A Swing at the Piñata.

The roads, people, they are steeple.

Burlington, VT – Like the mystery itself, the day began shrouded in fog, but ended clear, the skies ripped open by Vermont's peaks.


Hoping to craft a smile the size of the sun currently blooming over Burlington, I have spent the past week plotting. She didn't know: would the impromptu, surprise vacation call upon the services of a plane or a car? A train or a boat?

Like a piñata, she knew there was something full of colour before her, but giddy eyes still inquired as to the goodies contained within. Despite many cracks at guessing.

That is, of course, until Highway 401 forked east. The jig was up.

Stitching a seam along the Seaway Trail that flanks the St. Lawrence River, the light turned, causing  towering pines to shift in their greens. Light shimmered as clouds closed over blankets of needles, many of which had yet to shake off the rust of winter.

We jumped from puddle to puddle of blue around Lake Champlain before a mile-long steel bridge zippered shut our time in New York, pointing us into Vermont. It was a shorter driving day than normal as we seeped into the fresh and local ethos that seems so prevalent in the small American state.

A craft beer that's hard to top.

We were keen to dine at the Farmhouse Tap and Grill, which featured local cheeses, the Vermont Heritage Grazers Pork burger and a world-class beer list headlined by Heady Topper – last year's highest-rated craft beer. Glasses were soon filled with other highly rated brews: Sip of Sunshine, Pannepot Reserva (2010) and Bourbon County Brand Stout (2014). Truly an epic, epic evening.

The piñata had begun to reveal its spoils.

Vitals:

• Time: 8.5 hours
• Distance: 644.3 kms
• Weather: Cloud, burning off to sun and blue sky
• States/Province: Ontario, New York, Vermont
• Wildlife: None