Also known as “The Green State”, Vermont is just that, very green. My husband and I came to Burlington, VT about eight years ago and I can say it’s changed since. Driving around I’ve noticed many chain restaurants/stores that were not here before. Maybe that’s good for jobs and the economy, but I feel it kinda takes away from the charm of the town. There are many farms around that have activities during summer/winter months. A very popular one is Shelburne Farms located in Shelburne,VT.
They are a working/educational farm that offers daily tours of the farm and Inn (where you can stay during the May-October months.). They have animals, vegetable garden, a bakery on site, and cheesemaking building where you can watch them make the Shelburne Farms cheddar, taste all the varieties they make, and purchase them at the farm’s store. They offer summer camps, and many activities for the little ones.
The Inn at Shelburne Farms is a functioning Inn that has been restored. It features unique rooms, great history about the town, farm, and Inn itself, and tea time complete with tea sandwiches and baked goods.
The Inn at Shelburne FarmsView of Lake Champlain from The Inn
Shelburne Farms is a great place to come to and explore. They have so many things going on everyone will surely enjoy it!
I love the public markets in Canada. These types of markets are popular in most countries, and provide consumers with farm fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh baked goods, bread, meats, and other foods. In Canada you can see the farms that produce these goods when you are driving towards that cities, so you know all the food is super fresh and very local. When you enter the market, you’re hit with the scent of fresh herbs, and seasonal fruits and veggies, most of them picked that same morning. The farmers bring their produce to these stands where people come and shop for their groceries. I wish these markets were available in the States!
Those little strawberries are the sweetest I’ve had in a long time. Everything is so beautifully displayed it makes one crave all this fresh and delicious produce.
Parle vu français? I don’t either, but I still find Montreal very charming. A multi cultural island, here you can find Italian, Jewish, French, English, and Chinese neighborhoods just to name a few. There are so many things to see and do, unfortunately we were there for two days only, and took a walking tour in order to learn more history about Montreal. The weather was pretty warm (in the 90’s) so it wasn’t the best weather for a 3 hour walking , but nevertheless we were able to see many neat places like the Notre-Dame Basilica (last time we were here 8 or 9 yrs ago it was closed for a wedding), City Hall, and some of the charming cobble streets in the Old Montreal.
Notre-Dame BasilicaNotre-Dame BasilicaNotre-DameNotre-Dame BasilicaNotre-Dame BasilicaCity Hall
They remind me so much of Europe, the cobble streets dotted with restaurants, cafes, and creperies.
The food here is delicious as well. We had foundue and crepes at Chez Suzette ,and we walked 2 miles in 90+ degrees to try this Portugese restaurant called Ma Poule Mouille and it was so worth it(even though it might not look so appetizing in the pictures, we were so hungry I almost forgot to take a picture.) They specialize in grilled chicken over smoked wood, delicious poutine(fries topped with cheese curds and gravy), and salads. The chicken is roasted to perfection them cut and topped with a sauce that is made from the chicken drippings and wine. The lines to order are out the door but move pretty quickly.
Chez Suzette(Whole rosted chicken)Ma Poule Mouille
(Chicken and Chorizo Poutine)Ma Poule Mouille
I found the little balconies with their bistro sets so charming I had to photograh this one.
Statue of Amphititre wife of Posidon (underground Montreal)
There is an underground city in Montreal which has shops, offices and restaurants. Above is one of the art pieces in front of a beautiful marble fountain. A piece of the Berlin Wall resides here as well.
I just love this bronze statue called Les chuchoteuses (English: “The Gossipers”). It was placed in this part of Montreal to beautify this specific neighborhood.
Les chuchoteuses (English: “The Gossipers”).
We even made a little friend who liked to sit by the water and dip it’s paws in it.
Endless lobster joints and costal shoreline, Maine is the “Vacation State.” This is our first stop among the 5 US states (and couple cities in Canada) we will be visiting for the summer. In Maine I fell in love with the beautiful cottages dotted along the rocky shorelines, the lighthouses, and all it’s history.
