OFF CAMPUS CORNER Sleigh-Riding and Cheese Sampling

Author: Lindsey Whitton

About an hour and a half south of Middlebury College and a few minutes away from Bromley Mountain, a piece of historic Vermont is preserved. A beautiful white farmhouse sits on the roadside. Two draft horses race a sleigh through snow-crusted fields. The family farm still produces and sells Vermont products like milk, eggs and cheese.

Almost 20 years ago, after John Wright graduated from the University of Vermont, he dreamed of running his own traditional Vermont farm. Unfortunately, the price of land in southern Vermont, within spitting distance of three profitable ski resorts, prohibited such an endeavor. One after another, the areas' bucolic farms were being snapped up by developers and turned into prototypes of Swiss ski villages.

Luckily, Wright and his wife Lisa were able to lease property from a generous family interested in protecting their large land holdings. Over the years, the Wrights added three daughters, a large barn of cows and several creative side businesses to their enterprise. They also were finally able to purchase almost 20 acres of their farm, and the remaining property was deeded to the Vermont Land Trust with the Wright's lifetime farming ownership. Creative adaptation to the times enabled this Vermont family farm to survive when thousands of others have gone under. Last year they were featured on the cover of Vermont Magazine.

At 6 p.m. on Friday night, my extended family and various close friends jumped out of three crowded cars onto the muddy driveway of Taylor Farm in Londonderry.

We were bundled up against the cold, some of the younger children practically unrecognizable in their multiple layers. Our laughs filled the air with smoky clouds. A friend from Middlebury and I had driven down to my family's house in southern Vermont for the annual visit, and we agreed that a college Friday night seemed far away.

Suddenly our boisterous crowd started moving toward the field, and I realized that our soft-spoken host, Wright, had joined our group. We all climbed onto his big wooden sleigh and pulled warm blankets over our legs. He introduced us to his two horses, Pat and Jane, and warned us that they were a little bit frisky that night. Over two tons of frisky horse pulling us across icy fields? I could not help but imagine all 17 of us toppling over.

The first part of the ride was very peaceful. There is something serene about gliding through a cold dark night, comfortable and warm. The only light was the moon and the only sound was of horses' hooves. Even the youngest members of our party were subdued by the experience.

Then Wright let the horses run. The sleigh flew across the snow, and we were breathless.

We went through a gap in an old stonewall and crossed into a new field. Wright expertly guided Pat and Jane towards a warm glow in the far corner of the meadow. We soon reached the small lean-to, where a picnic table was lit by old glass lanterns and the light of a bonfire.

The horses were hitched to an ancient tree, and we piled out. Wright unpacked a picnic basket full of different types of warm homemade bread, award-winning Taylor Farm cheeses, a thermos of hot apple cider and a jar of marshmallows. Long sticks were neatly laid out on one corner of the table, and all the little kids immediately started roasting marshmallows.

We all talked to John Wright, who shyly showed us a picture of his family on the cover of last summer's edition of Vermont Magazine. The article profiled the Wrights as a perfect example of how old Vermont farms can survive through creative ideas for supplementary income, like these sleigh rides.

After about 40 minutes, we rode back to the farmhouse. We bought quantities of their homemade cheese and then filed into the barn to see the real producers, the cows. I have been to this farm a few times, but I am always shocked by the size of their animals. They must feed these cows extra-special chow. These particularly enormous cows produce record-breaking quantities of milk.

The barn is configured so that they present their backside to us. My little sisters, cousins and their friends leisurely trotted up and down the aisle, reading each cow's name aloud and commenting on her (backside) appearance. Everyone was having fun until some unknown trigger (perhaps the tin-whistle scream of my two-year-old cousin?) inspired almost every cow to agitatedly emit a spontaneous Niagara Falls-like flow of urine and feces. We picked up stunned babies and cautiously walked the gauntlet to the exit. This was clearly no place for amateurs.

This pilgrimage is always a highlight of my winters, and it is surprisingly near Middlebury. This unique sleigh ride experience would be a wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion and see a bit of traditional Vermont. Call Lisa and John Wright, (802) 824-5690, for reservations. I can promise a beautiful night, and the most delicious bread and cheese, but you'll have to take your chances on the spontaneous cow show. It really cannot be fully described in print.