Hurray! Vermont was state #50, Fifty states in six years. This didn’t start as a goal but it does feel good to have filled in the map.

As we planned our route into Vermont we discovered that we would be driving right by the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory. With a little research we learned that they give tours every hour and have parking for RVs. Having decided that this was too good to pass up, we made it a planned stop.

Ben and Jerry’s is a unique operation. They buy their milk and other ingredients from select, local farmers who meet their standards for raising their herds and growing their crops naturally. They use Fair Trade growers, support non-GMO agriculture practices, and educate their employees in environmental awareness. They are active in the community, supporting local food banks, rebuilding houses in New Orleans, and donating ice cream to local organizations to celebrate events or fund-raising.

I may not agree with all of Ben and Jerry’s political positions, but I have to respect a company that operates with a set a values that supersede profit, puts its financial capital behind what it deems to be important, and doesn’t denigrate others in the process.The tour was great, very informative, and fun. We finished the tour with sample of ice cream. After that we had lunch – more ice cream!

We thought it would be nice to stay on Grand Isle, unfortunately we were not able to find any campgrounds on Grand Isle with vacancies for a trailer of our size. We did find a site in the North Beach Campground, just north of Burlington. This park, operated by the City of Burlington, is a nice location. There is a row of sites that are “big rig friendly,” a short walk to the beach, and right on the Burlington Recreation Path. This path is another “rails to trails” path and made it possible to ride our bikes into downtown Burlington.

We decided to take a cruise on Lake Champlain. We found a website called “JumpOnItDeals.com” that let us get two tickets for the price of one. This looked like a good deal and we went with it.

The next morning we rode our bikes to the City Hall Park for the Burlington City Market. Our first pleasant surprise was free, secured parking for our bikes. As we wandered by the vendors stalls I was impressed by the number of local food vendors. There was everything from cheese and organic vegetables to wine and distilled spirits. It was the first time that I felt the food vendors outnumbered the craft vendors.

After the City Market, we rode to the docks and boarded the “Spirit of Ethan Allen” for the cruise. As we traveled around the southern portion of the lake we discovered that Lake Champlain was named after Samuel Champlain who discovered it in 1609. Lake Champlain is also believed to have the best collection of historic shipwrecks in North America. Shipbuilding was big business in Lake Champlain’s history and at least one shipyard is still going strong. I found it interesting to see the “ways” where the ships are constructed and then launched. Locke Ness in Scotland has its monster and Lake Champlain has its own, called “Champ.” As with the Locke Ness monster, there is evidence that Champ exists, but also plenty of doubt. The largest mass sighting of Champ was aboard the “Spirit of Ethan Allen” in 1984.

After the cruise we were more than ready for lunch and rode to the Shanty on the Water. Fish is definitely popular on the menu and the maritime decor was right up my alley. We had great seats overlooking the harbor, but it was too bad the weather was so poor.

The next day we drove to Grand Isle to see whatever there was to see. Our first stop was the Snow Farm Vineyard. This is a great place to visit. When we got there we asked if they did any tours. They told us we could look around, and suggested a trail that led to a hill behind the vineyard that was the highest point in Grand Isle County. We took that advice and hiked to the hilltop and enjoyed our picnic lunch from some benches with a magnificent view of Lake Champlain. The winery has a patio and picnic tables outside so you can enjoy your wine and the view at the same time. Inside we did a wine tasting, discovering some wines we liked. Unfortunately we were going to cross into Canada the next day and we already had more wine than we would be allowed to take into Canada, so we didn’t want to buy a bottle, and maybe have to dump in out. We’ll just have to come back again!

The State of Vermont operates the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station to do research and breed fish to feed into the lake. The displays were educational and enlightening and we could see the fish raceways where the fish are bred.

Burlington is the home of Ethan Allen. Ethan Allen was the leader of the local militia, known as the Green Mountain Boys, in the Revolutionary War. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys were instrumental in winning the battle of Fort Ticonderoga. The artillery cannon that were captured in that battle were sent to General Washington and helped him defeat the British in Boston. At the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum you can learn about this history and tour his former home.

We enjoyed our brief stays in New Hampshire and Vermont, but the biggest thing we learned was there is a lot more to see in these states. We are looking forward to returning to spend more time exploring them in the future.

The next morning we had some more rain, but not very heavy as we hooked up the trailer and headed northwest to cross into Ontario.