Sept 24 Day 13

 Sept 24 

Day 13

Burlington VT

Miles 78

Dianne said she had withdraws so after dinner we hiked to the DQ in Molane.  Molane currently is cow town with lots of feeding lots and huge piles of manure.  It used to be a mining center and I think a lumber center as well, as we did pass several old saw mills in the area.  The train station is there still but the rails are gone.  

This morning was cloudy and cold but before I finished packing the bikes it became warmer so I decided to ride without jacket. About 2 hours in the clouds came back and were close to the lake and I was cold so I stop and on went the jacket.  That made the ride better!

The ride today was mainly due east with little change of scenery except less horse dropping and farms looked a lot more prosperous.  The route included a ferry ride across Lake Champlain and that was fun.  

Lake Champlain was first seen by Europeans by Champlain in 1609.  He arrived with his Huron friends and fought a group of Iroquois Indians even though out number the muskets scared the Iroquois off and made them the enemy of the french.  Then after the war of Independence many of the islands on the lake were given to the Green Mountain Men lead by Allen.  On the Vermont side of the lake we saw at least one Wedding venue and 2 or 3 vineyards and wineries.  It was very picturesque.  Although we watched Champ the Lake Champlain equivalent of Lock Nest Nesttee we did not she it.  OH well if we had and gotten the picture no one would have believed me anyways.  

Burlington is University town and it have that vibe to it.  A street blocked to traffic where people wonder from store to restaurants with their dogs if they want to.  It is also home coming week I think as hotels were outrageous in pricing and buses were every where downtown.  That is reason I guess we had to book a hostel, called My Cousin’s place.  We have a separate room but share a bath.   Not perfect but workable.  

Count 

• 68 trucks (we were on a lot of state highways)
• 34 hay fields, 18 corn fields 
• 7 herds of free range cattle
• no horse today at all 
• 3 abandoned home and only one bad barm but it. looked like it was partly used
• 7 motorcycles 
• 5 churches while riding and 3 more here
• 1 historic red school house and 2 other schools
• 7 horse droppings
• 1 cat
• 4 dogs
• No lawn mowers a surprise
• 3 windmill farms 2 solar panels
• 2 tractors, 1 cow crossing sign, 1 horse sign, 
• 2 tractor signs
• 3 snow plow turn around signs and 2 watch for blowing snow signs
• 6 bridges
• 2 police cars