October 10th

We had tickets tonight for Arlo Guthrie and the 50^th Anniversary of Alice’s Restaurant Tour here in Stowe so we lounged around in the morning and then went into town for lunch around noon.

After lunch we took a drive up State Hwy 108 to Smugglers Notch.  It is only about a 20-25 minute drive out of town but you climb in altitude pretty quickly.  There are a number of ski runs in this area.  There was still some beautiful vistas as we climbed up to Smugglers Notch.  As we got close to the top the grade increased to 16% and the road narrowed and wound around huge boulders.  This road is not open in winter months.  We went to the top and turned around.  It was a fun drive and we took lots of photos.

We got back to our campsite relaxed a bit then took the E-Z Up down as the forecast called for rain overnight.  After putting the E-Z Up in the rooftop carrier we headed off to the von Trapp Brewery.  Yes, it is the same family that the Sound of Music was based on.

After fleeing Austria in 1938 the von Trapp family toured the world as the Trapp Family Singers.  The mountains of Vermont were reminiscent of Austria, and they bought their hilltop farm there in 1942.  In 1950 they began hosting skiers during the winter, and the family home evolved into the Trapp Family Lodge.  The Von Trapp’s created the first commercial cross-country ski resort in the Americas in 1968, and began adding to the family’s land holdings.  After a fire destroyed the original Lodge in 1980, they built the new hotel, re-opening in 1983.  Today the Trapp Family Lodge has 2,500 acres that provide world-class cross country skiing, mountain biking, hiking and serenity in one of the most beautiful locations in Vermont.  The resort is still owned and managed by Johannes von Trapp, in his 80’s and his children.  In 2010 the von Trapp’s opened there brewery.  Their pilsner has won multiple awards.

After tasting the von Trapp pilsner we headed up the mountain to Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center to see Arlo Guthrie.  Sarah Lee Guthrie, Arlo’s daughter opened the show.  She was fun, a folk singer like her father.  Arlo was great, and he did all of his hits including Motorcycle song, Coming into Los Angeles, City of New Orleans and a great performance of Alice’s Restaurant Massacree with snippets from the movie.  We were both glad we were in the area and able to see the show.