HOLIDAY CROWDS.
Day 47 – It was 60 degrees this morning, sunny & breezy. Looking like a beautiful day! We went kayaking on the Lamoille River from a boat launch we’d found when scouting the area. When we drove to the boat launch, we passed a very long line of cars waiting to get into Sand Bar State Park, which has a huge picnicking area, a nice beach, and it’s right on Lake Champlain. The boat launch was also crowded with cars & trucks lined up unloading fishing boats & kayaks. There were still several parking places left. We got there just in time.
We were in the water by 10:45 a.m. Most of the boaters headed down river, so to avoid the others, we went up river. It was warming up quickly. Ducks were sunning themselves on a deck. We paddled on, but it got noisier with traffic sounds and we saw the busy Route 2 bridge ahead of us. Rather than go under the bridge and be in more populated areas, we turned around and paddled in the opposite direction. We saw Kingfishers, Black Ducks, Dragonflies, a Red-Tailed Hawk, and a very small turtle (it seems turtles come out later in the day). Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
Even though we did encounter more people in boats by going down river, there were almost no homes or people by the shore on either side of the river. One side was part of the Sand Bar Wildlife Management Area. Almost all of the people on the river were people fishing from small boats or fishing kayaks. Two people were Stand-up Paddle Boarding; and two people were Sculling. (Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving the oars through the water on both sides of the craft at the same time. A long narrow boat with a sliding seat rigged with two oars per rower is referred to as a scull.)
It was 80 degrees when we got back to the boat launch. People were still lined up to launch boats. There was a fairly constant stream of people coming in and people leaving. Even though there were a huge amount of people at the State Park and boat launch sites AND traffic was heavy coming to the Islands & leaving the Islands, most of the restaurants were closed (probably because it was a Monday, but we were surprised they weren’t open on such a busy holiday). We stopped for sandwiches to go at one place that was open and the parking lot was crowded, Wally’s Bagels & Breads. We brought our sandwiches back to the RV for a late lunch. They were sold out of bagels, unfortunately, but our sandwiches were excellent, and we would definitely go back again. Rob had “the Manhattan” (smoked salmon, red onion, tomato, cream cheese, & capers on homemade sour dough bread), and I had “the Primo Pesto” without the standard turkey it came with (provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, & lots of pesto on homemade honey wheat bread). We split a small side of potato salad.
The girls were sleeping soundly when we got back, and their lazy ways continued through the afternoon. At one point, three of them were lined up sleeping on Rob. So comfortable on an already-warm summer day.
The sun was relentlessly heating the dashboard of the RV in the afternoon, so we pulled the drapes shut. The RV is facing the west at this campground, and it’s been no issue at all most days since only a few reached over 80 degrees. We sat outside under the huge maple tree and read our books; it was cooler out there. With all the heat that people across the country have been enduring, so far we can’t complain about the weather on this trip. The campground has been quite pleasant: quiet but friendly people, and most campsites have a decent amount of privacy with most sites being nestled under or around large trees. Everything is kept very clean & immaculately maintained. Very different from most private campgrounds where campers are just lined up like in a parking lot. Having full hook-ups doesn’t hurt either, LOL. We will have another stretch after leaving Vermont of State Parks with no hook-ups. We are fully equipped for that, yes, but a little luxury is welcome. Grin.
After dinner, we again sat outside under the maple tree until after 8 p.m. Very pleasant out. Fellow campers stopped by to ask how many cats we had; they’d seen the girls on the dashboard earlier, showing off.