Apple Island, VT

9/14/15 – 9/20/15   Apple Island Resort, VT

Back at our campground in Clayton, NY – the power kept cutting in and out, so we couldn’t watch TV or the DVD I bought of Boldt Castle.  Tom didn’t think it was safe, so he unplugged our power.  Wow – this campground was horrible!

Monday, 9/14.  We arrived on Apple Island. It is in the middle of Lake Champlain (this lake is HUGE – it looks a little like one of the great lakes, except for the islands in the middle).  The lake is divided down the middle by the state borders between NY and VT.  We camped at Apple Island Resort on the Vermont side.  So far, this is our favorite campground.  Large level lots, good power and water, and a gorgeous view of Lake Champlain.

campsite at Lake Champlain -with Lucky watching birds

It has a family center with a card room, a library, business center, billiard room, and a large outdoor heated pool and spa.  There is a 9 hole golf course too.  The roads are paved and the parking spots have grass between.  The bath houses are  beautiful too.  Mom liked it here because she could get out and walk on the roads without fear of falling on slippery gravel roads.

Tuesday, 9/15, I spent most of the day in the  business center getting my bills and emails caught up.  I also was able to update my blog (Boldt Castle).  We haven’t had an internet connection strong enough to get my blog off for over a week , so I was happy to have a wired connection and get caught up.  Tom did some minor repairs and Mom spent the day reading.  No touring today.

Wednesday, 9/16—catching up day.  All three of us went to Burlington, VT (on the mainland).  Mom and I got haircuts, and Tom took the dogs to Pet Smart to get their toenails cut.  Then we went to the grocery story for a load of groceries.  We have been gone 6 weeks at this point, and this is the first big grocery shopping we have done.  After dinner we talked about staying here, instead of going on to the next campground.  It was only 80 miles from here, and we could see the touring sites from here.  Since all three of us liked it here so much, we extended our stay for 3 more nights and we will tour from here.  That makes our drive to Acadia National Park in Maine a very long driving day on 9/20, but it is OK.

Thursday, 9/17.  Tom, Mom, and I went to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in -Shelburne, VT  to take the tour. Can you see the teddy bears in the window?

Vermont Teddy Bear Factory

We had fun.  The tour director gave us an overview of how they make the bears, with a little humor.  They actually make all of the bears here (nothing gets shipped out) and they make about 750 bears every month.

The Cutting Room-20 Bear Parts

 The outfits are designed there, and even individual designs can be ordered (for a price).  I was impressed with the quality, and the bears are guaranteed for life (no matter what happens to the bear).  They even replaced a bear for a customer that ran over it with their motorized lawnmower (only pieces left).

Mom was hungry, so we stopped at a little café called Pauline’s on the way back to the RV. We all three had their highly-recommended crab cakes, and we were not disappointed.  They were delicious.  Not a drop left on any plates.  I knew when we left that this trip was about local food as much as the touring. 

Now it was time to stop for something sweet.  So we stopped in at the Champlain Chocolate Factory.  We had a brief video on the factory, because the factory shuts down at 2:00, but we could see some of the employees packing chocolate bars and we got to taste what they were making today.  The chocolate is Bavarian chocolate and absolutely delicious.  We bought some goodies and headed home.

Friday 9/18 – A Touring day.  All three of us piled into the Jeep for a scenic drive.  We headed to Stowe, VT.  This little town is touted as great by all the touring companies.  We took the scenic drive in the mountains above Stowe called the Smugglers Notch Scenic Drive.  I guess I expected too much.  It was just a very narrow and windy road without much else to see except trees.  The fall colors are not out yet, so this was a big disappointment.  It gave me a headache and made Mom very tired.  We went back to Stowe and had a bad lunch at a 50's diner.  The town was very busy –no place to park.  There was a big car show in town for the weekend called the British Invasion – their 25^th anniversary.  Tom was drooling – he said this was the best news of the day.  On the way out, we decided to pass on the Hollow Cider Mill (it looked like a tourist trap).  We did go to the Von Trapp Lodge.  Another Disappointment—It wasn’t the old home of the Von Trapp family, it was just a ski lodge for tourists dressed up to look like a Swiss ski lodge.  No Von Trapps here and never were. 

Heading out from Stowe, and we came to Waterbury, VT and stopped at the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory.


Tom at Ben & Jerry's

We took the tour, and enjoyed it.  The tour director had a lot of quips about cows and other miscellaneous jokes.  At the end, we got our ice cream – their new flavor, “Milk and Cookies”.  It was OK, not great.  I liked their last flavor, “Half Baked” with chocolate and vanilla ice cream mixed with gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough and fudge pieces.

Half Baked

Saturday, 9/19 – Tom headed back to Stowe VT for the car show.  When he came back, he said he had a really good time.  Here is his picture of his favorite car, and Austin that is a little smaller than his car. 

Austin A35

 Mom and I cleaned house and I had a long shower in the campground showers.  After dinner, Tom found that we were leaking fresh water from the fresh water tank.  No wonder we were going through so much water!  This could be a little job, like a leaky connection, or it could be a cracked tank, which would require a new tank (a huge job).  We will be on the lookout for a Winnebago authorized repair shop coming down the East Coast.  For now, it is just a dripping tank, so we will fill it up every day.

Sunday, 9/20 – Left Apple Island.  We had a good rest and got ‘caught up’ on all our chores.   Looks like we cannot make it to Acadia National Park, ME in one day's drive, as it is about 350 miles.  So, we decided to stop at the New Hampshire border with Maine and stay for one overnight (no touring).  We will arrive at Acadia on 9/21.  Don't know what kind of internet is available in the National Park, so you may have to wait several days to hear from me again.