Vermont Tour (Day 6: Escape from Newport)

The six-block Church Street Pedestrian Mall in Burlington, busy all day.

Our cab driver, Alex, arrived in Newport at 11 am as the morning rain ensued. Alex (probably not his original name, but better for business) is an Iraqi who escaped Iraq in 2006, three years after after Bush attacked. He worked for the Army as an interpreter and food supplier which helped facilitate getting his entire family out and safely settled in Vermont. I'm afraid Alex wouldn't be so lucky under President Mango Unchained. 

The trip to Burlington took all of two hours. We arrived just in time for the rain to subside, with time to walk about looking for a decent lunch spot.

Great lunch at the Farmhouse Tap & Grill—fresh local ingredients and beer. 

I had the Simple Roots New North End IPA, delicious, unfiltered and complex. When I ordered it, our waitress was so excited to tell us that Simple Roots was started in her high school biology teacher's garage. And she looked fresh out of high school. I would have been more impressed had he taught chemistry, like Walter White, but still, job well done. It speaks to the fact that Vermont has more breweries per capita than any other state.

Chatting up a couple of local bicycle advocates.

This was my favorite beer of the trip, a Zero Gravity Nebulous IPA at American Flatbread (pizza and pub). Wowza. Unfiltered, fairly balanced between hops and malt, tropical coconut fruity deliciousness. 7.1%.

Another Zero Gravity, this the Cone Head IPA, lower in alcohol, probably a decent session beer. Danged good as well. Also at American Flatbread.

I made dinner in the room after gathering ingredients from Burlington's excellent Coop downtown, City Market, aka, Onion River Co-op.

Local heirloom tomatoes, local bib lettuce, non-local avocado, local Shelburne Farms 3-year-old cheddar, garlic powder, fresh ground pepper, and salt.

Voila! Ready for tomorrow's adventure: a ferry ride across Lake Champlain and a ride in the Adirondacks down to Port Henry.