Tues, Wed, June 20,21 Westport to Burlington VT

Tues, Wed, June 20,21  Westport to Burlington VT

We exited Westport in the sunshine and did a little exploring into Partridge Harbor.  This is a deep anchorage with rock walls, deep water, and trees to tie off to.  We enjoyed the scenery and green shoreline,  As we neared our destination, a weather front started to push through.  Just like in Lake Michigan, sometimes the safest place during a rainstorm is on the water, so that is where we stayed.  We could see the rain falling up ahead, and soon we were right in the middle of the downpour.  We stayed on the lake as the rain blew through, then made it safely into the Burlington Boat house right on the  shore in Burlington.  With the sun now out, we headed up the hill into the town.  Burlington is the home of the U of Vt, so the town is quite nice.  Church street is a commercial mall area with storefronts and restaurants along the 4 block walking area.  Of course Tom had to taste some of the local fares which included Tongs Chinese Dumpllngs - yum yum.  There were also breweries in this college town so a beer is always a welcome refreshment.  

Burlington is located directly on the waterfront and takes full advantage of its location  There is a skate park, fitness stations, community boating area and a walking/bike path.  We rode the bikes path for 8 miles and enjoyed the community and the water views.  In the evening on both nights, dragon-boats (canoes housing 16-18 oarsman) practiced on the water inside the breakwall.  One evening there were 7 boats all practicing which lead us to believe a race was coming up, probably over the weekend and holiday.  It was interesting to watch them practice and hear them too.

 

the rain front we encountered on our way into Burlington, Vt

A street vendor on Church Street. This was her last day as
she was opening a real store front around the corner

The Boathouse Marina, a municipally run marina in downtown
Burlington

Dragon boat practice

A bridge on our 8 mille bike ride

One of the many sculptures along the bike path. The community
spends a lot of money on their outdoor activity venues

One of the many car ferries crossing Lake Champlain. It is the
only way to cross the lake unless you want to drive all the way
around. There are no  bridges crossing the lake.

Leaving Burlington

The beautiful scenery along Lake Champlain