Hitchhikers are common on US-2 between Montpelier and Plainfield, thanks to the presence of Goddard College, one of the nation’s most renowned countercultural institutes of higher learning. The tiny town of Plainfield also boasts a bookstore, a pair of huge barns, a fly-fishing shop, and the Maple Valley Country Store, a combo deli-café-pizzeria that’s the local hangout (tie-dye welcome; 802/454-8626). The soups are fantastic, as are the veggie burgers. The store’s parking area is built on a foundation of recycled granite, leftovers from the nearby quarries and stonecutters. Plainfield also has a great place to eat breakfast: the River Run (closed Mon. & Tues; 802/454-1246) at 3 Main Street, where you can get a great heap of pancakes studded with fresh blueberries for around $5. Lunch and dinner take on more of a Deep South flavor: As prepared by the Mississippi-born chef, the BBQ and plates of catfish caused playwright David Mamet to call it “the best place on earth.” If you want to linger, consider a night on the farm: at Hollister Hill Farm ($85 and up; 802/454-7725), 2193 Hollister Hill Road east of town, they make their own maple syrup (and serve it over pancakes at breakfast) and raise all sorts of organic produce (from vegetable to “beefalo” hybrids).
