: slowly leavened breads, peppery radishes, and creamy raw-milk cheese. Local microbrews, artisanal sodas, and ice wines from Shelburne Vineyards keep the drinks as interesting as the cuisine."

Conde Nast Traveler sends out its reviewers anonymously to act like any customer including paying for the meal. There's no "comping a freebie" to get a good review. The restaurant has to stand on its day-to-day quality. Conde Nast did not even tell Claire's they had won the award. A friend of the restaurant happened to see the article and passed the word along to Claire's!

Claire's is a Community Supported Restaurant, a concept where local people make an investment in a community restaurant in order to have a good quality facility in what is usually a rural environment where the economics of such a facility often don't work.

I have not been to Claire's so I can't personally vouch for the quality. And I am only a little surprised there is a good quality restaurant in Hardwick. The phenomenon of top quality restaurants in small villages is not unusual in Vermont.

What I am surprised at is that someone from a big time magazine somehow found Hardwick, Vermont. While it is a fine enough town, and a classic Vermont village, it's not often a destination or even on the way to anything except to Vermont's beautiful but least populated land. It was probably a tip from someone and I would love to know the story behind Conde Nast Travelers' discovery of Hardwick and Claire's.

In the meantime, I'll have to just put it on my long list of first time restaurants to visit. There are so many great restaurants in Vermont I think I will run out of life expectancy and money before I get to them all. But it's a goal.

You'll find Claire's at 41 South Main Street in Hardwick about 30 minutes north of Montpelier and maybe a little less than that west of St. Johnsbury.

There is an interesting article on chef Steven Obranovich at the Seasonal Chef website in which answers questions about his approach to using locally produced ingredients even in the middle of a Vermont winter.

Here's a thought: if you stay with us at the Grunberg Haus, go to dinner at Claire's (about a 45 minute drive), and bring back your review and a copy of the menu for our collection, we'll give you a $20 discount off the normal $115 room rate, double occupancy, for a room with a private bathroom, full cooked breakfast included - offer good anytime May 1 - June 15.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:17:04 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=461 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=460

The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury is planning some extensive kitchen renovations and will therefore be closed from Monday, May 4 through May 11. They will be reopening Tuesday May 12 unless their projects go as well as mine do.

With these new renovations, Chef Jeff is planning to bring some new items to the menu. I can hardly wait to see what those will be. The Alchemist blog says that right now, he's off to his home town of Cincinnati to learn more about making Cincinnati chili and to hunt turkeys. Hmmm - is that trip related to new menu items?

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:19:29 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=460 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=454
Photo courtesy of Stowe Inside Line newsletter

This photo was in today's Stowe Inside Line newsletter and I thought it was a great picture to represent the great spring skiing conditions we are having now.

"Great" is the word I heard most often from our inn's guests and other people I spoke with about this weekend's skiing at all four local ski areas: Stowe, Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, and Bolton Valley. Both Saturday and Sunday were sunny and warm, making for classic spring skiing conditions.

The weather forecast calls for some rain on Wednesday and Saturday night but that will probably change - forecasts of more than a couple of days out always seem to. However, most everyday for the next week should offer some very good "popcorn" snow conditions.

All four local ski areas offer daily email reports first thing each morning. I especially like Bolton's and Mad River Glen's narrative reports. Stowe's Inside Line is fairly short but good and also has promotional listings of events around the resort. Sugarbush's report does not have any narrative - just a listing of trails and conditions.

If you don't want to get a lot of emails, check each resort's website for conditions and also use the Trail Reports on Alpine Zone as recommended a few days ago on this blog.

Just a few weeks of skiing left and conditions are excellent. The ski areas have several feet of snow pack left to work through so you have a little time to make some more runs before Vermont closes out what has been another outstanding winter sports season.

A note for snowmobilers: I am starting to see bare ground on lower elevation trails. Check carefully when making your plans on where to snowmobile. The VAST website Trail Reports page has details along with a link to a satellite map of snow coverage. There is still good coverage in the upper elevations.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus VT

]]> Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:37:50 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=454 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=452

I wrote a VT Travel Notes blog entry January 29 about The Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce (Waitsfield and Warren VT) Ultimate Ski Vacation Contest and wanted to follow up with a reminder that entries are due no late than Sunday, March 8.

As mentioned, the grand prize winner(s) gets:

- Cat skiing at Sugarbush- a ride in a luxury cabin Snow Cat to have first tracks in the best terrain before the lifts start running.
- Seven nights lodging in a slope side luxury condo with two outdoor hot tubs, heated outdoor pool, fitness center, game room
- Six day "Ski the Valley" pass good at Mad River Glen and Sugarbush ski areas, plus Ole's Cross Country Ski Center
- Free use of high-end demo equipment
- Four dinners for two people at four of the area's best restaurants
- A lunch for two at the very popular Warren Store Deli
- Fresh flower bouquet from Blue Toad Florist
- 60 minute couples therapeutic massage at Mad River Massage

There will also be a First Prize Winner and five Second Prize winners.

Enter now. The winners will be drawn Monday March 9. Good luck!

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:26:52 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=452 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=450
Image (c) Alpine Zone

Most of the Vermont ski areas I follow give fairly honest reports on their conditions but they are sent out at the beginning of each day. Much can happen after that and I have found myself more and more taking a look at what is said on Alpine Zone.

These Trip Reports are usually at the end of the day but sometimes you will see mid-day reports. They often contain useful details on which trails the person skied and what they found there. Many of the reports are from people who are frequent skiers or riders (many are local Vermonters) who know which trails to choose and what to expect.

For example, here is what one skier reported just a few hours ago on his experience today at Stowe which started off looking bad but ended up being great.

I especially like the Twitter Reports so I can stay up to date and tell callers who ask about current conditions. It's great to be able to give them a report that is very current.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:23:08 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=450 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=448

Tennis Magazine chose Windridge as one of the top ten tennis camps in the US.

Vermont has a very long tradition of summer camps for children and young adults. Some camps, such as Sangamon, have been in operation since the early part of the last century.

There are traditional camps, farm camps, sports camps, all boys and all girls camps, adventure camps, arts camps, wilderness camps, education camps, fitness camps . . . something for everyone.

A good place to start looking is the Vermont Camping Association website. It lists private, agency-based and religious-affiliated camps. Many are resident camps but there are also day camps which appeal to families who are on vacation in Vermont. The adults can go play while the kids enjoy camp during the day.

Many of the camps listed on the VCA website are also members of the American Camp Association and are accredited by that association.

Another camp directory is the American Summer Camps directory which also has a good overview of camp selections.

Now is the time to start making camp choices. Many of these camps are very popular and will fill up soon.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:33:40 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=448 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=447

This evening I stumbled across how to use Google Maps to determine GPS coordinates.

I did it by doing something I had never done in years of clicking the Link button on a Google Map - I actually read the link. Usually I'm busy getting the link to put into an entry in the blog. I never read the jumble of letters for heaven's sake! I'm right in the middle of trying to get something done dammit.

But this time I stopped long enough to look at it - which comes dangerously close to proof reading.

As I did, it dawned on me that some numbers in the middle of the link looked similar to GPS coordinates. Could it be? After a minute or two of copy and paste activity, I had my Duh-Oh! moment. They ARE coordinates! Who knew?

Well actually, I bet a lot people know. It's probably another example of the rest of world way out in front of me and I'm back here in the mountains of Vermont sucking wind.

So, for my fellow in-the-weeds, off-the-grid woodchucks, I proudly present how to find GPS coordinates from Google Maps . . .

Go to maps.google.com, enter an address in the search bar and click Enter

On the next page, right click the red balloon on the map. In the popup, click the last item, Center Map Here. (Or right click elsewhere on the map if the red balloon is not where you want the coordinates.)

In the upper right part of the blue bar, click Link.

In the window under "Paste link in email or IM" you will see what looks like a tragic explosion in a type setting shop:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en& geocode=&q=94+pine+street+duxbury+vt&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=30.130288,56.601563&ie=UTF8&ll=44.295457,-72.771957&spn =0.006635,0.013819& z=16&iwloc=addr

'Bout two thirds of the way through all that are the letters UTF8&ll and then the = sign. The numbers immediately following the = sign . . . 44.295457, -72.771957 . . . are the coordinates for my inn at 94 Pine Street, Duxbury, Vermont, the street address I entered in the Google Maps search window back in step 1.

You will probably notice that some other numbers in the Link code are coordinates. You are correct. It's weird but the first is for Coffeeville Kansas and second is, I kid you not, Baghin Iran. What's going on with that, I have no idea. And I really don't have time to mess around with it now but I'd love to some other time.

At any rate, if you ever need coordinates for your travels, that's how you can use Google Maps to help. Give it a try and email me to let me know how it works out for y'all.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:19:01 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=447 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=443

If you are on Twitter, you can follow me at twitter.com/GrunbergHausVT/. If you are not familiar with Twitter, you can read about it on Wikipedia.

The graphic above is a clever illustration of the links between me and those who I am following, plus those following me, and who we have in common on Twitter.

If you go to my TweetWheel page, hover the cursor on a user to see which friends we have in common. Click the users' names to see their profile pages.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:41:35 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=443 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=441

The Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce (Waitsfield and Warren VT) is sponsoring a drawing for an incredible grand prize.

Some very lucky winner of the Ultimate Ski Vacation will get:

- Cat skiing at Sugarbush- a ride in a luxury cabin Snow Cat to have first tracks in the best terrain before the lifts start running.
- Seven nights lodging in a slope side luxury condo with two outdoor hot tubs, heated outdoor pool, fitness center, game room
- Six day "Ski the Valley" pass good at Mad River Glen and Sugarbush ski areas, plus Ole's Cross Country Ski Center
- Free use of high-end demo equipment
- Four dinners for two people at four of the area's best restaurants
- A lunch for two at the very popular Warren Store Deli
- Fresh flower bouquet from Blue Toad Florist
- 60 minute couples therapeutic massage at Mad River Massage
- Guided naturalist program with your very own experienced environmental educator, taking you on a personalized, guided outing in a unique alpine setting.

I have no idea what a "gold class" vacation like this would cost but I'm sure it's thousands of dollars.

And that is just the Grand Prize Winner. There will also be a First Prize Winner and five Second Prize winners.

Somebody has to win - it might as well be you. It's easy to enter and no purchase is required. Entries must be received by March 8.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:01:32 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=441 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=440

Cabot Coop is a group of Vermont dairy farmers that was founded in 1919. They have a very good blog with lots of helpful information including recipes.

The blog just posted some Super Bowl Recipes I think you will find useful. They certainly sound delicious:

Point Spread
Cheese and Bean Quesadillas ("Sudden Turnovers")
Habanero Cheddar and Black Bean Spread
Hot as a Torch! Jalapeno Poppers
Baked Jalapeno Poppers
Hot Broccoli-Cheddar Dip
Pizza
"Pig Skins "
Hero Sandwiches
Nachos

The website also features a handy online recipe box you can use to store your favorites for future reference.

There is even a beer and cheese pairings page.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:09:33 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=440 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=435


Forbes.com has an article called America's Best Snowy Drives with an accompanying slide show listing the top ten winter drives in the US.

Of note to us is that one is in Vermont, one is in nearby upstate New York, and they missed a great one in New Hampshire.

The Vermont drive is Route 100 from Stowe to Rochester. This is a 48 mile section of Route 100 that I am familiar with because my inn is on that road in Waterbury. You will find the entire drive enjoyable but the best part will be between Warren and Rochester where you are driving in the Green Mountain National Forest. I wrote a travel review of Route 100 on Milebymile.com that includes this section. It will have more details on what you can expect to find.

A nearby drive in upstate New York is within an easy drive of Vermont. This Lake George Loop starts and ends in Glens Falls NY at the southern end of Lake George.

One of my favorite drives in the country is in nearby New Hampshire. It takes me just 45 minutes to get over there from my north central VT location. The road is State Route 112, the Kancamagus Highway, a magnificent drive. The road runs East and West so it is best to drive it without the sun in your eyes. In other words, from east to west in the morning, and west to east in the afternoon.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:31:24 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=435 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=434
Photo (c) Okemo


Here is a very good deal I just found on the Okemo Blog. Starting tomorrow, Thursday, January 22, and continuing through Saturday, January 24, Okemo is extending its "Try and Buy" from 60 minutes to 90 minutes.

This program starts when the lifts start. It gives you a chance to see what the conditions are like before you purchase a lift ticket.

More information about this and other lift ticket information is available on the resort's website.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor ]]> Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:05:22 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=434 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=428
Big Time NY Times Wanders Into the Backwoods To See What the Woodchucks Are Eating These Days


Mark Bittman, a writer for the Dining section of the NY Times Dining, must spend a good amount of time around the Waterbury VT area - he certainly knows the restaurants here, a couple of them off the beaten path for most visitors and even some locals.

As his December 28, 2008 review shows, he is very impressed with Hen of the Wood restaurant, a quality restaurant that was opened by a pair of chefs here in Waterbury about four years ago if memory serves.

One of the chef's mother stayed with us while the two young men were working to get their new place prepared for opening so we got an early insight into what kind of place they were aiming to establish in a highly competitive market.

As you can see by the newspaper's headline reference to "Backwoods" Vermont, many people come here expecting to be nearly on the edge of civilization, lucky to have a decent diner and maybe a couple of good potluck church dinners.

The fact of the matter is that there about 100 two and three star quality restaurants within a half hour's drive of where I am sitting now. Stowe alone has more than 50 quality restaurants and ranks third in New England for the number of two and three star restaurants (behind Boston and Providence). I've lived here nearly nine years and I'm still working my way through all the restaurants here.

Four quick items about Hen of the Wood that come up most often when I'm speaking to guests about it:

Yes, this is the restaurant with the chef (Eric Warnstedt) mentioned in Food and Wine Magazine as one of the Top 10 New Chefs in the US for 2008.

No, I don't know what they mean by "new." He ain't new - he has been a chef for years.

Hen of the Wood is a type of edible mushroom.

Yes, reservations are almost always needed. The restaurant is small and highly popular.

The other restaurant Mr. Bittman looks at is the Kitchen Table in nearby Richmond VT. It is very close to Exit 11 off I-89 a few minutes south of Burlington.

Like all of the best restaurants in Vermont, the Kitchen Table puts a great emphasis for getting as much of the ingredients locally as they possibly can. This is far more time consuming and expensive than buying from a restaurant supply house but it pays off for the customers in a superior dining experience.

Somehow, Mr. Bittman found the Green Cup quietly located on a small side street in little ole Waitsfield VT. What I thought was a local secret showed up on the radar of a New York restaurant reviewer. I guess that's why they get their jobs - they know how to find the best food no matter where it is. One note on this place - don't expect a fancy schmanchy atmosphere. The food is the only star here.

The Red Hen Bakery was located about a 1/4 mile down the road from our inn until they moved a little over a year ago to a larger facility where they now have a nice cafe. Their bread is served in all or nearly all the best restaurants around these parts. You can get it in some of the local grocery stores and delis too.

I suggest you read over this article - it's very well done and makes for interesting reading and insights into the local culinary scene but it just scratches the surface of what's available here.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:07:58 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=428 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=427

I was poking around some of my links a while back and discovered on the Alchemist Brew Pub blog that they are now serving tea.

Specifically, it's Kombucha tea, a sweet tea that originated in China centuries ago and is alleged to have some medicinal qualities.

According to the Alchemist blog, Kombucha is "fermented black tea that is loaded with antioxidants, amino acids and many different pro-biotic cultures." Whether or not that is good for you is up to you to decide.

The Alchemist Brew Pub opened about five years ago and was an immediate hit. We have had guests from all over the country tell us that a friend or relative recommended it to them as a "must see."

It is easy to find in downtown Waterbury VT. That link will take you to a Google map page that has another link to 20 reviews of the Alchemist.

They have very good food there by the way. They actually have a chef who prepares a short but wonderful menu. The portions are small but so are the prices - about $10 for an entree.

Be prepared for a wait if you arrive there after 6:00 pm most of the time even during off season for tourists. During holiday and fall foliage time, it is virtually impossible to get in unless you get there at the 4:30 pm opening time.

Our inn is only about four miles away so anytime it is too crowded, I can wait a few days or a week to get in without much of a wait. But if you do have to wait, it is well worth it.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:05:10 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=427 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=425
Photo from the Mount Snow Dew Tour

Man, that was a LOT of snow. It has snowed (with a little sleet mixed in at the middle) for two days almost non stop. Weather forecasters call for a little more this weekend, mostly in the form of flurries so the white stuff is going to stay fresh for a while.

If you have been thinking of heading to Vermont for any kind of snow activity, I can say with complete confidence that now is the time.

Mount Snow Resort in southern VT got 10 inches of snow and Jay Peak in far northern VT got 20 inches.

Speaking of Mount Snow, the Winter Dew Tour, sponsored by Mountain Dew soft drink, is there this weekend. The resort is near West Dover VT, about mid-way between Brattleboro and Bennington.

There are some great freeski slopestyle videos here (in the right hand column) so you can get an idea of what you will see this weekend plus snowboards on the pipe. Spectator admission is free all weekend.

Olympic gold medalist and Vermont native Hannah Teter will be there along with other stars.

It will be cold this weekend - bring your warmest stuff.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:00:36 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=425 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=423
Weather radar 8:30 pm Tuesday, Jan 6.

In technical meteorological terms, the radar picture above shows a "big honkin' storm" that is bearing down on Vermont ski areas. It starts tonight and goes through Thursday.

When it is all said and done, we will get six to twelve inches of snow according to local meteorologist Roger Hill of Weathering Heights Forecasting. He is consistently the most accurate of weather forecasters in this area.

Roger is also calling for some sleet during the storm: "potentially moderate to significant snowfall northern 2/5ths of state, and 'sleety snow middle part of state...to glazing, icy travel southeastern 1/4 of state' all going back to lighter periods of snow before exiting Thursday."

Check your favorite ski resort's web site for trail reports this Thursday and be ready to jump in the car to head for Vermont. It looks like Saturday should be a very good ski and ride day on fresh snow. Temps will be in the teens this weekend so pack your warmest gear.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:42:17 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=423 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=422

I know that now might not be the right time of year for this, but I just ran across a great fall foliage video that is enjoyable to look at no matter when you see it.

It is an unusually well done amateur video with good editing and music. Videographer Roger Shealy shot this footage last October during a visit to Burlington and Lake Champlain.

