Neat day today.  Saw lots.  Started by going next door to a great small restaurant for breakfast.  Waitress with an attitude.  She was great.  During breakfast texting the landscaping contractor a sketch on a bar napkin (actually a breakfast napkin) of the wall they are building.  Finished that up with a call to him while the bike was warming up.

We scooted north.  It was about 10a.  Right through campus.  Must have been between classes.  Stopping every block for kids crossing streets.  Wound our way through Burlington.  Another construction area where they just remove a section of the pavement and have you drive over.  Its a real amateur job.  Not sure how they get away w that.  No issues.  Didn’t  have to wait too long.  1 thing I have noticed about New England over the years, if there are traffic guys needed, such as down to one lane, or oversize vehicles, you have to have police there.  I am sure these are guys moonlighting.  This morning, there were two.  Sitting in their cars with their lights on.  I’ve never seen them do anything, but they are there.

Winding roads up the east side of Lake Champlain.  It took us 2-3 hours.  Beautiful.  Towards the top of the lake, 7 or 8 eagles circling over head.  Most likely waiting to come down and feast on the significant road kill.  That is if they eat that stuff..

Turned west onto Grand Isle.  Big Island at the top of the lake.  I could live there too.  Turtle crossing signs.   Never saw those before. Farms there are postcard beautiful.  Serene.  Low traffic.  Cute little towns.  Stopping for pictures.  Refueled and took a break  

By 1 or 2 we left the island and crossed the bridge into NY.  Right at the Canadian border.  As a matter of fact off the bridge to your right is the border crossing.  We turned left.  There was an old stone fort there.  Fort Montgomery. Apparently when they first built it in the early 1800’s they screwed up and built it 3/4 of a mile in Canada.  Oops.  They just abandoned it and built this one.  They used much of the stone, crushed it to build the bridge we crossed over.   It still was pretty neat.

We headed west.  More eagles.  Big snapping turtle crossing the road.  It’s shell must have been 18″ across.  Watch for Moose signs.   Occasional deer.  Neat towns.  Big, and I mean big Reservation.  Went for miles.  Mohawk.  Big casino.  Lots and Lots of Border Patrol throughout the afternoon.  Jon almost cut one off changing lanes.  Good fodder for teasing him the rest of the afternoon.

Made our way to the St. Lawrence Seaway.  Beautiful country.  Stared at Quebec across the river for 3-4 hours.  Made faces at them.  Those French.  Lots of historical plaques, markers etc.  Many ‘War or 1812’ sites.  For the most part we had the road to ourselves.  Views of the seaway are incredible.  Thinking of the history it has played.  I could easily spend much more time up here.  Still trying to get some miles down.  Refueled and took a break again.  Kept riding.  Took a detour here or there to look at stuff.  Gotta look at stuff.

Finally stopped in Alexandria Bay, NY.  Found a hotel smack dab on the water. I am staring at the Canadians again and making faces.  Of course they would need binoculars to see us.  I guess we need them as well…  Oh well.  Room is on the water.  Docks right below my balcony.  Boys in the room next door. There is a bar right across the street.  Yeah. We unloaded.  Called home.  Walked downtown.  Neat little town.  Has the old time seaport flavor going.  Old buildings.  Narrow streets. 

A tourist bus from Lafayette, IN was in town.  We could pick them out.  :-).  Had dinner at the bar across the street.  Harbor side table.  Now sitting on the balcony w the boys finishing up what we didn’t last night.  It’s 9p.  Church bells just sounded the hour.  Then taps.  A lone bugle from somewhere. Taps.  It kind of echoed across the water.  Wow.  Really neat.  Maybe it was the Canadians being nice?

Not sure how far home.  GPS says 17 hours.  I think I have it set wrong.  But maybe its right.  Guessing 800+ miles.  So, here is the story. We were talking about making it home Friday, but I think that is pushing.  WX is supposed to be moving in somewhere.  Rain always slows us down.  Plus, Friday afternoon / evening is just plain pure crap for driving.  I am thinking Saturday.  What do you think?  Yeah probably Saturday.  Ya know, we will figure it out.  We still don’t have a NY map..

Life is good