Thursday, August 10th

After another complimentary breakfast at the Days Inn we hung around a bit waiting for
The Christmas Loft to open at 9:30am. It just so happened that the motel that I.O. picked was located right next door to an HL dealer. They didn’t have much of a selection but I was able to pick up Amelia Island.

We also walked down the road a bit to take another photo of yet one more lighthouse we
spotted the day before:

[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=39476&a=775388&p=26793612&Sequence=1[/img]

Heading south again we stopped briefly at the Vermont Wildflower Farm. They charge
$3.00 to look at their gardens but from what I could see they had the same weeds
flowering that we have at home. A sign outside said “Free package of Wildflower Seeds” so I made I.O. go in and we got two.

Continuing south on Rt. 7 to Vergennes we picked up Rt.22A for a short stretch and
turned west onto Basin Harbor Rd. This road brought us to the final stop on our trip, the
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Admission here is $8.00, $7.00 for 55+. If you
have AAA you can get a further reduction.

This is a great little museum having only opened in 1986. There are also activities for children. Down in the harbor we spotted a group of 8 kids and 2 adults paddling a very large canoe. Also in the harbor is the “Philadelphia II”, a full sized replica of Benedict Arnold’s gunboat which you can board. A costumed dude is aboard who can answer any questions you may have. The original was sunk in 1776 during the Battle of Valcour. It was discovered in 1935 and is now in the Smithsonian.

[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=39476&a=775388&p=26793613&Sequence=1[/img]

There is a small exhibit on the lighthouses with detailed drawings of Windmill Point.
There are also videos to watch which show underwater salvaging of some of the
numerous shipwrecks and artifacts. A worker in the conservation lab stated that there are
literally hundreds of ships and such still below the waters. If you are into diving, some of the most notable ships are marked. He was working on the restoration of a Revolutionary War anchor which was recently found near Valcour Island. When completed it will be returned to New York:

[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=39476&a=775388&p=26793616&Sequence=1[/img]

Also on the grounds is a 52’ Motor Buoy Boat. It was built in Baltimore in 1944 and
served as ATON on Lake Champlain from 1945 to 1980. You can board her too:

[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=39476&a=775388&p=26793624&Sequence=1[/img]

Regretting not having taken any pictures of the many beautiful stone houses in the area I
snapped my last picture of the relocated stone schoolhouse on the musuem grounds. I
think it is the nicest photo of the trip and as an expansion to the museum is planned the
spot where I stood to take it will be no more.

[img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=39476&a=775388&p=26793629&Sequence=1[/img]

Leaving the museum we continued south on the road along the lake which becomes Rt.
17. When we reached Chimney Point (another Fort was here) we crossed the bridge to
Crown Point and were back to our starting point. We headed for home through the
Adirondacks arriving about 5:30pm. It was a great trip! The house and cats survived and
the weather cooperated.

A great little booklet on the “Lake Champlain Lighthouses” is available from the Clinton County Historical Association, Plattsburgh, NY, 518-561-0340. Cost is $4.95 plus postage totaling $7.30. It was written by George Clifford, a resident of Cumberland Head, and illustrated by Sid Couchey, also a local resident who is the creator of the “Richie Rich” comic strip.

In order to protect their privacy I did not publish the names of the privately owned lights. Lucky and Rob were mentioned earlier in a post by Bob Scroope who met them last summer. I have also chosen not to mention their last name here. If anyone is ever interested in visiting these lights you may email me and I would be glad to act as an
intermediary.