This video will inspire you to visit VT to see the foliage colors even if you have been here to see it previously. They always look great but last year was a spectacular year for color - many more red leaves than I ever remember seeing before and the orange and yellow leaves were extremely bright too. The season started early but remained a long time.

Start saving your $$$ now and plan to travel to VT and see this year's foliage show!

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:03:31 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=422 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=421

Here's an entertaining time burner. The Vermont Ski Areas Association has a game on their website called "Peg Your Friend."

You upload a picture of a friend which is then pasted into an animated character. When the game starts, the character/friend moves around the scenery while you use your mouse and cursor to follow and throw a snowball. The number of hits is recorded.

This will no doubt be the most meaningless thing you have done so far this year but you might win prizes such as Kombi gloves, Darn Tough socks, Eider apparel, Cabot cheese and other stuff in a random daily drawing.

Have fun!

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn]]> Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:52:00 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=421 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=420
Sample VT Ski Areas Association web page with listings of free ski lesson availabilities.

You can't beat the price: Learn to ski or ride free at
some resorts that are offering a day of free equipment and lessons this week.

You should act right away because openings are limited. The Vermont Ski Areas Association has a special free lessons page on their website that lists. Use the drop down menu to choose a day of the week and the website will return a table of resorts and number of openings at each. I don't know how well they are keeping this information current (it's up to the resorts no doubt) so get in touch soon with the ones that look most likely.

As I was searching through the dates and resorts list yesterday, it looked like Wednesday and beyond are the best bets.

If you sign up for one of these lessons and need a place to stay, give us a call and we will give you a 15% discount when you mention this blog post.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:55:40 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=420 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=416 Photo courtesy Billings Farm and Museum

The Billings Farm and Museum is a beautiful working farm in Woodstock VT.. Its annual Thanksgiving Weekend starts tomorrow and continues through Sunday from 10:00 to 4:00 each day. There will be traditional cooking demonstrations, history of Thanksgiving and how it was celebrated long ago, draft horse wagon rides, tours, and other activities for the whole family.

Thanksgiving At Hildene, located near Manchester VT, will be this Friday through Sunday. There will be self-guided tours through the mansion decorated for the season. Hildene was originally the home of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham,$12.50/Adult,
$5/Children, Members and children under 6/Free.

In nearby Manchester VT, there will be a Christmas tree lighting at 5:00 on Friday November 28 at the Town Green. It will be followed by a reception with Santa at Hand Motors. With all the upscale outlet stores in town, including the Orvis headquarters store, there will be opportunities to get some holiday shopping done.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor ]]> Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:22:21 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=416 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=414

The Christmas Bird Count is a 109 year old event held each year all around the country. It is sometimes held on Christmas day but often takes place on other days in December and early January depending upon each local group's preferred timing. In Vermont, there are about 20 bird counting groups with the earliest counts starting December 14 and going through January 5.

This is a great way to get out and see some Vermont scenery and enjoy a day with local and out-of-state birders. You don't have to be an expert. There will be at least one experienced birder leading each group.

Detailed information about this year's count is available on the Vermont eBird.org website page. This website is a good source of information not only about the Christmas bird count but also year around information about birding in Vermont.

Two other birding websites I like are Virtual Birder (it has weekly reports of rare bird sightings around the state) and the Vermont Audubon (including links to the group's state office and local chapters).

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:15:45 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=414 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=413
Stowe - November, 18 2008 (photo copyright Stowe)

Five ski areas are now open here in Vermont. In alphabetical order (with number of trails open in parens) they are: Jay Peak (3); Killington (27); Okemo (17); Stowe (9); Sugarbush (7). Most of these ski areas have base depths in the one to two foot range. In addition to some natural snow, Stowe must have had the fan guns on the highest setting 24 hours a day last week- they have depths of two feet to four and a half feet.

I'm surprised that a couple of cross country ski areas are open already. Catamount Family Center, located in Williston VT (near Burlington) has 35 km open (perhaps benefiting from lake effect snow - Lake Champlain is a few miles west of Williston).

And Three Stallion Inn , a very nice facility in Randolph VT, has 25 km open.

To keep track of who is open, check the VT Ski Areas Association web site conditions page.

(c) 2008 (except the Stowe photo) Jeff Connor ]]> Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:22:34 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=413 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=412

Somehow, long ago, the tradition of having super sales during deer season got started in VT. If you live here, you know what I mean. You see newspaper advertisements addressed to "deer season widows" whose husbands are off in the woods in pursuit of deer. The deer hunting season in this state is huge, and so is this kick off to the shopping season.

There are two super sales that you might be interested in as destinations or stop offs while traveling in Vermont this weekend.

One of the biggest sales is the Cabot Hosiery Company ("Darn Tough") annual sale in Northfield VT, just a few minutes drive from the state capital of Montpelier. The company has been holding this sale for 29 years and it is a big one. Cabot Hosiery makes socks for both indoor and outdoor wear. I plan to go tomorrow and load up on Merino wool socks.

I went to the Black Diamond sale a few years ago and was impressed with the great prices on outdoor wear, mostly winter jackets, pants, and hats. Black Diamond, located just outside Montpelier, has excellent good quality products.

Remember the famous line: "The more your buy, the more you save!" Our economy needs you. Well, actually, it needs your money.



(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:32:15 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=412 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=411
Today's Megapickles photograph of a Lake Champlain scene reminds me of a Salvador Dali painting - it just needs a drooping clock hanging over the tree . . .

One thing I do most every evening is go to Megapickles Photoblog (see link in this blog's right hand column), one of my all-time favorite web sites. John H is the website owner. He publishes a photo every day, usually of outdoor subjects but he switched to indoor subjects and even a self-portrait earlier this year after slipping on ice and ending up in a leg cast. Some of his recent photos around Burlington and Lake Champlain meant he had to get up well before dawn and drive around looking for opportunities before heading off to his day job. That job is as a Political Science Professor at St. Michel's College.

Not only does John post a photograph each day but also he includes a note about what music he is listening to at the moment. He has an deep affinity for classic and jazz music - his collection of albums and CD's must be staggering.

I suggest you take a few minutes to poke around his website - I'm confident you will enjoy it and appreciate the amount of work that goes into it. There are many brilliantly composed and rendered photographs there.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor
]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:11:46 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=411 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=410
Google is a great tool for finding a list of local restaurants in Vermont that you can research yourself or discuss with your innkeeper.

Thanksgiving is coming up in two weeks. If you will be in Vermont then and want to eat at a restaurant that day, you should make reservations now. Many restaurants will be closed for the day and those that are open may be busy. Find out from your innkeeper which local restaurants are open and get reservations just to be safe.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:08:58 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=410 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=409

Just came across a news item that Okemo, Ludlow VT, is also having a new and used ski and snowboard equipment sale November 21, 22, and 23 at the resort's base lodge. Friday's times are 4:00 to 7:00; Saturday is from9:00 to 5:00; and Sunday is 9:00 to 1:00.

If you have equipment you would like to sell, you can drop it off this Saturday, the 15th, Sunday the 16th, or next Wednesday the 19th - each day is from 10:00 to 3:00. Equipment should be in good condition and not more than seven years old. Items are sold on 25% consignment with proceeds going to Okemo Mountain School. For further information, contact Mariel Meringolo at mariel dot meringol at okemomountainschool.org or 802-228-1512.

I mentioned in yesterday's blog about the Waitsfield sale that I would like to see a fishing gear sale and, wouldn't you know it, the Okemo swap also welcomes fly fishing equipment! I'm tempted . . .

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:16:05 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=409 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=408

A few years ago I visited the Waitsfield VT Ski and Skate Sale because I had driven by it the previous couple of years and noticed a great number of cars parked there. Inside, I found an impressive amount of gear at tempting prices. And it was not only skis and skates despite the name. There were also many boots, snowboards, snowshoes, jackets, helmets, and pants. Much of the gear was adult size but there was also a lot of children's equipment. If you have a family to outfit, this event could be a big help to your budget.

The newest gear tends to go fast on Saturday, depending upon size and price. Sunday is the day for the best deals. Usually around 11:00 on Sunday, they start slashing prices to help move the gear out faster.

Waitsfield is in the Mad River Valley, home to Sugarbush and Mad River Glen ski areas. To say that the area is full of skiers is an apt description. Like most skiers anywhere, the people here have a lot of gear and they often buy new stuff to get the latest and best. I've noticed the same trait with golfers and fishermen. I'm one of them. I have enough fishing equipment to outfit about three people. I wish someone would hold a sale like this for fishing gear. On second thought, I would probably buy more stuff than I sold so I'm probably better off without it.

There are many sales like this around New England and this one is one of the oldest, being in existence for the past 29 years. The sale will be held at the Waitsfield Elementary School on Route 100 (scroll down the list on the left to find the Waitsfield school link at the bottom) Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. There is no admission charge. Parking however, is a challenge. You will see people parked everywhere along the road and in nearby parking lots. Be prepared for a ten minute walk if you can't park close.

If you have stuff to sell, it should be checked in at the school on Friday from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. There is a 20% consignment fee. I don't know if they take gear on Saturday or Sunday too but you can use the contact information on the web page.

This event is about a ten minute drive from our inn. Since you will be bargain shopping, we'll help you save money by discounting our rooms ten percent. Call us at 800-800-7760 for information.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:44:26 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=408 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=407

About nine years ago, we traveled to Vermont and New Hampshire to look at inns for sale. One of our favorites was an inn in Brattleboro VT called 40 Putney Road, named after the address there. It had beautiful French architecture and a nice location. We ended up passing on it because we found our current VT bed and breakfast inn that was a better fit for us and made our numbers work better. Since that time, 40 Putney Road has changed hands a couple of times I think. The new owners, Tim and Amy, look like they are doing a great job with it - see especially the room photos on their website.

They also write a blog I found a couple of months ago just as we started heading into the big fall foliage rush. Now that the extra busy period is over, I am getting around to writing about the blog. It's called "InnBrattleboro" and I have found it to be an interesting source of information about the area of southern Vermont. They also write some about southern New Hampshire which is a very short drive across the Connecticut River from their Brattleboro VT location.

It's nice to find this blog because a couple of other southern Vermont blogs I was following ended up dormant and I took them off my links list in the right column. InnBrattleboro looks like it has been going since December last year so I have hope the writers will keep it at it. I will put a link to it under the Travel Friends heading on the right.

Tim and Amy don't write frequently: twice in October and twice in September (during the busy season, remember) but prior to that they were writing blog entries roughly four times a month. Some of the photo links are broken but the ones that do work just take you to a slightly larger version of the photo. Thanks to InnBrattleboro, I've learned about new places to visit down there and this blog will be the first place I will check the next time we plan a trip to southern VT.

Tim is also a website designer. His company, Loose Leaf Design, does some nice looking work.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:52:41 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=407 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=406


They skied and snow boarded at Killington for five days but now it has come to a halt due to the unseasonably warm weather we've been having. Even with a 30 inch base in some spots, you just can't keep going when daytime temperatures are nearly reaching the 60's and nighttime temps are in the 40's.

There was some unofficial skiing at other areas, even Mad River Glen which does not make snow. But, it turns out it was all just an amusing early season appetizer of what is to come.

Right now, Killington is aiming for a reopening on November 14. Next week's night time temps will be the key. To get current information, check Killington's conditions page on their website. The resort has spent $8.4 million in improvements this year and they are anxious to show them off.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:49:50 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=406 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=404

The New York Times Travel section has a feature called "36 hours in ___." A few days ago the Time published such an article about Burlington VT.

It's pretty well done and covers the upper downtown area around Church Street for the most part. This street is closed off from car traffic and paved with bricks to make it an inviting pedestrian plaza. We often recommend it to guests who want to visit Burlington. There are a good number of specialty shops, restaurants, and bars which makes it a lively daytime and night gathering place.

One area the Time's article does not feature is the great waterfront including the Burlington Boat House. The article does mention Burlington's "Stonehendge" park and the accompanying slide show also mentions the ECHO Museum at the waterfront so readers can find the rest of the waterfront on their own. Of course, it is not as inviting this time of year as it is during months of milder temperatures.

This article is a reprise of similar "36 hours" article the Times did about six years ago.

There is much more to see and do in Burlington and the surrounding area but if you really do have just a few hours, this guide is a good overview of some main highlights.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:14:16 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=404 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=403
This photo is copied from the Killington website so the "watch video" link does not work here . . . go to the Killington website to watch the videos and see how much snow they have.


Believe it or not, today marked the first day of ski season in Vermont, as the East's perennial first-starter (and longest season record holder) Killington opened for skiing today with nine trails and two lifts swinging into action.

Hard to believe I know but we have had snow at the upper elevations for a few weeks now. Killington's snow is a mixture of natural and artificial snow of course but they have about an 18 inch base going which is impressive.

If all goes according to schedule, nearby Okemo will be the next Vermont ski area open. They plan to do so on November 15. Other planned openings: Sugarbush and Stowe, Nov 22; Stratton, Nov 26; Jay Peak, Smuggler's Notch, and Bromley, Nov 28.

The other ski areas in the state plan December openings. It all depends upon mom nature of course. The best single source of information on openings is Vermont Ski Areas Association website

To see the latest information as it becomes available, go to the Ski Conditions page and check the Trails Open column.

(c) 2008 (except the Killington photo) Jeff Connor
]]> Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:00:47 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=403 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=400
This could be your new place of employment. Sugarbush Ski Resort

Sugarbush in Warren VT is holding a job fair for the coming winter ski season. There are full time, part time, and seasonal jobs available. It's a great way to get a fun job and enjoy perks like free skiing and boarding.

Other Sugarbush job fairs will be held October 25 and November 15. If you can't make it to the fairs, try contacting Sugarbush Human Resources at hr@sugarbush.com

Many ski areas will be hiring for this winter and possibly even beyond. If you are interested but don't know which ski areas to approach, try the Vermont Ski Areas Association Ski Vermont Job Center. Right now there are not many listings but that will change soon.

Of course, you don't have to wait for job postings. You can contact the ski areas' human resources department now and get the jump on things.

There is page of listings for alpine resorts and another one for cross country ski areas.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

]]> Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:24:07 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=400 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=395

I took a quick snapshot this afternoon of the hillside across the street. The foliage colors this year are magnificent. If you ever wanted to travel to Vermont to see the fall colors, you couldn't do any better than this year. Some of the upper elevations are a little past peak but still look very good and some areas have yet to peak. You still have time.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:01:14 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=395 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=392
Recommended Vermont drives to see fall foliage

"Where should we go to see foliage?"

That's a question we get several times a day this time of year. It's usually an easy question to answer because you can drive anywhere and see good color on the trees. Later this month, the number of good drives begins to dwindle of course and the task takes more research.

Much of the answer depends on whether or not the person has a particular type of drive in mind or is open to any suggestion. For instance, some folks want a drive on remote country roads while others would prefer to go to the mountaintops.

Some of our favorite drives are on the highways which often surprises people. But the highways here in Vermont are free of billboards and often offer sweeping vistas. It's better for the passengers who have time to look but drivers don't get as good view because they are busy driving and there are few opportunities to pull over and look around. In our area, Interstate 89 around Montpelier has some great views to the west. And the same highway traveling south from Burlington, has another great view a few miles south of Exit 12.

Around our location, Route 100 either north or south is a good bet. And Route 108 from Stowe to Jeffersonville through Smuggler's Notch is one of my favorites summer and fall.

Your innkeeper can tell you about the best local roads to drive but the Vermont Department of Tourism has also put together a web page of 20 recommended foliage drives. Many of these are lengthy adventures, some of them 100 miles and more. Of course, you don't have to drive the whole route but these suggestions are a good starting point.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:47:17 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=392 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=391

The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing does an excellent job of providing information about the state's popular fall foliage season. Click here to go to the state's Foliage Forecaster page. You will see the map shown above which you can automate or stop by clicking the dates alongside the map. It shows the foliage progression starting from the northern part of the state and the upper elevations, and then moving south and into lower elevations. Not every year has the same timing and some seasons last longer than others. The trees are very healthy this year from the rainy summer we had so everyone is expecting the colors to last a long time.

The VT Foliage Report report, compiled by reports from state is a great source of information about foliage all over the state and it provides recommendations for roads to drive. It is updated twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

One thing the Foliage Forecaster does not do is tell you the names of the counties on the map. nor are there any town names to help you serach for lodging. Here is a link to a county and village map so you can know where to look for lodging if you are not familiar with the state.

Fall Foliage Travel Planning

Here at the Grunberg Haus, we are full the first two weekends of October which is typical of most lodging places this time of year. However, we and many others have numerous weeknight openings. You have plenty of time left this month to see the trees in their full glory.

Last year was a spectacular year for color. This year is looking even better and may be the best we have had in many years.

If you are thinking of traveling to Vermont this fall, right now is the best time to get your plans pinned down.

Enjoy the natural fireworks!

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn



]]> Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:06:34 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=391 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=389
The first time was when my wife and I took the kids on a driving vacation around New England about 20 years ago. We were on our way north to Quebec and stayed for a night at the North Hero House Inn. The owners had a photo album on display at the front desk. One of the photos showed Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in an old VW beetle convertible at the inn. They had stayed there sometime before we were there but I don't remember how long before.

I know the North Hero House has different owners now but if you ever get to travel there (very nice place by the way), you can ask if they still have that photo album. I doubt they do - I'll bet the previous owners took it with them. But at least you can say you stayed the same place Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward stayed.

The drive up Route 2 through the islands is OK enough. Most people think more of it than I do. The islands looks better from the water I think. Rent a boat while you are there and see for yourself. It seems to me that the islands are like flat farmland most anywhere and they don't compare at all to the mountains a short distance away. Most of the time you are on Route 2 you cannot see the water except for a few exceptions like North Hero House

That's just one person's opinion. Travel to Vermont and look at both the mountains and the islands, and you can then write to tell me I'm right or wrong.

The other times I saw Paul Newman were at sports car races at Watkins Glen NY. My brother was racing and Paul Newman had the pit garage next to my brother's team a couple of times. The last time I saw Newman race was a few years ago when he was in his late 70's. He was an excellent driver and when I was watching practice sessions, I was very impressed with how much speed he was carrying through the corners in his car. It would have been impressive to see anyone going that fast but to see someone almost 80 years old hustling a car that hard was inspiring!

Godspeed, Paul Newman. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Vermont.




(c) 2008 Jeff Connor ]]> Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:49:20 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=389 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=387
On Thursday, my wife and I drove down to Manchester VT in the southwestern part of the state. We saw a lot of good color already and those areas are just getting started. It seems like the eastern side of the state is a little ahead of the western side. We saw more color on Route 100 than we did on Route 7. Wherever you are, you will only need to drive around to find good color. Check with your innkeeper for their favorite drives and local reports on foliage color progress.

