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Summer travel boom not enough to boost airline earnings
Despite record summer-travel demand, airlines’ quarterly reports are looking less than stellar.
While a month left of summer may seem like plenty of time, if you’ve yet to go on that trip or take that time off, now is the time to start planning. Though, after factoring in schedules, bookings, and work, you probably should have started by now.
It’s okay, we don’t judge. If you’re having trouble making a decision, a recent article in The New York Times listing six potential destinations for a late summer trip may be a good starting point if you don’t have time to plan a trip that’s too far away.
While these places are scattered across the world, there is one location that lends itself to a last-minute summer getaway, especially if you’re a fan of hiking, mountains, and small-town New England.
The Northeast Kingdom is, as its name implies, in the north of the Green Mountain State, on the border of Canada. It’s comprised of the Essex, Caledonia and Orleans counties.
Here’s what The New York Times said about why they liked it: “The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is an overlooked, rural part of the state near the border with Quebec. That means in the winter it is bitterly cold. But in the summer? Gorgeous.“
With walking and biking trails that show off the area’s natural forests this is a good trip for someone who loves the outdoors. The largest towns, St. Johnsbury and Lyndon, have fewer than 8,000 residents.
The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, which is the longest rail trail in New England at 93 miles, is considered an ideal starting point for new off-road bikers. The Kingdom Heritage Trail System, which opened in 2019, is also mentioned, providing hikers with new access to some of the best of the area’s backcountry.
Farm to table seems to be the only way to eat here, with locally produced beer, cheese and maple syrup available in the small-town general stores and farmers’ markets.
Vermont Open Farm Week runs from Aug. 4 to 11, where visitors can get hands on with farm activities, providing a good time for families traveling with children, who will have the chance to climb onto a tractor or milk a cow.
Accommodation won’t break the bank either – with two person cabins going for approximately $110 per night.
“The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is an overlooked, rural part of the state near the border with Quebec. That means in the winter it is bitterly cold. But in the summer? Gorgeous.“
Travel
An alpine resort with a cedar plunge pool, onsite cocktail lounge, and standalone cabins is opening in Stowe, Vermont this week.
The 35-room AWOL Stowe from Lark Hotels opens Friday, and includes six A-frame cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows and private patios. The property is tucked beside Cady Hill Forest near an onsite trout pond and is a short stroll from Stowe Village.
Lark Hotels bills itself as a lifestyle hotel company with boutique properties in iconic destinations throughout the United States.
“AWOL Stowe offers guests the feeling of being immersed in nature while surrounded by comfort and low key, untamed luxury,” according to a press release.
Resort guests can relax on a nordic spa deck with three offerings situated in a traditional Scandinavian-style triangle layout so folks can use them one after the other: a seven-foot cedar cold plunge pool kept at 50 degrees, an outdoor hot tub, and a cedar sauna.
The spa treatments are “the ultimate rejuvenating experience, surrounded by the mountains and lush forest in this quintessential ski town,” wrote the property.
The hotel’s rooms range from king deluxe accommodations with forest views and private baths to the signature Lark Suite with two bedrooms, a full living room with a central wood burning fireplace, full kitchen, and private outdoor porch overlooking the pond.
Designed by Elder & Ash, the rooms and suites are finished in grecian plaster to connote the raw earth, according to a press release, and sport monochromatic tones, wide pine rustic floors and nature decor that includes handcrafted clay pottery, dried branches and fronds, and sculptural sticks.
“Each room features original art inspired by the shapes and seasons of Stowe, and hand painted on birch board, incorporating raw materials like tree bark and pine needles from the forest outside,” according to the property.
The six standalone cabins offer the resort’s most private accommodations. The one-bedroom cabins are found along the pond and feature a king sized bed, high ceilings, gas fireplaces, and a separate living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Each has a private porch and the bathrooms include a walk-in shower and private bath.
Hungry guests can dine at an exclusive onsite restaurant and four-seat bar that serves craft cocktails and light bites such as deviled eggs with trout roe or
crispy prosciutto, local sausage, and an alpine board with local cheeses, cured meats, and seasonal accoutrement.
For breakfast, AWOL offers a complimentary artisanal toast bar with toppings such as cream cheese, hummus, granola, and bacon bits, as well as housemade spreads, organic yogurt, fresh fruit, coffee, and tea.
Those traveling with children should note that the resort is “adult-oriented.”
“While children and infants are not specifically prohibited, most of our rooms have a single king bed and can only accommodate two persons, including children and infants,” the property indicates on its website.
Other AWOL properties are located in Provincetown, Mass. and Kennebunkport, Maine. Lark Hotels and sister brand, Bluebird by Lark, now have four properties in Stowe: Field Guide Lodge, Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge, Tälta Lodge, a Bluebird by Lark, and AWOL Stowe.
The starting summer rate for AWOL Stowe is $279, depending on the room type and time of stay. Several ADA-accessible rooms are available and pets are welcome for a $50 fee.
In December, Stowe was named among the 20 best ski resorts in the world by Conde Nast Traveler and one of the best ski towns in North America by USA Today.
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Vermont residents awakened Thursday to a quieter weather forecast with no flood warnings following another round of destructive storms, as a U.S. senator from the state asked Congress to pass a disaster aid package that would help communities across the country dealing with wildfires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.
There were downpours Wednesday night in parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. St. Johnsbury, Vermont, which got more than 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain on Tuesday, saw less than an inch of rain Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said at a news conference Wednesday that the latest storms to hit the state have undone much of the cleanup and recovery work from its last major bout of flooding only weeks ago, and he called on residents to “stick together.”
“This time, it’s especially bad after workers spent the past three weeks working furiously to recover from the last flooding, ” Scott said. “It feels much worse than a punch or a kick. It’s simply demoralizing. But we can’t give up. We’ve got to stick together and fight back against the feeling of defeat.”
State officials said preliminary information indicated that 50 homes were destroyed or suffered significant damage. More than half a dozen roads were closed, a lightning strike knocked out water for part of the town of St. Johnsbury, and flooding had contaminated several wells that serve the village of Lyndonville.
In Washington, Democratic U.S. Sen. Peter Welch asked Congress to pass a supplemental disaster aid package.
“We can’t recover without that federal help,” he said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday night. “I just can’t stress this enough. We need Congress to step up. And we need the help of all of us here because well, it’s Vermont this time, it may be New Hampshire next time. It may be Texas next month. And I believe all of us have to help one another when an event occurs causing such harm to people we represent. And it’s through no fault of their own.”
Vermont experienced major flooding earlier in July caused by what was left of Hurricane Beryl. The flooding destroyed roads and bridges and inundated farms, and it came exactly a year after a previous bout of severe flooding hit Vermont and several other states.
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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire.
A Vermont man is marveling at how quickly flash floods transformed his front yard and neighborhood. The storm destroyed homes, roads, utilities and other public infrastructure in just a few hours. (AP Video: Nick Perry. Production: Rodrique Ngowi.)
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