SPF 100: 2019 Big Truck Trip to Maine, Day 3

Day 3 started with some early morning blogging while the female contingent slept. A front had worked its way through during the night, so the temps were slightly cooler and perfect for biking. While they were waking up & getting ready for the day, I took off to do a bit of wandering around Malletts Bay.

One thing I've noticed out here is that I haven't seen a single fatbike. I understand it's summer, but this is a climate that necessitates winter exercise, so I'm surprised to not see at least a few other hardy souls that are riding fat year-round. That helps explain the reactions I was getting on my ride, which ranged from stunned to confused to mild approval. This was especially true for the 2 guys who were standing in their front yard as I was out of the saddle sprinting toward the Your Speed radar sign and got it to register 31 in a 25. Maturity...

These last 3 pics were taken at the end of Marble Island Road, where I witnessed 4 college-aged kids playing tennis on their private court among the gigantic houses surrounding this marina. While they were giving me disapproving & dismissive stares, I was trying to figure out how many of the 3 dudes were named Preston or Sterling, if she was named Miffy, and if one of their middle names was Charlzel. During this mental exchange a middle aged guy with an amazing Fading Glory rolled by in a Carrera 4S. I decided it was time for me to exit their lives.

I got back to the campground late, having received the dreaded 'Where are you?' text when I was at least a 20 minute ride away. Since I was out of quarters and didn't want to give the campground another $0.50 for 7 minutes of lukewarm shower time, I decided to have a quick shower in the Big Truck. The bathroom in the Big Truck and I don't get along well. It has been affectionately nicknamed 'the Bear Cage' when I am in there, as each dimension was specifically engineered to prevent getting dressed, drying off with a towel, or turning around without planting an elbow or kneecap into something. This is pretty much me trying to get out.

We made our way into town with a plan. We were going to explore the waterfront portion of downtown Burlington, grab some lunch, and go to the ECHO center, which is part science museum, part aqaurium, and part children's museum. First up was lunch, Kimberly found this place and it was perfect.

While we ate, we got to watch the traffic along the bike path and the waterfront. I hate to nerd out about something as simple as a bike path, but the city planners here have nailed it. We watched as full families kept rolling into town, with everything immediately accessible right off the path, with bike racks at all the local businesses.

The ECHO center was a 5 minute walk from the restaurant and it is positioned right on the waterfront. I won't bore you with all the details, but this place had enough to occupy us for roughly 3 hours and we probably could have stayed a couple more.

Apparently this place can be rented for events, receptions, etc. Once we got to the upper level that became pretty evident, the views were amazing.

Back inside, there were lots of interactive exhibits, one in particular using sand and overhead projectors to teach kids the effects of erosion. It was really well executed, and yes I know. Huge nerd. We hit a few others, the wind tunnel for aileron design tweaks, and the obligatory Champ reference.

We've addressed this here before so I won't digress, but there are many people around these parts that believe there are one or more Loch Ness-style creatures in Lake Champlain. Finally someone found a good way to market this, branding their local minor league baseball team around this myth.

With the ECHO center behind us, we wandered down the waterfront a bit further, finding all of the Jordan checklist items. Ice cream:

Boardwalk:

Rocks:

Swings:

On our walk back to the Jeep, we stopped at the curiously named Foam Brewing. It was a pretty cool atmosphere, although it made me immediately realize how old I am and how irrationally angry I can get when surrounded by trendy hipsters. I know they're just trying to have a good time, but I am always amused by the phenomemon of people trying so hard to be different that they all end up looking the same.

Overall the place had a pretty good vibe and a nice outdoor area, but I am realizing that it is nearly impossible to get a beer out here that isn't some variation of a NEIPA (makes sense, we are in New England), a hazy/honey/hibiscus infused/lactose brewed/something IPA. I'm all for new beer styles, but not so much as to knock all your other standards off the menu. Guess I wasn't finished yelling at that cloud. Here's what the place looked like.

Our downtown Burlington experience was coming to a close, and we now have a city that rivals Chattanooga TN in terms of the waterfront/downtown area. We'll keep exploring and I'm sure we'll find more, but if you get the chance to visit this place, do it. Even the views from the Vermont side give you a mini-Lake Tahoe vibe.

Back at the campground it was time for the pool, as Jordan had been jabbering about it all day. It appears that the pool is fed from the runoff from either the laundromat or the icemaker line from the camp store fridge, because the water was Clark Griswold-level cold. Weird that we were the only ones in the pool.

Yesterday I neglected to document a new game Jordan came up with. This pool actually has a real, 8ft deep end. Hard to find those around any more. It tapers from about 4' around the edge to 8' at the center, so Jordan invented a game called 'Waterboarding'. As she was describing it we both were crying in laughter, as we explained that she may want to rename it due to, you know, the torture thing. She just said "Well mine isn't torture, it's fun." Checkmate.

Here is waterboarding (snowboarding stance, slide down the ramp into the deep end) and it's cousin, watersliding.