I took a picture of the hillside across the street from us because it looked so good in person but it did not show up as well in the camera. The sky is overcast today which makes the colors pop even more. However, there is a bit of moisture in the air from the rain we got yesterday and the camera picks up the mist in the air that the human eye can look through I guess.

Below is a better picture showing our parking lot just to give you a taste of what it looks like around here. I hope to get out and drive around Sunday or Monday (we're very busy this weekend) and take some photos of all this great foliage. The foliage should last several weeks but we get so busy that I have to get out whenever I can.

Speaking of which, we are full the first two weekends of October, as are most inns around here, but there are rooms available mid-week. If you are thinking of coming here to see this year's unusually good display of fall foliage, I suggest doing it mid-week if you can. We have an availability calendar on our web site and you will find the same on many other inn's websites as well.


Grunberg Haus parking lot, Sept 27, 2008


(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sat, 27 Sep 2008 13:10:12 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=387 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=379
Brewster River photograph from my favorite photoblog: Megapickles . . . see the September 16, 2008 entry.

The Brewster River runs north down from Spruce Peak to the town of Jeffersonville VT where it empties into the Lamoille River.

More Brewster River photos are available here.

There is a widely photographed falls you can find in Brewster River Gorge. Locally, it is sometimes called Jefferson Falls.

If you want to fish the area, stop by an excellent little fly shop called Green Mountain Troutfitters to arrange for a guide, get the current flies, etc.

Be sure to drive Route 108 from Jeffersonville to Stowe or the opposite way from Stowe to Jeffersonville. It goes through an area called Smugglers Notch and it is one of the prettiest drives in Vermont.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor (except the photo from the Megapickles website
]]> Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:51:32 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=379 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=377
That is the extent of your rights when you step onto an airplane (or "INto" an airplane as George Carlin liked to point out) according to Marc Britton. He should know - he's an attorney who was once General Counsel at Expedia and now runs his own legal advice website called Avvo.

He recently wrote a succinct article on this topic at the Journey etc. website

Airlines cannot discriminate against you by selling your seat to someone better looking or more pleasant. Nor can they punch you if you get on their nerves. But beyond that, the sky is the limit, as pilots like to say.

And who gives them the right to treat you like cattle? You do. When you buy a ticket, you agree to abide by their terms in the Carriage Agreement that they print on their tickets in microscopically small and very light type.

However, they are not heartless bastards. Bastards, yes. But not heartless. Maybe we should qualify that with the word "usually" not heartless. They are a slow, inconsistent, ungainly, and profitless bureaucracy. They are frightening to deal with but you don't have a choice if you need to get somewhere far within a reasonable period of time. And, like a strikingly similar bureaucracy, you do have a vote but the choices are not great and probably don't make a difference in the long run.

I wrote an article last Nov 24 about Rule 240 that gives you a little bit of a fighting chance sometimes. You can learn more about the Rule at the Peter Greenberg travel website..


Air Sickness Bag (and humor) from European flight operator Hapag-Lloyd Express

(c) 2008 except the photo Jeff Connor]]> Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:41:50 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=377 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=374

We have had several guests over the years tell us that they have taken tours by Bike Vermont and recommend the company very highly.

Bike Vermont offers 38 foliage tours and they still have some openings this year. The tours vary in length from three days up to six days, and range in cost from the low $400's to mid $1300's including lodging at some of Vermont's best inns.

Their website has a handy map with towns highlighted to see what part of the state each tour covers.

For example, the October 3 - 5 Churchill House Inn and Shoreham Inn tours have opening, and during the week of October 5 - 10 , the Historic Windsor County and Swift House Inn tours have openings.

And there is one discounted special you should take a look at: the "greatest views imaginable" on the Moose Mountain Lodge four day tour October 10- 13. The price has been reduced from $715 to $595. I wish I weren't working then - I would love to take this tour.

Other tours have openings and they do get the occasional cancellation so it would be best to call (800-257-2226) or email them to get the latest information.

I notice that they "strongly" recommend travel insurance. In fact, Bike Vermont even sends an insurance application with each confirmation. Recommending travel insurance is something I have been thinking might be good for me to recommend to our guests.

We've been running our inn about 8 1/2 years and in that time had just a very few guests who had a problem while traveling. One case involved a woman who got pneumonia while traveling through New Jersey and had to cancel her New England trip because she was hospitalized.

A few years ago, we had a couple here for a four night stay but their daughter got sick back home and they had to leave after just one night here.

There have been a few others out of thousands of reservations we've had over the years. But it's like most insurance: the vast majority of it goes unused.

Located in Woodstock VT, Bike Vermont is in its 32nd year of offering a wide range of Vermont tours during the spring and summer too. They also have tours in Maine, Ireland, Scotland, and Italy. You are welcome to ride your own bicycle but they have them available if you do not want to bring yours.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor
]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:47:23 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=374 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=373

I came across an exciting new Vermont blog recently and was highly impressed with its quality and scope. It is called Travel-Vermont.Net and is just a few months old but already has compiled a long list of articles about touring Vermont.

They are well written and usually have a good photograph to go along with them. The information is fresh and the author's insights are very helpful.

Christine Sawyer is the blog owner. She is prior resident of nearby Quebec and her blog is available in French as well as English. She and I have similar backgrounds in marketing communications . . . my status is former and hers is current - she owns Birchwood Ridge Group, a marketing and advertising firm here in Vermont. She has an interesting history you can read in the Our Story page of the website.

There is a useful and accurate Search function on the site but no RSS feed that I could find. Maybe that's just as well - I have a lot of feeds coming in. I try feeds for a while to see how often and how useful they are. The list can get long but it's easy enough to trim them from time to time.

This is an excellent resource for people planning to travel to Vermont. Over the last two or three years, I've seen about a half dozen Vermont blogs show up and then fade away after a few months. This one looks like it has staying power because it has a capable and motivated person behind it.

There is no doubt in my mind that Travel-Vermont.Net is a very valuable resource for Vermont and will help both tourists and the state's travel industry.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor]]> Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:07:22 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=373 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=370
Stowe's Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont at about 4400 feet

Stowe Resort has a good email newsletter they send out weekly and the latest issue has a very nice photo I thought I would include here. The Inside Line focuses on news about Stowe Resort but there's always a lot going on year around which usually makes for interesting reading.

I cropped and reduced the photo to get it to fit in this blog but you can click on the newsletter link above to see it better. If the photo is different when you view the page, just click your browser's reload button. It may be removed in the future to make way for other photos.

The building shown on the mountain is the Cliff House restaurant which is serving lunch this time of year but not dinner (with the exception of once a month special dinners).

I assume the photo was taken from the Toll Road which runs all the way to the top of the mountain. It's a trip I recommend often to our guests. The drive takes about 20 minutes and is well worth the $23 toll per car (no bicycles or motorcycles are allowed but you can walk it if you want). You can see rates on all Stowe's summer activities here.

The view from the top of the mountain is magnificent of course. There is a ranger station at the top and I suggest asking the ranger for directions to "Frenchman's Pile" a pile of rocks where you have a 360 degree view. You can easily see Burlington and Lake Champlain below, the Adirondack mountains of New York to the west, Vermont's Worcester Mountain Range to the east, and on clear days, the White Mountains of New Hampshire farther to the East.

The toll road will probably be closed all day this Sunday for the Race to the Top of Vermont, a foot and bicycle race.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:51:11 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=370 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=367

I've been poking around the Waymarking.com website from time to time and enjoying what I have found. There are more than 1700 entries on 70 pages in the Waymarking Vermont category.

I'm not sure what order everything is presented in. The Vermont listings start with covered bridges for no apparent reason so I suspect all the entries are posted in order that they are received. There is a good search function on the site so it should be easy for you to narrow your search.

"Secret Waterfalls"

The screen shot above shows a listing for "local secret" the Old City Falls waterfalls that sounds very inviting and larger than most of the falls in Vermont (first step of 25 feet and a second step of 20 feet). It is located near Stafford VT.

We have what I would guess are a million waterfalls here but most of them are not large. I suppose most of them are a "secret " to folks from out of state but all are certainly well known to locals. Quite often they are part of popular local swimming holes too. Ask around wherever you are and most Vermont locals will be happy to share the information and give you directions.

If you don't want your children (or yourself for that matter) to see some of the locals swimming "in the buff," just ask what the usual practice is too. Most of the time, everyone will have on swimming gear but occasionally you will find a swimming hole, often a more remote one, where there is a greater chance to see people in their birthday suits. Don't get excited about this prospect. If you have not experienced it, you will quickly learn that the vast majority of people look a lot better with their clothes on.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:18:55 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=367 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=356
Most of the people I speak with are surprised to hear we get more snow in March. When they are seeing the beginning of Spring where they live, Vermont is building to a grand winter finale.

To see what I mean, take a look at Stowe Resort's five year weather history. Not only is March the snowiest (I guess that is a real word), but it's the end of the month when the largest amounts of snow are falling. The last week in March averages 32 inches at Stow, far more than any other week there.

Stowe's Snow Report shows 309 inches of snowfall so far this season, just short of the season average of 327 inches.

It's been a great year for skiing and other winter activities but don't feel that you have missed it if you have not been here yet. There is plenty of snow here for you to enjoy and more is on the way.

In fact, this is a good time of year to enjoy winter. The days are longer, temperatures are higher, and there aren't as many people skiing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, etc. I wish more people were aware of how good it can be here in March. It would be great to see the ski areas and the Vermont's Department of Tourism getting the word out about March. I'm sure more people would come if they knew what it is like here this month.

For the more technically inclined, and maybe a few inexperienced skeptics, you can view a current snow depth map from the National Weather Service to see how much snow you can expect when you travel to Vermont or other New England states.

The areas in dark blue represent depths of 20 to 39 inches (50 cm to 100 cm), and the purple lines, which you can see run along the mountain ranges, represent 59 to 98 inches (150 to 250 cm). Those are current snow depths, not the amount that has fallen this season. The map is updated every day.

Plan a trip to Vermont and enjoy this great winter season we will continue having for the next month.



(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:16:53 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=356 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=354

Photo courtesy of October Siberians

I read today that the famous Alaska Iditarod race is starting this Saturday and it lead me to thinking about all the sled dog activity here in Vermont. (Side note: many participants in the sport prefer the term "sled dog" rather than "dog sled" but you will see both terms used even by the people who run professional operations.)

In fact, if you would like to see a sled dog race and won't be in Alaska this week, there is a race you can watch at Burke Mountain Ski Resort in East Burke VT. There will be races both Saturday and Sunday.

A number of operations around Vermont offer sled dog rides and a couple of them offer skijoring too. Skijoring is done on skis and involves the dog(s) pulling the person via a harness attached to the dog. I've seen skijor racing a couple of times and it's impressive how fast they get going. You certainly don't want to fall down . . . I'm not sure the dogs would stop for a while - they're pretty enthusiastic.

The best one-stop source of information about sled dog rides in on the Vermont Outdoor Guide Association website. Atii is listed as one of the sled dog outfits but they are taking a year off from sled dog rides because they are rebuilding their group of dogs. Many of the current dogs have gotten too old to pull. However, Atii is still offering skijoring this year.

It's a unique adventure. Give it a try.

(c) 2008 [except the October Siberian photo] Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:13:30 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=354 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=350
AirTran has the newest fleet of Boeing 717's in the US

On May 21, AirTran will begin nonstop flight service three times a day between Burlington, VT (BTV) and the Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore/Washington (BWI). The airline will be using Boeing 717-200 planes which seat 117 passengers, 12 in business class and 105 in coach.

There are 14 AirTran destinations available from BWI, plus service to about another 50 cities you can view on the AirTran website Destinations and Route Map pages. Boston is one of those cities and is a popular airport for visitors to Vermont and other parts of New England.

AirTran is kicking off its Burlington service with a low introductory fare of $59. It must be booked by March 17, 2008, for travel through June 11, 2008. Fares listed are one way, available daily and are valid in either direction. There are some other charges such as $3.50 segment fee, $10 Sept 11 fee, and $18 airport passenger facility fee so be sure to read the fine print. You can book online or call 1-800-AIR-TRAN (1-800-247-8726) (extra $7.50 fee for phone calls too).

Currently, the Burlington airport has service to and from Atlanta, Cleveland (CLE), Cincinnati (CVG), Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), New York (LGA), Orlando (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington DC (DCA), Washington DC (IAD). To see details on these flights, go to the Burlington airport website

Winter tip: if you are flying here, we recommend renting a four wheel drive car. One of our recent guests requested one but it was not available when he arrived so he got a front wheel drive substitute . . . which he greatly regretted when we got a lot of snow during his visit. Be sure to insist on no substitutions for your four wheel drive car. None of the rental car companies have winter tires for some unfathomable reason but four wheel drive will help you get around much more safely. Remember, you are coming to the mountains of northern New England: we get a LOT of snow.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:08:22 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=350 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=348

Most of the weather forecasts I've seen for north central Vermont call for about six to ten inches of snow Tuesday and Wednesday. However, Josh Fox at The Single Chair Weather Blog is forecasting 13 to 18 inches. The upper elevations, such as the Mad River Glen ski area he is forecasting, get more snow than standard forecasts because of their altitudes. That seems like quite a disparity between 10 inches and 18 inches but it is not unusual for the upper elevations to get twice as much snow as the standard forecasts call for.

The headline in Fox's blog entry yesterday says: "Here we go !!! Big mid-week dump is now in the making !!"

I enjoy reading Josh's blog because he writes in a very friendly and well constructed conversational style. The entries are often detailed but when I find the writing has gone into more detail than I have time for, I just move on to something else.

And he is not perfect. But when he does have a cold streak (pun intended), he owns up to it and often explains how it happened. It gives the non-meteorologist interesting insight into how weather forecasting is done.

Roger Hill is a popular Vermont meteorologist located here in Waterbury. His web site is Weathering Heights (pun intended). He is not saying much about accumulation yet. His web site has lots of colorful weather maps if you enjoy getting into the details of weather.

Another popular weather forecasting service is put out by the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury VT. It is called Eye on the Sky and is produced by Chris Bouchard. His forecasts are the ones used by Vermont Public Radio.

Eye on the Sky is calling for one to three inches of snow Tuesday east of the Green Mountain and two to five inches west. The snow could mix with rain at times over the far southern valleys. On Tuesday night, Chris expects an additional three to seven inches.

Whatever the snow accumulation ends up being, this latest storm should make for good skiing, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, etc. We have deep base almost everywhere except I noticed snowshoeing at the lowest elevation in the Mad River Valley yesterday that the snow is only a few inches deep there. Most upper elevations such as our inn have a couple of feet of snow on the ground and the ski areas have much more.

For weather forecasts in other parts of Vermont, you can use the weather do-hickey in the right hand column of this blog. Just enter the zip code of the place you would like to visit or use one of the samples I supplied.

As a side note, I noticed on the Eye On the Sky website that on this day in 1936, three inches of BROWN snow fell in Vermont. It was most likely due to dust storms in the Great Plains. So I guess that was a "dusting" of snow (pun intended).

There's snow time like the right time to stop writing before I pun again.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:28:42 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=348 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=347
Vermont's Tubbs Snow Shoes


I just received an email from my friends at Umiak Outfitters in Stowe VT that they are having their annual 30% off sale on skis, boots, snowshoes (20% on Tubbs brand) and sleds this weekend.

In addition, Umiak has a online retail store page with discounted prices plus a clearance sale page on their website you might be interested in if you can't make it to their sale.

In fact, in your travel to Vermont over the next few weeks, it's a good idea to drop into the local ski shops and outdoor outfitters to see what they have on sale. Most of these shops have their summer gear on order and their new stuff is already starting to arrive.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:38:34 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=347 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=346
Photo by Robert Eddy FirstLightStudios.net

Green Mountain Hooked Rugs in Montpelier offers classes several times a year but they have one big school event that takes place every summer. The school was founded in 1981 by the mother of the current owner and classes have been offered every year since then.

This year's 27th Annual Hooked Rug School will be held June 6–15, 2008. There will be one five-day and two weekend sessions with a total of 23 classes. Class size is limited to about a dozen students so now is the time to look over the course outline and decide whether to attend.

From the Green Mountain Hooked Rugs web site: "Classes range from beginning hooking, dyeing, fine hooking tapestry to primitives and wide-cuts, pictorials, folk art, punch needle, penny rugs, braiding and more. Students select one class per session.

"Teachers hail from all over the United States and Canada. Rug exhibits and a well-stocked rug shop are open daily. "

Green Mountain Hooked Rugs has a shop that is open year around at 2838 County Road, Montpelier VT.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:49:47 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=346 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=341
Today's high was around 50 degrees F (10 Celsius) and tomorrow's forecast is a few degrees higher. It will cool down to day time highs in the low 30's F by the end of this week but we are going to have several days of light rain, sleet, and a little snow for the next few days. The ski report we just received from Jay Peak describes the conditions as "spring like."

All the ski areas especially in northern Vermont have so much base built up that the conditions won't be terrible but if you have been reading how great the skiing has been in Vermont, don't expect those conditions to exist now.

The skiing this week won't be terrible but it won't be great either. By Saturday, conditions should be back to normal. Keep an eye on the weather forecasts.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:01:00 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=341 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=340

You can use the standard Google Results Page to check the "real-time" (as opposed to fake time, I guess) status of any flight. Just type the name of the airline and flight number (e.g. Jet Blue 123, aa456) into the Google search box. The most up to date information from FlightStats.com will be displayed.

Better yet, get a free subscription to Flight Stats on their web site. There is an enormous amount of information available including airport flight delays, security wait times, and other important pieces of information all air travelers need these days.

Google has a long list of "Subscribed Links" such as this. They include Gas Buddy for the best local gas prices, Weather Channel, Calorie Lab for nutritional information, City/Town Info for information about cities you are visiting, and more.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn]]> Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:08:58 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=340 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=339
Jay Peak photo credit: Brian Keet photo of skier Mike Britt, taken Jan 2, 2008.

Today I received a snow report email from Jay Peak with the photo above and very little text. The photo nearly says it all so there's little need for much text.

Without a doubt, Jay is the King Kong of snowfall in the eastern United States. So far this ski season, they have had 200 inches of snow. It looks like this year will exceed their annual average of 350 inches of snow.

