Day 3 --no, we did not buy a coat

We woke up to an owl feather, clear skies, and new neighbors: a couple who were biking around the state (Matt's dream--except in France). We chatted a bit and asked for recommendations for restaurants for our anniversary dinner.

We hiked part of the Long Trail, which runs through the whole state. We ran into two older men who were coming down the steep incline we were ascending. We asked them how far it was to the cliff overlook on Mount Horrid, but they didn't know because they were coming from a different way. I asked "where?" and the one man said "Canada!" Sheesh! Wasn't expecting that. The other hiker was just along for the ride for a week. The Canadian said he hiked the Appalachian Trail in 6 months! When we finally made it to the cliff overlook, the view was breathless. And the camera dead for good. We were so high up! Here's a picture of our view that I found online:

At the bottom of the trail, there's a sign that explains the marsh and the beaver pond. It also says that moose come out at twilight and eat from the pond. So, what they were telling us is that when it's too dark to see anything, that's when the moose come out. Okay then.

Lunch was back at the campsite over a fire, then we drove to Burlington, which was a real city with a great pedestrian area full of shops and restaurants and cafes. You can find so many artisinal shops with all kinds of hand-made goods from food, to soap, to glassware, to pottery, to furniture... Vermonters are very skilled. Dobra Tea is a tea room that serves tea from all over world in the way it's supposed to be made and served. Such a great idea! Apple mountain is where we found our wooden Christmas ornament souvenir. Lake Champlain Chocolate is where Heaven is found. No other words can express the place where I transcended as I ate my truffle. It may even beat Belgian chocolates... The drug bust we witnessed dropped me down from my choco-heaven. One cop had the guys in cuffs and another cop held a backpack and silver case (probably full of cash) like in the movies! We debated going on a 2.5 hour ferry boat for dinner and the sunset, but decided against it since the menu wasn't all that spectacular (and frankly, I was worried I'd lose it overboard anyway). Instead, we opted for some of Burlington's unique restaurants. We went to American Flatbread, a gourmet pizza place. So. Good. We had just started dinner when it began to pour like a monsoon again. Good thing we didn't spend $100 on a non-existent sunset and turbulent waters... For dessert, even though we were quite full, we just had to visit the unique Skinny Pancake, Vermont's version of French crepes for breakfast, dinner, snack or desert. Wow.

Then, as if Matt's clothes weren't wet and dirty already, he ran all the way back to the car and picked me up. Before heading to bed, we drove to the foot of Mt. Horrid again to see if we could spot any moose in the beaver pond. Our headlights and high beams only reflected back on us thanks to a thick fog that had settled in the valley.

That night we heard the owl again, and I dreamed of truffles.