Christopher, Teresa and Owen picked us up and off to downtown Burlington we went. There was a farmer's market in the park area - we tried Teresa's favorite: chocolate bagels! It was definitely good but I'm not sure it something I'd want too often :-) There was also a Festival of Fools going on with a really tall guy walking around and a sort of trapeze show which involved a guy looking for his dreams. He needed both hope and clarity (the two ladies of course) in order to find his dreams. It was quite strange but lunch was great.
Back to their house where we met Roxie the boxer. She was very friendly once she decided we were ok. Steve found a giant tennis ball in the garage - I think I could probably hit one this size! We used their car to go a bit of shopping (while Owen took his nap) and then Chris was kind enough to run us back to Burlington to the dinghy. Guess it was either that or we were going to stay with them! Also Teresa did a great job of finding a place for us to have our scuba tanks refilled. Not that we expect a repeat of the stump incident but it is nice to know we have full air tank. It was great to see the Scott Family in Burlington - thanks for a wonder time!!
We had moved from our anchorage early in the day and were fortunate to pick up a mooring ball (couldn't get reservations for the marina) so it was just a short dingy ride to the boat. And with the 20 mph winds last night, we were happy to be not anchored out!
Spotted this morning: a Flxible private coach. If you saw RV, this is what the "Happy Family" rode around in (can't remember their name - stated with a G I think). It was pretty neat - and I assume was made in Loudonville at the Flxible plant many years ago. This is the Burlington harbor and one of the two dinghy docks. We took a quick ride around the harbor and found the dragon boats were racing. Some of the drum beaters were dressed in very ornate costumes.
Also seen was the sailboat Lois McClure which is a part of the maritime museum here. Unfortunately it's closed this year for renovations so we didn't get to see it. Steve gave the deck a quick swabbing since it was wet from the rain last night (note the proximity of the breakwall in the backgound - yikes!) and we were on our way.
It was very cloudy, overcast and dark skies around when we left but the water was very smooth. I'll trade the smooth water for the sun any day! Tomorrow is supposed to be 1 - 3 foot waves. Looking behind us is the very wide part of Lake Champlain. At it's southern end (where we are headed it becomes quite narrow and eventually will be joining the Hudson River by way of the Champlain Canal.
Our destination for tonight was Vergennes - a small town 7 miles up the Otter River. It wasn't quite what we expected as the river was as muddy as any we have been on. Lots of osprey, cranes, kingfishers and beaver huts but it wasn't anywhere clear enough to see the bottom. But the kayaks made it off the boat for a quick paddle up to the really fun waterfall near town. In theory there are lights on it at night - we'll see. This is actually where the Americans built their fleet of warships during the War of 1812 as it was very easy to defend being so far upriver. The British built their ships at the north end of Lake Champlain. Guess the American won the battle of Lake Champlain since it's now the border of Vermont and NY!
Just to clarify, they are chocolate croissants! It was a lot of fun to see you guys and thanks for the boat ride and cooking us dinner those couple nights. Owen is still asking about you and the boat! That picture you got of him laughing at Steve in the water was "truly amazing"
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