On the second leg of our Vermont road trip, we headed south from Middlebury to Castleton down Route 30, passing the farm on our right and soaking up a misty morning. The leaves are starting to fall like they’re falling in love with the ground, and our tires crunched on the narrow roads.

Route 30 begins in Middlebury, home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. It’s also home to our tasting room (more on that to come), and many local businesses we count on to carry out our work. As a small town with a big heart, Middlebury is vibrant with internationally acclaimed lecture series, folk dancing, college sports teams, and local food. From 1821 to 1825 John Deere also apprenticed at an area blacksmith shop.

Heading South, we passed through Cornwall (hometown of Luke Reynolds of the band Guster), Whiting (no famous people that we know of), and Sudbury (not to be confused with Sudbury, UK, being the birthplace of Thomas Gainsborough). Before Hubbardton we detoured to the picturesque Black Pond, where summertime campers can spend peaceful hours at the Half Moon Pond State Park.

Our brief journey meandered past Lake Hortonia and Lake Bomoseen, and it’s impossible to tell which is our favorite. You’ll just have to pay Vermont a visit next time the wind is fair and blows your ship into our harbor.