VERMONT & NEW HAMPSHIRE SKIING IN JULY???

We've just announced our ski and stay package pricing for this coming season. The packages are a flat rate for TWO guests (not per person, not just mid-week, no gimmicks or strings attached) and include your overnight accommodation, hot breakfast, and TWO adult lift tickets to the mountain of your choice.


The package prices increase during the following holiday periods...Christmas Week, Martin Luther King, Jr Weekend, and President's Week. If you plan to spend anyone of the holiday periods with us...BOOK NOW! Both hotels sell out months in advance...please call early.

2009/2010 Ski Packages

The following rates are valid for the upcoming ski season at the

Comfort Inn & Suites, St. Johnsbury, Vermont and the

Hampton Inn, Littleton, New Hampshire.

Vermont Mountains:

• Burke Mountain Non-Holiday $179.99...Holiday $219.99
• Jay Peak Non-Holiday $179.99... Holiday $219.99

New Hampshire Mountains:

• Cannon Mountain Non-Holiday $179.99... Holiday $219.99
• Bretton Woods Non-Holiday $199.99...Holiday $239.99

Hampton Inn - Littleton, New Hampshire
603-444-0025
http://www.littletonhotel.com/
Comfort Inn & Suites - St. Johnsbury, Vermont
802-748-1500
http://www.vermontvacationland.com/
Fairbanks Inn - St. Johnsbury, Vermont
802-748-5666
http://www.stjay.com/

Kingdom Trails - Best Mountain Biking Trail Network in North America

Kingdom Trails has been around for fifteen years. This small grassroots organization, now maintains over 100 miles of trails. The trails are laid out by skiers so it's similar to glade skiing on a bike, fast but smooth. Their singletrack winds through fields, forests, along streams, near working sugar houses and farms.

I wasn't surprised when Bike Magazine awarded Kingdom Trails the Best Trail Network in North America and it's flagship trail " Sidewinder" won "Best Flow".

Kingdom Trails is located on mostly private land. Local land owners have granted Kingdom Trails permission to use their land. The Kingdom Trails map is great and highly detailed. The trails are rated so everyone (beginner to expert) can locate the best trails for their ability. The employees and/or volunteers that make up Kingdom Trails are the single best source for where to ride. Simply stop in the office and introduce yourself. They'll be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

One great place for kids of all ages is the pump track in the village. This bike park has all the features for fun and learning; berms, rollers, dirt tables, bumps and jumps in a small field down by the river.

For ten bucks a day or $50 for a season pass, this is New England's best "natural amusement park" you can find. The trails leave right from the village and you can ride the super smooth trails on Darling Hill. For more of a challenge there are trails on Burke Mountain as well. Some specific trails I recommend are "Coronary Bypass",

"Dead Moose Alley", "Sidewinder", "TapNdie" and "Kitchel" which is the the "swoopiest" (don't know if that is a word or not) but trust me when I say it is the "swoopiest" trail I've ever ridden. Did I mention it is smooth? Just to clarify Kitchel = swoopy and smooth...is that clear as mud?

My suggestion...get out of the office, kill your television, pack your bags and go ride Kingdom Trails! Trust me when I say...YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Hampton Inn - Littleton, New Hampshire
603-444-0025
http://www.littletonhotel.com/
Comfort Inn & Suites - St. Johnsbury, Vermont
802-748-1500
http://www.vermontvacationland.com/
Fairbanks Inn - St. Johnsbury, Vermont
802-748-5666
http://www.stjay.com/

Rock of Ages

We visited Vermont's "Rock of Ages" on the 9th of July. They offer a great little visitor center as well as a nice gift shop at the site (oh yeah, a decent hot dog stand as an added bonus). You can purchase tickets at the gift shop for the bus tour to the top of the quarry which overlooks the quarry site itself. It's a bumpy ride up the access road and along the way you get to see the "leftovers" from many years of quarrying. Our tour guide, PJ, was very informative and knew all the answers to the many questions that were asked of him.

Usually you can observe the workers on the job site, but the week we were there, the quarry was shut down for their annual summer vacation. The first photo shows the gigantic cranes that are used to lower the workers 600 feet or more to the floor of the quarry. That little yellow basket that you see in the photo holds several men at a time. The crane system can lift weights of half a million pounds and you can see several huge chunks of granite that have been cut and hauled up to the top of the quarry. The zig-zag ladder system that you see on the side of the quarry is an emergency escape system. We all agreed that we'd prefer to have a sandwich and a blanket tossed to us from the heights before we would even make a half-hearted attempt to climb out on our own. I believe it was 660 feet to the bottom of the quarry, and each ladder was at least two stories in height. The last photo shows two lagoons that are a result of the quarry process. Barre produces white granite, a lovely material - and we dragged home several pieces from the "grout bin" to add a decorative touch to our herb garden. At the end of the tour, you are invited to go to the manufacturing plant and see the granite turned into finished pieces.

Rock of Ages guarantees all of its work forever - from statues to engravings to commissioned works of art, it's all guaranteed under the Rock of Ages logo. The observation deck in the manufacturing plant is high above the floor, and you can see the artists at their workbenches, the sandblasting areas, and the cutting, polishing, and shipping process for these large granite items. The plant also works on other colors of granite that are shipped in from other quarries owned by the same company. It is an interesting place and a lot more involved with artistic talents than we ever thought. Outside on the grounds, you can bowl on the granite bowling alley - an attempt in the 1960's to market another use for granite - it never took off. All in all, this was a really interesting side trip, and one I would certainly recommend for all ages.

