My second day in Vermont started WAY too early. My body clock was completely out of whack, so when I woke up at 4:45 feeling bright-eyed and bushy tailed, I decided to take advantage of the extra time.
What’s better than coffee in the morning? Coffee enjoyed on Lake Champlain in Vermont! What a gorgeous way to start the day.
After my walk, I returned to the hotel starving. Luckily I had planned ahead:
with my purchases from the day before! I don’t typically eat cereal at home, so I was excited to devour those Whole O’s. #cerealmonster
Shortly after breakfast, we hopped in the van:
and headed to Percy Farm.
Percy Farm is located just outside of Burlington in Stowe, Vermont. The drive alone was breathtaking. I just couldn’t get enough of those rolling hills!
Paul Percy and his wife Lee own two farms, and he was kind enough to show us around his milking facility and introduce us to his dairy cows.
Interesting fact:
Dairy Cows are snugglers. I was amazed by how close the cows huddled together. Turns out when you’re full of milk, you like to keep your sisters close.
Also, baby cows are the cutest.
But you knew that already.
They’re also super sleepy, which makes them even cuter.
Mr. Percy was so gracious, and I definitely learned even more about all the effort that goes in to making Cabot Cheese. The milk is constantly tested for quality and antibiotics, and if either isn’t up to snuff, the entire batch of milk is dumped and the farmer receives nothing. So when the package says Hormone Free, you can trust that. It’s in everyone’s best interest to uphold the Cabot standards.
After the farm, we made a pit stop at the Von Trapp Family Lodge to snap a picture:
and dodge the rain.
On our way back to Burlington, we stopped for lunch and I’ll admit, I was skeptical.
Unplanned restaurant stops are a little uncomfortable for me, so when we arrived at The Apple Core, I totally expected a salad with no dressing. I started scanning the menu for salads,
And then there it was, in the bottom corner of the board:
What?!?! That is what I call a Gluten Free Person’s Best Moment. That moment when you’ve entirely surrendered to eating a salad with no dressing and then you see a Gluten Free Bread option.
I literally squealed and clapped my hands. The sweet cashier looked at me like I was a little bit crazy, but also like she had seen this reaction before.
I proudly ordered a Turkey Club on the Gluten Free Flat Bread. Did I want it heated? Sure!
I also ordered extra Cabot Cheddar, which was clearly a great idea!
Oh yeah. It was good. Well done Apple Core. Well done.
After lunch, it was back in to the van to make a final pitstop at the Cabot Annex Store.
The Annex is basically Cabot Cheese Heaven. They sell every. single. item. that Cabot produces. Including a $26 two pound block of “Old School” Cabot Cheese Cheddar aged for 5 years and oh so good. Yeah, y’all know I bought it. I wasn’t sure how I would get it back home, but you just don’t turn down 5 year old cheddar!
Duh! I LOVE cheese!
and cows!
Such a fun-filled day for the Cabot Fit Team, and as the day started to wind down, the race started to fill our conversations.
We enjoyed a Pasta Dinner Supper that night, that was also a Fundraiser for The Ronald McDonald House:
Cabot is all about giving back to the community and volunteerism, so I was excited about the dinner. They even had gluten free options!
We spent the dinner talking about the course with locals, and planning the switch offs for the relay. The race was fast approaching, so we called it a night early, and headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Tomorrow: Race Day!
Disclaimer: Cabot Cheese paid for my travel to and from Vermont, as part of the Cabot Fit Team. However, I was not compensated for my opinions of Cabot Cheese and my absolute LOVE of Cabot is genuine….and OFFICIALLY an obsession.
