Fall Ideas- Part 1
By
Elizabeth Bassett

Bright days and comfortable temperatures make fall a high-energy
season- time to scurry around before cold and darkness restrict our
activities. Get out, enjoy the season, and celebrate the richness of
the Champlain Valley. Some ideas:

On Wheels:
Charlotte Land Trust Bike Tour of Charlotte, Sunday, September 17.
Three routes- six-, ten-, and 25-mile tours to spotlight conserved and
vulnerable land in town. Registration fee of $30 includes lunch,
tee-shirt, raffle ticket, and one year membership in the Charlotte
Land Trust. For details call 425-3520 or 425-2744.

On Water:
Historic Cruise Aboard the "Essex" on September 30. Historic fall
excursion explores the history and beautiful shores of Lake Champlain.
Pack a picnic and join the staff of the lake Champlain Maritime Museum
for a day of scenery and history. Seating is limited. Call 475-2022 or
reserve on-line at www.lcmm.org. The Museum is located at 4472 Basin
Harbor Road, 7 miles west of Vergennes.

High Peaks Touring in Essex (same driveway as the Old Dock) rents
equipment and organizes outings. Grab a few friends, rent kayaks and
gear, and venture to Split Rock for a picnic- with or without a guide.
Same services available for biking, rock climbing, and hiking. (518)
963-7028.

On Foot:
Mount Independence State Historic Site- Sunday, September 17 at 9:30
a.m., a nature walk focused on Vermont's reptiles and amphibians at
the Mount. Jim Andrews, research associate in biology at Middlebury
College and chair of the reptile and amphibian scientific advisory
group, will lead a two to three hour walk identifying and explaining
the natural history of local amphibians and reptiles. Cost is $3 for
adults, children under 15 are free.
A lovely place for a walk anytime, Mount Independence is the
least-disturbed Revolutionary War site. Walking trails wind past the
remains of barracks, officers' quarters, a hospital, sentry posts, and
a cannon battery. The best viewing is when the leaves fall from the
trees but the lakeside location offers beautiful vistas in every
season. This active archeological site will never be reconstructed but
artifacts are still being uncovered. The visitor center houses a
collection of these discoveries.
Mount Independence is located six miles west of Route 22A on Route
73. (802) 759-2412

Ft. Ticonderoga is within a cannon's shot of Mount Independence. A
floating bridge once connected the two military outposts. Now a short
drive and ferry ride away, Ft. Ti has been completely reconstructed
and reenactments bring history to life each day. Site of the first
American victory of the Revolution, Ft. Ti also houses a museum of
18th- and 19th-century military and cultural artifacts. Admission is
charged. Ft. Ti is a few miles west of the Lake on Rt. 74. (518)
585-2821 or www.fort-ticonderoga.org

Another significant historic site from the colonial era, Crown Point
State Historic Site occupies a promontory in Lake Champlain. Like Ft.
Ti, Crown Point was built by the French and then successively occupied
by the British and Americans. British General John Burgoyne occupied
the fort again in 1776 and it remained in British hands until the end
of the war. Remains of the fortifications and a visitor center. (518)
597-3666

In a Car:
The Adirondack History Center in Elizabethtown features local
treasures unearthed in the attics and barns of Essex County. A
stagecoach, an Adirondack lean-to, and an iron bobsled join many
smaller domestic items- including tiny lice combs found near the 18th
century forts at Crown Point! The village property features lovely
perennial gardens and a 58-foot fire observation tower. A great
destination on a bike loop, the History Center is located on Route 9
in Elizabethtown. (518) 873-6466

For the Birds:
Nestled by the shore of a major North American migration flyway,
Charlotte is well-situated for bird watching. Both Mt. Philo and Snake
Mountain are prime sites for hawk-viewing. A perfect September day may
yield over 1000 raptors to the patient (or the lucky) standing on the
west-facing cliffs.

Don't Forget the Stomach:
Pick your own apples: Skyline Orchard in Charlotte; Shelburne
Orchards; Boyer's Orchard in Monkton, Adams Apple Orchard in
Williston; Allenholm Farm and Hackett's Orchard in South Hero; Chapin
Orchard in Essex. Annual Harvest Festival at Yankee Kingdom in West
Addison, Sept 23-24.
Charlotte Berry Farm- Pick your own blueberries, fall raspberries,
and pumpkins

Mark Your Calendar:
More fall ideas in the next issue from Lake Champlain Bikeways, Lake
Champlain Walkways, great hikes on both shores, goose migration, and
more.