There is nowhere more beautiful than Stowe, Vermont, in early October. The vivid colors sweeping across the stunning mountain peaks look like something out of a dream.
Unfortunately, a New York Times article apparently announced this fact to the entire world, so our long weekend in Stowe was extremely crowded! For example, we sat in about 35 minutes of traffic just to get from our rental house to a nearby restaurant. One time, we opted for what we thought would be a quick take-out breakfast and waited about an hour for our food!
Note for future trips: Go to Stowe in the middle of the week, not on a weekend! I think Sunday through Tuesday on a non-holiday weekend might be perfect.
In addition to the overwhelming crowds, another challenge on this trip was my foot injury. I started experiencing pain in late August and finally went to a sports medicine doctor in late September. I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my right foot and given a giant walking boot. I still remember the surreal feeling of leaving the doctor’s office with that massive, clunky boot. After months of physical therapy, personal training, and so much hard work to heal my ankle and knees, it was beyond comprehension that I was now dealing with a foot injury. Even now, looking back, it feels unnaturally cruel.
Long story short: because my knees were already struggling due to limping, I decided not to wear the big boot. But this all happened just a few days before our trip to Stowe, and I was so disappointed that there would be no long nature walks or mountain hikes for me.
To add another challenge, the weather was unseasonably cold, and I definitely didn’t pack enough warm clothes. Sweatshirts and vests weren’t enough—we really needed winter coats and mittens!
And since we couldn’t find anyone to watch Calvin, he came along! On the one hand, I was happy for Calvin because he thrives in nature. I absolutely love the photos I got of him on this trip. The little nature walks we took with him were so sweet and memorable—just me and my three guys, enjoying the most breathtaking views.
Unfortunately, he was incredibly stressed during the car ride. It took him forever to finally curl up and sleep. He also had a hard time settling in at the house—pacing, whining, and even peeing on the floor at one point due to his anxiety over the new surroundings. We had to put him on a leash every time he needed to go outside, which was not fun in the rain. The work felt comparable to caring for a toddler! But no matter what, we’re always grateful for our time with our bumbling, willful, hilarious Calvin.
One of the best ways to make Tru happy on a trip is to take him to a golf course. So we found a local course and played nine holes—despite the cold. I got some great shots of him playing the sport he loves most! We also had fun at a local mini golf course, which is designed like a real course, complete with sand traps. It was both challenging and fun.
Tru also fell absolutely in love with the ping-pong table in our rental home. Anytime we weren’t out exploring, he was in the basement playing ping-pong!
We discovered a couple of great restaurants: Ranch Camp (best falafel burger and fries!) and The Skinny Pancake (the most delicious strawberry and hazelnut crepe). Plus, we made our usual stop at our old favorite, the von Trapp Bierhall.
Even though I couldn’t hike due to my foot injury, we still explored a few easy nature trails. Chris even found a short, flat trail that led to a beautiful waterfall. You can’t see the crowds around us in the photo of Tru (with his fake smile!), but it was understandably a very popular spot.
We also made it to the peak of Mt. Mansfield, thanks to the toll road that goes all the way to the top. Calvin came along, and despite the cold, wind, and mud, the panoramic views were absolutely worth it.
One of my favorite memories from the trip was using the fire pit and hot tub at our rental house. On the first two nights, after dinner and once the sun had set, Chris started up the fire pit. Then we all piled into the hot tub—joking, laughing, and gazing up at the millions of twinkling stars.
