September 19, 2023
About 10:00 am we started the drive to Burlington Vermont. About 10 minutes into the 3-hour drive torrential rain began and did not stop until we got to Burlington. Driving in the rain is no fun especially winding through mountains in the beast (the Toyota 4×4 rental car that is huge compared to my Miata)!
We stopped at a rest stop to get a picture to document that we were in Vermont! My 50th state!!! Goal completed…woohoo!!!!
While at the rest stop me saw an ad for Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks and decided since we were in Vermont we should visit!! When we walked into the tasting room I was overwhelmed with the yummy scent of maple syrup. Yes, we did the taste testing and it was the best I have ever tasted. They have a website if you want to try it!!
We learned all about the creation of maple syrup including the following:
- The sugar season occurs mid-March thru Mid-April
- On the average it takes 40 gallon of maple sap to produce 1 gallon of pure maple syurp
- The maple trees take 40 years to produce it’s first sap.
- Each tree produces about 10 gallons of sap per year. So it takes 4 maple trees, 40-200 years old to produce one gallon of pure maple syrup.
- They use plastic tubing to connect to the maple tree and the collection barrel not as romantic vision as little metal bucket attached to the tree but way less labor intensive.
- From the storage tanks, the sap is put through a reverse osmosis machine, which takes a percentage of the water from the sap before boiling.
- The evaporation process sends clouds of sweet maple scented steam billowing from the sugarhouse cupolas and steam stacks.
- An evaporator is where the boiling takes place. Stainless steel pans sit atop an arch, or firebox, where either oil or wood creates an intense fire. As the water in the sap evaporates, the sap thickens.
- Vermont produces roughly 50% of the United States crop. 2.22 million gallons made in 2020!
Now that I know the complexity of process I won’t complain about the price of maple syrup again!! Well maybe not!
The rain had paused for the time we were at the sugar farm but began again once we got back on the road! Seriously I could not see two feet in front of me but I managed to get us to Burlington
When we got to Burlington the rain stopped. We got checked into our room that had an incredible view of Lake Champlain then headed out to explore.
Market Street was a short walk from our hotel and is a collection of shops and restaurants.
After lunch we walked down to the waterfront and found the Ethan Alan III that was just heading out for a cruise on the lake. Since our planned sunset cruise had been cancelled due to high winds and rain, we jumped onboard and set sail.
Although the water was rough it was a pleasant cruise on the lake and we got back to the hotel just in time to catch the sunset over the lake from our room.
Once again we did not allow the rain to keep us from having a “Best Day Ever”!!!
