I’ve been a traveler since I was one year old and my parents loaded the car and moved from Hertford, NC to Kansas City, MO. Whether it was visiting my grandparents in Washington state, vacationing in Florida, or traveling with a Christian music and drama troupe, my childhood and young adult life was filled cross country adventures. Before moving to New England, I’d visited 46 states. One state on my bucket list was Vermont, and this day was the day I got to cross it off. I suppose I could have chosen a touristy place like the Von Trapp lodge in Stowe or maybe the state capital in Montpelier, but I decided to be boring and go to Burlington. I really don’t know why, but being the largest city in Vermont, I figured it would have something worth seeing.  I remember reading an article a few years ago how local residents wanted Lake Champlain to be listed as a great lake. I guess I wanted to lend my expert opinion to the debate. Who knows, but I got in my truck and began the trek. The drive from Bow to Burlington is about three hours, three hours of wooded mountainous highway, with occasional towns and villages along the way. Even Montpelier was little more than a two exit town off the freeway.

I arrived in Burlington and proceeded to the western side of town to see if this lake was truly a great lake. I’ve seen Lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron, and Ontario and know that like the ocean, when I stand on the shore I cannot see the other side. I guess this is my definition of a great lake. I hate to tell the residents, but Lake Champlain doesn’t meet my criteria for a great lake. Beautiful it is, all covered in ice and snow. I especially enjoyed the view of the Adirondack mountains of New York across on the other side.

Burlington is definitely not a tourist destination. I say that with all the authority of someone who spent the majority of his life in a fly-over state. However, the downtown has some redeemable qualities.  Most of the main street is  sectioned off for pedestrians, with traffic crossing the boulevard at the blocks. The street has many restaurants, shops, and galleries and looks like a favorite place for locals or university students. I found a beautiful mural in a side alley, and the church at the end of the street drew me toward it, much like Cinderella’s castle.

My time in Vermont wasn’t very long, but now I’m up to 47.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller