A quick two hour cruise brought us to the wonderfully cool and vibrant city of Burlington, Vermont. Unfortunately, it poured rain the entire trip. We took a mooring ball at the Burlington Community Boathouse thinking that because we were arriving on July 1 we would be able to stay through the 4th and see the fireworks. We knew that the marina was booked for the holiday but hoped that the first come first served mooring balls would do the trick. No such luck – it’s the only time of the year that the mooring balls are reserved – so we would have to find another place to stay on July 3, the night of the fireworks.
Jonny had two doctors’ appointments in Burlington so our plan was to dinghy in, take the free bus to the University of Vermont Medical Center and explore the town. Nature did not agree with our plan since it continued to pour. As we donned our “wets” we decided that it was ridiculous for us to dinghy in the pouring rain, come back to a dinghy full of water and take it back to the boat at 7 p.m. when we were done. Why not just stay at the marina? So we took off our rain coats and headed into the marina. Wouldn’t you know that as soon as we arrived the sun came out!
That evening and the next day we explored Burlington on foot. It’s a great town with lots of cool outdoor sport stores, great restaurants and a thriving craft beer culture. The downtown area has great architecture and a pedestrian-only street a la Lincoln Rd. in Miami Beach. The people are very friendly and diverse. There are several colleges in Burlington so the presence of lots of students also adds a youthful vibe to the city.
This is also the home of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which of course we had to sample. Ben and Jerry’s is such an institution in town that there’s a street named Cherry Garcia!
On Tuesday, we met Michael Goldfield for a beer. Michael is an old friend of Lynn’s who she’s known since junior high. They hadn’t seen each other in years so it was a real treat to catch up with each other. Michael invited us to meet him and his girlfriend in their home in Acadia National Park in Maine when we get there. Definitely something to look forward to! While we were waiting for Michael we saw a seaplane land and dock at the marina - a first for us!
We ate at two very good local restaurants in town and look forward to returning in just a few days when we have to pick up the new chain to replace what we lost with our anchor.
The next morning we headed out for more explorations of beautiful Lake Champlain.
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