Snowy Range Pass

Snowy Range Pass

Monday, August 08, 2011

Our first ever visit to Vermont



















We have moved on to the islands of Lake Chaplain in Vermont, the green mountain state. The Apple Island resort is on the lake shore and has park models, RVs and tents. It is a large facility with a pool, activities, full hookups and free WI-FI.

The largest city in Vermont, Burlington, is a short drive across a causeway. The city is known for the large university campus and historic architecture. In its earliest days, the city strived on the commerce that was provided by the ready transportation of the lake. Today, commercial traffic on the lake is nearly gone, but it continues to be an important part of the life of Burlington and the towns along its shores. It is a huge recreation draw for folks from across the country and across the nearby border.

While not much discussed in schools, Lake Chaplain also played a vital role in the victory over the English during the Revolutionary war. It is a fascinating story involving several of the famous characters of the revolution- Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold. Too long for this blog, for those interested I recommend the linked site.

Over two days we took an enjoyable narrated boat tour of the lake and walked the streets of downtown Burlington. The boat was nearly new and had very few people onboard, so we could move around freely. As luck would have it, they were having a festival of fools on the main walking street with all the restaurants, shopping and nightlife. It actually reminded us of a typical shopping street in the Netherlands.

10 comments:

Gail Houle said...

Love Vermont and really enjoy Burlington. We usually spend a day there each time we go to NY. It's a quick ferry ride across Lake Champlain. Glad you were able to visit.

Diana said...

Thanks for the tour - Vermont is one of the 3 states I haven't been to, so it is much appreciated.

Erin said...

Except for staying overnight in Stowe on our way down from Quebec, we've not seen much of Vermont; I see we'll need to make sure we do.

Travels with Emma said...

How nice that the festival was going on while you were there.

Rick said...

Nice looking place. It was great to hear a bit about Vermont as one seldom does!

Sue and Doug said...

Vermont is very picturesque!..great tour..I think this is the first blog post that I have read where someone had been to Vermont!!

Jerry and Suzy said...

I guess I must have been fooled! I was looking for pictures of fools at the Festival of Fools. All I saw were people eating B&J ice cream. But what a neat place to visit. We'll not likely ever get to Vermont, so we'll be following your trip with great interest!

Paul and Marti Dahl said...

Nice picture of the Coast Guard boat. I suppose there not too many better places to be stationed!

Gypsy said...

I love Vermont. When I think of Burlington the first thing that comes to mind is the Burlington Coat Factory, and their wonderful raincoats.

Kevin Read said...

Glad you made it to Burlington. We thought is was a pretty little town. Pretty busy when we were there. We really enjoyed the bike trail along the lakeshore.

Kevin and Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com