Vermont

Although surly ticket attendants and incomprehensible announcements gave the journey an unwelcome familiarity, I suddenly felt a long way from home on my journey to Vermont.There were no cosmopolitan enclaves offering an escape to any world of my choosing. In fact there was nobody. Just vast expanses of water. And trees and trees and trees.As my week in the small town of Randolph took its course however, my pangs of uncertainty were replaced with admiration for an enviable way of life and the humbling hospitality of everyone I encountered.Platitudes are all too readily bandied about in travel guides but I feel justified in describing this part of the world as idyllic. My hosts, the editor of the local newspaper and his wife, look out onto a rich green valley and tree lined hills from their 35 acre plot, a size not uncommon in the area. Their two dogs frolicked in a beck that ran through the back garden and horses on a neighbouring field went about their business in that unhurried manner.People have back yard ponds but not as we know them. They tend to be inviting stretches of water larger than swimming pools. On one cosy evening, I craned my neck up to the sky (something I've grown accustomed to ignoring) and saw it dotted with a blanket of stars like I've never seen. Likewise, I had never before seen a shooting star but on that night I marvelled at four or five in the space of 10 minutes. Afterwards I drove past a raccoon. Perhaps to my advantage I never encountered a black bear or mountain lion, both of which are known to roam in the region. Even the larger Vermont towns which I visited had an intimate charm. They seem to have the perfect balance between twee and commercialised sprawl and there's enough to accommodate all kinds without leaving an irreversible scar on the landscape. Montpelier, by far the smallest state capitol, has a picture-book High Street of vibrant colour and interest. Burlington, the largest town in the state, also boasts views of fishing boats drifting along Lake Champlain, shadowed by the Adirondack Mountains.

Despite a seemingly simple, care-free way of life (lion attacks aren't too frequent), many in Randolph carry a sophisticated and worldly outlook that flies in the face of small town stereotypes.One bizarre phenomenon I discovered was the local fascination with the Blue Man Group. I was casually informed, as if it were like discussing dinner arrangements, that Randolph, a town with a population of under 5,000, has three members of the internationally renowned combo. Furthermore, there are another two members from nearby Barre and Montpelier. Five members of a world famous alternative entertainment collective from such a tiny part of the world. It's absolutely incredible really. There's also a spiky political engagement in Vermont. People who I met would often be keen to strike up a conversation along socio-political lines, usually about their outgoing President.Though not unanimously Democrat (voting Republican in local elections is common) this definitely appeared to be Obama country, with house signs and car stickers baring his name wherever you cared to look.During my week at the "Herald" I was afforded the opportunity to illustrate a visitors perspective on Memorial Day, a major public holiday to commemorate Americans who died in military service. It was to my surprise that the green and pleasant state of Vermont lost proportionally more servicemen than any other during the bloody civil war and the latest conflict in Iraq. Emotions still ran high over the latter.During my week however it was peaceful country living. I was introduced to a game were a patch of farm land was squared off and punters would bet on were the participating cow would take a shit. Just as unusually, I uncovered a trans-atlantic appreciation for the British comedy "Coupling", which to my knowledge had barely surfaced back home. A Boston man in a New York bar had already told me of his love of the show, which I put down as an anomaly. In Randolph, again unprompted, a fellow American expressed his surprise at the shows muted reaction in Britain. Monty Python? Not bad. The Office? So so. Little Britain? Never heard of it. Coupling? Greatest show of all time. Perhaps I was sub-consciously drawn to familiar tones but Coupling turned out to be pretty good.On my final day in Randolph I gave a radio interview with local station WDEV about my experiences, settled down with a couple of the excellent local brews and watched some Coupling.I would have an early start for my departure to my next destination, Philadelphia - were everything is made of soft cheese.