We tried whole lobster at two different restaurants and I have to say that for me in the end lobster is lobster if it’s boiled. I can’t imagine any place would have different tasting lobster than another, especially in the summer when tourism is at it’s peak. Sweet and briny, the lobsters range in size anywhere from 1.25-4Lbs! (We tried the 4 pounder and the 2 pounder and I would recommend the latter. The big one was chewier and super hard to crack!) Not recommended if you don’t have a man to crack your lobster, unless you’re very strong 😉
While driving around we spotted this quaint little town where the girls got “the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten” from a place called Stone Fox Farm Creamery. I have to say it was possibly the best, super creamy, you could literally taste the fresh creamy milk and blueberries. Blueberry ice cream is real big here because of the amount of blueberries that grow here in the summer. We won’t be here to pick them since they are ready end of July-Aug.
You can pick blueberries in many spots around Maine, especially around Acadia National Park. Acadia National Park is a 47,000-acre Atlantic coast recreation area primarily on Maine’s Mount Desert Island. Its landscape is marked by woodland, rocky beaches and glacier-scoured granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the United States’ East Coast. Among the wildlife are moose, bear, whales and seabirds. The bayside town of Bar Harbor, with restaurants and shops, is a popular gateway. It has something for everyone, beaches, hiking trails, gardens, many gift shops and a few restaurants. We took a 4 hour trip with Olis Trolly. The trolley takes you around the park on either a 2 or 4 hour tour. I recommend the 4 hour since you get to see more of the best parts of the park then you can decide with ones to further visit on your own if you so choose to.
Gardens @ Acadia Natl Park
Gardens @ Acadia Natl ParkAcadia National ParkAcadia National Park
Acadia Natl ParkAcadia Natl Park
There are many lighthouses in Maine along it’s coastline. Each one is unique in the way it looks, but all of them have the same purpose,to serve as a navigational aid and to warn boats of dangerous areas. It is like a traffic sign on the sea. Up until the 1980’s, lighthouses were operated by lighthouse keepers who lived in houses next to the lighthouse towers with their families. While visiting these lighthouses it reminded me of a book I read called The Light Between Oceans by M.L Stedman. The novel is about a lighthouse keeper’s life during WWI.
The lighthouse we had time to visit were Portland Headlight on Cape Elizabeth and West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. Each unique in it’s own way, from the way they look to their history. Equally beautiful though.
We have completed the Selkirk Loop and what a site it was. Wild flowers in all colors sprinkling the hills and valleys. Waterfalls galore. Does delicately eating the fresh grass as their fawn stand close by. Hawks and eagles grazing the tall pine tops ready to dive for a meal scurrying on the ground.
Sandpoint is a town in Northern Idaho sitting on the banks of Lake Pend d’Oreille. With an abundance of water sports, beaches, nature trails, a ski resort, and let me not forget my favorite…antique shops, there is something for everyone here.
We love going into town and having lunch at this little place called The Pie Hut. You have to get there early in order to grab a pot pie because they run out fast. If you miss out, try their sandwiches and pies, they are equally delicious. I recommend the chocolate peanut butter pie. Not too sweet and not to peanuty, just right and very silky. You can enter the antique store next door right from the restaurant. We always end up finding some kind of treasure there.
Such a beautiful, unspoiled place, Sandpoint should be on everyone’s “must see” list.
One of the last cities we stayed in while driving the Selkirk Loop, was the town of Nelson. It is a hippie, cute town that kinda reminds me of Berkeley in that way. The people are friendly and very outdoorsy. We spent one of the days at Lakeside Park. It’s a park that basically has everything you would want for a great summer day. There is grass and beautiful flowers, plenty of benches, an outdoor bar that serves snacks, cold drinks and even delicious ice cream. There is a beautiful beach next to the lake (Kootenay) where you can rent paddle boards, canoes or kayaks for $7/ person for 3 hours!
I think that’s pretty incredible. We had so much fun kayaking and paddle boarding. My husband lost his second pair of sunglasses on this trip while trying out the paddle board.
The downtown area is full of boutique shops and restaurants. We stopped for crepes at this adorable place called Sanderella’s boutique and Starbird Tea house. Inside is a charming boutique selling jewelry, candles and soaps, but towards the back of the store they make crepes, paninis and drinks.
We didn’t have all the time we wanted to explore this little town, but the three days we spent here were wonderful. Hopefully we can come back one day and explore some more.
