Rain, rain, please come my way, you created a magical stay. Rain is not often appreciated on a vacation, particularly not one intended to be full of hiking, campfires, kayaking, and other outdoor adventures, but for the time I spent at Sterling Ridge Resort, I wouldn’t have changed a thing, not even the rain.
Arriving at Sterling Ridge
I arrived at Sterling Ridge and while I had seen pictures of the property, I hadn’t pictured it correctly, not at all. What I had imagined was a few sweet cabins, tucked a few feet from one another and surrounded by trees. Some of those elements, the small cabins surrounded by trees, were of course evident, but I was not prepared for the truly stunning mountain views and the privacy that the layout of the property allowed. Somehow, each cabin had its own spot of land, feeling far from anyone else around me, while also making me feel safe and close by. There wasn’t a long, horrible trek with my suitcase in tow, but I also didn’t feel smooshed up to a parking lot or another guest. I don’t know how they managed it, but I was immediately struck by how well placed the cabins were to provide the perfect balance of everything you could hope for, so many of them antagonistic to the other.
Now, the placement of a cabin feels like an odd thing to obsess over, but as much as vacations are supposed to be about relaxing, they can easily fall into inconvenience and frustration. For a planner like myself, it was incredible to know that I would be simultaneously surround by trees and privacy, but still conveniently located. I was far from neighbors and other guests, but not scared and alone in the woods. I know I’m going on and on about cabin placement but to me, it was important.
Vermont Mountain Views
Architectural decisions aside, I was also thrilled to see so many mountains visible from my cabin. Spring in Vermont has a split reputation, but from what I saw, there’s no time that Vermont isn’t stunning. Sure, I can imagine the way those hills light up with fresh, lush, green trees in the summer. I can picture the icy casing they take on in the winter. I would love to see the rainbow of autumn colors that the ridgeline takes on each fall, but I’m also in love with the quiet and tentative way the trees were beginning to bud. Small, fresh green leaves were dotting the horizon and it was like I could feel Vermont waking up, stretching its limbs – literally, and gearing up for a season of life and renewal.
At the start of this post, I told you about rain, and I promise, I’m getting there. It started that evening just before I was getting tucked into my cabin, a studio cabin if anyone was wondering. There was a cute little kitchen, just enough room to get around in but still make me feel like I was in the wilderness. I had the gas fireplace warming up the air around me, adding a cozy little glow that let me fall into a storyline in my head, like I was something out of Little House on the Prairie. Just as I was pouring myself a glass of wine, little pops of rain started sounding against the roof. It was muffled, and subtle, but it added a slight chill to the air outside that had me itching to hop in bed and snuggle into the covers.
Rain, Rain, Come My Way
Slowly, the rain continued thumping down around me. My cabin was already still and quiet, no road noise, no chatter from outside; but with the rain, I felt entirely in my own world. It added a level of coziness and nature that I wouldn’t expect, something I would have ignored had I been home. As I sat there, the fire warming the edges of the room, my wine sitting beside me, the wooden ceiling above me and the fluffy pillow behind me; I was perfectly at peace. It was everything I had hoped for and everything I never could have planned for.
Spring brings rain, and particularly April brings rain. But with that rain, what I did not expect, was a magical and memorable moment where the rain completed the experience of my own private world, a cozy cabin and a stunning property, welcoming me to sleep soundly and awake ready for the next bit of adventure.
-Jenna, guest of Sterling Ridge Log Cabin Resort