On the road out from the marina. Not just the mountains are green. Vermont is aptly named.

Our first weekend in Vermont would be the first of four where Benj and Lily (together and separately) played taxi/chauffeur/tour guide and a fine job they did too! We became very familiar with the roads to Rte 7 which is the main road between Middlebury and Burlington (and more), watched for the sheep grazing in between the rows of panels at the huge solar farm and basically enjoyed classic Vermont scenery.

I have a poor luck with Farm Markets; either miss them, forget about them or struggle to buy anything. However, I’d prepared for the Middlebury one which just this season had moved to a larger and more accessible spot on Exchange St.

The Elmer Farm booth at the Saturday Middlebury Farm Market

Checked out the Co-Op where they are nearing completion on a mega-expansion (in a small footprint way). Very exciting time. Benj and Lily can’t walk through without being stopped by former co-workers, friends and people they know from having worked there. Many of these people know our story and/or have met us before so we always enjoy a shopping visit.

The Lobby got the nod for lunch as the food and drinks are top-notch, it is close by and they offer deck dining overlooking Otter Creek.  Middlebury does not lack for mouth-watering dining and drinking options,  and we made sure to hit as many as possible over our four-week Lake stay.

Lily took us on a tour of HOPE the non-profit food shelf organization where she works- both behind a desk and out in the fields gleaning excess veggies and fruits from local farms. And yes, Elmer Farm too. 🙂

Lily works for HOPE.  We think HOPE is lucky to have her.

Maybe you are wondering who Laurie #1 is and does that mean a Laurie #2 exists? For the purposes of this post and a near-future one, we do have Lauries 1 and 2. You’ll figure it out.

Did you know that Rhode Island is the only state to celebrate V-J Day (Victory over Japan)? And that means a day off, just like with Labor Day, only in August. Lily’s parents, Martin and Laurie 🙂 planned to come up to camp (as in camping) for the weekend so we’d get to see them first time in a couple of years (I think). Excellent planning Bradburns!

Burlington got the nod and off we went in two cars. Benj wanted to hit The Gear Xchange which made me happy because with his birthday coming up and gifts yet to be obtained, this would give us a chance to either have him find something or buy a gift card. Done!

Vinyl’s been making a comeback; for longer than we’d realized, so how great is that?

Oh look a record shop- real vinyl. One of two in Burlington

Laurie-  “Now where is Martin?” and that is not he behind her. He’s intently searching for albums!

Citizen Cider was a jumping place on this lovely, warm Sunday afternoon. Six peeps, yep we found a table. Hard cider flights, individually, or crafted into delicious libations; something for everyone.

Citizen Cider: L to R- water, flight and LLC SoundSystem

My LLC SoundSystem was so excellent, I needed two! Food is served here too and nothing lacked in creativity. Even if you aren’t a vegetarian or desire gluten-free you can hardly go wrong with one of those choices; they are just that good at nearly every Vermont eatery. Mega-calorie burning guys need their protein and carbs though.

Pastrami for Benj, fried avocado tacos for me. This was lunch!

We walked down to the waterfront, Russ & I scoping out the moorings for a possible stop via Twin Sisters.

The time until dinner- boy these youngsters sure can eat!-was filled differently for each family group of three. We hung out aboard with Benj then met the others at Mr Ups in Middlebury.

Happy families prepare to drink and dine again!

Whew, more driving. Already though we are rackin’ up serious family time and getting to be with Lily more than usual.

The coming week held promise for a multi-stop Lake tour. Probably north. Stay tuned.

Looking back into Lock C12 at Whitehall as we exit

The final leg, yippee!! For so many reasons I’m very happy. Russ too most likely. Right off the bat we dealt with our final bridges and Lock C12. The remaining 45 nm would be pleasant and my camera clicked away. I’d pay for that later, with so many more photos to download and edit.

Roughly one mile north of the lock we came upon the Poultney River indicating that the Vermont border would now be to our east.

Poultney River- so that means VT on our right

And on the left, New York

Herons and egrets could be spotted on both shores with regularity and fishermen proved what osprey knew- fish on!

Hopeful Heron

Fishermen mean fish and thus, Osprey. Western shore- so NY

Precise landing

Regal eagle

The chart showed us a new term, “drowned lands.”

As opposed to, say, flooded?

Drowned Land- the section behind and to the left of the green grassy stuff

Surprised by these orange paddle wheel/boat machines as we came around a bend. What the heck? Some quick research along with confirming info obtained at the Maritime Museum, told the story. Gotta get these plants at a certain time to make the effort effective, but from what we read it’s a losing battle. But hey, what a cool ride!

Mechanical paddle wheel harvester removes invasive water chestnuts

Water chestnut removal took place about 3nm north of the Whitehall Lock

A bit further north we saw this kayak team enjoying a paddle and helping the cause.

Kayak team goes after the water chestnut too

Fort Ticonderoga (Fort Ti in local-speak) sits high up on New York’s shore. You can see why this was an ideal perch for a fort. The fort has been completely rebuilt; some of the original stone was used to build the walls and sturdy foundations of impressive homes we spotted along both shores.  I visited Fort Ti as a child with my parents. Probably on the same trip as Lake George where I remember we rented a small power boat (the kind now displayed at a vintage boat show) and my Mom drove- fast!

Fort Ti. Boaters can anchor nearby on either shore

One can cross from the Vermont side in style, but passengers only. Docks near the fort.

Stylish vintage ferry to Fort Ti

Most will want to cross back and forth in their auto, so you take the cable ferry. It never deviates from the path. Stable enough in all weather. A small tug sits alongside at the ferry’s midpoint to assist.

Don’t pass too close in front of or behind the cable ferry

Picturesque Vermont shore

Crown Point Bridge- the only bridge across Lake Champlain. At the narrow spot of course.

We’d hoped to anchor off Crown Point State Park for lunch but pushed on, not wanting to use one more ounce of diesel than necessary. Fumes I tell you. Perhaps on the return trip we can stop.

We spent a few nights in the RV a couple of year ago….right up there

We quickly got the message that sailboats ruled the roost in the Lake; sure makes sense.

Sails outnumber powers by a WIDE margin- here, there and everywhere on the Lake

We fueled up and pumped out at the marina fuel dock. Their diesel price is very reasonable $2.49/gal considering they have no competition for miles. A ferry runs between Charlotte and Essex, NY, more recently it began operating all year.

On the right, see the circled 1, it points to Point Bay Marina, our home base for the next 4 weeks

Extra happiness arrived Thursday when Benj and Lily arrived bearing farm fresh veggies and flowers from Elmer Farm where Benj works in summer.

Gorgeous fly bridge time with dear ones

Very light and variable breeze permitted hanging out up top. Don’t we look so happy? Could this get much better? Wait and see.