Several characteristics contribute to this. Jay is located in far northern Vermont , just a few miles from the Canadian border. It is at the far northern reach of the Green Mountain range which creates a "snow belt" that catches moisture soaked clouds. These clouds pick up their moisture from nearby Lake Champlain or the Great Lakes farther to the west. When they hit the upper elevations, they release the moisture in greater quantity than lower elevations.

See Jay Peak current conditions here.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor
]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:06:40 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=339 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=338
We have a ton of snow on the ground so downhill and cross country skiing, dog sledding, sleigh rides, sledding, snow shoeing, will be great. For more detail, you can click on the Weather Channel link here or in the right column of this blog.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:45:00 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=338 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=333
Right now is a good time to plan ahead and get dinner reservations in order to beat the crowd and avoid long waits or having to call around to even find a restaurant with an opening. Naturally, it's easier to find an opening early or late evening, so you may have to be flexible in your plans.

Call or email your innkeeper or look online to find restaurants. Any good innkeeper will be able to tell you the best restaurants in the area that will fit your needs. Or, if you like to do some shopping for restaurants on your own, do a online search for the regional chamber of commerce website for the area in which you will be staying.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Mon, 24 Dec 2007 11:01:56 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=333 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=332

"ngader" posted this luggage wheel photo on Flicker with this tip in the caption: " Rule of thumb : When buying luggage, check the wheels. Try not to buy wheels with rubber bits. Buy the full fibre / hard plastic wheels."


Yesterday, I received an email alert from Squidoo about a blog on how to prevent lost luggage.

The writer, Victoria Neely, once worked for an airline as a baggage agent so she knows what she is writing about. With all the things she has seen go wrong with luggage, she says she is "frankly amazed that most checked bags return to their owners unscathed!"

Even if your bag is not lost (and there is a six in one thousand chance it will be), it's likely to get broken or dirty at some time or another.

You can't make it impossible for something to go wrong but there are a number of things you can do to improve your bag's chances of greeting you in good shape at the other end of your mutual journey.

There are a lot of useful tips in this article along with some interesting and surprising facts. For instance, did you know there is a reason baggage is handled roughly instead of gently?

And Ms. Neely is not hesitant to recommend some bag brands that she has seen hold up well.

Take a look - I'm sure you will read something you did not know!

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn]]> Sat, 22 Dec 2007 21:50:05 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=332 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=331

The Vermont Ski Areas Association is sponsoring a learn-for-free program January 5 -13, 2008.

This is a heck of a good deal. The lessons can be for either skiing or snowboarding, and include lift ticket and equipment rental at no cost whatsoever.

They are calling it the "Ski Vermont New Year’s Resolution" program. It is geared toward first time skiers and snowboarders ages six and older.

The participating resorts are the best in the state: Ascutney, Bolton, Bromley, Burke, Jay Peak, Killington, Mad River Glen, Magic, Middlebury, Mount Snow, Okemo, Pico, Smuggs, Stratton, Sugarbush, and Suicide Six. To see where these resorts are located, go to the VT Ski Areas Association map page.

Spaces are limited so I suggest you register right away. You can do so on the VT Ski Areas Association website Learn for Free page.

Don't put this off. It's such a great deal that spaces will fill quickly.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:24:50 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=331 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=330
Stowe's first rail jam of the season, November 24.

Vermont skiing is off to a good start this year with plenty of snow. For example, at Stowe, the snow-making trails have 1.5 to 4 feet of base built up so far. Stowe has received about a foot of natural snow the past week and a total of nearly three feet this season. You can get details on the Stowe Snow Report page of the resort's website.

Things are looking good for the big kick off week between Christmas and New Years. Now is a good time to make reservations.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:14:43 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=330 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=329
Peter Greenberg's website is full of useful travel information.

Here is some ammunition to use with the airlines if your fight is canceled. It involves a little-known FAA rule that requires the airline to book you on the next available flight whether it is their flight or another airline.

It's called Rule 240 and it's a good thing to remember when you are dealing with an airline front desk person or supervisor.

However, like most things in life, there are exceptions. You can read more details about it at the Peter Greenberg website.

]]> Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:37:04 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=329 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=327
" 22" Flash Trolley" by Titan Luggage of Germany . . . Made with 100% polycarbonate . . . extremely lightweight and scratch-resistant, with sturdy ergonomic telescopic handles and protected exterior zippers . . . fully lined and padded . . . removable garment and toiletry cases . . . TSA approved combination lock and 4 swivel wheels" It's $475! but it will probably survive 20 years of airline abuse so that's just $24 per year: on the Luggage section of Flight 001.

Flight 001 is a website with travel related products including "luggage, carry-on, tech-to-go, packing aids, groom bags, essentials, travel i.d., wallets, jet comfort, meal service, aerotherapy, time travel, gadgets, entertainment, books, and airtunes."

I found myself spending a lot of time just looking around this website and learning about all the different products I didn't know were available.

If someone asks you what you want for the holidays, have this website bookmarked for them.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:28:35 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=327 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=326

I was recently looking for travel bags and came across a site you might be interested in too. It's called Trusty Pony for no reason that I see but it has a lot of "cool stuff for travelers" as it claims.

You can find helpful items under categories such as Air, Family, Fancy, Gadgety, Girly, International, Outdoorsy, Road Trip, Sporty, Urban, Warm-weather, Luggage & Bags, Body, Books & Guides, and Gifts.

There are countless worthwhile and clever items that you can use even when you are not traveling. Give it a look - you'll probably see something of use to you or someone you know (think holiday shopping).

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:12:33 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=326 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=325
Snowshoeing is easy to do and can get you into some back country that you would not ordinarily be able to see.

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day is one of the busiest of the year for Vermont tourism. It is considered the kick-off week for the ski season even though there has been skiing on some trails since mid November.

Skiers usually account for about half our business that week and I assume the same is true of other lodging establishments except those right at the ski resorts.

Whether you want to ski or not, right now is the time to make travel plans and get lodging reservations made.

By the way, you will find many inns have a two or three night minimum that time of year because it is such a busy time and they can't turn over rooms fast enough if they have a lot of one night reservations. You may find some exceptions and perhaps a last minute, fill-in type availability if you can only stay one night.

A good place to start a search for Vermont lodging is at the state's official tourism website: VermontVacation.com.

(c) 2007 (except the vermontvacation.com photograph above) Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

]]> Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:26:54 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=325 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=321

I enjoy skimming the Vagabondish web magazine from time to time. Today I read a helpful article there on clever ideas for using a digital camera in your travels.

For instance, it recommends writing a reward poster in case you ever lose the camera. Write your email address and a reward amount on a piece of paper. Be careful on that - you don't know who will find your camera. So don't write your name, address, and phone. Use only an email address as the article recommends, and use one that does not contain your full name.

Take a photo of the poster and lock the file so it does not get erased. If someone finds your camera, all they have to do is look at the stored photos and they'll see your contact information and reward. That greatly increases the chances of your getting the camera back.

Another good use for a digital camera is to take a photo of local maps so you can refer to them in your travels. The article uses the example of a subway map.

I think you will enjoy reading the other ten ideas in the full article at the Vagabondish blog.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor

]]> Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:07:48 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=321 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=316

Vermont is a mecca for cheese lovers and there is even one farm where you can take cheese making classes. Lazy Lady Farm in Westfield Vermont is a small dairy farm with about 25 alpine goats they call "lazy ladies."

The farm holds cheese making classes during the winter. "The classes are for the curious and for the future cheese makers." To get more information and schedule a class, call Laini Fondiller at 802-744-6365 or laini@sover.net.

To learn more about cheese makers in Vermont, visit the Vermont Cheese Council website.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn]]> Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:48:20 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=316 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=312


TheStreet.com is an stock market investing website run by Jim Cramer, whom you may have seen on CNBC's Mad Money television show.

One of the columnists on that website, Mike Woelflein, recently wrote an article entitled Avoid Lift Lines and Ski More This Season on where to find the best uncrowded ski areas around the country. The first place he mentions is Jay Peak, located in Jay, Vermont.

Jay Peak is located in northernmost Vermont, a few miles from the Canadian border. It is known for getting the most snowfall of all the Vermont ski areas, averaging about 350 inches per year. It's very popular with Quebec skiers because it is only about an hours drive from Montreal. From Boston, it is about a 4.5 hour drive.

At our inn, we don't get too many skiers going there because it is about an hour's drive and we are close to Stowe, Sugarbush, Mad River Glen and Bolton Valley. However, the guests who do spend a day at Jay invariably come back with great compliments about the experience.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn]]> Sat, 27 Oct 2007 13:18:17 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=312 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=308 Yapta.com.)

Turns out that this is not consistent among airlines. Some do it and others don't. And some, such as Delta and American, will charge you a fee just as they would if you were to change your ticket. That charge is usually $100 on domestic flights and about double or triple that on overseas flights.

There are exceptions: Northwest charges $25 while United, US Airways, and JetBlue don't charge.

Many times you won't get your money refunded in cash but as a voucher for future use. I did not see any information on how long these vouchers last and no doubt that varies from airline to airline and from time to time.

NOTE: don't believe everything you see in this article. What I have written here is what I found on the internet and none of it is from the airlines' own websites. I could not find anything on their websites about this topic but admittedly I only checked three of them by entering the word "refund" in their search boxes . . . I find dealing with airlines more dismal than dealing with government regulations. However, as I have noted in previous blog entries, JetBlue is one of the best airlines to deal with.

And it probably goes without saying in any conversation about airlines, nothing is consistent even within the same company. One person will give you one answer and another person at the same airline will tell you something different. The best thing to do is to make an inquiry if you find out that tickets on your flight are being sold for less than you paid. I'm still surprised when a polite and friendly phone call will get me a discount or adjustment. Give it a try and let me know how this works for you.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:28:47 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=308 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=307

The last two days were beautiful with warm temperatures and clear skies. Today was the opposite with rain and wind all day long. Yesterday we still had a lot of colorful leaves on the trees in north central VT except along the high ridge lines. Today many of those leaves got knocked off. However, I made a trip to Burlington this afternoon and, while the spectacular scenery is gone, there still many spots of bright yellow, gold and orange on the hillsides.

This has been the best and longest lasting fall foliage season we have seen in the seven years we have lived in Vermont. I've never seen so many red trees as I did this year. One of our guests drove up to Lake Willoughby a couple of weeks ago and was still stunned and shaking his head the next day as he told us about a huge mountainside that was mostly red. He had never seen anything like it and could not even imagine such a thing if he had not seen it himself.

There will be areas of southern Vermont that are at peak now, especially in the valleys, as well as in the Lake Champlain basin. It won't last too much longer so if you want to see the best foliage period in years, you should get up here in the next week to ten days.

Honest and accurate foliage reports by state foresters are available on the VermontVacation.com website.

Why and how leaves change color is a bit complicated but if you would like to read up on it, here is a link to VemontVacation.com web page an article reprint from the U.S. Dept of Agriculture.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn
]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:43:42 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=307 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=306
Leave the sandwich bags for sandwiches - this is a true leak-less solution.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airplane carry-on regulations on liquids, gels, and aerosols mandate that carry-on bags are limited to a maximum of three ounce liquid containers, that they be in a clear bag of a maximum of one quart capacity, and a limit of one bag per person. It's known simply as the 3-1-1 rule.

Here is a practical solution from a company called 3-1-1 Travel Bag

The Clear Bag System Original, $24.95:
Four (4) medium (1.0 oz) pumps
One (1) mini (.50 oz) pump

The Clear Bag System Fashion, $34.95:
Two (2) large (1.75 oz) pumps
Two (2) medium pumps
Two (2) mini pumps

The Clear Bag System Fashion Elite, $44.95:
One (1) large pump
Two (2) medium pumps
Two (2) mini pumps
Two (2) small (.50 oz) jars

All the containers are reusable and additional jars and pumps are available in an assortment of sizes starting at $4.00.

The 6-X-8-inch clear cases meet the TSA carry-on regulations and the pumps are non-aerosol, airless pumps as specified in those regulations. Each bag has some extra room for toothpaste and deodorant. These bags are a ideal solution for carrying liquids in your checked luggage too.

Keep all those friendly folks at the X-ray machines happy (and fellow passengers too). You could buy small containers of your favorite brands but that gets expensive if you can even find them in those sizes. And, trust me, I know from personal experience that sandwich bags are not dependable.

You can purchase online at the Clear Bag System website.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Sun, 21 Oct 2007 22:03:42 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=306 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=302
Yapta.com could save you hidden money on your airfare

Did you know that if you pay for an plane ticket and the airline later reduces the price for that flight, you can get a refund for the difference? I sure didn't.

But how do you find out if your ticket would be eligible for this price drop refund? Go to the travel site Yapta.com and sign up for their free service.

All you have to do is enter your flight information and the price you paid for your tickets. Yapta will then track that flight for you. If the airline drops the fare before your trip, Yapta will let you know and tell you how to get the refund.

To see how airline fares bounce around, click on the Farecast.com link here or in the column on the left side of this blog. Farecast will let you know the probability of your fare being lowered. Yapta will also let you track flight numbers and they will alert you if the fare changes but Farecast I think does a better job of showing you the big picture by depicting the flight's price history and probability of change.

One downside to Yapta, which admittedly is in Beta, is that it is only available at this time for Internet Explorer 6 and 7. Firefox and Mac versions are in development however.

The User's Agreement you have to acknowledge requires that you agree this is for your personal use only, not for commercial use - you can't resell the service for example.

Once you have signed up (it's free) you will see a list of airlines and travel sites such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity. Priceline is not included, nor are Northwest and foreign airlines. I suppose this will change as time goes by.

I have not tried this service yet but when I have the opportunity to do so, I'll write a follow-up entry

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:18:36 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=302 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=299

Many of our inn's guests are surprised at the number of quality restaurants here in Vermont. It's all tourism-driven; we wouldn't have nearly as many if they had to rely only on local residents.

Collectively, all the restaurants I am aware of in north central Vermont would amount to the selection in any major city.

It's great to live in a place where we have so many restaurant choices. We have been here more than seven years and we are still working our way through the list. We will probably never get to them all.

A couple of weeks ago, USA Today newspaper had an interesting article on some of the best in the area. It is a small sampling of what is available here locally.

From the article: "Ben & Jerry's socially aware ice cream factory near Waterbury put northern Vermont and its back-to-the-land vibe on the foodie map in the late '70s. Now the area boasts talented cheese-makers, chocolatiers, bakers, maple-sugar craftsmen, vintners and microbrewers — and the prestigious New England Culinary Institute."

The article credits Laura and Michael Kloeti at Michael's on the Hill restaurant with being among the first to partner with and promote locally produced ingredients, but the author did not review the facility presumably because he did not eat there I guess. However, the author, Jerry Shriver, has short reviews of some others.

The reviewed restaurants are Hen of the Wood ("The lasting impression is that you have stumbled on a New England outpost of the Garden of Eden."); Taste of Burlington; The Kitchen Table Bistro("Chef/owners Steve and Lara Atkins take the local/seasonal/sustainable approach so seriously, they credit the local composting company on their menu, along with about 30 farmers, cheesemakers, bakers and brewers."); Butler's at the Inn at Essex.

]]> Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:32:49 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=299 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=297
Two of our guests went about an hour and a half north to Lake Willoughby today and said the colors up there looked great. We often recommend Lake Willoughby to our guests because it is one of the prettiest lakes in Vermont.

Man, I picked a great place to live.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor ]]> Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:56:56 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=297 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=295


Today the leaves took a big step forward in color in my local area. I think the past two nights of very cool weather did that. I have read that some scientists say it is not the temperature that causes leaves to change color but my personal experience is the opposite. I think it is the same weather conditions that make the sap flow well in the spring: cold nights and warm days.

We have been directing guests to the Northeast part of the state for foliage color and they have come back with good reports. Now the color change has ramped up in our Stowe/Waterbury area and it will continue to work its way south as the days go by. Upper elevations south of us such as Mad River Glen ski area are reporting peak or near peak conditions. Come on up and take a look!

If you do not already have a lodging reservation, here is a tip. There are still some rooms available but rather than calling inn after inn, check with the chambers of commerce. In this area they are the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-82VISIT; Stowe Area Association, 1-877-GOSTOWE (877-467-8693); or Central VT Chamber of Commerce, 1-877-887-3678 (their web site is not helpful for finding which lodging facilities that have rooms).

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

]]> Fri, 05 Oct 2007 22:28:52 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=295 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=293

Michael Kloeti chef/owner of Michael's on the Hill, one of our favorite restaurants to recommend to guests, has just been named Vermont Chef of the Year by the Vermont Hospitality Council, a part of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Vermont is blessed with many hundreds of fine restaurants so winning this award is a major achievement.

Michael was born and raised in Switzerland although he has been in this country about 15 years. He got his culinary education in Switzerland. Since moving to the US, has worked at the four star Lespinasse in NYC; the Koele Lodge in Lanaii, Hawaii; and New York City's St. Regis Hotel.

Michael's on the Hill has been our favorite restaurant since it opened five years ago in Waterbury Center , about 15 minutes from our inn. We highly recommend it to our guests who are looking for a top quality dining experience.

The food is outstanding but unpretentious. This is a restaurant for food lovers not those interested in a showy display. It is American cuisine with a European influence. Michael makes no secret of the fact that the foundation to his food preparation is the use of fresh ingredients. He has been an area leader in the Vermont Fresh Network (an organization of farmers and chefs), The Slow Food Movement, and Local First Vermont. Michael's on the Hill consistently gets enthusiastic reviews from our guests.

Michael's wife and business partner is Laura Kloeti. She has a bachelor's degree in Restaurant Management from Syracuse University, and also attended the The Culinary Institute of America in NYC. She has worked as a chef and manager in various hotels and restaurants in Switzerland, New York City, Hawaii and Vermont. Laura most often makes the deserts for the restaurant.

Cooking classes - an unusual opportunity to learn from a master chef.

Most chefs of Michael's caliber do not want to work with people who have not had years of training. However, Michael has a strong passion about food preparation and loves to teach an appreciation for it. He is enthusiastic about sharing solid food preparation methods with people who really want to learn no matter what their level of expertise.

Six class options are offered including A Taste of Vermont; an Extravagant Lunch; Hors d'oeuvres; and A Dinner Party. See the cooking classes page on the website for full details including prices.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:45:37 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=293 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=291

I was checking the Vermont Department of Tourism's website this evening and was quite struck with this photograph. It's not a "gee whiz" spectacular vista, just a pleasant, classic Vermont country road scene. At first I thought I might know where this road is (North Road from Bethel to Barnard) but I'm not at all sure because I began remembering other roads that look similar. However, no matter where you are in Vermont, there are pretty drives nearby - just ask your friendly innkeepers - they are used to being asked and will probably have several ideas for you.

