On my way to Middlebury, Vermont, I decided to hike a trail in the Aiderondack’s, a huge forest region in upstate New York. I stopped off one of the streets to get some directions and I found a street sign with my name on it! Laurie Lane (: This was a good sign, clearly d:
I decided to stop in Lake George to see if I could find a mountainous trail. My Grandmother’s brother’s name was George so I thought it would be a good omen and sure enough, it was! I was directed to a hiking trail where you had to cross a bridge over the highway to enter the woods. Lake George Wild Forest was especially calming because it was also flooded! Because of the rain, a small creek flowed down the hillside. The sounds of a babbling brook filled the forest as I climbed up the hill.
After hiking back down the trail, I hopped back into my car and drove to Middlebury, Vermont. My best friend from high school, Ramsey, was having his composed string piece performed there at the Town Hall Center. He attended a composition festival workshop at Middlebury College and this was the final concert. Each composer had to compose a piece and work with top talented musicians to play their “New Music.” I sat next to Ramsey as he was awaiting the moment when his written work would be officially showcased. He composed a song with not just four but seven different parts! The song included four different instruments (2 violin parts, viola, piano, cello) and two vocal parts (soprano and mezzo-soprano). The performance was outstanding and the music went well with the chosen poem (Two Songs on Poems by Sara Teasdale).
When it was intermission, I realized that two whole hours had flown by and I needed to get to Burlington before dusk appeared. I tightly hugged my music gifted friend and hit the hilly roadside country path. Driving through the barren pastures of the Green Mountain State was quite a delight. It was incredible to see how preserved the small state was, and to see that they adopted solar farms on some parts of the land!
When I arrived in Burlington, my friend Peter and I went to hang out at Appletree Bay connected to Lake Champlain since I was dying to see what a beach in Vermont looked like! It was so serene with the giant hills outlining the horizon; it felt almost dreamlike. The next day we ventured with his dog Marley to the Ethan Allen Park which had a huge tower named after Ethan Allen who was considered to be the founder of Vermont. The view was absolutely gorgeous further exemplifying why the state is described as being so green.
Church Street Marketplace
Battery Park Center
Before I left the quaint citytown, I stopped in downtown Burlington and checked out some local shops. I walked around Battery Park while licking a maple creemee, the state’s ice cream specialty. I walked through Church Street where the markets and local as well as franchised restaurants were located. After purchasing locally made rhubarb wine and Vermont tapped maple syrup, I got into my car and headed to my next destination. When I pulled over to look for a bathroom, I stumbled across something even better: a solar garden. This just proved that Vermont is a very green state which exceeded my expectations. I hope to come back to the beautiful countryside again one day!
Where in the World is Little Laurie? 