Vermont – Occidentalist

Happy (Belated) Groundhog Day

Post author:Occidental
Post published:2023-02-05
Post category:2023 Vermont Winter
Post comments:0 Comments

It’s that quiet time of year here on the website. We’d like to be out winter camping, but sadly we’re not. We did get out and about a bit this past week to enjoy a wintry Vermont, an afternoon of ice skating, a day of cross country skiing and a half day on the ski hill (or the spa). We have since survived the brief cold snap – about -22 degrees F, maybe -40 with the wind chill, that gripped New England for a couple days.

So, we thought we’d provide a quick update as we slide past Groundhog day and zip through six more short weeks of winter. I can almost see the bright green leaves on the trees and smell the campfire smoke already.

(more…)

Exploring the Green Mountain National Forest, 2022

Post author:Occidental
Post published:2022-11-17
Post category:Truck Camping Vermont
Post comments:2 Comments

After staying pretty local enjoying the fall colors we were able to escape for an overnight to the Green Mountain National Forest. The Green Mountain National Forest is Vermont’s only national forest and it was high on the list to check out, since larger areas of public land are pretty hard to come by in Vermont. We also had the Waybury Inn on the list of things to see. The Waybury (the outside) is the Inn in the show “Newhart” owned by the Loudens and known on the show as the Stratford Inn. Since we took on the new profession as innkeepers we’ve been watching old Newhart episodes and wanted to go see the Stratford in person. It’s isn’t white anymore, but otherwise it’s the Stratford.

(more…)

Fall in Vermont, 2022, Part 3

Post author:Occidental
Post published:2022-11-06
Post category:Vermont
Post comments:2 Comments

Almost as soon as the colors peaked in the maples it seemed they were starting to fade. We needed to get out and about to enjoy the colors while they lasted. We started with a tour of the Champlain Valley and the islands of Lake Champlain. As we headed out over Jay Peak the trees at the summit were starting to look like sticks, but as we dropped in elevation toward the valley it seemed like fall was just getting started.

(more…)