By the way, the Vermont Vacation website is a tremendous resource and I recommend it highly.

(c) 2007 [except the photograph] Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn ]]> Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:48:17 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=291 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=284
Lake Champlain Sunset

I guess it is water vapor in the air over Lake Champlain that creates the sunsets seen there frequently (one more thing I should look up someday). We often suggest to our guests a short trip to Burlington because it is such an interesting city, has much to see and do, good restaurants, and a nice lakefront park from which to watch the sunset. Every evening in nice weather, you will see people coming to the park and finding a bench to watch.

Pictured above is today's photo from one of my favorite Vermont blogs, Megapickles. There is a text link to it in the left column of this blog too. Another good sunset photograph called Burlington Harbor was posted August 18.

All the photos are excellent and a new one is added every day. The landscape photos are my favorites - see Jeffersonville Sept 23; Hay Bales August 9; Mt Abraham August 1.

I have taken a few snapshots over the years and I posted some on the Scrapbook page of my inn's web site. Not the same quality as Megapickles but interesting to look at.

(c) 2007 (except the photo) Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:16:30 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=284 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=282
VermontVacation.com Foliage Forecaster Map

The leaves started to change here about a week and a half ago when we had a short cold snap. I would guess about ten percent of the leaves in my area have changed so far. I think this weekend should be pretty good for color especially at the higher elevations and in the northern part of Vermont about a hour's drive from us.

Our inn has been fully booked this coming weekend and the next. You will find that is true of virtually all lodging places in the northern half of the state. However, weekdays are only partially booked so you should be able to find a room if you can take a day or two off from work. We are about half booked for the second weekend in October but that will be filling in soon.

If you would like to travel to Vermont for one of our most amazing transitions, plan to come midweek or from the second weekend on to the end of the month. However, you should get on the phone and get something pinned down now.

We got a call from a very nice California gentleman this evening who said he was planning to fly in here and drive around New England for a few days without any itinerary. He was just calling to see if fall foliage is a popular time to visit Vermont. We told him it is our busiest time of year. He also wanted suggestions on which dates he should be here which we were happy to give him. We also told him he really, really needed to make reservations now but we were unsuccessful in convincing him. I hope he enjoys his trip to Vermont but I suspect he will not because he will likely have an awful time trying to find a place to stay.

The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing website has very good updates on the progress of foliage change. It's compiled from reports by state forestry rangers so it's highly reliable.

The same page has an article about why leaves change color and also an animated foliage forecaster that is very helpful in seeing how the foliage changes throughout Vermont during the season. Note the dates to the right of the illustration. You can click on them to freeze the animation.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:20:33 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=282 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=281
Fool4Travel logo

I wrote up JetBlue in an August 11 entry this year but I just ran across this article at Fool4Travel about this blogger's recent experience with JetBlue and I thought I would share it. JetBlue has had its share of scheduling catastrophes but compared to other airlines, it's a gem. They have several flights per day between JFK and the Burlington VT (BTV) airport. All our guests who have flown JetBlue have had good experiences with it. Fool4Travel looks like a good blog by the way and you may want to add it to your favorites. I'll be spending some more time looking it over.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor [Except the illustration above this article which is (c) copyrighted by Fool4Travel Grunberg Haus

]]> Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:04:52 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=281 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=279
One of our guests was asking a little while ago about moose. We often have guests asking about moose but it seems like more than normal lately. This summer, I've been able to tell them that we have one (I think it is probably the same one) around our inn. It has been coming through every two to three weeks but there was one period when I did not see any sign for about five weeks. However, I have seen fresh tracks in the woods and our driveway lately. Yesterday I saw new tracks in the parking lot and along the forest trail up to our cabins. "Our" moose comes through late at night and I see the fresh tracks in the morning.

Although moose can be seen anywhere in Vermont, the best chance to see them is in the "Northeast Kingdom" section of the state, especially the area around the towns of Island Pond, Averill, and Ferdinand. There have been many sightings on Route 2 between St. Johnsbury and Lunenburg, VT. The photo at the top of this blog page was taken on Route 100 between Warren and Granville, a few miles south of our inn.

Female moose are about six to seven feet high and weigh 600 to 800 pounds. Male moose are about seven or eight feet tall and weigh 1000 pounds - that's right, a half ton.

For more about moose in Vermont, see my blog entry dated July 9 of last year. You can use the Blog Archive or Search devices in the right column to go to the article.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus]]> Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:44:35 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=279 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=270
Upside down, backwards, and out of control . . .

In the spirit of being fair to readers, I thought I should let people know what what to look for as well as what to avoid. For airline travel, I covered the what-to-look-for in the Jet Blue article below. On the other hand, you may want to avoid Continental after reading the story about the Continental flight from Caracas to Newark a couple of weeks ago. You can read the story on the Elliott First Aid For Travel blog.

Continental has a Customer First program which states:"Continental Airlines is dedicated to providing a level of service to our customers that makes us a leader in the airline industry today. We understand that to do this we need to have a product we are proud of and employees who like coming to work everyday. Objective evidence shows that we are leading the industry in customer service."

I should mention that Jet Blue had a similar fiasco with unreasonably treated passengers recently and it resulted in the CEO/Founder apologizing and realizing he needed to step down.

True to their characters, Jet Blue stepped up and Continental is unlikely to do so.

You should also note in these false imprisonment fiascoes that the airlines are not alone in their incompetence. The airport managers who don't help by opening a gate or getting buses out to unload passengers are also complicit.

Every company in the world will mess up once in a while or inherit a situation not of their own making. It's how they react to it that matters most.

Continental has flights into Burlington from Boston and Newark. Good luck.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Tue, 14 Aug 2007 23:19:01 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=270 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=267

We had an arriving family get lost on the way here last night. They should have been here in the evening but they arrived hours later, some time after 11:00 if my memory is correct.

They were exhausted and frazzled. What should have been a pleasant and relaxing evening on our garden deck, living room, or pub/game room was instead spent driving around the dark countryside, lost and frustrated.

What went wrong? We sent them directions in their email confirmation letter. But they choose to use Mapquest. After all, it always, or nearly always, worked in the past, right?

I'm going to write some more about this below but if you just want to get to the point of this article, here it is: someone, probably everyone, who lives in any area of the world has a good understanding about driving in that area. More so than a roomful of mapping software people in Dilbert cubicles in San Jose or Bombay. If you want to get somewhere, go local to get directions. They can provide helpful landmarks ("turn left at the red barn with three silos") while Mapquest and other such sites, do not.

Let's say Mapquest is perfect and knows where every address is in the USA, one of the largest and most complex countries in the world. They know everything there is to know about every street, highway, alley, driveway, and old dirt road. Would I use them? Sure. And I have. Many times. But if a local tells me how to find him, I will just use Mapquest to get me to the area and then I will switch over to the local's directions.

Let's say that there was no problem with Mapquest's directions to our inn. You would still have to follow the directions precisely. One missed landmark, or wrong turn, and you are sunk if you don't realize right away that you made a mistake.

Our guest made a wrong turn somewhere, drove into some remotely settled part of the countryside in the middle of a very dark night and drove for hours trying to figure out what went wrong. No stores or gas stations were open. They tried to use their cell phone but cell phone coverage in the mountains around here is spotty at best.

Here is another tip: if you get a decent cell phone signal in Vermont, STOP! Otherwise you will drive out of it in a minute or two. The exceptions are some larger towns like Burlington.

The underlying problem was that Mapquest told them the shortest route to take. I told them the best route to take. My directions would have added about five minutes to their trip but were far less likely to get them lost and, if they did make a wrong turn, it would be easy to re-find the correct road or to stop and ask at an all night gas station because my directions took them through a large town instead of remote countryside.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Sat, 11 Aug 2007 23:02:48 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=267 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=266

JetBlue flies non-stop from JFK to Burlington VT Intl. airport (BTV) four times a day. All our guests flying JetBlue have told us that their flight went well, the planes were well kept, and the personnel excellent.

Here is a link to a blog by travel writer Christopher Elliott about his recent experience on a JetBlue flight.

With the challenges of modern airline travel, this article is a useful insight into how one airline operates. If you are planning to fly to Vermont, I would suggest looking at Jet Blue.

(I have no connection to JetBlue and was not compensated in any way for this blog entry.)

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:37:38 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=266 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=260
Warren Falls Swimming Hole [photo Copyright © 2005 by Dave Hajdasz]

This is the time of year to enjoy swimming holes. Vermont is blessed with hundreds of them. It's a popular activity for young and old. It's free of charge and free of eye burning pool chemicals.

You could strike out on your own to find a river or stream and probably find a place to enjoy by yourself. It's nearly impossible to drive anywhere in Vermont and not see a lot of streams and rivers. Just find a place to pull off and then you can sit down on a rock and dip your feet in to let the water current carry your cares away. The best swimming holes are well known to the locals in any area so you could ask around locally. But it's easy to do some research before you arrive too.

Last year I came across a great website called swimmingholes.info (or dot org - either one works) and found it an interesting read and full of helpful descriptions about great places to swim. It says it has information on 975 swimming holes in Canada and the US. I counted about 75 swimming holes in Vermont. If you use the information on the website, send the author Tom Hilegass and Dave Hajdasz an email to say thanks. They do an enormous amount of work on the website for free: mail [at] swimmingholes [dot] info (I typed to email address that way to help protect them from spammer robots.)

Note: in some of the more remote swimming holes you may find some skinny dippers. Now before you get excited, I should point out that they will probably be 50 to 60 year old hippies. Just kidding . . . about the hippie part, not the age range. Seriously, there may be a few kids and older folks who are skinny dipping if the swimming hole is well out of sight of a road. It's actually an old country tradition here in Vermont, a rural state where people who lived in the country did not have the money to spend on things like swimming suits. Most of the old folks here will tell you they did it when they were kids but not any more. If that kind of thing offends you, stick to the swimming holes near the roads.

Note: the water will most likely be clean but you should be aware that it is not a good idea to drink it. After a rain, the e.coli level can rise because the rainwater ran through a cow pasture. And if there has been a lot of rain, water levels can be high and fast. It is surprising how just a few inches of rapidly flowing water can push hard on your feet and legs. If you don't see anyone else in the water, or cars with Vermont license plates in the parking lot, or the water is running fast and muddy, it would probably be best to pass it up and come back the next day.

In addition to the swimming holes in rivers and streams, there are numerous beaches at lakes. The reservoir here in Waterbury just reopened after being drained seven years for dam repairs. It's a pretty lake and has a very nice swimming beach and picnic area right off Route 100 in Waterbury Center. A good source of information about beaches around the state is at vtliving.com website.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor (except the photo which is Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Hillegass)
]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:07:49 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=260 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=258 Factory Tours USA is a web site which lists manufacturing facilities open to the public. The factory tours in VT page begins with Ben & Jerry's ice cream here in Waterbury. It is the number one tourist attraction in VT and last year hosted 275,000 visitors with its famous half hour tours.

Food processing is big business in Vermont, so you will find the "manufacturers" here make cider, cheese, chocolate, and beer. And naturally, because of all the trees, there are wood product manufacturers too. Take a look at the list before your travel to VT and you will probably see a manufacturer you would like to visit.

Note: this list is very good but not comprehensive. There are a number of glassblowing studios for instance, (admittedly, they are mostly one person craft studios) not just Simon Pearce as listed on the website.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:28:08 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=258 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=257

I enjoy writing about all the things to do in Vermont including the mainstream activities such as scenic touring, hiking, canoeing, skiing, and so forth. But I also like finding out-of the-ordinary activities and out-of the-way places. This is one of those activities in one of those places:

The 4x4 Center provides an unusual driving school that teaches off road driving. They use specially prepared Land Rovers. The school's experienced staff teaches driving plus how to use all the equipment needed for off roading such as winches.

The school has access to 3000 acres of terrain "ranging from marshy woods to rocky mountainous terrain, with some desert-like conditions" added in.

There is an optional second day which has greater challenges in a remote part of Vermont where the terrain is "very uncompromising, in fact, some spots will require winching just to get through!" Both days begin at 8:30am and go until 4:30pm

How's that for significant cool factor? You can tell everyone back at work that you went off roading in Vermont. Plus, there is some practical application for improving your driving skills and increasing your understanding of and feel for vehicle dynamics and how that works to help you control a vehicle even in adverse conditions. One other important thing . . . it's a ton of fun.

The 4x4 Center is headquartered in Burlington and they also sell and service Land Rovers. See their 4x4 Center website or call them at 802-864-8565 or toll free at 800-864-9180.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus


]]> Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:31:47 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=257 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=255
The first one, Equinox Mountain Skyline Drive is in Arlington VT, in the southwestern part of the state. Skyline Drive starts from Historic Route 7 in the village of Sunderland. The elevation here at the bottom is 600 feet and by the time you are at the top, you will have risen another 3,200 feet in the five mile drive. There are beautiful panoramas along the way and the summit is amazing. The Battenkill river and the woods below look like miniatures.

This is a winding road built back in the 1940's. With all the environmental regulations we have now, it's safe to say that another road like this will never be built in Vermont. So, it's a rare opportunity to drive a road like this.

The toll is $7 per automobile for car and driver and
$2 per passenger with children under 12 free. Motorcycles are $6 per bike and driver, $2 per passenger.

There was some discussion here back in the 50's or 60's about building a road along the main spine of the Green Mountains similar to the Blue Ridge Parkway in the south but there was too much opposition to it.

The other toll road is the Mount Mansfield Toll Road in Stowe, right off Route 108 a few miles outside the village on the way to the ski areas. It climbs to the top of Mount Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont at nearly 4400 feet.

The climate here in the winter is very tough and you will see alpine vegetation that is thought to have survived from the ice age. In the winter, the toll road is closed to car traffic and it is a ski run at Stowe Ski Resort.

The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes on a dirt road with a few pull-offs along the way where you can admire the view. At the top is a ranger station with a small museum with displays about alpine climate and vegetation.

Vermont's Long Trail, which runs the length of the state, north and south, goes along the ridge of Mount Mansfield. You can walk along the trail and at Frenchman's Pile, a pile of rocks marking the spot, you can see in 360 degrees. The Worcester Range in Vermont and the White Mountains are to the East, and the Adirondacks of NY are to the West. The city of Burlington and Lake Champlain look like miniatures beneath you.

The toll road was built in 1856 as the carriage road to transport guests to the Summit House Hotel. The hotel was was dismantled in 1958.

The toll is $21 per car (plus $6 per person over six people). Bicycles and motorcycles are not permitted on the road. The toll road is open daily 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., May 25 - October 14.


Looking north from the Mount Mansfield Toll Road in Stowe (photo from Wikipedia.org)

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Sat, 28 Jul 2007 20:32:01 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=255 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=253
In you are planning a visit to VT, it would be worth spending a few minutes looking over not only the milebymile.com Route 100 review I wrote but also the Route 17, and Route 2 reviews someone else wrote. They are here. These roads are some of the major scenic drives in Vermont but there are many, many more quiet country lanes and back roads all over the state. Ask your lodging host for some ideas on which roads are good scenic drives in the area.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:28:08 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=253 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=250

Thanks to a link at Upgrade: Travel Better Blog (link in the left column of this page), I found another blog called Seat 2B with a very interesting article about Northwest Airlines. Northwest has two flights a day into and out of Burlington VT (BTV) from Detroit Metro Airport (DTT).

Essentially, the Seat 2B blogger, Joe Brancatelli, says Northwest has cut back so much that they run out of flight personnel near the end of each month. Here is a key paragraph from the article:

"Steer Clear"

"Northwest is trying to operate with about 25 percent fewer pilots and co-pilots than it employed in 2000. The inevitable result: massive crew shortages at the end of June when Northwest’s remaining pilots “timed out” and could no longer fly. (According to federal regulations, pilots cannot fly more than 100 hours a month.) Northwest canceled more than 1,200 flights during the last 10 days of June. The final 10 days of July and August won’t be much better."

To be fair, Northwest is trying to get better. They have a Customers First pledge they are trying to live up to.

As someone who has used the Burlington airport a couple of times a year for the past seven years, I can say it is a pretty good little airport. Much of this is due to its small size. It is easy to get from curb, to parking lot, to gate, to luggage carousel.

A surprising number of airlines fly into Burlington. You an see a list here. And a list of all the flights is here.

I recommend to guests that they also check flights into Manchester NH, Albany NY, and Boston Logan in that order. Also, check JFK because Jet Blue flies from there to Burlington and it is a better-than-average airline, despite some recent troubles.

Using our inn's north central VT location for comparison, Manchester is 2.5 hours drive, Albany is a little over 3 hours, and Boston is 3.5 hours. Time to southern VT will be about an hour or so shorter. We are about a 40 minute drive from the Burlington airport.

Manchester and Albany are good choices because Southwest Airlines flies to both. Southwest has very good prices and, probably more important, competent employees with pleasant attitudes. Ditto for Jet Blue.

Seat 2B is one of several blogs on the new Conde Nast Portfolio website. It will be interesting to see how many airlines advertise in the magazine. Subscriptions are very cheap by the way: just $12/year. [Disclaimer: I am not receiving any compensation from Conde Nast and in fact have never been in contact with them.]

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:36:39 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=250 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=228
She has also just published a book called "1,000 Places To See in the USA & Canada Before You Die" and Stowe is again included. It's published by Workman Publishing and no doubt available at your local bookstore.

The Travel Channel is broadcasting a weekly series based on the original book. And there is a website on the way.

Stowe, Vermont was also included recently in LIFE Magazine's '100 Places to See,' the only place in Vermont to be honored.

The LIFE Editor, Robert Sullivan, said Stowe was included because "It's pulled off the amazing trick of becoming famous and a destination, yet remained true to its essence: It is what it is, a New England village of great charm and a day-to-day that features village rhythms”.

The only thing I can add is that Stowe is great. A great start. Branch out in some easy drives around the state and you will be highly impressed with all the picture postcard scenes you will have around nearly every corner.

For such a small state, there is an amazing number and variety of things to see and do. That's why I started this blog: people sometimes asked me if there's much to do here. The answer is a big "YES", or better, "HECK YES!" If I were to spend my time more profitably writing a travel book about VT instead of this not-for-profit blog, I could publish a very thick book to answer that question.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus]]> Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:55:47 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=228 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=226
If you plan to travel to VT during the last week of September or the first two weeks of October, you should make your reservations as soon as you can. Rooms are still available but the selection becomes smaller with each passing week.

