HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, EVERYONE!
Day 46 – It rained last night, 58 degrees this morning, some sun & some clouds, breezy & beautiful out. We debated whether to go kayaking on the Lamoille River or to take a drive. The drive won out; we’ll do the kayaking tomorrow.
Before 11 a.m. we got on the ferry that travels from Grand Isle to Plattsburgh, NY. The departure point was only a few minutes from where we were camping. Fifteen minutes later we arrived in New York. We decided to stay as close to Lake Champlain as possible, so spent the entire day on fairly narrow two-lane roads. Traffic was light because it appeared everyone was at a picnic/party/4th of July celebration instead of being on the roads. Flags were waving; people were having a great time. The smell of barbecues was in the air. We took some pictures at places we stopped and along the drive, some signs, and a couple of pictures from the ferry. We did see a small bird of prey swoop down chasing after a chipmunk, but it happened too fast for us to get a picture. We saw Egrets, a Great Blue Heron, Swallows, Cormorants and various ducks & their babies, Canada Geese & their babies, plus the standard farm animals, and everything from a small trailer to cute camps to elaborate mansions along Lake Champlain. Several Osprey had nests along the road by a corn field and near a marsh. There were chicks in the nests and the parents were bringing them food from the fields & feeding them. We drove through several parks – including Point Au Roche State Park in NY, Killkare State Park, and Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, both in Vermont, checking out boat launches for future kayaking trips. Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
We got back to the RV around 4:30 p.m. after making a loop from Plattsburgh, NY north to Rouses Point near the Quebec border, taking the bridge over the Lake heading east to the top of the Islands in Vermont near Alburg, then continuing east across another bridge to mainland Vermont to Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, then turning south along Lake Champlain to Route 2, and back over the causeway to Grand Isle & the campground. We stopped for a late lunch at the only place we could find that was open in these small towns – Sandy’s Pizza & Sandwiches in Rouses Point. We ordered Fish Sandwiches & ate outside. They were very good & surprisingly large, big enough that we don’t think we’ll be having dinner tonight. It was warm and partly sunny. The high today was 71 degrees, breezy. The girls have been sleepy-heads. Since it has cooled down & we have electricity, we’ve plugged back in their heated pads. This makes them very content!
In the evening after it got dark enough, we walked to the landing and watched the fireworks from the Plattsburgh, NY side of Lake Champlain. Although the fireworks were some distance away, Rob got some pictures. I got lots of mosquito bites.
When we were at Coleman State Park in New Hampshire, we recorded Loons calling. We finally got around to processing the file, and here it is if you want to listen to it.