Today we swapped days. Instead of cross country skiing tomorrow and downhill skiing today, we changed things around.
That’s the beauty of a Ski Safari. You can be flexible and go where the weather and snow take you. And to be honest, I’ve just about had it with the arctic cold snap. It’s supposed to be a wee bit warmer tomorrow.
So we started the day with a leisurely breakfast at the B&B, Nye’s Green Valley Farm, which, as the name suggests, is also a farm, and spent a bit of time communing with the animals; more specifically, a llama, two mini horses, and three goats.
None of them were interested in joining us for cross country skiing. So we left them behind and hit the road.
We headed for Craftsbury Commons Outdoor Center, a first-rate cross country center in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. On the way, we passed the Fisher Railroad Bridge, one of two remaining covered railroad bridges in Vermont (it was built in 1908). The nearly full-length cupola is designed to let out the smoke generated by steam locomotives. Cool, huh?
Craftsbury has 85 km of scenic trails that wind through woods and meadows, along side ponds and lakes. It’s kind of unique in that it has snowmaking capabilities, something that most cross country centers seem to lack. Cross country is an amazing workout, and is guaranteed to keep you warm, no matter how cold the temps.
Tomorrow we’ll hit Jay Peak, just a short distance below the Canadian border. I’ll post about that, too.
See you then.