Whatever you do, don't drive here thinking you can easily find a place to stay. Each year we get some drop-ins who did not know what a busy time of year that is here. We've been fortunate so far in calling around and finding some lodging for them but sometimes it is fairly far away and or not the best accommodation.

A few years ago, the only thing I could find locally was a deluxe suite priced at more than $400 that was available only because of a last minute cancellation. It was late at night and the couple decided to take it but naturally they were not happy to do so. I hope they have other good memories of Vermont besides what they had to pay for a room that night.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:33:50 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=226 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=224
(c) 2006 Information Gallery

At our inn, we keep a supply of the Blue Map for our guests who are traveling to Burlington VT. It has a map of the greater Burlington area including such surrounding towns such as Essex Junction and Colchester. Best of all, it has a large section devoted to a helpful close-up of downtown Burlington and the Lake Champlain waterfront.

All the attractions in the Burlington area are shown including Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Farm, ECHO Aquarium, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, cruise ship docks, and the car ferry to NY.

There are numerous advertisements but they are laid out in a similar size and style, and they are listed in a well designed format that makes them helpful instead of intrusive.

The multi-panel fold-out map brochure also has a very good map of most of Vermont and a little of upstate NY including Lake Placid.

You can see all of this online at the Blue Map website. When you are in Vermont, you can find the Blue Map at many information centers, attractions, and kiosks on the Burlington lake front near the ferry and cruise ship docks.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor except the Blue Map sample above
]]> Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:14:57 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=224 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=220
The South West Vermont Blog today has an article about a beautiful museum that I have wanted to visit for a long time, the Southern Vermont Art Center.

And the prior blog entry recommends some "off the beaten path" hiking in the Arlington area which ties in nicely with my post below about hiking.

Southern VT is a beautiful area to tour and I always recommend to travelers that they spend two or three days there and two or three here in the more northern part of the state. That way, it's easy to make day trips not only around Vermont but also the Adirondacks in NY (Lake Placid, Lake George, Saranac Lake, etc), the White Mountains of NH, and even Montreal, an easy 2.5 hours drive from us - roughly the same as Arlington and other southwest VT villages.

This is such a small part of the country, you don't need to pack up and move every night. It is much more relaxing and enjoyable to stay in one or two places and spend your time enjoying each area instead of just driving to the next lodging place every day.

We sometimes hear from first-time guests, especially those from large states like Texas and California, that they are quite surprised at how small New England is, and that they wish they could spend more time in each area getting to know it better. But that's part of what travel means, getting to learn new parts of the world.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:11:03 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=220 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=219

The Stowe Alpine Slide opens tomorrow. This is a lot of fun for both children and adults. There is a height restriction for children before they can go by themselves but usually by age six children are tall enough to go by themselves. Children under the minimum height or under the age of two can ride double with an adult.

The adventure begins with a ride on a double chair lift to the top of Spruce Peak Mountain. At the top, you will pick up a plastic sled and get on the track for an exhilarating ride that lasts about three minutes if you go down quickly. You control the speed of the sled with a stick. Pull back and the sled slows down. Push the stick forward and you speed up.

There is also an alpine slide at the Pico ski area next to Killington and just a few minutes east of Rutland in central Vermont. The Bromley Thrill Zone near Bennington and Manchester in the southwestern part of the state also has an alpine slide.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:16:40 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=219 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=218

Camel's Hump mountain is featured on the US Mint's Vermont quarter.

One of my favorite books for getting hiking information is the Day Hiker's Guide to Vermont published by the Green Mountain Club . The club is located about ten minutes from our inn and you can stop there to purchase maps and books. Local outfitters around the state will have them too. The best way to make sure you get what you want is to order it online from the Green Mountain Club well in advance of your travel date.

The Green Mountain Club built Vermont's Long Trail between 1910 and 1930. The trail runs directly over the main ridge of Vermont's Green Mountain range from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian border, a distance of 270 miles. Today, the club still maintains the trail.

The club's website is a good starting point for all hikes throughout Vermont.

Another hiking web site I found recently is Marc Howe's Peakbagging Guide. . For hikers looking to climb high peaks, Vermont is ideal as Marc points out that the state has about a hundred 3000 footers and a handful of 4000 footers.

What I find most interesting about this site is that Marc has climbed the mountains (some several times) and writes from personal experience. He includes a good number of photographs too. He lists all the VT mountains he has climbed (24 so far), their elevations, and he has links to the reports he has written on each one. You can see that he does a lot of hiking year around so it's easy to be confident that he knows what he's talking about.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

]]> Thu, 21 Jun 2007 22:52:28 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=218 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=204
View looking east from the top of Mount Mansfield, Stowe Vermont


There are many hundreds of miles of scenic drives in Vermont but two of my favorites are Route 108 through Smuggler's Notch, and the Mount Mansfield Toll Road, both in Stowe.

The section of Route 108 that runs from the village of Stowe to the village of Jeffersonville includes a memorable drive through smuggler's Notch. This Notch Road is narrow (no edge marking and no center line), tight, and twisty. You will be driving up a steep grade with deep forests on each side. There are several hairpin turns where you will be going five or ten miles per hour. Unfortunately, the driver won't get to see as much as the passengers because you have to keep your eyes closely on the road. The passengers will have a great time viewing the scenery which becomes more enhanced at the slow driving speed. One of the features of the drive are massive boulders right alongside the road, some of them the size of a small cottage.

At the road's peak, there is a small parking area on the left (coming from Stowe) where you can stop and get out of the car to admire the scenery. There is a hiking trail on the other side of the road. We hiked it once and I did not care much for it. During busy periods, it will be crowded with people and the hike itself is really like a climb up a one mile staircase. However, at the top is a beautiful mountain lake - you can see a picture on the Scrapbook page of the Grunberg Haus web site. A much better hike is along the Long Trail running over Mount Mansfield which you can get to from the Auto Toll Road.

The Stowe Auto Toll Road starts at the parking lot behind the Stowe Inn and rises several thousand feet to the top of Mount Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont. To get there, drive on Route 108 from the village of Stowe toward the ski area. About five miles from town, watch carefully for the Toll Road sign which will be small and included with other items of interest at the Stowe Inn. A landmark just before the left turn into the parking lot are some tennis courts also located on the left shortly before the parking lot. Here is a link to Google Maps. Go to the rear of the parking lot and you will see a slim toll booth.

The road starts out on paved road but soon becomes a dirt road. The drive to the top is very twisty and takes about 20 minutes. There are a few pull-off areas along the drive where you can stop and admire the view but the best view is from the top. The photo at the beginning of of this article was taken from the top of the Gondola which stops are few hundred feet short of the toll road parking lot elevation but it gives you a good idea of what the view will look like.

Thee will be a ranger at the building next to the upper parking lot. I suggest you ask him or her the location of Frenchman's Pile. (No, I don't know why it's called Frenchman's Pile. It's just a three foot high pile of rocks.) It's about a 15 minute walk along the mountain ridge hiking trail to Frenchman's Pile and the view from there is truly magnificent. You can see in 360 degrees. To the west you will see the Adirondack Mountains of New York and to the east you will see the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Burlington and Lake Champlain will be right below you and they'll look like a very tiny, miniature town and lake. If you know the villages in the area, or if you have a map, you can pick those out too.

To my mind, this is one of the best things to do in Vermont.

Unfortunately, the road is for cars and pedestrians only. Bicycles and motorcycles are not permitted.

The toll is $21 per car unless you have more than six people in the vehicle, in which case the toll is $6 per person.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor ]]> Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:06:38 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=204 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=200 Mud City Adventures but their summer children's camps sound wonderful. They have day and weekly programs, Saturday camps, twilight camp, overnight weekend and week-long adventures, and sailing camps. There are an amzing number of activities for ages 3 to 16. You'll wish you could go to some of them. However, they do have some adult activities too, so don't envy the kids.

Mud City Adventures is based in Stowe VT and is named after an actual Vermont town located near Stowe. Considering how much kids like to play in mud, it seems an ideal name. The activities however are far beyond playing in the dirt. Take a look - I know you will be impressed.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Fri, 11 May 2007 19:51:59 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=200 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=197
Killington May 4 2007

Vermont skiing for 2006/2007 comes to an offical close this weekend when Killington, always the first to open and the last to close, wraps up the season.

Killington this weekend will have nine trails, three miles, open. One chair will be operating: the Superstar Express serving More Difficult and Most Difficult terrain only. No beginner terrain will be available.

After the ski area stops on Sunday, the Killington golf course opens at the end of the week, May 11!

Some other ski areas are not officially open but you can find some intrepid skiers and boarders snowshoeing up with their equipment on their backs, and sunscreen in their pockets, to get in a few more runs on what has been a great season.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Fri, 04 May 2007 19:42:53 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=197 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=196
Actually there is some sense in this, in a roundabout, six degrees of separation kind of way. First, Tom Poston died a couple of days ago. He played played George Utley, the slow, inept handyman on the Bob Newhart Show. That show placed Newhart as the owner of a Vermont inn called the Stratford Inn, and surrounded the laconic actor with a wild assortment on deranged people, most notably the brothers Larry, Darryl, and Darryl who looked like three extras from a droll, Vermont-style Deliverance movie. It was Newhart's longest running show, starting in 1982 and wrapping up its run in 1990.

We are asked from time to time if that inn actually exists. In fact, it does although different from the TV icon. It is called the Waybury Inn and it's located not too far from us on Route 125 in East Middlebury Vermont. The Waybury's web site has a page devoted to its famous TV connection. The Waybury exterior was shown during the TV show's opening although it is now painted green instead of the white color it was back in the 1980's.

Coming back full circle to Tom Poston, and just to prove once again that you cannot judge a book by its cover, it turns out that in real life Poston could not have been the fumbling goofball he played on stage. He was a highly decorated WWII airman who entered the US Army Air Corps as a private and attained the rank of captain in just five years, serving in North Africa, Italy, France, and England.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Wed, 02 May 2007 21:04:50 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=196 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=195 Vermont Ski Area Association web site. I'm not sure how much longer the conditions will be reasonable enough to ski but I'll guess a couple of more weeks, based on past seasons. It's actually a great time to ski. The days are long and warm, the crowds are non-existent, rates are at their lowest, and the snow usually has the classic "pop corn" consistency which makes for a lot of fun. Don't forget your sunblock.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:05:59 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=195 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=194 Southwest Vermont Blog and I think you will find it useful if you are planning to visit the Bennington - Manchester area. It's not very active - three blogs so far in April, two in March - and it looks like it just started in January. However, it is well written, entertaining, and informative. We'll keep an eye on it and hope it continues.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor ]]> Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:58:32 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=194 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=192 K-1 Web Cam. Most other ski areas or Vermont attractions have just a fixed camera if they have one at all, but you can actually take the controls at the Killington web cam and point it nearly anywhere you would like. You will have to wait in line for your turn before you get control but there is a counter to let you know how long the wait will be.

Click the Start Control button in the lower right below the picture. This gets you in line and starts the countdown timer. The status box turns green when it is your turn to control the camera and you are limited to one minute of use. You can move the camera left or righ, telephoto in or out. When your one minute is up, you can get back in line by repeating the same procedure. The camera has pre-set locations and will scroll them at the bottom of the window. Pre-sets include the K-1 Lodge, Lower Superstar, Lower Highline, and Killington Peak.

Control time is limited to one minute per user. When your time has expired, you're free to click Start Control again and you will be placed into a que and the countdown timer will again display the time remaining until you have control of the camera.

You don't have to control the camera to enjoy it. It's easy enough to just sit back and watch as other people control the camera.

The Killington Web Cam is like looking out your window to see what snow and ski conditions are. It's good for a few minutes of fun and some helpful information about snow conditions.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor
]]> Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:24:08 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=192 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=190

Ben & Jerry's has an email newsletter that sometimes includes discounts or special offers. You can sign up for it at the Chunk Spelunker page of their website. The email we received today has a two for one offer - buy one cone or cup and get a second one free.

If you are planning to visit their Waterbury Vermont factory, or if you have a Scoop Shop in your local area, it would be worthwhile to sign up for the newsletter and get the discounts plus news on new flavors, etc.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:11:07 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=190 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=189 Central Vermont Public Service has restored power to 40,000 of the 50,000 customers who had lost power. Most likely, things will be back to normal by this weekend but I would check to be sure. Also, you can track this by checking CVPS's web site which has daily updates. Even if your reservation is not in this area of the state, it would be a good idea to check with your lodging facility just to make sure.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:39:37 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=189 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=186
Our favorite recommendation is Morse Farm located a little north of Montpelier. They even have a small theater set up to show the entire process from tapping the trees to bottling the syrup. They also have a wood fired evaporator boiling down the sap so you can see the process in person. There are guided tours of the sugar house and knowledgable staff on hand to answer questions. And there is a store with all their products plus other Vermont products and souvenirs.

For a list of maple syrup sugar houses open to the public, go to the Vermont Sugar Makers Association website which shows the sugar houses by county.

The way the weather is going, there may be another couple of weeks of good sap flowing. In fact, some Vermont sugar makers are back to getting Grade A Fancy syrup which usually only happens early in the sugaring season. Then they progress through Grade A Medium, then Dark, and then Grade B which has a very heavy, musky maple taste and is usually used for cooking but some folks like it on their pancakes too. Not much Grade C is produced because there is not much demand for it. It's usually sold to flavoring companies who use it for flavoring in manufactured food products. By the way, some "maple syrups" are actually maple flavored corn sweetners like Aunt Jemima's which has just a few percent syrup in its contents. A lof of hard working Vrmonters would prefer that you buy the real thing, of course. And we'd prefer you come here to enjoy our beautiful state and buy your syrup here too. But if you can't visit now, many of the syrup producers are happy to ship.

Here are some interesting facts from the Morse Farms web site History Page :

"On the average, it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make 1 gallon of pure maple syrup. We drill 1 tap hole in each of our maple trees, which gives 10 gallons of sap in an average year. So, 4 maple trees, 40 to 200 years old, are needed to make one gallon of pure maple syrup.

"Maple sap is 2% sugar and weighs 8.35 lbs. per gallon
Maple syrup is 66.9% sugar and weighs 11 lbs per gallon
One gallon of maple syrup makes 7 lbs of maple sugar
Maple syrup contains 50 calories per Tablespoon
Corn syrup contains 60 calories per Tablespoon"

That history page also explains why producing maple syrup is called "sugaring."

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:00:41 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=186 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=181

There are many lodging facilities in Vermont that welcome pets. In fact, if you go to the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing homepage and scroll down, you will see the pet friendly network logo which leads to 273 listings of pet friendly establishments throughout Vermont.

An easier way to find them is to visit the VDTM Travel Planner page. This search engine does an excellent job and you will find it easy to locate many lodging facilities that cater to pets as well as people. Note that in Step 3, you should click the box next to pets. If you search statewide for all types of lodging, you will get so many "hits" that the results will be numerous and unwieldy: 254 matches! But if, for example, you can narrow the search to Central Vermont, and the type of lodging to Bed & Breakfasts, and Cabins, you will get 10 matches.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Sun, 01 Apr 2007 22:15:42 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=181 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=180

Google has an impressive array of travel information you can use in your travels to Vermont and other locations.

For instance, to get real- time flight information, you just text message your flight number to 466453 (GOOGLE on most mobile devices). You will receive a text message back with the flight's status. For more general information, text message the name of the airline and you will get back airline's toll free phone number.

The Google Mobile SMS page contains a list of other services including weather, sports, movies, restaurants, and much more. It helps to have the zip code of the Vermont town you will be visiting.

Google gets the flight information from a company called FlightStats which has even more information about flights and airports than Google has, and I suspect you will find it more handy than just using Google Mobile alone.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor
]]> Sat, 31 Mar 2007 21:42:41 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=180 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=151
We are doing this three weeks early this year because Congress changed the official date as part of a program to help save energy . . . we will spend more of our waking hours in daylight and less time after dark, thereby saving energy. The end of Daylight Savings will be November 4, 2007, one week later than usual.

I just downloaded the Microsoft software to update my operating system and Outlook because they are not programmed for a switch to Daylight Savings Time at this early date. It was an easy download. You can find it here: Microsoft Daylight Savings Time Update Center.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Mon, 05 Mar 2007 22:39:31 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=151 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=140
If you don't own a snowmobile or can't bring yours with you, here are two rental outfits (note: there are more but I'll just mention two now and write another entry about some others at a later date):

High Country Snowmobile Tours , located in the town of Wilmington in southern Vermont, has many types of tours including a two hour, evening, half day, full day, private, corporate, snowmobile safety course, and an introductory course. Prices range from $55 to $285.

Snowmobile Vermont has new or late model snowmobiles, helmets, and boots. The tours run every day, conditions permitting, at Killington, Okemo, both in central VT, and Stowe in northern VT. I took a two hour ride at the Stowe location a few years ago and had a great time. This is a very well run operation and the tour went deep into a beautiful forest. Note: this is real back country snowmobiling, not just plodding around a flat field. We had some guests at our inn who mostly enjoyed themselves on this tour but they were surprised at and intimidated by the rugged terrain. They were not the outdoors type, let us say, so keep in mind that these tours are not ideal for shy and hesitant people. The tour is conducted at a reasonable speed and with safety in mind but it is not for everyone. If memory serves, a two hour tour for two people on a snowmobile is about $160.

Note: both companies take a credit card and place a hefty deposit on it in case you damage the equipment. This is returned to you at the end of the tour. And both operations will take walk-ins but it's better to reserve ahead of time.

If you own your own snowmobile, you should take a look at the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST), a huge organization made up of some 140 snowmobile clubs around the state. VAST operates more than 5,000 miles (!) of snowmobile trails in Vermont. There is an annual fee of $95 for out of state residents ($65 for Vermont residents) to ride the trails plus a required local membership of $5 to $15 depending upon which club you purchase a membership from. You must show registration and proof of insurance. The VAST website has full details for joining as well as map ordering and other information.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:47:46 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=140 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=138 Sugar Mountain Farm Blog

It is well done, interesting reading that will give you good insights into what it is like to farm here in some of the most beautiful but very rugged country in the world.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:39:09 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=138 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=129
For an even better experience, you could have a local drive you around while you sit back and relax. It's much easier to enjoy the scenery when you don't have to spend most of your time with your eyes on the road.

One tour company is located in Stowe. Mountainview Tours offers tours of Burlington, Montpelier, Middlebury, Stowe, and southern Vermont including Woodstock.

