The opening shows that's it's already night time when Sam announces he will be going to Stowe VT. When he comes back he says he was 3 miles from his aunt's house, then when he comes back the 2nd time he says he was almost there. The Cheers bar in Boston is over 3 hours away from Stowe, so Sam travels for at least 12 hours yet somehow the bar is still open. In reality it would be somewhere around 6 AM the next day.