Fort Ticonderoga, NY to Burlington VT

Here I have skipped a couple days and find myself closer to Burlington, and in a much better mood.

Driving through the Adirondack Mountains I came upon a sign announcing the turn to Fort Ticonderoga. This was compelling news for the winding road seemed never to end.

Fort Ticonderoga, even now a remote redoubt in the middle of nowhere, figured significantly in the American Revolutionary War. How could that be? Like Bunker Hill and "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" it served as an iconic moment in that storied era.  Patriot Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys aided by Col. Benedict Arnold captured the Fort from a small garrison of British soldiers on May 10, 1775. It marked the first victory of the Patriots over the British, and boosted morale. The huge cannons were dragged to Boston and deployed in the successful siege of Boston which forced General Howe the British commander to retreat to Halifax, a British stronghold..

Overlooking the waters below Lake Champlain.

Preferring the drive along Lake Champlain, I remained on the New York side, took the bridge from Fort Crown Point into Vermont.

Here's some detail on Fort Crown Point:

"Crown Point State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the ruins of two fortifications from the colonial wars between the British and French. Long before the American Revolution these colonial powers both laid claim to the Champlain Valley and this strategically important peninsula known as Crown Point. The French built Fort St. Frederic here between 1734 and 1737 and used it as a base for raids on British settlements in New York and New England. Read More"


I previously arranged a visit with friends Margo White and Ken Axelson who once lived on a sailboat in the nearby waters of San Francisco Bay, but now for many year have lived in Burlington, Vermont. Margo's family of the Belfast, Maine coastal town was "adopted" by Anna in her early college years. Here's Margo, the Swank Tank, and their very comfortable upstairs porch. We are on our way to hear a concert at the Lakeside Park.

Click this photo to hear the band

Ken & Margo at the concert

Feeling a bit barn sour, I decided to leave for brother Richard's home in Rumford. I called and he said he'd still be up, so after a nice Japanese dinner in Burlington, I shipped out  on the 177 mile drive over to Rich's home arriving around 10:30 pm. We finished off a bottle of wine and chatted into the night.



The following day, upta Camp, I felt I’d arrived.