Sunny & cold this morning - quite a shock after the unseasonally warm day yesterday. Brattleboro has its own covered bridge which has been maintained in excellent condition so it is our first point of call for pics. A trip north on the freeway takes us to Quechee Gorge which is supposed to be worth a visit and a walk. Both were somewhat disappointing but it was good to get outside and do some exercise even if it was in freezing conditions. Even Brad had 4 layers on + hat & gloves!

More interesting is Sugarbush Farm where we could sample 14 varieties of cheese and taste 4 grades of pure maple syrup not to mention umpteen different farm made jams, mustards & spreads. We learn how Jeff & Ralph Luce tap 6000 maple trees and why it takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of pure maple syrup. Very labour intensive work by these hardy people done in the middle of winter makes us quite happy to part with $21 for a litre of maple syrup - now to find room for it.

Woodstock, our next port of call, is a charming well-heeled town in the Green Mountains popular with tourists for its quality shops and restaurants. We wander around and look at the many halloween decorations and find an Italian cafe/restaurant which serves us the best espresso we have had so far. Espresso machines are rare in this area with most cafes serving many varieties of plunger coffee for a very reasonable price.

Tonight our watering hole is Whetstone Station, a pub about 50 metres away from our hotel where once again Brad finds another black beer to his taste. The crowd here is mainly in their 30s to 40s and the food is reasonably priced and different. We share a small salad & 3 entrees - marinated tempeh, seared scallops, ceviche which is a soup in Peru but here it is raw marinated tuna. All good. Suddenly the lights dim and all attention is focused on the TV where Romney & Obama are about to have their 2nd debate. We cannot imagine something like this happening at Bally pub ...... footy grandfinal yes but political debate?........definitely no!!