Beauty and History

The Champlain Canal is one of the most peaceful and beautiful waterways I’ve experienced. Ever. It wanders through rural farmlands and a few small villages and hamlets, with the only water commerce being the gravel barges from the quarries near Fort Ann. Cows graze alongside the water, cranes and bald eagles are common, and turtles sunbathe on logs near the shore. The two-lane highway, U.S. Route 4, and the railway parallel the canal, occasionally crossing sides on relatively low bridges.

These are the bridges that caused us some anxiety with our air draft (our boat height). This is why Pete removed our radar and TV antennas. As we approached some of the bridges, Pete would throttle down to a slow pace, I would step onto the Igloo cooler behind our hardtop cover of the flybridge, and look ahead to asses our clearance. There were times that I could reach up and touch the girders, but we always made it under.

There was an occasional bass boat or small pleasure boat, but we were mostly alone on this idyllic stretch of our voyage. The only noise was the purr of our diesel engine broken by short comments about the incredible scenery. 

As we made our way north, we took full advantage of the free dock walls (with electricity and water) at Mechanicville, Fort Edward and Whitehall. What a great deal! These quaint villages relish visitors like us and we made sure to make purchases along the way. It was easy to unload our bikes and enjoy the flats and moderate hills as we picked up provisions. 

Just like Mechanicville, Fort Edward and Whitehall are steeped in early American history and reverent towards all veterans of war. Whitehall had a wonderful coffee shop called Historic Grounds (serving breakfast and lunch) and there is a Farmers Market on Tuesday afternoons next to the Community Center. While small, it offered hand-raised grass-fed beef, farm-fresh eggs, organic vegetables, and homemade breads and pastries.

We exited the Champlain Canal (at Lock C12) and headed to Fort Ticongeroga. We planned our anchorages to coincide with the prevailing winds. This meant we were on the south side of the peninsula on Wednesday (6/6) for a north wind, and on the north side on Thursday (6/7) for a south wind. Both nights were delightful, and the dark sky was full of twinkling stars. We motored the dinghy to the public dock Thursday and walked the 1.25 miles to the fort. The tour hosts were in period costume and gave a splendid oral history of Fort Ticonderoga. Like a cat with nine lives, the fort survived several changes in ownership, many fiery battles, was rebuilt several times, and is most celebrated for it’s pivotal role in the Revolutionary War. The King’s Garden, conceived of and developed by the philanthropic Pell Family (preservationists for the fort), was self-guided. There were thousands of flowers, every color of the rainbow, protected by an intricate but substantial brick surround wall. (It would certainly keep the deer out!)

We returned to the boat, tired and hungry, so a simple dinner would satisfy us as we penciled out our next 3-4 days. We were seriously ahead of schedule so we decided to enjoy the anchorage at Harbor Basin North Cove, in Vergennes, VT. After a short dinghy ride, we walked a quarter mile to visit The Lodge, Golf Course, Tennis Courts, Cottages and gardens. A charity luncheon was just finishing up and preparations for a Saturday wedding were evident. We snuck into the bar, got two glasses of wine, settled into the brightly colored Adirondack chairs and enjoyed the light breeze while overlooking the small harbor. 

Saturday, we loaded our bikes onto the dinghy and crossed the cove to visit the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Our tour started off with a history of the 1776 gunboat replica, Philadelphia II, and a canon firing. (“Good morning!”) The museum grounds have 16 buildings and serves as an archeological research center, an educational summer camp for teens, and offers courses in traditional ironwork and wood craftsmanship, to include boat building. During the visit, I gained some sympathy for Benedict Arnold, “the traitor,” after learning how the U.S. government disrespected his work and efforts to build the early navy and protect the American colonies. 

After the museum, we rode to the town of Vergennes, about 7 miles, for lunch. We found “Antidote,” the cafe attached to Hired Hands Brewery, and had a lovely meal on the outside deck. We took the riverfront path part of the way back, with a nice view of Vergennes Falls and a canopy of trees keeping us cool. 

Our last stop before returning to the boat was the Red Mill Restaurant where we met John, a local with extensive knowledge of Burlington and Montreal. He offered several suggestions and recommendations for food and entertainment in both cities. 

Back on the boat, we secured the bikes and the dinghy, then enjoyed the late afternoon and sunset. This portion of our trip, the Champlain Canal and lower Lake Champlain, has provided me with a deeper understanding of our early American history. It also has reminded me of how very fortunate I am to live in America, to pursue and realize my American dream, and to share my dream with a man of endless talent and a contagious sense of adventure.