Burlington to Grand Isle/North Hero

What a difference seven miles makes! After a breezy but perfectly delightful pull to the state campground on Grand Island/South Hero, I pulled in with 15 miles behind and thought, 'OK, this is the easy day I'd planned. Time to kick back, rest , read, swim, and sleep.'

Sadly, my assigned campsite was dark, too far from the boat, and the boat itself would have been perilously 'on the rocks' overnight. 

The Lone Ranger would never have left Trigger in such a state.

So ... I swam, ate a Hannaford 1/2 sub that had been bobbing in my cooler, and pressed on. Seven miles later, lightning struck twice. I pulled into Ladd's Landing Marina, a spot where Brian and I struck pay dirt seven years ago... and Emily Clark, co-proprietor with her husband Dan, saw me behind my COVID mask and called, 'Baltimore!' Unbelievable .... what a memory! She'd dug out sausages and rolls for Brian and me many years ago when we staggered ashore, starving, and I learned she's a Johns Hopkins grad and a good friend of a Boys' Latin colleague. Small world --- with a memory! 

So ... from a dark campsite to the light of fond memory ... only on a row!

Champlain revealed more of her beauty today ... and some of her challenges, too. The beauty of the broad vistas is remarkable. At one moment, with one turn of my head, I could take in Placid, Marcy, Mansfield, Sugarbush, Stowe ... and far to the North, Jay Peak. Simply breathtaking ... and a testament to cooler, dry, and less polluted air. 

I've also come to see that Lake Champlain residents, those on the lake, must mediate their connection to the lake through dramatically changing water levels and big, big waves. Stately and semi-permanent classic crib docks would be useless here; they'd either be high and dry, or swept away, or crushed like matchsticks. What a luxury we have in Lake George's relatively stable water level ... and no 50-mile fetches to gather enormous seas. Lake George boathouses have .... soul. Memory. There is nothing like it on Champlain. Metal docks, removable, and able to stand on rock, are the norm. And, moorings. A boat safely moored 50' or more from shore is common, and practical ... but it's not a Lake George boathouse! 

But oh, the views! The Adirondacks to the west, the Green Mountains to the East, pastoral scenes running up to the shore, One could say that Lake George, by comparison, seems claustrophobic, what with its mountains crowding the shore, its houses and camps clinging to small patches of land. One could say that, but I won't. I love 'em both. I am so lucky to see it all.

Gotta hit the hay soon.

Peace, love, happiness, and health!

Tomorrow, back, arms, and breezes willing - Canada!