July 1 (Canada Day)- July 8, 2019 Making our way to Rouses Pt., NY from Chambly, Quebec

July 1 (Canada Day)- July 8, 2019    Making our way to Rouses Pt., NY from Chambly, Quebec

We had two big shocks as we made our way down the Richelieu River into Lake Champlain. The first was a direct result of Canada Day. We rounded a bend in the river to find a blockade of boats… rafts of pontoon boats, rafts of wave runners, rafts of various go-fast pleasure crafts… making a day of celebrating their country’s beginnings. We cut our speed to the minimum and threaded our way through the tangle of boats and sun-burned bodies. We were the biggest boat in sight, but nobody seemed to notice that we were gingerly making our way through them. It was quite a sight to behold! Our second big shock was directly related to crossing back into the U.S. We had downloaded an app that promised a simple way to report into the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. We would answer the usual questions on line, have a video chat with the local officials, be cleared as we passed the border office and…voila… we would be welcomed home. With our paperwork “pending”, we continued slowly past the patrol office on land. Suddenly, lights began flashing and sirens began wailing… we were being summons to shore! What had happened to the new improved high-tech re-entry method? Apparently Rouses Point, NY does not embrace high-tech. Here, we were told, each boat must come to the dock and check in face-to-face. As soon as the dock-side agent reported our ID number to the agent in the trailer-office, our “pending” status went to “approved”. Thank-you Lord!  With our final destination in sight, we bid adieu to the customs official. The Rouses Point Marina its to be SUMMERTIME’s new home for the rest of the summer. We plan to return to explore the upper part of Lake Champlain in August after we have had time to enjoy our spot in Maine. Our sweet boat will be tucked into heated storage for the winter.

Gaines Marina, Rouses Point , NY

At last! We have our car back...thanks to Barb and Dave of "Miss My Money"

One of our other favorite boats, a Pilgram 40

 

Erin, Brett, Emily and Bailey arrived at suppertime on July 4th. We enjoyed a meal on-board and then we were delighted by the fireworks being displayed near and far. Sitting together on the end of our dock, we all noticed the lack of bugs. It was a pleasant discovery! Back home the viewing of fireworks has become an indoor event due to the hoards of mosquitoes that arrive at twilight. For the next several days we went swimming at a little local beach, enjoyed ice creams on our walk through town back to the boat, played Rummy Cubes, cruised our trawler around the top of Lake Champlain and enjoyed just being together. The Ellis family had plans to visit Montreal, so after we cheered the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team on to victory in the World Cup Games, they left for their Airbnb in the heart of the city. We finished packing our car, made an earlier than usual bedtime escape, woke up at 4:30 and were headed for Maine by 6am. The winding roads through Vermont and New Hampshire were picturesque… lots of farm country with mountains in the distance. By 3:30pm we were back at our cabin on Bottle Lake and ready to stop rolling.

After four and a half months, our 50th Anniversary Tour had reached its finale… and what a tour it has been!