Hints of fall appearing around Killington 

With Fall foliage season right around the corner, it's time to take out the crystal ball and predict how vibrant Fall 2014 will be in the Green Mountains. Of course it is a swag, but it is also fun to "read the leaves" and guess what Mother Nature has in store.

This summer has been a cool one around Killington. Much to the consternation of Green Mountain Power, our air conditioning has been barely used(bringing a smile to Mary's face when she saw lower electricity bills for the inn).

Cool temperatures were also accompanied by a fairly normal amount of rainfall. We did have a lot of precipitation in May and June. In July and August we fell back to our normal pattern of late afternoon showers, which we are still seeing in early September.

What does this mean for fall foliage?

Basically, the long and short answer is that trees in the area had a fairly low stress growing season. As a result of cool summer temperatures and plenty of moisture the foliage canopy in the mountains around Killington has fully developed; looking quite heathy and robust.

Fall foliage at Killington in "normal" years peaks between October 3rd and October 6th. Lower elevations to the east (Woodstock) and west (Rutland) of Killington tend to peak a week later. North of Killington along the Route 100 corridor sees peak foliage earlier in the season. South and west of Killington along the Route 7 corridor generally peaks later.

Based upon this years summer, I would anticipate that peak color in Killington will fall towards the later end of the average, or even a few days after that.

Color development in the leaf canopy of the Green Mountains, with it's highly diverse combination of deciduous tree species (Oak, Maple, Birch, Popular), is complex. So let's keep the prediction simple.

Throwing a dart at the board, I would anticipate peak foliage colors in Killington between October 5th and October 8th this year. Unscientific, Ouija board analysis of course. Stay tuned to killingtonblog.com for updates as we progress though the season. From here on in, we will be posting a fall foliage picture of the changing colors around the inn every day.

And wherever you may be.. keep it in the fairway...

Mary teeing off on the 7th hole at Green Mountain National Golf Course 

With last weekend's Killington Wine Festival completed, summer is now kicked into high gear at Killington.

Mary and I have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather we have had this week to enjoy several rounds of golf at Green Mountain National Golf course. The course is fantastic shape. The moist weather from the early season has left it green and lush. The mild dry spell we have had the last week has allowed the ground water to be absorbed finally allowing the ball to roll in the fairways. The course is set up beautifully for golf during the month of August.

August... ohhh.. the summer is flying by fast.

The "Cooler in the Mountains" music series kicks off this Saturday, July 26 with concerts from 3:30 to 6:00 PM at the Roaring Brook Umbrella Bars at Killington Resort's K1 Base Lodge. This week the featured band is "Hot Day at the Zoo". The concert series runs through the month of August with new bands each week. After your round of golf, it is so nice to be able to relax in the mountains, have a cool beverage, and listen to some great music.

Mountain biking season has also kicked into high gear at Killington. In addition to full access to Killington Peak from the K1 Gondola, the resort has added new learning and beginner "Flow Trails" on the Snowshed Slope served by the Snowshed Express Quad. Now for summer activities, I do prefer golf to mountain biking. But that being said, when I need a hit of the adrenaline rush of speeding down the mountain during the summer months, hopping on a mountain bike and riding downhill is a surefire way to get it going.

Wherever you may be enjoying your summer.. keep it in the fairway... and don't forget your sun screen.

Be a Devil! at the Birch Ridge Inn on the Killington Wine Trail on Friday night. 

One day and counting until the Killington Wine Festival begins.

We have a weekend full of activities to compliment the Killington Wine Festival at the Birch Ridge Inn.

On Saturday night, of course, we have our annual wine dinner featuring some beautiful wines from Chile and Argentina. Friday night, we are continuing with that theme using some of the wines from Casillero Del Diablo. Chef Stephen Byrne has paired them with some little bites specially prepared to tempt travellers on the Killington Wine Trail. From personal samplings, the items Chef 'Frizzie' is preparing really go great with the wines.

Birch Ridge Inn Killington Wine Trail Menu.

The Killington Wine Trail on Friday Night is more or less a drop in type of event. Of course, if you do plan on joining us for dinner on Friday, we always recommend reservations.

We still have a few seats available for the Killington Wine Festival Wine dinner on Saturday evening. Reservations for this special wine dinner are required as seating is limited. To make dinner reservations at Birch Ridge, please call the inn directly at 800-435-8566 or 802-422-4293.

When you come to visit Killington, we look forward to seeing you.

Wherever you may be.. keep it in the fairway... and don't forget your sun screen.

A beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon
Don Melchor,
Puente Alto Vineyard, Chile 

The Killington Wine Festival returns to Killington next weekend from Friday July 18th through Sunday July 20th. During the wine festival, the Birch Ridge Inn is pleased to present a collection of fine wines from Chile and Argentina to please the palates of diners and "samplers" alike.

The Killington Wine Festival begins on Friday evening, July 18th with an estate tasting of fine wines at the Killington Grand Hotel at 6:00 PM and the Killington Wine Trail with wine tastings at all of the restaurants on the Killington Road. The Birch Ridge Inn will be hosting a sampling paring wines with small bites on Friday evening as part of the wine trail. More on the Birch Ridge Inn tasting menu for Friday evening in a subsequent post.

