Our 44th State.......

7:47 am - Sunday - September 23rd - Burlington, VT - 43º F, 92% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the east by southeast.....clear, blue skies with a forecast high today of 66º F.

About 13 years ago we passed through Burlington, VT in a rental car returning from Granby, Quebec where we had been on a week long bicycle tour with good friends.  We were there to take the ferry across Lake Champlain back into New York.  While we waited for the ferry we walked around downtown for about an hour.  I've always wanted to come back to Burlington to spend more time exploring her sites, restaurants, history, and bike paths.  We have a finite amount of time to spend in each state on our 5 week journey to Campbellsville, KY and what better representative of Vermont than Burlington?

We knew we would have some wind along US -2 on Saturday, but the skies were partly cloudy, which makes for great driving weather.  As we merged back on to US-2 we could feel the wind a little, but driving 45-50 mph for most of the day I did not really notice the wind, and once we were in Vermont the wind was almost non-existent.......

.....US-2 is pretty much two way traffic with a maximum speed limit of 50 mph for most of the day.  I hovered between 45 and 50 mph due to the narrowness of the road and lack of anything resembling a 'shoulder'......

......for the first 98 miles of our 144 mile day we were continually going up and down as we wound our way through the western edge of the White Mountains.....

 ......the grades varied between 5 and 8% during that 98 miles, which made for some nice views....TLE had her phone camera out taking one picture after another.....

.......at last we came to Interstate 89 in the state capital of Montpelier, VT, and there right near the Interstate on ramp was the Capitol building, or State House as it is referred to locally.  We had just 46 miles to go and 37 of it would be on Interstate 89.....a nice, wide highway and not many hills.....

Capitol Building in Montpelier, VT undergoing some restoration

.....we exited Interstate 89 in the little town of Wisnooki with about 9 miles to go of cross town driving remaining.  The roads continued to be quite narrow, but navigable, and in good condition.  Before long we were turning into the Burlington, VT Elks Lodge, # 916....

Elks Lodge # 916 (Internet picture)

......they have a large grass area in back with 30 amp hookups for two RV's, and guess what?  We got the last site!  The time was about 1:30 pm, and it was getting cold quickly.

 Our home for the next 5 days

By 2:30 pm we were set up, and watching round three of the Tour Championship golf tournament.  Tiger's twosome was the last to tee off and he proceeded to birdie 6 of the first 7 holes to go 13 under par with a 5 stroke lead.....unbelievable.....it was vintage Tiger Woods, and we loved it.  He ended up at 12 under par with a 3 stroke lead after 54 holes.....the first time he has had the 54 hole lead in 5 years......could this be the weekend he gets win # 80?  We'll find out Sunday for sure!

While I do not like navigating extremely narrow roads for 90+ miles I have to say how much we both enjoyed meandering through the New Hampshire and Vermont countryside on US-2.  Sure, driving the Interstate is faster, and easier, but you will miss a lot of beautiful scenery, cute little towns, and it's easy to take it all in at 45-50 mph.  The most important thing to report for Saturday is that our entire drive was without incident.  The Newell continues to run well.  The coolant temperatures remained in the low 180's for entire 144 mile drive, which is exactly where you wish to see them.  The transmission and oil temps barely hit 180.  I am really enjoying and appreciating our Garmin Trucker GPS.  It continues to keep us on roads which will accommodate our 62' length and 12 foot height, and it's verbal directions are easy to understand and follow.....for what more could one ask?

By the way, a good friend of ours, Steven Dempsey (The Chouters), has released a short movie called 'An Uncluttered World' which beautifully, and completely describes this nomadic lifestyle we enjoy.....please watch and be amazed, enthralled and enticed....

Thanks for stopping by!

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