Burlington and Montpelier, VT

I was able to get out of the campground before 7:30 to avoid the early morning rain. I was headed for Burlington, VT on the other side of Lake Champlain. I’ve wanted to ride the loop around Lake Champlain for years. Depending on which route you take, it’s usually around 350 miles over 6 days. If you use a guide, they usually have a sag wagon to stow your gear. OK, I diverge.

I took NY 12 to Upper Jay which meanders through very rural parts of New York. The road at times was broken up with tight 35mph turns. I actually find that I need to slow down to the posted curve speeds because of all the weight in the car. At Upper Jay, I got onto NY 9N South to Elizabethtown, NY. This is a very scenic route with old barns, hay fields and streams running in front of a pine covered mountain backdrop. The Ausable River is wide and only a couple feet deep; a perfect trout fishing combination. There are many restaurants that are heavily populated, suggesting the meals must be good.

I took NY 59 to NY 22 on my way to the ferry at Essex, better known as the Lake Champlain Ferry. Google Maps took me to the ferry and told me exactly when I would arrive on the other side in Burlington VT. I guess this ferry runs on a very strict schedule. There were 12 vehicles on the ferry and 4 of them were Teslas. I obviously wasn’t the only vacationer as several of the license plates were from out-of-state. It was very overcast as I left the car and went to the bow of the ferry to take in the views. Periodically, birds would surface with a fish in their mouths. As the ferry approached, they lumber getting out of the water, belly heavy with a fresh catch. Several times a group of geese or ducks would fly by, low to the water. It took about 25 minutes to cross the 3 mile shot to Burlington.

Shelburne, VT: It’s about a 12 mile ride from the ferry to Burlington. I was stopped at a light in Shelburne and saw a sign that read, “delicious espresso and pastries“ in front of The Village Wine and Coffee Shop. I was hooked. I ordered a banana muffin and a latte which came with a perfect heart shape on top the foam. The staff were very friendly. Fortunately or unfortunately they didn’t have wifi, but they all suggested the library up the street was very nice and the wifi was free. I couldn’t help listening to the two men behind me discussing politics. They were discussing the local town candidates for office. Both agreeing and disagreeing about the qualifications of a couple candidates for selectmen. It was good to hear people discussing politics in an informed way and trying to understand each others point of view. It reminded me of the Swiss stammtisch.

The library wasn’t open yet, but a guy outside on a Mac Book told me the wifi worked outside. So, I sat down at one of the tables nearby to do a little work. When they opened, I went upstairs to a brand new library and worked for a few hours.

I’ve been to this area before, searching for a place to move, when we returned from Switzerland. Google took me on a strange route to the east of Burlington which took me through parts of the University of Vermont. It was freshmen checkin day and there were many cars laden with refrigerators, luggage, boxes, etc. Coming into town there are various parking lots and street parking. I parked near Nectars, a famous bar that my son’s band played at. The band Phish got its start here as did Grace Potter and many others. I remember we put a McLovins sticker on the back door. I went through the ally to checkout the back door but the sticker was either ripped off or covered over a more recent band. Such is the ways of the touring band scene.

Burlington is known for music and its alternative culture. In addition to all the liver music venues around town, there is a statue to Big Joe Burrell. The plaque in front reads, “The people of Burlington wish to express our gratitude to “Big” Joe Burrell for sharing his passion for life and for inspiring our city’s love of all music, especially Jazz and the Blues. Big Joe is our giant in “America’s greatest contribution to world culture,” and we are proud to be patrons of the evolving expression known as - “JAZZ”.

In other ways of expression, nudity is legal in most parts of Vermont.

I was searching for a sandwich at 3:30 in the afternoon and an employee in Kru Coffee suggested I try City Market a few blocks away. I asked a woman in the store where the sandwiches were and told her about my conversation at Kru Coffee. She said, “That must have been my good friend. Did she have blond hair?” She did. Small town. Anyway, the hummus wrap was perfect. City Market is a Coop and very integrated into the community.

You notice how people of all ages are just hanging out together.

Burlington is also know for its mall area, lined with shops restaurants and many street musicians. The rest of town has many coffee shops, breweries and sports shops.

I left Burlington on my way to my campground in New Hampshire, but along the way I noticed that Montpelier, VT was a few miles off my route. I’ve been to the capital before and took VT 2 to the capital. Unfortunately, the road was under construction and was dirt and stones for miles. I stopped in a field of lush green grass and very green mountains in the background. It was clear why the state is known as the Green Mountain State.

As you approach Montpelier, VT in the afternoon, the sun shines brightly on the capital dome. The town has a population of about 7,400 people. After visiting Albany, NY, there’s a large contrast between everything in the two capitals. This is a quaint little town where people are involved with their politics. The amount of money spent on the buildings, grounds and surroundings is limited. There’s a different statement being made here. There were no skateboards daring cars to hit them.

I left Montpelier on my way to the KOA campground in Littleton, NH. I knew they would be closing at 8 pm and Google Maps said I would arrive at 8:05. I called to let them know. They left the site information outside the office on the cork board. They gave me a site on the river and as I drove in it was quickly getting dark. The sky was so clear and filled with stars. The Milky Way Galaxy was slightly visible. I was able to get my first shot of the stars with my new camera. Clearly, I need to work on this a bit.

The campground is 100 yards from NH 302 and cars and trucks were coming by for two hours. Things quieted down and I fell asleep to the sound of a running river. No app needed…