On Saturday afternoon, the Killington Chamber of Commerce hosts the Grand Tasting of the Killington Wine Festival at the K1 Base Lodge of the Killington Resort. Hundreds of wines from all over the world will be presented under grand tents set up at Killington's Umbrella Bars.

Saturday night, the Birch Ridge Inn will be hosting our annual Killington Wine Festival Wine Dinner. We have been sampling wines for months (it's tough work but somebody needs to do it), working to find some interesting wines to present at this years dinner. We have selected some nice wines from Chile and Argentina to present over the weekend.

For Saturday nights wine dinner, the menu includes:

Casillero Del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, Chile and
Casillero Del Diablo Carmenere, Rapel Valley, Chile
Summer Appetizers in the Great Room

Marqués de Casa Concha Chardonnay, Limari Valley, Chile
Pan roasted Chilean sea bass with truffled corn salsa

Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec, Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina
Carmelized rack of wild boar with fresh blueberries and pan jus over braised eggplant en porto

Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, Puente Alto Vineyard, Chile
Roasted sirloin of beef with a red wine reduction and chimichurri with wild mushrooms

Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Lourdes Vineyard, Maule Valley, Chile
Warm apple empanadas with whipped mascarpone and a Vermont Cheese Plate

The wine dinner on Saturday will begin at 6:30pm with the first wines in the Great Room of the Birch Ridge Inn. From there, the proceedings will move into the dining room of Birch Ridge at approximately 7:00pm. Mike Andrews from Banfi-Excelsior, the importer of all of the wines served during the evening, will be hosting the dinner with a discussion of each wine that is presented. The price per person is $89.00 not including taxes or gratuities. This price is inclusive of the evening’s wine and dinner.

Reservations for this special wine dinner are required as seating is limited. To make your wine festival dinner reservation please call the Birch Ridge Inn directly at 800-435-8566 or 802-422-4293.

When you come to visit Killington, we look forward to seeing you.

Wherever you may be.. keep it in the fairway... and don't forget your sun screen.

The open flags are flying at the Birch Ridge Inn 

Tonight is the "official" start of the 17th season of serving dinner to the public at the Birch Ridge Inn.

When we look back, it is hard to fathom everything that has transpired over the last 17 years. But the one thing that we know is that we still love living in Killington and serving the general public as innkeepers.

Over the years the inn has enabled us to meet a lot of very nice people and make a lot of friends. And we renew that adventure tonight when our restaurant opens for the summer season.

Chef Frizzie is back in the kitchen with a wonderful early summer menu.

Dinner service this evening starts as usual at 6:00 PM. We will be serving in both the Great Room and in the restaurant. Reservations are always appreciated. For tonight you can call us at 802.422.4293. For reservations more than 24 hours out, you can make reservations online.

If you are in Killington this weekend, we look forward to seeing you.

Wherever you may be.. keep it in the fairway... and don't forget your sun screen.

Tight lie on the 15th hole at Green Mountain National. Calls for a little lift, clean and place... 

With July 4th just around the corner, our seasonal shift hiatus is just about over. It has been an "interesting" couple of months, but we have been getting into our "summer routine" of late.

Those of you who follow us on Facebook (Bill, Mary, and the Inn) know that we did not have much of a vacation this year. We started to, them my father decided that his time was up. Plans got changed and we "moved on" so to speak. We have gotten a lot or road miles up and down Route 89 between Vermont and Massachusetts. "Easy Pass" and the New Hampshire DOT must be happy. So it goes.

The trips have not been for naught however. On one of them we did find a new rug for the restaurant. The blue oriental that had been in the restaurant for years had seen it's day. The new rug is a change that Mary and I are happy with.

We have also spent a lot of time doing our spring maintenance work around the inn. Between adding detail work in one room, re-caulking tubs, ordering new windows to replace ones with broken seals, and your normal spring cleaning and paint, we have been able to recover the inn nicely from a busy winter season.

After a wet spring, we now have been turning our attention to a little outdoor recreation. All work and no play make Mary and Bill dull people. We have attended several nice wine tastings at locations around Vermont. We have been out on the golf course playing is several charity golf tournaments. I have even had the opportunity to have a round of golf with my son in Massachusetts, and my brother up at Green Mountain here in Killington. Overall..not to shabby...

But now it is time to get back to work. Our restaurant re-opens this coming Friday for the summer season. The Killington Wine Festival is just a few weeks off. Planning for the winter is already under way...

That was a short hiatus!

Wherever you may be.. keep it in the fairway... and don't forget your sun screen.

Artwork from Peter Gould on display at the Birch Ridge Inn 

The Birch Ridge Inn, in conjunction with the Killington Arts Guild, will be hosting an evening with Vermont Artist Peter Gould this Thursday evening, April 17. Peter will be presenting his artwork and discussing his techniques at the inn's Great Room from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

During the evening, Peter will share his penchant for and devotion to representing ideas and places through his artistic perspective. Peter's distinctive paintings are especially well known for being presented on barn boards and doors that Peter gathers from around Vermont.

Killington resort as interpreted by Peter Gould.

The public is welcomed to visit the inn to enjoy Peter's artwork. All are welcomed to come and participate in a discussion of Peter's works and enjoy a demonstration of his techniques. The event begins at 6:00 PM. Hors d'oeuvres will be be served and a cash bar will be available.

Come and view some of Peter's works at the Birch Ridge Inn on Thursday night.