On Deers Leap Overlook with Pico in the background 

It is hard to get a nicer day at Killington in the summer. The sky was a beautiful blue with thin, wispy clouds. Temperatures were in the mid 70's. Humidity was low. Air quality was great. A beautiful day to walk in the woods.

Normaly I would be walking around one of Killington's golf courses on a day like today. (I am starting to miss chasing the little white ball.) But in this season of shoulder rehab, a hike to the top of Deers Leap for a picnic lunch with Mary more than makes up for not being able to wack a Titleist through the Green Mountain National Forest.

We started the hike at the top of the Sherburne Pass at the Inn at Long Trail. The trail head for the Deers Leap Loop ends in a small parking lot just beside the inn. This years rain has caused quite a bit of erosion. There seemed to be a lot more rock rubble on the entrance hike than we have remembered from prior years. Mountain rains have cut some new gullies down the slopes, moving some very large rocks in the process. Even with all the water, and mud, the path was well laid out. Once over the initial boulders, it was a pretty clear hike all the way to the top.

In the next few weeks, temperatures at Killington will begin to go down. The trees are just starting to begin the annual ritual of shedding their green for a multi-colored coat. The Deers Leap Loop will only get prettier as summer changes to fall.

Where ever you may be get out and enjoy the final days of summer....and don't forget your sun screen!

killingtonblog.com Iphone webAPP icon 

Killingtonblog.com has a new format. Actually, a bunch of new formats. Through the marvels of computer science, and a fair amount of work, Killingtonblog.com will (should??) display well on your computer screen, your Iphone or Ipod Touch, and most other mobile phones.

I have been working on the Killingtonblog.com software for a few weeks. When I originally developed the site, I generated most of the software myself from scratch. Blogger and other sites were in their infancy and I wanted to get my site going. So off to write code I went.

When I first started the blog in 2005, devices like the Iphone had not been born. Most mobile phones had rudimentary web browsers at best. So the blog was originally optimized for a computer screen.

A lot has changed in 4 years. I use my Ipod Touch every day around the inn to read email and access websites. A huge percentage of our customers visit the inn with their Iphones or Blackberries in hand.

Since I have not been playing golf due to my shoulder injury, I have been studying how to convert all of my web sites to become mobile compatible. After all, you will probably be reading this site on a mobile device very soon. It should look good.

While I cannot confirm that it will work properly on all mobile phones (I can only simulate their performance with the software tools I have), I can say that it does work well on the Iphone/Ipod Touch family. If you want to add it to your home screen as a web app, you can hit the button in Mobile Safari at the bottom of the page and follow along with the dialog. It also appears to work well with Motorola Razr, Nokia, and LG simulators (when set for handheld screens). It works best on more modern phones, but even on some older models the simulator look pretty good.

Killingtonblog.com has also been tested on the desktop against Apple Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer 8 and 6 (I skipped 7... if you are still on 6 it's time to upgrade). If you see anything funny in the process, drop me a line and let me know.

Hope you enjoy the new blog format. Where ever you may be, hit the ball straight, and don't forget your sun screen!

At the Lake House on Lake Bomoseen 

Is it over???

Vermont usually sees some warm days in the summer. (Thats why it's called summer!) But the high heat and humidity earlier this week was exceptional. But it's all gone for now. Strong storms moved through the area last night, clearing the air, and lowering the temperatures to a more reasonable level.

Of course the hot weather was a good excuse to take a road trip in Mary's 73 Mustang convertible. Earlier this week we took a ride out to Lake Bomoseen. The lake is located about halfway between Rutland Vermont and Glenns Falls New York. We had lunch by the water on the deck at the Lakehouse Pub. A nice breeze provided some natural "Vermont Air-Conditioning".

Summer of course will be around for a few more weeks in Killington. The cold front which brought relief to the area last night is threatening to become a warm front late this weekend. So we can expect a few more hot days before fall arrives.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, and don't forget your sun screen!

