Hello from Stratton Mountain in Bondville, Vermont!
This is my first time in Vermont and I’m here for the Wanderlust Festival at the Stratton Mountain Resort thanks to Wanderlust and Kashi. Even though I’ve only been here for a hot minute, I can see why this location was selected for the four-day festival. It’s stunning and I’m ready to spend 99.9 percent of my time here outside.
Travel to Vermont went fairly smooth. I drove to the Charlotte airport (FYI for my Charlotte friends, parking is a nightmare due to construction right now!) and thanks to a short security line, I made it to my gate with about 30 minutes to spare. I used the extra time to buy a veggie-packed snack from Starbucks and a granola bar.
While I was in line at Starbucks, I copied the order of the woman in front of me and tried a new-to-me drink.
*cappuccino with whole milk and cinnamon dolce syrup*
It tasted like dessert in a cup and instantly made me feel a little too chatty. (Caffeine affects me way too much.) Since I’m pretty sure the vast majority of people on a plane don’t want to sit next to “a talker” I did my best to entertain myself with the SkyMall magazine until we took off and I could take advantage of the wifi on the plane to get some stuff done.
Side note: Someone’s phone went off during the emergency briefing on the plane and blasted “The Wobble” which was pretty darn hilarious. Quality ringtone right there. And speaking of ringtones, during the Runner’s World Heartbreak Hill race weekend, our little group of bloggers started chatting about awesome ringtones and one person (I think it was Anne?) said the best ringtone they heard recently was the Doug theme song. This person clearly needs to be my friend.
One major travel fail from today? I volunteered to have my carryon checked to make room for other bags on the plane, but I forgot to grab my sweatshirt out of my suitcase. I basically froze for two hours on the plane as everyone around me blasted their air vents. Brrr!
Following a two-hour flight to Albany, New York, I hopped in a car and tried my best to take a nap during the two hour drive to Stratton Mountain. The winding roads weren’t exactly fabulous for this easily car sick girl but I made it safe and sound.
Upon my arrival, I quickly checked into my hotel and grabbed some information about Wanderlust from the lobby.
My room at the resort is very comfortable and incredibly spacious which is quite a nice upgrade from the little shoebox hotel we were staying in back in Charlotte!
Once I unpacked a few things in my room, it was time for FOOD.
After consulting my resort map, I walked to a nearby deli to grab a spinach and goat cheese salad, a sausage and jarlsberg cheese quiche and some chips.
Much better!
Time to do a little more exploring before hopefully hitting the hay early tonight.
Question of the Afternoon
- What is the best ringtone you’ve ever heard?
- What is your current ringtone?
I think it may be time to make the Reading Rainbow theme song my ringtone. Did you hear that show may be coming back!?
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I used to have the super mario brothers theme song as mine! And the NFL theme song. Now I just have a John Mayer song…
Julie – I would fully recommend my Starbucks go-to — an iced coffee with cinnamon dolce and soy! The cinnamon dolce + soy combo is amazing!
That quiche looks amazing!
I used to be that annoying person that had song ringtones. I would even switch over to Christmas tunes come December. If you heard Mariah belting out “All I Want For Christmas Is You” in the middle the grocery store, you best believe it would be me! But now, since I’ve had an iPhone, I’ve just had a standard ring. Boring.
I used to love Doug!!! That quiche looks awesome btw!! Was it as good as it looks?
My favorite drink there is a soy, sugar-free dolce cinnamon latte. It’s the bomb diggity!
Glad you made it there safely 🙂 As for ringtones, I haven’t had any funny ones (I should probably get on that) but my sister has. My sister had the song “Let me see your hips swing” on her phone when she was younger. One day, while she was sitting in the car with my grandpa her phone started to ring and the song started to play. Let’s just say that there was a lot of swearing and provocative words used in that song… The look on my grandpa’s face was priceless! Another cool ringtone I’ve heared is the Kim Possible ringtone. One girl in one of my lectures had her phone go off and we all laughed. She was known as KP for the rest of the quarter!
