Go here: Stowe, Vermont

Looking for a great winter get-a-away? Look no further than Stowe, Vermont. We just returned from our second visit to Stowe in the past month. In January, it was all about the downhill skiing, which we hadn’t done in 7 years. This past weekend, we treated a dear friend and her son to a birthday blowout.  On Friday, while our friend enjoyed a few hours of bliss at the Spa at the Stoweflake, we took her son cross-country skiing. We thought Otis would be in his glory, running along the trail, sniffing all the great country smells, and doing assorted dog things. But no – for some reason, he got very excited by the sight of us on skis and spent the entire afternoon chasing us, barking, and jumping up to bite our gloves, pants, or whatever he could get his teeth into. He’s done this before while we were downhill sledding. 

Any doggie psychiatrists out there who can explain why a mild-mannered dog goes insane while his owners try to enjoy some winter outdoor activities?

Anyway – Saturday was the big activity day. After a delicious breakfast at our townhouse, we went into town and rented snowshoes. We then drove to Wiesner Woods for a two-hour trek on some beautifully groomed trails. The best part, however, was venturing off trail, and having a race up a steep hill covered in deep snow.

After all that work, we headed back to the townhouse for a quick lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, and then headed back into town to rent two snowmobiles for a guided, two-hour trip. Since we took the 4:00pm tour, we left in the daylight, but came back in the darkness.  The trails were spectacular and we had a great time. Peter drove the first hour, and then I took over for the second half of the tour, which included some really steep, winding paths through the woods. I hadn’t been on a snowmobile since I was a kid – and it was a blast!