alan j quinn

Sleeping on the fold-out with JMan president all manner of challenges. One is I needed to keep rolling back to my side as we both ended up in middle due to the acute incline of the couch halves. The other was/is he clearly needs a lesson in hip checking as a means of silencing my snoring. At one point he practically launched me off the couch. However, he achieved his desired results. Needless to say it was another shy night sleeping in not the woods.

All the comforts of home, just add boiling water and a sharp knife for the extra sharp cheese.

As GMan had homework we needed to pack up and head south.

Subu all ready to go while boys get in a last sit on our cabins porch.

Selfie….

In case you are wondering here’s the interior of our cabin. It has everything you need with the exception of indoor plumbing, AC, cable, WiFi, refrigerator, microwave, oven, toaster, heat and a few other odds and ends! But, it sure beats laying on the ground in a tent.

This is what the lake looks like when the suns out. It looks much better in person.

This is the intersection of Slang Road and West Main Street. I can only hope that Main Street has more going for it. Not unlike something you’d find in the mid west but here it is in Vergennes VT.

This reminds me of driving around Ireland years ago. However, most of the Irish roads were paved but getting stuck behind a tractor was part of driving. Of course this was only beaten by having to back up for 1/2 mile to find a gap big enough to get 1/4 your car in so the CIE bus full of American tourists could squeeze by….good times.

The rest of the trip was quite boring as we made our way across to 89 and it was all highway all the way.

All in all is was a short but sweet glamping trip. Not sure I’ll go back to Button Bay State Campgrounds for reasons mentioned before, but incase you missed it, camping is about being in the woods, and trees are in scarce supply at this campgrounds. However, it’s a great family campgrounds, that’s clean, well maintained and has a pool.

My day started a few times during the night but thankfully I settled and did not fully wake till 6:45. My upper bunk mate JMan did not stir for quite a while. GMan rolled over but did not get up.

Breakfast of camps….instant Starbucks coffee and oatmeal….all you need is boiling water.

The boys sung happy birthday to me….yup today is bday and gave me some cards. The morning was spent sitting around doing absolutely nothing. Mother Nature dishes up a stiff breeze with temps around 60. It felt colder as the breeze was coming straight off the lake.

Later JMan and I went for a bike ride and GMan tried catching lunch.

The lake was pretty choppy but at least the mosquitoes were not biting as it was blowing good by the water.

Lake Champlain reminds me so much of Lough Ree and all the days we spend on it. My bother Mick and I were about the same age as GMan and JMan are now, so it’s very similar in many ways.

The following are a few photo along the Button Bay Point trail.

Lunch was chicken noodle…just add boiling water and wait 9 minutes…

After lunch it was more hanging around doing nothing, which is quite nice. Then at some point we went to the main office and got some fire wood. After all you simply cannot camp with a campfire. However, since it’s my birthday we took a ride into Vergennes for ice cream.

The main scoop fit the bill quite well.

While in the bustling town of Vergennes we picked up some real food, hot dogs, chicken sausages, cheese, crackers and a few other odds and ends.

Not quite a home cooked meal, but it sure was tasty. We sat around the campfire for a bit and called it a day around 10:15.

This year for our annual Memorial Weekend camping trip we are at Button Bay campgrounds. It’s west of Rutland and south of Burlington and yes we are glamping again and it’s a VT State campgrounds. I’m too old to lay on a ground sheet and to tired to pick myself off the ground.

Rest area west of Rutland.

We took the back way up via Keene, Ludlow then Rutland. The drive was fairly uneventful with pit/potty stops along the way. It started to rain right as we arrived but by the time we finished setting up it cleared.

Went I said the back way up I meat it. Google Maps really gave us the scenic tour.

Like any other VT State campgrounds this one is clean, well appointed and with friendly helpful staff. It even has a swimming pool, that’s a first for us on our camping trips.

The main tent/RV area on the end is a tad open for me with no trees between sites. It’s basically a ring road with a well kept lawn and some site markers. Our cabin is thankfully off to the extreme right with trees and tall vegetation on three sides. Don’t get me wrong here but camping to me means being in the woods.

Our weekend home.

As Lake Champagne is right next to us I was hoping for a good view, however one would have to do some trimming to take full advantage. You can see a bit of the lake but give me a chain saw and I produce the money shot in no time.

JMan and I took a bike ride to Button Bay Point and checked out the pool.

JMan lounging by the lake.

Button Bay Island on the right and if you look on the left you can see the roof of our neighbors cabin.

Like every other camping trip this one will include meals by Mountain House, the just add boiling water type. We packed extra light this year and only brought the bear essentials. Kinda like sleeping on the ground….I’m too old to be carting the kitchen sink back and forth, beside, with the upcoming move I’m a bit over packing and moving stuff….hopefully at some point our future we’ll get an RV and glamp in style.

Who said camping was all about bad food. These Cheesecake Bites were pretty good.

GMan trying to catch breakfast.

Moon light and the glow from our neighbors cabin. Here’s what Google has to say about the moon.

“The Moon today is in a Waxing Gibbous phase. This phase is when the moon is more than 50% illuminated but not yet a Full Moon. The phase lasts round 7 days with the moon becoming more illuminated each day until the Full Moon.”