Hazy-lazy day at Killington. 

The dog days of summer have arrived at Killington.

Temperatures in the mid to upper 80's have settled over the area, proving once again that Killington is capable of having a warm summer day.

I was out earlier today talking to a friend. The temperature in the car had hit 85 degrees. I made the casual remark that 85 in Killington is like 105 in Phoenix. We both laughed, wiped the sweat of our brows, and continue in our conversation. I made a mental note of my remark for later, then when on my way.

When I got back to the inn, I decided to check. I asked the Wolframalpha search engine to tell me what the average temperatures in Phoenix Arizona and Killington Vermont have been over the last 5 years. (The Woldramalpha search engine is pretty good at natural language searches on science related topics.) It turns out that the average temperature in Phoenix for the last 5 years was 76 Degrees. The average temperature in Killington for the last 5 years has been 46 degrees. A full 30 degree difference! So 85 in Killington is not like 105 in Phoenix. It is like 115!

Well...maybe that's pushing it a little.... but suffice to say...it's hot in Killington today!.

Where ever you may be, I hope you are enjoying a nice day, hitting the ball straight, and wearing your sun screen!

New Birch Ridge dinner menu design 

Don't panic!

We have just expanded our menu and made the format more friendly. Same great food, same great service.

Food and wine go hand and hand in our restaurant at Birch Ridge. In the last 12 years (its been that long?), we have seen a lot of trends sweep over the restaurant business, in general, and here in Killington.

Peoples approach to alcohol has changed. Quality has replaced quantity. The whole area of "Specialty Martini's" has just taken off. On the wine side of the house, many guests have found that it can be more interesting to have a couple of different nice glasses of wine instead of having a bottle.

Our guests approach to dining out has also changed. The trend has gone to eating lighter. Instead of a traditional 4 course meal, many choose an entree and dessert. Multiple appetizers instead of an entree is also becoming de rigueur. Mixed with a couple of nice glasses of wine, that can make for a very satisfying evening.

Adapting to these trends, we have changed the way our menu looks at Birch Ridge. We have expanded our selection of starters to include more choices of appetizers. We have kept the concept of recommending different wine selections, but we have also highlighted some of our popular martini's and wines by the glass.

The goal of these changes is to make it easier and more fun to dine at Birch Ridge. When you visit us, let us know. We appreciate your feedback.

Green Mountain National Golf Director Dave Soucy congratulates 2009 Ladies Club Champion Nina Tasi 

Under a beautiful sunny sky on Thursday, Nina Tasi took the top honors in the 2009 edition of the Green Mountain National Golf Course Ladies Club Championship.

In this years event, Nina was pressed hard by second place finisher, Patty McGrath, innkeeper at the Inn at Long Trail on Route 4 in Killington. Nina took Patty by 1 shot to take the top honors.

Closer to home, Mary finished comfortably in the "middle of the pack". After a difficult first round in the tournament, Mary "settled down" and improved by 12 shots during the second round. Mary reports that the course is in beautiful shape. While there are still a few wet spots with all of the rain we have had in July, the course is playing very well.

Where ever you may be, hit it long and straight....and don't forget your sunscreen.

Mary with club championship first round playing partners Jennifer Runette and Bert Lynch 

Even though I am out for the season while my shoulder heals, golf continues to play a large role this summer at the Birch Ridge Inn.

Inn guests are continuing to book golf packages at the usual rate. While July weather slowed things down, now that we have had a few days of sunshine, many of our inn guests are out enjoying the local courses.

Mary, for her part, is trying to do her best to represent the inn on the course in my absence. This week Mary is playing in the Ladies Club Championship at the Green Mountain National Golf Course. The first round took place yesterday under a partly sunny sky and the obligatory pre-tee off downpour. Retired innkeeper, Nina Tasi, is the first round leader. The second round tees off this afternoon.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway....and don't forget your sunscreen.