For example, the Stowe tour is three hours long and costs $45 per person for two to four adults, and $35 pp for groups of five or more. One of their most popular tours is "A Taste of Vermont" which includes Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Cabot Cheese, etc. It is four hours and is priced at $55 per person, or $45 pp for five or more.

Mountainview Tours also offers trips to Maine, New Hampshire, and Montreal.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Mon, 19 Feb 2007 22:37:00 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=129 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=122
Here are some ideas on where to go.

Tubbs snowshoes were manufactured for many years in Stowe VT. Unfortunately the company was sold to K-2, a large ski manufacturer, which then moved Tubbs production to China.

As a result, I don't feel as much loyalty to Tubbs as I once did but they make a great snowshoe and they support the sport. One good thing they have continued is their Tubbs Trailnet website which lists hundreds of snowshoe trails recommended by people who are familiar with the trails.

To find a snowshoe trail, choose a location and degree of difficulty (easy, moderate, more difficult, back country). These trails are submitted by people who snowshoed the trails, mostly locals who are familiar with the area. Many of them are snowshoe enthusiasts who enjoy sharing their trails with fellow snowshoers.

Easy does not always mean easy for you. If you are 45 years old and spend your days at a desk with little exercise, you may think the trail should have been ranked difficult. On the other hand, you might find a trail rated moderate is actually easy for you. Or it could be an easy trail with moderate sections. These are not a scientific judgments and they are not precise - just one person's assessment.

There are 239 reviewed trails in Vermont, a small fraction of the number actually here.

You should also talk to the innkeeper where you will be staying. They may have their own trails like we do (with free snowshoes to use on our property) or they will refer you to a local outdoor outfitter.

Two excellent outfitters I am familiar with are Umiak Outfitters in Stowe and Clearwater Sports in Waitsfield but you will find other outfitters all over Vermont. Most outfitters can set you up with equipment and directions, or better yet for casual snowshoeing, offer guided tours of area woods. Some of them add in things like wine and cheese tours, wildlife viewing, etc.

Ski areas, both alpine and nordic, are also a good source of trails and equipment rentals. For instance, Bolton Valley.

You can check the Vermont Outdoor Guide Association website which lists snowshoe outfitters in northern VT: Bolton, Essex Junction, Huntington, Jay, Stowe, Waitsfield; and in the southern half of VT: Killington, Rawsonville, Bondville, Stratton and West Dover.

I recently came across Maple Ridge, a company that makes excellent quality waterproof maps for snowshoeing and cross country skiing the Stowe and Smugglers Notch areas.

The Green Mountain Club is Vermont's leading source of information for trail users. If you have time before your arrival, I highly recommend ordering their book Snowshoeing in Vermont. It has trail descriptions, directions on how to find the trails, good places to park, maps, mileages. We have a copy of this book for use by our guests and the place you are staying may have one as well. We just copy the information on whichever trail the guest wants to try. It's a great way to choose a trail suitable for the guest's skill level and engery level.

You don't have to find a forest trail to snowshoe in Vermont. There are many, many town parks and municipal playgrounds where you can have a leisurely snowshoe walk on level ground. Again, your innkeeper will be the best source of local information like that.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:36:41 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=122 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=114 Stowe two-for-one Valentine's special.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor ]]> Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:50:44 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=114 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=109


If you can't get away, find a distinctive gift instead. I believe Valentine's Day is the busiest period of the year for Vermont Teddy Bear , even surpassing Christmas, for good reason: these are the highest quality teddy bears you can find and they are made in the USA, right here in Vermont. You can buy just the plain bear or dress it up with all kinds of costumes including occupantional and Valentine's themes. Guaranteed home run!



And if you have a Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop nearby, just swing by on the way home and pick up one of their Valentine's Day ice cream cakes with special "Love You" message on top! You might want to call ahead and reserve one just to be safe.


(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Sat, 10 Feb 2007 22:20:31 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=109 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=108
Skiing was great today with good temps all day long, great snow conditions, and even though there were people all over the place, it never got crowded. It snowed a bit during the day and picked up the pace late afternoon.

The temps are predicted to drop again next week but the snow conditions should remain great. If you plan to ski Vermont, the outlook is very good.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:05:15 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=108 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=107
Check for similar specials at other ski areas. If you are not sure which one you might light to go to, a good place to start is the Vermont Ski Areas Association web site.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Sat, 10 Feb 2007 13:30:04 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=107 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=103 Skimrv.com Forum member today, Jan 30:

"Despite all the howling about the bad conditions a month ago and the often heard cry, "this sucks I'm going out west" the season has turned around. The west except for the PNW has not seen alot of snow this season. Even the big storms we saw on the news in Denver was concentrated on the front range and the resorts west into the mountains didn't get the big dump.

"The first western resort to fall off the table this season is June Mountain, sister resort to Mamouth Mt. in CA. They are throwing in the towel and closing due to lack of snowfall this season. Heavenly, Squaw and Mammoth long used to huge Sierra dumps are still only 70% open. There are resorts 100% open but the skiing has not been like you see in the brochures. Even Utah has not seen alot of new snow in the last 2/3 weeks.

"This is not totally across the board as I heard Alta/Snowbird got some snow last week but not much in the Park City area. If your going out west make sure you check the conditions at the resort your going to cause you might be shocked to find that the conditions here in northern Vermont might be as good or even better. "

You can see this entry and subsequent responses under the heading "The shoe is on the other foot now" in the Topics column.

I was corresponding recently with someone who lives in Park City and he told me the same thing: not really that much snow there despite all the headline news about major storms in the Pacific North West.

The Skimrv.com website is an excellent source of information about Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, and the Mad River Valley in general. Look for frequent posts by "win" who is Win Smith, an owner and CEO of Sugarbush. I suppose there might be other major ski area owners who are just as accessible as Win, but I have not heard of any. It's an unusual opportunity to communicate directly with the "top dog."

Lots of good reading on this forum because you get straightforward facts and opinions. It's interesting and helpful to see what the insiders are saying about what is going on.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor

]]> Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:49:03 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=103 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=102
[Photo courtesy of Stowe Resort]

Most everywhere else it is called Groundhog Day, but at Stowe Friday, February 2 is called Woodchuck Day . Of course in ski country, you WANT a longer winter. So, perhaps to bring good luck to themselves, Stowe has decided to make a sacrifice to the snow gods by cutting their lift ticket price in half that day.

For just $35, you can ski all day while also getting a FREE Stowe Points Card (a $75 value that saves on lift tickets the rest of the season) to the first 500 people to come out.

With the best conditions of the season right now, this will be an oustanding opportunity at "The Skiing and Riding Capital of the East."

(c) 2007 (except Stowe Woodchuck photo) Jeff Connor ]]> Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:12:43 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=102 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=101 Mad River Glen's Roll Back the Clock Day is coming up in a couple of days. On Jan 30, all lift tickets are just $3.50, the same price as it was in 1949. Now THAT is the lowest price I have seen.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor ]]> Sun, 28 Jan 2007 15:41:17 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=101 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=100 Trapp Family Lodge had 6" to 10" of fresh snow this week. It has been cold here so the new snow had been all powder. Lately, we have had beautiful sunny days with day time temps in the mid 20's F, or - 3 C.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Sun, 28 Jan 2007 15:16:03 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=100 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=97
At Magic Mountain in southern VT, they have a deal called Car Pool Fridays which is good on every non-holiday Friday through the end of the season. Your entire car load skis or rides for only $50.00.

If you can pack six people into a car, it will cost each person only $8.33 to ski or ride all day. I think that is the cheapest rate I have ever seen.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor]]> Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:39:17 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=97 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=96
Every ski resort has the usual multi-day pass discounts and of course weekdays are always cheaper than weekends, except during holiday periods. However, you should also look closer at some of the other offers the ski resort has. For instance, at Mad River Glen in January, weekday passes are just $29, a phenomenal price. Mad River Glen changes offerings every few weeks so it is worthwhile to check the website occasionally.

Here are MRG's other discounts:

Ski for $1
Buy a two-day ticket and ski the next day for only $1! Available every day throughout the season except during holiday periods.

Afternoon Half-day Special
Ski every non-holiday afternoon Sunday through Friday for only $29!

The Day-and-a-Half Midweek Special
Buy a ticket for the next day and ski the afternoon before free! What a great way to get out of town for a quick getaway! This special is available after 12 noon Sunday through Thursday and is not offered during holiday periods.

Any Other Pass Special
Ski for only $29 midweek when you present any valid season pass from any other ski area.

The 30 Day Ticket
Ski for 30 consecutive days from the day you purchase your ticket for only $279 or $219 for juniors & seniors.

Vermonter Wednesdays
Vermonters ski every Wednesday for only $29! Not valid during holiday periods. Must provide proof of residence.

$29 Student Deal
College Students ski every midweek day for only $29!. Not valid during holiday periods. Must provide valid student ID.

AARP Member Discount
AARP Members Ski for only $29! Monday-Friday (non-holiday) with a valid AARP membership card.

The Legend Ticket - Seniors 70 & over Ski Free
1st five days of skiing are free then it’s only $100 for a Legends Season Pass. Co-op Shareholders over the age of 70 Always ski FREE!!!

I'll write from time to time about other ski areas and their special discounts but you can check them yourself. A good starting place if you don't have a specific resort in mind is the Vermont Ski Areas website conditions page. Click the name of the resort in the left column and it will take you to another page where there is a small summary of the resort as well as a link in the center column which can then take you to the resort's own web site. On that site, click Tickets & Passes or the equivalent and that's usually where the discounts are summarized.

Quite often, lodging establishments will have discounts available either with or without a package.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:56:34 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=96 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=91

Here's something your friends, neighbors, and co-workers probaly haven't done: take a dog sled ride! There are several in our north central Vermont area and no doubt there are others throughout VT. I have not compiled a list of these yet but you can ask the lodging extablishment where you plan to stay.

By way of example, I got an email today from Rob Farley at October Siberians who was excited about the fact that we now have enough snow for him to start up his dog sled rides. He has rides in some great areas including Little River State Park in Waterbury, Mount Mansfield State Forest in Stowe, as well as South Lincoln and Ripton Vermont. Rob has links to detailed trip descriptions on his web site. He's flexible with his trips and is happy to work with you on creating a special trip plan if you wish.

The base rate is $250 for two people on a six to seven mile trip.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor ]]> Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:04:49 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=91 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=88 short articleon MSNBC.com but it was written Dec 26. It's a short review of a few things to do during a 24 hour layover in Burlington. It's mostly the standard stuff and would take more than 24 hours to do (the Shelburne Museum alone would easily take a day) but it's a useful guide.

(c) 2007 Jeff Connor ]]> Wed, 17 Jan 2007 09:59:28 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=88 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=76
If you are planning to come here for cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or sleigh ride, I would suggest planning other activities or postponing the trip for a while. Down hill skiing should continue to be OK. Temperatures next week are predicted to have highs in the mid-30's and night time temps in the teens. It will be even lower on the mountains so the ski areas should have no problem making snow at night.

We still have great scenery to see and indoor activities such as swimming and ice skating. Plus lots of great shops and restaurants. If you are planning to come for alpine skiing or just to take a break, I would still come. If you are planning to ski in southern VT, be sure to check on conditions before you hit the road.
]]> Sat, 06 Jan 2007 21:20:50 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=76 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=75
We have enough snow now that the other types of winter activities besides downhill skiing are getting started. I've been getting emails from outfitters saying that they are starting up their cross country skiing, snowshoe, and snowmobile operations. ]]> Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:37:28 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=75 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=74

I have found an airfare search engine site that is highly impressive and a very welcome new approach to finding a flight. Farecast is an independent web site you can use to research airline fares between 75 US cities. It's still in Beta (test) form but looks to be working fine with only a couple of minor bugs I experienced.

This is not an online booking site like Expedia. It's more of a search engine specifically for airline flights. However, there are links directly to each airline's web site reservation page so you can book directly with the airline. In case you are not aware, booking flights online will save you money compared to calling the airlines and booking with one of their agents.

Note that Farecast is free of charge for you to use. They have revenue from pay per click advertising, and it would not surprise me if the airlines pay them a small fee for each booking.

I found the search function very easy to use and the results came up quickly. Once in a while, the system will "hang" and the results never show. Just click another tab or the browser back button and then return to what you were looking for. Each time I did that, the results came up quickly.

There is an intriguing feature called Fare Prediction as shown in the illustration above. However, it does not always appear, notably if airfares have been stable recently on the particular route you are researching. If it does appear for your search, it will show if the lowest fare is likely to rise or drop over the next seven days.

Also, there is a feature called Fare History which charts the lowest fare observed each day for your trip, up to 90 days ago. In other words, it's as if you would have searched for your trip every day and plotted the lowest fare actually available. All this is based on more than 90 billion airfare observations based on real pricing and availability.

Airports in this region which are included in the database so far are: Burlington VT, Boston MA, Manchester NH, and Albany NY. Montreal is not yet listed.

One of the things I like best about this web site is that you don't have to specify dates of travel. That's always been a pet peeve of mine when dealing with other travel search web sites. Sometimes I just want to know which are the cheapest (or most expensive) times to travel to a particular destination. Farecast has solved this issue. If you are flexible with your schedule, or if you are just curious about how much flight costs can vary, you can research fare history between two airports.

The more I delve into this site, the more features and usability I discover. It is quite an amazing achievement. Please note that I have no connection with this web site and will not receive any compensation for mentioning it. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sun, 29 Oct 2006 20:57:53 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=74 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=70
Some of our guests from Iowa were amazed today while driving over Route 17 from Waitsfield. It looked like winter on the east side of the mountain but when they crossed over to the west side into the Lake Champlain Valley, there there were many trees in color and no snow at all. Two seasons in one short drive!

As I mentioned in a previous post, the area to the north and south of Middlebury, on the west side of the Green Mountain range is the best place to look at foliage now. If you get your map out, plan to drive along Route 7 for the most part but also take some of the east/west roads such as Routes 4, 125, and 17.

Also, on the other side of the state, the valley we share with New Hampshire along the Connecticut River, usually matches the Champlain Valley for color and timing.

Here is a useful link to more information on the state's tourism web site. Don't just look at the map - it does not give enough details and will discourage you. Read the text for the full story.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC ]]> Sat, 21 Oct 2006 17:14:53 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=70 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=68
Around the north central VT area where we are located, there are some mountainsides with good color while others have just a few spots of color left.

The best areas now will be in the Champlain Valley on the west side of the Green Mountains. One of our guests said there is excellent color around the Middlebury area.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC]]> Fri, 13 Oct 2006 20:07:45 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=68 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=62 fall foliage progress throughout the state of Vermont. It's written by "leaf spotters" around the state and is highly reliable.

]]> Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:31:53 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=62 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=61 Peacham , Danville, Craftsbury, Island Pond, North Troy, etc. The leaves throughout northern VT are not quite at peak yet but they are close and the sight seeing is excellent.

Peacham is a classic Vermont village. It has been photographed by magazine, newspaper and book photographers thousands of times. It has been called the most photographed town in New England. Yankee Magazine said of it: "Of all the villages in New England, Peacham (population 665) is unsurpassed." (Sept 2005).

Peacham is an unusual name for a town and no record exists of how it came to be called that. However, there are a few theories and you can read some interesting stories about the name here.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC]]> Wed, 20 Sep 2006 23:09:48 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=61 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=59
The last few days of September and the first two weeks of October are the best foliage periods in this area of north central Vermont. Southern Vermont and the Lake Champlain valley are about a week behind us. The leaves start changing at the upper elevations and in the northern part of the state and then work their way down the mountainsides and into the southern part of the state over a one month period. The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing web site has an excellent animated foliage map which demonstrates this. Note the Pause and Play buttons which allow you study the map’s progress in detail. Also, you can click on the calendar dates alongside the map to make the foliage progress easier to understand.

Something new this year is the Lodging Forecaster . You can see where lodging will be easy or difficult to find according to date.

If you decide to come here without a reservation, keep in mind that the best rooms get taken first so you may not only have a challenge finding a place but also you won’t get the best rooms. Each year, we have people drop in who have no reservations. Usually (but not always) you can find a last minute room on week nights but the weekends are another matter. As a result, these people without reservations spend a lot of stressful time trying to find a room. If you come here without a reservation, I suggest you start looking for a place in early afternoon rather than waiting until evening. However, if you want to have an enjoyable and relaxing time here during fall foliage, make room reservations before your trip.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC ]]> Sat, 16 Sep 2006 20:53:45 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=59 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=56
I managed to carve out some time the other day to go fishing with a guide I know. It was just my second time out this year. So, other than a very rusty casting technique, and slow reaction time to strikes, I had a great time fishing for rainbow trout in the riffles of the Winooski river just a few minutes from the inn.

I have been fly fishing for about 15 years but never got out enough to become good at it. However, it's still a source of great enjoyment. I once read a line that went something like "I fish for trout because they live in such beautiful places." That's how I feel so, even though I'm missing more fish than I catch, it's a great experience just to be on the stream.

Of course, you can be on the stream without a fishing pole if you just want to enjoy the beautiful scenery. But if you're standing in a stream without a fishing pole, you're gonna look pretty foolish. As the comedian Steven Wright points out, there's a thin line between fishing and standing in the water looking like an idiot.

Here is some advice I wish someone had given me years ago. The biggest mistake I made in fly fishing was becoming a gear collector. I should have spent more of that money on casting lessons and fishing guides. I would be a far better fisherman today.

Guides look expensive but they will save you years of trial and error type learning that is really more expensive. And you will learn the right stuff instead of just spending a ton of time teaching yourself how to do things incorrectly. And fishing with a good guide is fun too. A good quality rod is important (my personal favorite is a Sage rod) but beyond that, my advice is to scrimp on everything else and spend most of your money on instructors. Most people do it the opposite way which I know from personal experience is the wrong approach.

There are a number of guides and fly fishing shops in Vemont. The most famous shop is Orvis which is headquartered in Manchester VT, in the southwestern part of the state, close to the borders with NY and MA.

A favorite local fly shop is Green Mountain Troufitters. And for a guide, I recommend Lawton Weber. He is extremely knowledgable about habitat, trout, many rivers and streams in Vermont, casting, insect hatches, etc. He is the editor of the latest edition of Northern Cartographic's Vermont fishing book. His web site has excellent and honest stream reports. He likes Scott flyfishing rods and supplies them to his clients when guiding.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

]]> Sat, 09 Sep 2006 19:19:55 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=56 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=51 New England Blog recently that is a wide ranging collection of articles about travelling throughout the northeast. The blog is part of New England Vacations Guide website which I found interesting and helpful. It's geared toward people planning a vacation but it makes great leisure reading too.

