Summer
 Vacation

          Vermont
2012

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Weekend Summer Camping in Vermont     Photos                     Bookmark and Share
Grand Isle State Park, Vermont (July 13-16, 2012) 
Mount Mansfield | Lake Champlain | Burlington

Well here we go again. Vacations these days are few and far between. So when a chance comes to escape your everyday life, you take it, even if it’s just camping for the weekend during a heat wave. Though uncomfortable as it sounds, these experiences are priceless. The one thing about camping is that you will always learn something new. I have camped out 100’s of times and it still amazes me just how unpredictable camping is. And it’s not just from my own personal experiences either, but also from the experiences of my fellow campers as well. For living Vicariously through other people’s experiences is just one great way to learn. 

Lets go. The first thing you have to go through is your Camping List so that you remember to bring all the essential items. Every year I meet campers who forgot to bring something. Like a flashlight, bug spray or maple syrup, to name just a few. I myself like to travel light. But I noticed that some campers, especially campers with children, seem to bring more then they need, which is not always a bad thing because they have more to share.

The 5-hour drive from Danbury to Grand Isle State Park was uneventful with no mishaps or wrong turns. Route 84, 91, 89 then Route 2 and you’re there. Of course there are other routes to take, but I like the easy ones. If you do take this route don’t forget to stop at the the Sharon Rest Center on Interstate 89,
A $6.3 million complex with a  6,000-square-foot rest area
structure, memorials, photos and a Living Machine, very nice. 


On our arrival we realized we picked a good campsite, lots of trees and shade. After setting up all the tents and our screen house it was time for a swim in Lake Champlain. With 4,150 feet of Lake Champlain shoreline.
The beach has lots of flat stones, which was great for Stone Skipping.
Did you know that Stone Skipping is a sport? Info about the Rocks (PDF)
Shale Limestone, Black and gray limestone, Sandstone, Chazyan Rocks.

Grand Isle State Park was opened in 1959 when 54 acres of land was purchased from Birchcliff, 
a private summer resort. Three additional property acquisitions brought the park to its current
226-acre size. Grand Isle State Park is the most-visited campground in the state park system.
There are 117 tent / trailer sites, 36 lean-to sites, and 4 cabin sites that make this Vermont's second-largest state campground. Nature center, Boat launch and Kayak Rentals. Located on South Hero Island in Lake Champlain. The Island, also known as Grand Isle, is 14 miles long and over 3 miles wide, making it the largest Island in Lake Champlain. It contains the towns Grand Isle (on the northern half) and South Hero (on the southern half). The North and South Hero Islands are named in honor of early pioneering Vermonters who served in the American Revolution. Ariel Map
(36 East Shore South Grand Isle, Vermont 05458  Park Phone: 802-372-4300)

I’m not big eater when camping. But when you camp with family and friends with lots of kids be prepared to eat a little more then usual. And don't forget to bring your bikes.

The showers at the campsite where a little tricky. Everyone was talking about their showering experiences, there seemed to be some issues with water flow and temperature. This was the first time I had to put in extra quarters. More then a 5 minute shower is unusual.  

The weekend had high temperatures and high humidity, which can cause some electronics to fail. But don't worry, when you get back to normal temperatures and humidity your electronic devices should start working again as mine did. Cell phones were not effected. Moisture / Condensation

Did you know that Lake Champlain is the sixth largest lake in the U.S..  Lake Champlain Byway
Max. Length - 201 km (125 mi)    Max. Width - 23 km (14 mi)   Max. Depth - 122 m (400 ft)
Shore Length - 945 km (587 mi)   Sandbar Park
About 250,000 people get their drinking water from the lake.
The lake was named for the French Explorer Samuel de Champlain

Petonbowk (meaning the lake in between)
Many historical works give Caniaderi Guarunte as the Iroquois name for the lake
(meaning: mouth or door of the country)
Although there are pollution issues, Lake Champlain is safe for swimming, fishing, and boating.
It is considered a world-class fishery for salmon species, Lake trout, Atlantic Salmon and Bass.
About 81 fish species live in the Lake, and more than 300 bird species rely on it for habitat and as a resource during migrations.

There were hardly any bugs that weekend, which made it nice, especially on our hikes around Mount Mansfield.  (Chittenden County, Lamoille County, Green Mountains, Town of Stowe)
Long Trail and Toll Road.   Smugglers Notch   
Smuggs    Stowe

Photos from Mount Mansfield Hike

The wind blowing on Lake Champlain at Grand Isle State Park sounded like the ocean waves in the early mourning hours. The wind blowing across the lake created these tiny waves that hit the beach that is full of shale stones, which made the sound of ocean waves crashing, it was very strange to hear that type of sound.

There was also Sun Boxes. Solar Powered Sound installation by Craig Colorusso. I was wondering if the Hertz was 7.83, which is the pulse of the magnetic field of the earth.  Meditation

 

 

 

 

 


 

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