Thursday, May 18, 2017

Day 94 – Another hot & windy day is forecast for today, but this morning was lovely. All the windows were opened & a wonderful breeze was blowing in from the Lake. Around 11 a.m. we left to get a few supplies at a local store recommended by our friend, Cathie. She was right about Keeler Bay Variety Store, (it was hard to find at first; it’s located at the Citgo Gas Station at Keeler Bay, and it was an amazingly well-stocked little store with fresh vegetables & fruit, local meats, freshly made sandwiches and local foods, plus liquor, beer, wine, and importantly  all the basic groceries one might need). We’d tried twice to find the store, not knowing it was at the Citgo, but it’ll definitely save us trips to Burlington in the future. Thanks, Cathie.

We took backroads to get there because we also wanted to see the 3-1/2 mile long Colchester Causeway for bikers & runners that crosses from South Hero Island to the mainland and back again. The Causeway allows people to bike or walk in either direction across Lake Champlain without the disturbance & danger of vehicular traffic. The only hitch is that the causeway stops part way over the Lake at “The Cut” which is a 200-foot passageway for ships and boats to get thru, and there’s a ferry which hauls the bikes and passengers back & forth from one side of The Cut to the other. The ferry is open from mid-May to Columbus Day; it is still closed but opens soon. It costs, but the rest of the Bicycle Trail, the Island Line Trail, is free & it stretches from below Oakledge Park in Burlington to Martin Road on South Hero Island, a total of more than 13 miles one way. (You can also bike North from Martin Road to the ferry crossing near the campground which takes you over to Plattsburgh, NY, and then ride South along Lake Champlain to the Port Kent/Burlington ferry, creating a much-larger loop ride.)  Along the Island Line Trail, there are periodic rest stops for the bikers and parking lots so that people can leave their cars and get on the Trail at several different points along the way. People are also able to bike on the main road from the Islands to the mainland all year on Route 2, which is the most direct way for vehicles to get to Burlington. Vermont is VERY bike & pedestrian friendly.

Meandering along we stumbled upon White’s Beach & across from it, hundreds of brightly-colored birdhouses attached to the trees, with tree swallows flying in & out of the birdhouses. In the trees, just beyond where most of the birdhouses were located, there were 3 large dinosaur statues. (We googled the “birdhouses on W Shore Rd” and found a story about a man & his wife who live there who wanted to sit outside & enjoy the scenery, but it was difficult because of all the mosquitoes. He liked to do woodworking & liked to make the birdhouses, hanging a few up in the nearby trees. Then they noticed the mosquito population was decreasing & found the birdhouses were a popular nesting place for tree swallows (who love to eat mosquitoes). She suggested they paint them bright colors and he kept making more & hanging them up. The birds nested & now they don’t have a mosquito problem & can sit outside whenever they want.)

Birdhouse Forest near White’s Beach, South Hero, VT

Birdhouse Forest near White’s Beach, South Hero, VT

We went back to the RV, read our books, took a nap; it was warm out, 84 degrees and windy. Later we went out to dinner at a fantastic restaurant, The Blue Paddle Bistro. The food and service were excellent – so good that we made reservations for Saturday night, also. The restaurant has been open for 11 years and is owned & operated by two local women, one of them is the chef who had worked & trained in NYC. Fresh local ingredients, a menu which varies depending on what’s available and in season, and a local following (who invested in the two women, buying the house where they set up the restaurant & funding them initially). The description which follows is especially for Carol & Mark T:  Rob had a local beer, Blue Paddle Ale & I had the Smoky Spicy Margarita. We split a bowl of the soup of the day, Cream of Mushroom Soup, then moved on to two entrees which we also split – 4 huge scallops broiled with a maple chili glaze with a spicy black bean, corn, tomato mixture, and the butternut squash ravioli topped with sliced apples in a maple cream sauce with walnuts & cranberries. Finally we finished by splitting the bourbon pecan pie, heated & served with fresh whipped cream & vanilla bean ice cream. Everything was Purrrfect! Now we can’t wait till Saturday. Blue Paddle Bistro, 316 US Route 2, South Hero, VT 05486, (802) 372-4814.