Day 19 – Lake Champlain Loop Part 2

Beth Bankhead

16 years ago

Day 19 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Burlington, Vermont

Ahhh…the sun! I’d almost forgotten what it looked like after a week on the road in soggy weather. I had to spend a few minutes hunting for my sunglasses! Today, I continued my drive south along the east side of Lake Champlain in Vermont. My first stop was in Burlington. Bundled up in jeans, a fleece and windbreaker, I wandered the pedestrian-only streets and browsed the farmers market.

I couldn’t help but think of my niece and nephew, Mollie and Sam. Being from Steamboat Springs, they would be walking around in shorts and a T-shirt without shoes in 46 degree weather. I, on the other hand, returned to VANilla’s heater after an hour in the cold and headed to Shelburne Farms.

Shelburne Farms

Shelburne Farms was the country estate of William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb. Built in 1886, it includes a Farm Barn, Breeding Barn, Coach Barn, and Shelburne House on 3,800 acres. Today it is known for its cheeses, so I took a tractor ride along with other visitors up to the cheese making factory where we watched the cheese processing and enjoyed a tasting.

After visiting the cheese factory, I spend a short time with the barnyard animals and then hiked up Lone Tree trail to the highest point on the property. At the top of the hill, I helped myself to an apple from the apple tree as I enjoyed the panoramic view of Lake Champlain.

Upon my return to the farm area, I met Dan and Kate. Dan was visiting Kate for parents weekend at the University of Vermont, where she is a first year student majoring in Environmental Science. Dan was a corporate lawyer for the NYSE and for the last few years has been acting in plays, commercials, and the like. He is currently working on a TV pilot called B Sharp about music. It would be cool if it became a hit. I’m glad they took a detour from the University activities because it was really fun to meet them.

Mt. Philo State Park

Further south on the Lake Champlain Loop, is Mt. Philo State Park. Here, Scout, Petey, and I hiked a mile up to the top of the mountain, two miles round trip. This extremely popular trail was a little steep and rocky, but the summit afforded magnificent views of the lake and surrounding mountains in New York. It is supposed to be especially nice at sunset.

Button Bay State Park

After the hike, we continued along the Lake Champlain scenic drive through Vergennes, Vermont’s smallest chartered city, to Button Bay State Park. Upon pulling into my campsite, I met Kord, also a Eurovan owner. He is from Georgia, has been traveling for 6 weeks, and is camping with his kids for his birthday weekend. He had a nice fire going and invited me over to watch the sunset. Until tomorrow…ETB

Map of My Road Trip Across the USA

For a summary about my road trip across the USA, click HERE. For the interactive map, see the below link.