Considered one of the last ” true ghost towns” Sandon B.C was booming in the late 1800’s. It had stores, brothels and even a school. A fire almost destroyed the whole town, but it was rebuilt over a period a few years. Sandon was a mining town, silver mining to be exact. It has an interesting story about two men from different places partnering up the find the mother load of silver and strike it rich. One of them betrays the other (sounds like most stories in history) and strikes it rich while the other moves on.
What’s left of the town can still be seen in the leftover shantys and few buildings. The miner’s old housing was turned into a museum. It has great information and artifacts about the town and its history.
Walking through Sandon a few trolley buses from the 1940’s can be seen on what used to be the Main Street. The buses are awaiting refurbishing and possible placement back into circulation in Vancouver.
It’s believed there are possibly 10,000 silver coins along the bottom of Carpenter Creek which runs along the ghost town. Anyone interested in a swim?
Three and a half hours from the Norther Idaho border is the quaint village of Ainsworth in British Columbia, Canada. It sits on Kootenay Lake and it is a popular destination during summer and winter alike. What is so popular about Ainsworth is it’s natural hot springs resort.
We spent three days at the Ainsworth Hot Springs Inn. The outside pool has natural hot spring water that has to be cooled down as it comes from the underground spring. It’s such a relaxing feeling to soak in the warm waters and take in the beautiful surroundings of Kootenay Lake and mountains. If you prefer a hotter experience, you can head to the caves which are next to the pool. It’s exactly that, a walk through cave with mineral water which comes from the hot springs, it feels like a natural sauna inside. The Native Americans would come after battle and soak in these waters which they believed had healing properties. When you’ve had enough of the caves take a cold dip in the plunge pool which is filled with natural spring water continuously flowing through a spigot from the mountain. Let me tell you, it’s chilly taking a dip in there!
The resort has its own restaurant, the Ktunaxa Grill. We had lunch and dinner here and were pleasantly surprised. With items on the menu such as bison burgers, venison rack, and fish and chips, there is something for everyone. All the food is fresh and local, and most importantly very tasty.
We didn’t get a chance to visit Cody Caves, which is a very popular destination here as well. I was afraid my car wouldn’t make it up the 10 km steep and bumpy drive. I was already nervous about doing this 3 week close to 3000 mile road trip, I didn’t want to push my luck. I’ve heard the caves are an amazing experience…maybe next time!
On our way to British Columbia we took a side trip to Ross Creek Cedars in Butte, Montana. It’s a beautiful either 1/2 mile or 1 mile walk through groves of red cedars. Fresh water streams sprinkled throughout, we even spotted a deer drinking from one. My husband lost his sunglasses in a fast moving stream and tried to retrieve them only to have his feet go numb from the cold water. Goodbye sunglasses.
His place truly feels like a magical forest. Amazing looking cedars, some with their trunks entertwined like the one below. To me it looked like people resting.
Above picture is of a bed of river rocks which have been arranged by passers on their way down the trail. We didn’t leave empty handed from this magical place of course, we took with us many mosquito bites. Warm weather and water….
This summer we decided on doing the Selkirk Loop because I’ve heard such wonderful things about the scenery and picture opportunities. The Selkirk Loop is a scenic loop from Northern Idaho through Montana, up into British Columbia and down to Washington and back to Idaho. We stopped in Coeur d’ Alene for three nights which included The 4 th of July.
Coeur d’ Alene is a town situated next to Lake Coeur d’ Alene and is a very touristy town especially in the summertime. Many people flock to this area for the water activities and small town summertime feel. I must say it’s a very charming place.
On our list of fun things to do, zip lining and kayaking.
Timberline Adventures is the company we went zip lining with. I can’t say enough about them, the zip lining was so much fun. I have to be honest I was scared because of the fact that we were literally up in the trees very high off the ground, but as soon as I went zipping down that first line all my fears disappeared. It was awesome!!!
On the 4th of July we spend the day kayaking with row adventures. It was such a relaxing and fun way to see the lake and surroundings.
By nightfall we were ready for the fireworks.
All in all Coeur d’ Alene was a great choice for three days of adventure and relaxation! Check it out if you ever get a chance and let me know what you think.