Hampton Inn - Littleton, New Hampshire
603-444-0025
http://www.littletonhotel.com/
Comfort Inn & Suites - St. Johnsbury, Vermont
802-748-1500
http://www.vermontvacationland.com/
Fairbanks Inn - St. Johnsbury, Vermont
802-748-5666
http://www.stjay.com/

Kingdom Trails Vermont...mountain biking the way it was meant to be!

After some early bumps and bruises, I can honestly say that I may turn out to be a halfway decent mountain biker (my kids wouldn't agree but they aren't 38). The beauty of mountain biking Kingdom Trails is that they offer something for everyone (and I mean everyone). Whether you want to bomb down the mountain on single track or spend a relaxing day exploring Vermont's Northeast Kingdom...they have what you and your family are looking for. Kingdom Trails offers the largest collection of mountain biking trails anywhere east of the Mississippi and has earned countless awards. Check out this great video.

Food(s) for Thought...

Go no further than my waistline to know that I "enjoy" food...all shapes and sizes...I don't discriminate. Having said that, nothing makes a vacation more fun than exploring the region's different culinary offerings. Northern New Hampshire and Vermont offer a treasure trove of edible delights. When family or friends are in town, we visit some or all of the businesses listed below.

Starting with my absolute favorite...Chutter's General Store on Main Street in Littleton, Hampshire. Chutter's is a "DO NOT MISS" experience for young and old alike. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest candy counter. The children will be more excited than a trip to Disney (ok, that may be a stretch). The older crowd will find candy that will take them back to their childhood. The store also offers great quality souvenirs. Plan on taking time to walk historic Main Street. It offers a plethora of shopping opportunities. In addition to Main Street, stop in and experience the Littleton Grist Mill located directly behind Main Street. This working mill still produces an assortment of quality grains.

While in Littleton, bring your camera...be sure to get pictures of the new covered walking bridge and the historic Pollyanna statue. Littleton is the proud home to the Eleanor H. Porter, the author of "Pollyanna". While getting your photo taken with the statue...(spare me the jokes) rub her bronze shoe for "luck and gladness"...remember to "Be Glad".

Maple Grove Farms located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont is the world's largest producer of maple products. They offer guided factory tours, a small maple museum and a great gift shop. This automated production of maple products is most appreciated when you take time to experience the "old fashion" farm production of maple syrup. Plan on visiting the Goodrich Maple Farm where SEVEN generations have produced award winning maple syrup since 1840.

Cabot Farms, located in (you guessed it) Cabot, Vermont offers an excellent factory tour of its manufacturing plant. Start the tour with a brief movie on how the co-operative was formed and the history of the company. Take a guided tour through the working facility and learn the processes used to make award winning cheese. Afterwards, enjoy complimentary samples of all their quality cheeses. Surprisingly, a great tour for all ages (as long as they like cheese).

Cold Hollow Cider Mill and the world famous Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory are located in Waterbury, Vermont (just over an hour from the hotels in St. Johnsbury). The cider mill is in operation all year long and produces cider "the old fashion way". The mill still uses a press that was built in the 1920's. In addition to making cider this company also produces a large assortment of jams, jellies, mustards, sauces, fudge and other tasty treats. DO NOT LEAVE without sampling the apple cider donuts...they are out of this world. At Ben & Jerry's, a brief entertaining movie will take you through this amazing company's history. Afterward, enjoy a tour of the factory and then on to everyone's favorite part...the sampling room. Ben & Jerry's is open seven days a week except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Hotels for Hope - 2009

It was with a combination of enthusiasm and heavy hearts that more than 40 of my employees and their family members participated in our first annual Relay for Life event. I designed custom shirts that memorialized our passed loved ones as well as our survivors.

As a team, we are committed to participating annually in the Caledonia County Relay for Life event. We raised thousands of dollars by conducting a community yard sale, a New England Patriots ticket raffle, created "Swim for a Cure" weekends and by selling food/drinks at the event.

All in all the event was one of the most memorable experiences I've had in a long time. We are looking to double the size of our team as well as the amount of donations collected in 2010. Please consider joining our team and do your part to find a cure.

Green Hotel in the Green Mountain State

The Comfort Inn & Suites, St. Johnsbury, Vermont takes tremendous pride in being one of our state’s most “Green Hotels”. Over the past few years, we have taken many steps to lessen our impact on the environment and reduce our carbon footprint. Below are a list steps we have implemented:

- Implemented a linen reuse program
- Energy efficient bulbs are used inside and outside the hotel
- Our linens are washed using eco-friendly ozone generators
- Switched from a bromine to a salt pool system
- Timers limit energy consumption for our ice machines, video arcade, and non-essential lighting
- Motion sensors control lighting throughout the building
- Use 35 - 100% post-consumer recycled paper
- Operate an extensive recycling program
- Compost biodegradable material which naturally enriches the soil in our flower gardens

We're proud to be a green hotel...in the Green Mountain State