Hypnotic

Shelburne, Vermont
44 25.64 N 073 14.92 W

Two of the most hypnotic things we know of are watching waves crash on the short, and watching a camp fire. Last night we did both at once. We rowed ashore on Valcour Island, and built a camp fire on the rocks just 10 feet away from the shore. It was wonderfully soothing to watch the fire while listening to the surf as the sun set. The smoke of the fire also served to keep mosquitoes at bay.


This morning, we returned to the rocks to just sit and watch. It is amazing and fun. With only a 12 knot breeze and a 30 mile fetch, the waves built up to 2 feet in height with a 1.5 second period. That seems very little, but it is enough so that the waved crash against the vertical limestone rocks and throw spray 15-20 feet into the air. We sat on a ledge 25 feet above the lake so that the spray almost wet our feet.


One can see similar things in Maine, even more spectacular than this when the waves are big. However, with no storms at sea and with only a 12 knot breeze, the waves on the rocks in Maine don't do much at all. We enjoyed our private show. Private? Yes, this morning we were the only boat in Sloop Cove, the most popular of all Champlain Anchorages. It is remarkable how abruptly the throngs of Canadians disappeared in the past few days.

We also tool a farewell hike on Valcour's interior trails. I hoped to saturate our souls with the sights, sounds and smells of that environment, enough to last another couple of years.

Tomorrow, Thursday, we are off on another type of adventure. Jenny, Libby and I are going for a bicycle excursion along the Richelieu River in Quebec, no computers allowed on that trip so no blog tomorrow.

Above, Libby and Jenny Relax at The Inn at Shelburne