Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine

We crossed the border into Vermont at Rouses Pt driving onto Grand Isle on Lake Champlain, said to be the 6th largest lake in the US (after the 5 Great Lakes).
It has been so interesting travelling through the area of the St Lawrence Seaway especially to consider its history and the war of 1812, a military conflict fought between the US and the British Empire.
The US declared war for several reasons including trade restrictions, impressment of American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy, British support for the American Indian tribes against American expansion, outrage over insults to national honor after humiliations on the high seas!!! In light of recent events there is a certain irony!

But of course the history of the St Lawrence Seaway is so much more ... in providing a safe, efficient and reliable commercial waterborne connection between the Great Lakes region of North America and foreign markets worldwide. It annually supports 227,000 jobs, $33.6 billion in transportation-related business revenue, $14.1 billion in personal income and $4.6 billion in taxes. It annually saves shippers nearly $3.6 billion in transportation and handling charges that they would otherwise have incurred had they used other modes of transportation. Not to mention the St Lawrence-FDR Power Project which produces some of the continent's cleanest, least expensive electricity!! How's that for research!

Crossing into Vermont.

The Welcome Centre near Alburgh on Highway 2 was a wonderful spot to plan the next segment of our travels. Two ladies manned the centre.  They were enthusiastic and engaging; they even had a tour over our RV! They suggested our route to Maine through Vermont - on Highway 2 - and sent us down the Island, Grand Isle on Lake Champlain.  And how beautiful it was!

We have noticed a  black flag flying in certain places. I did a bit of research and found that it is a POW/MIA flag, an American flag designed as a symbol of citizen concern about United States military personnel taken as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action.
The POW/MIA flag was created by the National League Of Families and officially recognized by  Congress in conjunction with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue "as a symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans as prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation."

Highway 2 crosses  from one island to another on Lake Champlain; finally onto Grand Isle and then connects with I-89 to Burlington, the largest city in Vermont. Half of the population of Burlington is made up of students from the University of Vermont and the City's 4 colleges.

Trevor says - 'Lets go round the lakeside drive; the girls said that was a pretty drive.'  So we drive into downtown Burlington!!  Narrow streets, lots of people, tight corners, low bridges and power lines!!!  Not a good idea but a great opportunity to explore the beauty of its setting on Lake Champlain.  One hour later we manage to extricate ourselves from Burlington and back onto I-89 out of town to Waterbury/Stowe. An interesting drive.  I don't think we found the lakeside drive but we saw a lot of Burlington!

Our next stop was at Waterbury where within a radius of about a mile you could eat - and drink - to your heart's content, all local produce. Green Mountain Coffee, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Lake Champlain chocolates, Cabot cheese, Ben & Jerry's ice cream - yep this is where they are all made!  We went through the Cider Mill, watched the apple press, sampled some cider and ate the most delicious cider donuts!!
A few miles north of Waterbury is the village of Stowe, nestled in the heart of Vermont's Green Mountains. This is the place where the von Trapp family settled and their home, the Trapp Family Lodge is today an alpine resort.  Yes - the family whose story is immortalized in "The Sound Of Music."

We continued on I-89 to Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. Montpelier is said to be the smallest capital city in the US, but we already know that Pierre in South Dakota is the smallest capital city so what's the go?? Who is right? There is no one to answer our question. We are also told that Montpelier is the only capital city in the US that does not have a McDonalds.  Fancy!!

We turned onto Highway 2 after we left Montpelier and were to stay on 2 for the next part of our travels through Vermont to the border, across New Hampshire and on to Bangor, Maine. The roads were becoming windy and narrower especially going through villages. Also much more hilly, even mountainous! The Green Mountains were not far away.
We stopped at the Moose River Campground just outside St Johnsbury at about 6.15pm. It was getting cold and the sun had disappeared but what a welcome sight.  In 2011, the campground was judged one of 44 campgrounds in the US to be an "A+" campground. We received a warm welcome from our hosts and so much information about the campground, the town of St Johnsbury - the only
place in the world with that name - and the area generally.
We were parked right next to the river. The sound of the small rapids was quite lovely.

The campground had been decorated for Harvest.  We were seeing more and more such decorations; lots of corn stalks and pumpkins in mass displays with autumn toned chrysanthemums which are out and flowering in great swathes of colour. We took some photos.