Today started out overcast, but it wasn’t raining and the wind was still. We left Burlington at 9:00 AM and headed out onto the calm waters of Lake Champlain, which quickly revealed a problem. The heavy rains over the past two days had flushed large amounts of debris down the Winooski River and out onto the lake. We had to slow down and pick our way through a minefield of logs, sticks and weeds that were spread out in front of us. We only hit one object, with no damage.
We are near the widest (12 miles) and deepest (400 feet) part of Lake Champlain and recorded more than 330 feet on our depth sounder more than once. Local lore holds that there is an American version of the Loch Ness Monster in the lake. Sightings are regular occurrences, with the occasional photograph allegedly of “Champ”—the most famous is this one taken by Sandra Mansi while on vacation in July 1977.
We traveled 20 miles in three hours to Plattsburgh, NY, and tied up at the Plattsburgh Boat Basin. Map Link: Plattsburgh, NY. Founded by Zephaniah Platt in 1785, Plattsburgh prides itself on being the site of a key American military victory, and our first stop after lunch was the local War of 1812 Museum.
The War of 1812 is often called “America’s Forgotten War,” arguably for good reason. The outcome was ambiguous—two years of fighting produced no clear winner or loser and no territory was transferred. The British preserved their interests in Canada, while the Americans solidified their independence, with both sides declaring victory, and the two countries have never again taken up arms against each other. Fun fact: While Canada was granted independence from Great Britain in 1867, it wouldn’t adopt its own constitution and become fully independent until 1982.
As we left the museum, an elderly gentleman approached us and asked about our Brompton folding bicycles. He recognized them and declared that our bikes were only the third and fourth Bromptons ever seen in Clinton County, NY, and the first two belonged to him.
We rode to the Thomas Macdonough Monument in a lovely park across from City Hall and overlooking the Saranac River. Erected in 1926, the 135-foot obelisk is topped by a copper eagle with a 22-foot wingspan, and honors Commodore Macdonough, who oversaw the construction of the American fleet of four ships in Vergennes, VT, commanded them to victory and forced a full British surrender on the September 11, 1814, Battle of Plattsburgh and the end to hostilities in the Northern United States.
We relaxed back on Dragonfly, people-watching as a fishing tournament was ending and bass boats and their crews by the dozens descended on the docks, met by friends and family in a busy scene. We ate dinner at the marina’s restaurant, the Naked Turtle, then blogged and fiddled as a lovely day came to a close.
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