Also, there are some general articles useful for travlers such as what to expect at a bed and breakfast, and what the difference is between an inn and B&B.

This is a large website but it is well worth the time to go through and I'm sure you will find much to enjoy. In fact, this is one of the best web sites I've found about New England travel so I have added a link to it in the left column of this blog in case you want to come back here sometime to easily re-find the site.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC ]]> Fri, 01 Sep 2006 20:42:15 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=51 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=47

The latest issue of Vermont Life is out and it's another home run. This quarterly magazine consistently has excellent quality writing and photography, as well as extensive and reliable information such as events calendar and major news.

Vermont Life, which also has a website, is published by the State of Vermont. I think the annual subscription is around $15 per year for four issues.

If you can’t travel to Vermont regularly, this is a great way to see the state and its inhabitants. The photographs alone will give you an instant urge to come for a Vermont vacation, and the articles will give you many ideas for all the wonderful places to visit.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC ]]> Thu, 24 Aug 2006 21:59:01 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=47 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=44
Listing those three is a quick and easy answer, and sure to please. Of course, there are plenty of other villages a little farther north such as Middlebury, Brandon, Brookfield, and Craftsbury Common that are well worth a visit.

And there are parts of some other towns such as Old Bennington, Manchester, and Vergennes that have long traditions of being included in travel book and magazine photographs of great looking VT towns.

Peacham and Greensboro are favorites with residents of Vermont, nearly all of whom love the more remote and picturesque Northeast Kingdom part of the state. This area will take you back to the old days because little has changed in the last half century or longer.

Just to round out the list of best looking villages, I’ll add the two local favorites of Warren and Stowe. We are located about half way between them. Warren is about 20 minutes south and Stowe is about 20 minutes north, both on Route 100.

For larger, best looking towns to add to your VT travel plans, I suggest Burlington and the state capital of Montpelier.

One quirky favorite: the classic buildings in Ripton on Route 125 east of Middlebury.

I have others I would suggest but the list above is of reasonable length for an average length visit.

Are there any areas that aren’t pretty? Unfortunately, even Vermont gets hit with the ugly stick once in a while. One outstanding example: Route 7 on the south side of Rutland.

Load up the film or get a bigger memory card for your digital camera and enjoy some of the prettiest villages in New England.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC
]]> Mon, 21 Aug 2006 22:30:13 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=44 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=42 website called Ellipses. After the airplane scares last week, airline travel was disrupted but quickly got back to normal according to some of our guests.

The Ellipses web site is a good one to check occasionally to see what's going on in travel. Chris also writes about car rental companies from time to time and presents information you should definitely know.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC ]]> Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:42:37 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=42 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=36
Wyndam Hotels may want to call Holiday Inn and ask to borrow the campaign. It seems that Wyndam found the nifty, add-on mother lode that car dealers milked for many years. Used to be, you could get a car at a good price and the dealers would make all their profit in add-ons such as luggage racks, pin striping, paint sealant, and rust proofing. Wyndham simply changed the tags to resort fees, resort tariffs, energy surcharges, and parking/transportation fees. Somebody at Wyndham probably made vice president with that idea but, if so, they had better get their resume in order.

The Florida attorney general found out about the scheme because the state of Florida was getting socked with these fees when state employees stayed at Wyndham Hotels. Long story short, the FL AG went after Wyndham and now the hotel chain is going to pay a $2.3 million settlement with the state; disclose all such "automatic" fees on all travel web sites such as Orbitz; and repay a half million dollars to some affected customers (not you - you're too small - customers such as the state of FL).

No doubt, other hotel chains will get the message and get to full disclosure soon.

All this is a good lesson in Travel 101: find out what your total bill will be. If it proves difficult to find out, find another place to stay. For instance, some facilities in my industry, B&B's and Inns, will charge service fees and gratuities. That is fine if it's disclosed before arrival, and it usually is.

The point is, you should ask what your total bill will be. Get it in writing. In case you're speed reading this article, let me repeat: get it in writing.

If you can't get it in writing before you arrive, you can be sure you will get it in writing when you are there. It will be printed on the bill you will be obligated to pay.

If you have even the tiniest difficulty getting a summary of what your total will be before you arrive, hang up and move on the next place. The vast majority of places are completely honest and you should have little trouble finding one that will give you that commitment in writing.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC
]]> Sun, 06 Aug 2006 22:40:59 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=36 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=35
The first is that Vermont drivers will stop for pedestrians waiting to cross the street. I first witnessed this phenomenon in Los Angeles many years ago. All you had to do as a pedestrian was step anywhere near the curb and you could stop traffic immediately. In many areas of the US, pedestrians technically have the right of way but, in practice, they’re crazy if they try to exercise that right. They wait for the stop light or a break in the traffic and then run. Here in Vermont, a pedestrian rarely has to wait but a few seconds for traffic to stop in both directions.

Another traffic characteristic is less well defined. That is when a car is turning left after waiting at a red light. Often the oncoming driver will allow the driver to turn left in front of them when they get the green light. You have to be a little careful though if you are in either position yourself. I know this is common practice in Pennsylvania for instance but it can be spotty here and not everyone abides by this custom. See the next point.

Vermonters don’t do much friendly waving at other people compared to drivers in the Midwest and the South. The customary sign of recognition or hello to someone you know (rarely to strangers walking along the road for instance) is to just lift one finger while keeping your hand on the steering wheel. No, not that finger - the index finger. The exception to this is when Vermont drivers become traffic directors. Even if they have the right-of-way, they will often vigorously wave you through.

Also, the double yellow line here (no passing in most states) seems to be more for advice and not a requirement. You will see people pass wherever they can whether there are sold yellow lines or dotted yellow line – makes no difference to some drivers here. This is actually unusual though.

The last custom is a pet peeve of mine. You see some drivers here cross the yellow line while going through a corner. I have no idea why. It even occurs when an oncoming car is nearly in the corner itself and has to move right to avoid contact.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus
]]> Mon, 31 Jul 2006 09:41:14 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=35 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=34
According to a Brattleboro VT newspaper article, police are reducing their tolerance levels and will be ticketing much closer to the speed limit than in the past. That could mean getting a ticket for going 57 miles an hour in a 55 mile per hour zone.

Lately, there have been some articles and letters to the editor at the Valley Reporter newspaper in Waitsfield VT which is the next town south of our inn, on Route 100. Some residents were complaining because so many speeding tickets were being handed out at strict levels.

You have to be especially careful in towns because there is often just one sign with the speed limit posted. Tourists are often admiring the landscape or looking for a landmark and can miss these signs easily.


(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sun, 30 Jul 2006 14:02:35 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=34 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=32
Our foliage bookings have been coming in steadily and right now we have four rooms remaining available the first weekend of October. You can see details on the availability calendar that many inns have on their web sites. Some Chambers of Commerce have them too - one example is Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce. You can take a look at our calendar here.

Naturally, the most popular rooms get rented first so the sooner you reserve, the better your choices whether it's at our place or any other.


(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus ]]> Sat, 29 Jul 2006 12:54:38 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=32 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=26
The top two are vermont.com and vtliving.com . Those two should keep you busy for quite a long time if you wish.

For touring Vermont, the top two are vermontvacation.com , the state Dept of Tourism official site, and Vermont Attractions Association which lists about 70 attractions that you can search by type or location – or just select the All category for the full list.

I was going to choose the five top VT websites but decided later to round it up to six with two more favorites I think you will find interesting:

Vermont Folk Life Center - one of my personal favorites and a great state resource. Their facility is located in the attractive college town of Middlebury, about a 45 min drive south of our inn.

VT Only and especially their Links page. A few of the links are outdated and no longer work but, in whole, this is a comprehensive list and well worth bookmarking. There are many other good pages on the site and their online store has a lot of VT made products for sale.

As mentioned, this list is just the beginning of all the web sites about Vermont but you could also go to my Grunberg Haus Links page and Events page to see many more. Virtually all lodging facilities in the state (about 2000 B&B's and inns plus many motels and hotels) have a web site, some of them outstanding, along with most every business, even one person operations such as craft studios. I probably should also mention the Vermont Ski Areas Association because the site has links to all the ski areas and they all have summer operations.

So, now my list of five has expanded to seven and I better stop writing before this completely gets away from me. Have fun surfing the Green Mountains.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC
]]> Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:42:00 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=26 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=20

We have had several moose sightings recently on Route 100 less than a few hundred yards from our inn so I thought that this would be a good time to discuss tips about where to find them, along with some safety advice.

Vermont is a rural state. It is about 80% forest and another 10% farm land. It's fun to drive around an area where you can observe so much wildlife. Finding a moose is the utmost in wildlife viewing in this part of the world.

Like a lot of things in life that are fun, there are some cautions too. Most of them are common sense.

Keeping your eyes on the road is one of them of course. And it's not just wild animals that you should be watching - there are a large number of dairy cows. If you have ever been up close to a cow, you know they are huge animals too and definitely not something you want to hit while driving. Sometimes, cows get loose and will cross a road. Other times, they are being led by a farmer who is moving his herd across the road to another pasture.

There are many miles of winding roads in Vermont. Going around a blind corner means that there could be a surprise on the other side. Perhaps it will be an animal, but it could also be a slowed or stopped car looking at an animal.



There may be as many moose traffic caution signs as there are moose in Vermont, and that's estimated to be several thousand. We joke that department of tourism puts up the moose signs rather than the department of transportation but moose near a road is no joking matter. If you see these signs, take them seriously. And, of course, moose don't read well so they will cross a road wherever they darn well please. The signs are put up where there are the most sightings or accidents. You need to pay attention when driving the country roads and all the highways, especially at night.

Moose are most abundant in Maine and parts of Canada but there are large herds in Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as small herds in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and upstate New York (Adirondacks mostly).

The moose herd in Vermont and northern New England is growing. Both sightings and accidents are on the rise. The Vermont deer herd is down in numbers but there are still plenty of them around too. Deer are easier to see at night because they are light colored and have reflective eyes. Moose are nearly black and do not have reflective eyes. Moose are very difficult to see at night until you are close. And moose are more likely to walk onto a road without fear. They have no natural enemies here and they are used to going anywhere they want. They are not afraid of you or your car.

Moose are generally quite docile and eat only plants. However, a moose cow will charge anything it thinks might threaten its calf. Bulls can be very aggressive during the "rut" or mating season in fall. The three things on their mind are breeding, fighting, and eating. If you get too close, it may decide to do one of those three with you.

Moose like to hang out in bogs and mud holes you will see near the road. In the spring, moose are sometimes attracted to salt on the road. Moose are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. They often go to the same feeding sites early in the morning and then return late in the afternoon.

It's a thrilling sight to see a wild animal larger than a horse. The best area to view moose in Vermont is the "Northeast Kingdom" section of the state, especially the area around the towns of Island Pond, Averill, and Ferdinand. Driving Route 2 between St. Johnsbury and Lunenburg, VT is sometimes productive. Another good area in central Vermont is Route 100 between Warren and Granville (a few miles south of our inn where the moose photo above was taken by one of our guests in November).

Moose are huge. A cow will stand about six to seven feet high and weigh 600 to 800 pounds. A bull will stand about seven or eight feet tall and weigh 1000 pounds, often more. They can run up to 30 miles per hour. They are so tall that when hit by a car, they usually crash through the windshield.

There is an old saying that does something like "If you have a choice between hitting a deer or swerving and hitting a hundred year old oak tree, hit the deer. If you have a choice between hitting a moose and a hundred year old oak tree, hit the tree." Some people say if you have a chance to swerve that it is best to swerve toward the back side of the moose. This is not expert advice - if you get into this situation, you are on your own.

If you pull your vehicle over to observe moose, park safely off the road and well away from the animal. Respect the animal by not getting close to it and chasing it away from its food. Stay in your car and keep the engine running. If you see the moose drop its ears or bristle its neck hair, leave immediately. If you are not sure about the situation, leave immediately. Try to stay as far from the animal as you can. Remember that it may look calm but it is a wild animal and you cannot be sure what it will do next.

If you are on a highway, don't stop at ...]]> Sun, 09 Jul 2006 17:42:14 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=20 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=8
Now, I understand some people like to keep up a strong pace and they enjoy a different place each night. But please don't feel it is necessary to do that in order to see New England.

New England is tiny. We have many first-time visitors to our inn, notably from Texas and California, who are surprised at how small this area of the country is. I think one contributing factor is that VT takes up a page in the Atlas just like Iowa does. You could easily fit five Vermonts into Iowa. All of New England is much smaller than Nevada. It's possible to drive from Rhode Island, through Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in a few hours.

We had several people say they wish they had fully understood this before making reservations. So when people called here to inquire or make a reservation for one night, I started suggesting that they did not need to move around every night. Some were grateful for the advice but others were suspicious that I was just trying to sell them on spending more money here.

I suggest that if you are visiting VT for the first time or two, stay in the southern part of the state a couple of nights and then north a couple of nights.

From where I am in north central Vermont, the beautiful Adirondacks of upstate NY area little over an hour's drive. The White Mountains of NH are about the same distance in the other direction.

From here in Waterbury, Burlington and Lake Champlain are about 25 to 30 miles. Within a radius of roughly 12 to 14 miles are the state capital of Montpelier, Stowe, and the Mad River Valley where Sugarbush and Mad River Glen are located. The Canadian border is a 1.5 hour drive, Montreal is less than 2.5 hours, Boston is 3.5 hours, Albany is a little less than that. Day trips are very easy and more relaxing when you are not on the task of getting to the next lodging facility.

Basically the same is true if you are visiting New England. Pick two to three places to stay over the course of a week and make easy day trips.

Ask the innkeeper when you call or write. Virtually all are honest and will give you good information. They have made day trips themselves, as have their guests. If you talk to someone who doesn't seem to know the area, just call the next place. Yes, everyone likes to brag on their hometown a bit but they won't exaggerate the situation because they know you won't be happy when you get there and they certainly don't want that.

A major part of the reason for staying at a bed and breakfast is personalized attention . . . if you want it. Innkeepers are very happy to share their favorite scenic roads to drive, towns to visit, streams to swim or fish, restaurants to eat, stores to shop, etc. And the advice is free!

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor, Grunberg Haus LLC
]]> Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:39:28 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=8 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=7
What makes Vermont special is that the state is 80% forest and much of it is on very large expanses of mountainsides. It's very easy to find views where you can see hundreds and even thousands of acres of trees in color. Further, what you see here that you don't see much of elsewhere are maples that turn bright red. I have seen trees of such bright day-glo orange and candy red they look fake.

There are still plenty of rooms available now but, for example, our B&B has several bookings already and we're getting a call or two every week. The sooner you make a reservation, the more choice you will have. You can take a look at an online availability calendar to see how the bookings are going either at our web site or the ones on many other B&B websites. Over the next 90 days, most Vermont lodging facilities will get booked up or nearly all booked.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC ]]> Sun, 04 Jun 2006 17:47:59 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=7 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=6 Wikipedia , you really should take a look at it. There you will find an amazing compendium of information about people, places, and things. Very few times have I searched for something and not found a good, to-the-point essay on the topic.

Like every state, Vermont has a section. If you are traveling to Vermont and want to know some history and current information, this is the best place to get it quickly. ]]> Fri, 02 Jun 2006 12:11:10 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=6 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=5 Mileybymile.com folks a week or two ago letting me know that nearly all links on the site had been taken down. They explained that this was due to some abuses that had taken place but they did not elaborate.

It's too bad because I had spent many hours adding links to my Road Map Guide about Vermont’s great Route 100. This road runs a couple hundred miles the length of the state. Consensus among locals is that Route 100 is the most scenic Vermont road. This is probably because it is the longest, is therefore nearest the greatest number of residents, and also therefore has the greatest number of scenic views.

However, the Vermonters you meet may also have another favorite they think is even better. If they do have one or two, they will likely be willing to share that information so don’t hesitate to ask. Also don’t hesitate to purchase one of those expensive state Road Atlas’ (get the Vermont version) because there is better-than-even chance you will get lost if you take the advice of some locals about some back roads. This is especially true if dark is approaching. We’re not real big on signs around here for two main reasons: they block the view . . . and we’re cheap.

The only remaining links are for milebymile.com and my inn, Grunberg Haus , which seems self-serving! Not that it wasn’t a bit self-promotional previously but at least my web site was merely included with many others. The Route 100 article had dozens of links for lodging, restaurants, attractions, and more. In addition to many hours of link work in the first iteration, I went to the website a couple of times a year to check the links and spent a bit of time keeping them updated.

So if you see something in the article that interests you, enter the name in your favorite search engine. Chances are good the place will have a web site although I do remember most of the campsites I mentioned did not have them.

The Route 100 article is a few years old but I have updated it from time to time. However, it’s been a while since I drove the whole route so maybe it’s time to recheck the landmarks. I’d like to add more photos especially since the links are gone which made it easy for readers to click and see photos at the businesses’ web sites.

Perhaps you have some people in your life who are as big a pain in the neck as the ones who were abusing the milebymile website links. If so, here’s a solution: take a trip to Vermont. Get away from them for a while. Print the Route 100 guide and treat yourself to a great drive in some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. It’s easy to do and I can tell you from personal experience, you deserve the break.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor, Grunberg Haus LLC ]]> Wed, 31 May 2006 21:33:19 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=5 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1
This two lane road runs nearly the length of the state, a distance a little short of the state’s 300 mile height. It cuts right through the center of the state, winding mostly through the valleys between the tall spines of the Green Mountains. It dips, swerves, runs a little ways, curves back and forth, rises a little, dives back down, rises back up and carries on like this the entire length. There is not one straight and level mile in it. Nor are there many stop lights. Maybe a dozen, tops. Plus maybe a handful of stop signs. I know there is one in Stowe so there are probably a few others I’m not remembering.

It runs through villages, alongside and through farms, deep inside forests, squeezes between rivers and rock cliffs, twists itself out of deep valleys and out onto high ridges. It is one of the best drives in the country, maybe the world.

Route 66 is in the Smithsonian but Route 100 is alive and well and living in Vermont.

If I could have back all the time I’ve spent touring in a car, I would spend it all doing the same thing again. I love it. In that vein, I drove the length of Route 100, from Massachusetts nearly to Canada, taking notes and photos along the way. Here is where you can find the log:

VT Route 100 on www.milebymile.com

(c) 2005 Jeff Connor www.grunberghaus.com]]> Wed, 05 Apr 2006 20:49:01 -0500 http://www.grunberghaus.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1