Glad you made it to Vermont safely!
I’m boring and just have a standard ringtone. I used to have songs as ringtones but I would get tired of the song so fast so I stopped using them.
I rarely drink coffee because it has the same effect on me. Although I love trying all the different flavors at fresh market. Since you love ice cream you should try and tour the Ben and Jerry’s factory while you are in Vermont. It is so good! They even let you try a flavor that hasn’t been released to the public yet.
My mom trained me to always have a pair of socks in my carry on because planes are freezing (and in SoCal we wear chanclas year round). It’s a life saver 🙂
Welcome to my neck of the woods! I’m an Albany, NY girl. I hope you have a blast this weekend 🙂
I couldn’t even think of what my ringtone was, then I realized that’s because it’s the standard *RING*RING*RING*
Haha, how boring am I?
I would totally support your Reading Rainbow ringtone, how great would that be?!
I bet Vermont is beautiful! I honestly use the most generic ring tone….I need to get something better it seems!
I love when people have quirky throwbacks or TV intros as ringtones! I have the Arrested Development theme and the Dexter theme, both fun instrumentals anyway 🙂
Hi there, Julie. New reader here. I covet your lunch, and that room is dreamy. 🙂 Best ringtone I’ve heard is the Power Rangers communication device tone. My current ringtone: silent. I prefer outgoing calls only. Looking forward to reading more of your debut in Vermont!
i used to love watching doug on nick! i think a “killer tofu” ringtone would be pretty awesome, too! 😉
my current ringtone is “good day” by nappy roots. but most people text so my text tone is a friend of mine saying “hey,hey,hey.”
travel tip at a busy clt, go to the security line at the far end of the terminal, it’ll save your life during the holidays, always shorter. also, have your man wait in the cell lot and call once you pass security, that’s about perfect timing for him to arrive at pick up if you’re not waiting for your luggage.
go to bojangles immediately: cajun filet biscuit combo with fries and an iced tea
As a teacher, I’m supposed to confiscate phones that ring in class. Some ringtones are so funny though that I can’t keep a straight face! When a teenage boy has a Taylor Swift ringtone, I challenge anyone not to laugh!
It looks beautiful there. That is quite the hotel! My current ringtone is the tune from Super Mario Bros and it makes me want to play Nintendo every time.
I have some loud drumming ring tone. I need a better one!
Wish I was there! Seems like it would be great to be in Vermont right now ahhh
Have fun!
My ringtones have always been pretty nondescript, but my best friend has her mom as the wicked witch song from the Wizard of Oz! Too funny!
My mom’s ringtone is “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python. I dig it. The Doug theme song would be awesome, too.
On my old, old phone, I had the theme song to Carmen Sandiego. So much more fun than now, where my phone is pretty much always on silent/vibrate.
LOVE cinnamon dolce … especially the sugar free one.
Fave ring tone? I have the themesong to Treme as mine.
:east fave? the ring that sounds like an old fashioned phont.
baha- the doug themesong?! What a good choice! Mine is a normal stock moto x ring tone- I usually have my phone on vibrate so not even sure what it sounds like. HA! My favorite ring tone was a mighty mighty bosstones song I downloaded in college- I felt so cool! haha 🙂
I take public transportation and one morning a body builder kind of guy sat next to me on the bus. About 5 minutes in, his flip phone rang – theme song for Looney Tunes. Took all my self-control not to burst out laughing!
My old ring tone was Hamster Dance. Currently, it’s the minions from Desbicable Me singing, “Ring ring ring, ring ring-a-ling, get your phoooooone…..” Lol. I aim for silly and slightly annoying 😉
Love Vermont! My sister went to undergrad there and it’s such a fun place to visit. The best thing I’ve ever heard is “I Like Big Butts” on someone’s phone in the middle of a final exam. Haha!
