Cheap Travel Guide

If I were limited to giving just one way to get a feel for Vermont, it would be to drive Route 100. The whole thing. All the way. Three hundred miles. Top to bottom.

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.
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Here is a link to a helpful 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

grunberghaus.com

Summer is in full swing and the events are coming fast and furious. The events listed below are just a sampling of July events in Vermont - it is far from comprehensive -there are many other events and activities going on.

This list is mostly for northern and central Vermont. I’m working on a southern Vermont events list and will post it later.

Also see our Events and Links pages for other ideas on things to see and do.

July - October, 2006
Georgia O’Keeffe: Paintings at the Shelburne Museum
The first Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit in Vermont includes 25 landscapes of the American Southwest, close-ups of flowers, still lifes, city and farm scenes.
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Vermont Festival of the Arts

Memoir Writing Workshop
Ellen Perry Berkeley at 802-447-7226, epbinvt@earthlink.net
Admission: $40, picnic luncheon included
10 am - 3 pm August 22

Plein Air Painting with Candy Barr at Yellow Farmhouse Inn on Tuesday, August 22 and at 1824 House Inn & Restaurant on Wednesday, August 23. Take in one or both days!
Call Candy Barr at 496-2337 or CandyBarrArtist@madriver
Admission: $45
10 am - 4 pm August 22 and 23
For artists and non-artists alike. Oil and acrylic materials are included in the fee. This is a group event so you can see different approaches of others in the group. Rain or shine.
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There are two big events this weekend, both in Burlington, one public and one private. The public event is the Vermont Vermont Brewers Festival, a very popular event at the Waterfront Park, rain or shine. The private event is the BMW Motorycle Owners International Rally at the Champlain Valley Fair Grounds.

There are many other events throughout Vermont. Here is a sampling:

July 22, 2006
Woodstock VT
Cow Appreciation Day
at Billings Farm & Museum. This is a very good family activity where you can learn about cows, judging which ones are best, milking, making butter, cream, and ice cream. Billings is a model farm and is set up for visitors. We often have guests at our inn who want to visit a “real farm” but most farmers are not set up to receive visitors. Most of them are very nice folks but they are often just too busy to chat with visitors, much as they might like to. Billings is a great place to see a working farm where it is easier and safer to get around. It’s a beautiful facility, very clean, professionally managed.
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Kind of inspires you to take a trip to Vermont, doesn’t it?

I just ran across an outstanding photoblog this evening and spent quite a bit of time going through many inspiring photographs. It’s named “Megapickels” in a take off on “mega pixels.” Excellent quality photos with very skilled Photoshop tuning (nice light touch). Lots of great photos taken around my area of north central Vermont but unfortunately there is no information about the photographer. I highly recommend this site - I have bookmarked it to go back and spend more time enjoying these works of art.
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I just received an email from my friend Burr Morse and I thought I would share it with you.

Burr and his brother Elliot are seventh generation Vermonters. They, and others of the Morse clan, run Morse Farm, a few miles north of Montpelier, and about 20 to 30 minutes from our inn.

Like many Vermont farms that originally relied upon dairy farming to make a living, the Morse?�s turned to other activities when the price of milk dropped years ago. In order to keep the farm going, they added other revenue sources. Like many Vermonters, they already made maple syrup. They expanded that business and opened a store to sell the syrup and other Vermont products.
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July 1 -3, 2006
Stratton Mountain
near Londonderry and Jamaica VT
Bluegrass Festival and Fireworks

All shows are free.

The Blue Moon Stage (located in the center of the Village)

The Bondville Boys, Banjo Dan and the Midnight Plowboys, The Lonesome Whistle Band, Gordon Stone, High Range.
Beer garden at Mulligan’s and the Blue Moon Cafe in the village during daytime performances. A beer garden will also be at the ski gondola during the July 2 fireworks.

July 2 - 30
Events at Bromley Mountain
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Quite a few years back, Holiday Inn had an advertising campaign celebrating its consistency (or blandness if you’re a cup-is-half-empty type). “No surprises” was the promise. In other words, we’re not the greatest but we won’t let you down. You know what we have and we will deliver it every time. Kind of like the Number 2 meal at McDonald’s. If in doubt, go with the tried and true. Made a lot of sense to me.

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.
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August 19, 2006
Green Mountain Woodcarvers Annual Show and Sale
Morrisville VT
Carving contests, demonstrations, displays, sales.
Information: 802-223-7929 or 802-453-4292

Manchester Sidewalk Sales
Manchester VT
Manchester, in the southern part of the state, is full of top brand name designer outlets and local stores. This is their annual end-of-summer clearance sale where you can get some terrific bargains.

Circus Smirkus
Greensboro VT
Trapeze, high wire, aerials, acrobatics, juggling, clowns ?� all performed by very well trained young people.
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