LOVE Doug. I was just talking about that theme song the other day. That location looks gorgeous! Enjoy your time there.
OMG seriously need to buy the Doug theme song for my phone. Best. Idea. Ever.
law and order theme song was my ringtone for a while….I am borderline obsessed with that show. Love Vermont! My brother and his fiance live pretty close to there and it is easily one of the most beautiful places.
I live in Albany and we just drove to Bondville the other night for dinner! Manchester has great outlets on the way back to Albany! Have a great trip!
Oooh shoot, that quiche looks delectable!! I used to get all creative with ringtones, especially for the holiday season. Now that I’m 30, I feel like fun ringtones are age-inappropriate…so I use a plain ol’ tone that sounds like church bells. Every now and then, though, I want to program it to something like Remy Ma’s “Conceited.”
Have fun!! If you get a chance please say “hello” to my CrossFit Coach and friend who is on the agenda, his name is Alex Schulien.
I never new Vermont was so gorgeous! Have fun! My friend has the Downton Abbey theme as her ringtone which is awesome. I secretly want The Walking Dead theme, but that might be a little too creepy if it goes off at night.
My ringtone is How Bizarre by OMC… totally a one hit wonder from the 90s. I love it and it always makes people smile. Have fun in Vermont 🙂
The alcove in your room with the windows looks like the perfect spot to do some yoga!
LOL I currently have the Doug Theme Song as my general ringtone, but for my dad I have the Mario Bros Song and my husband personally requested the Undertaker Theme Song from WWE so it’s safe to say you never know what’s going to play when my phone rings!
Parking has been horrendous at the Charlotte International Airport! I now either taxi or park at an offsite lot, Park’N Go. They offer substantial discounts with booking online and joining their frequent parking program, and the buses are less crowded and faster than the airport parking. Just a tip I recently learned! 🙂
One of the first song ringtones I had was Urgent by Foreigner. A bit random, but I thought I was quite clever when it said “urgent” every time my phone rang. 🙂
I grew up in Vermont before I moved to Charleston, SC a few years ago! It’s beautiful and you definitely need to try some Blackberry Wheat Longtrail Beer. It’s AMAZING!! With a side of VT cheese of course 🙂
I loved Reading Rainbow! I was a total bookworm growing up.
Have so much fun in Vermont! I’ve never been but I’ve heard it’s beautiful!
Vermont is the BEST place ever – though I’m partial to Central VT 🙂 Enjoy your trip!
I absolutely LOVE Stratton- I ski there all the time. Not sure of the deli you went to, but you have to try Partridge in a Pantry- they have the best wraps!!!!
Yummy lunch!
I love that the Wobble Song came on during the briefing. My parents love that song so much and play it every time that Drew and I go to their house that Drew and I are both sick of hearing it.
The place looks beautiful. Looking forward to posts about your trip.
I read recently that most people don’t mind sitting next to a “talker” on a plane. So probably people would enjoy your caffeinated chat! Also, I get chatty too when I’ve got a caffeine buzz going. 🙂
That resort looks amazing!! Can’t wait to hear more about your time there!
A friend of mine used to have the Six Feet Under theme song as his ring tone. That is my favorite show ever!
I read your blog all the time, but rarely comment. I felt like I just HAD to though because you’re in my neck of the woods! I live in Albany now, but grew up in a small town near Vermont and have spent a TON of time at Stratton. It’s where I got married! I hope you have an amazing time at the festival! Wishin’ I was there…
Also, RE: ringtones – I used to have that song from Paul Blart: Mall Cop (sounds stupid, but it’s actually a decent movie!) I can’t remember the name of it now, but it made me smile every time my phone rang 🙂
Hi from the Albany airport! 🙂 Stratton would be an amazing location for a wedding!!!
I LOVE chatters on the plane. It helps distract me since I’m so scared of flying. I’m like Ryan – I opt for a few drinks before flying because I hate flying. And then I chat it up with everyone!