Ross & the Ferry

  Burlington, Vermont, United States
Thursday, July 2, 2009

Day 34 – Ithaca, NY to Burlington, VT

Woke to a mudlake around Minnie. Reversed our process from last night and repacked the car. This was equally as unpleasant as last night. No. It was worse. Muddy water flowed completely over our feet, and our flip-flops kept getting stuck in the mud. Disgusting. We are adventurous, but we don’t like being this level of dirty. We were so flustered that Christen injured herself on the picnic table and Bri later had a meltdown. Then we skipped showers because they were as filthy and disgusting as our campsite. We decided to just drive straight to our Burlington hotel and shower, skipping our Magic Hat Brewery tour. (What is it with brewery tours getting skipped on this trip??)

Things we did on the way to Burlington, VT:
-    Thankfully found the Ithaca Bakery just down the road.

Ithaca Bakery

-    Met Ross in the parking lot. Who is Ross? We aren’t quite sure. He approached us in the parking lot and said, “So I have a job interview today, and I’m nervous…”  We stopped. We stared. He then asked us for advice, specifically on how cocky he should appear for this R&B interview. We stared blankly, and Christen tried really hard not to laugh at this small, preppy, Asian college student talking about anything related to working in rhythm and blues. When we still didn’t say anything, he continued by telling us all of the places he’d played locally as of late. Christen finally said, “We have no idea what you are talking about. We aren’t from here…” Ross responded by exclaiming, “I’m ROSS!” As if that should clear everything up… Christen said, “Sorry…” Bri just walked off. Ross pleadingly said that he’s well-known at Cornell and throughout Ithaca. Christen finally just shrugged and walked off.  Ross was still talking when she slipped through the door to the bakery.
-    Had local coffee and fresh Collegetown Bagels. (Unfortunately, Christen admitted that the multigrain bagel at Dunkin Doughnuts is better. It has seeds.)
-    Picked up vegetarian lunch items from the deli and a parfait for later!
-    Drove through…drumroll, please…a rainstorm.
-    Admired the scenery as we drove through the Adirondack Mountains. Bri asked what the Adirondacks were known for. Christen said chairs. And Dirty Dancing.
-    Christen insisted upon maneuvering around tolls, which was important after paying about $20 (no exaggeration) over the last three days.
-    Ate macrobiotic, vegan lunch of vegan sushi rolls and buckwheat noodle salad. Loved the sushi rolls. Buckwheat noodle salad made us vomit in our mouths a little. Lesson learned. We are vegetarians. Not macrobiotic vegans.
-    Took small, backcountry, New York roads through fields. Christen said, “This is nice!” Bri nodded.
-    Christen celebrated maneuvering around tolls by making Bri high-five her. Seriously.
-    Admired Lake Champlain as we drove her shore.
-    Looked for our bridge.
-    Christen said, “I don’t see our bridge…”
-    Christen asked Bri, “Do you see our bridge?”
-    Christen said, “I don’t get it… There should be a bridge...”
-    Bri finally responds, “There. It’s not a bridge. It’s a car ferry. A TOLL CAR FERRY.” Total cost of the toll car ferry? $13.25. What the hell.
-    Sat for twenty minutes waiting for the next car ferry. It was at this point that Christen decided to tell Bri that the gas light had come on, but that she had not seen any gas stations on the backcountry roads so she had not told her. It was also at this point that Bri told Christen she’d needed to go to the bathroom for an hour.
-    Car ferry FINALLY came. Bri’s excitement about her first car ferry was unfortunately subdued by her need to pee. (**PLEASE SEE THE VIDEO OF THE CAR FERRY UP ABOVE.**)
-    Our toll car ferry crossed at exactly 8mph, according to Jane. Jane also yelled every time the ferry went off the path that she determined was the fastest across the water. Christen declared that it would have been faster to swim and push Minnie across ourselves.
-    FINALLY made it to the other side of Lake Champlain and were very disappointed that Vermont does not give you a welcome sign when arriving by toll car ferry.
-    Cranky Bri said the word “bathroom” at least 100 times between exiting the ferry and locating a gas station seven miles away.
-    Cranky Bri ran from car into gas station. Christen went in. When Christen came out, she went back to the driver’s seat since Bri was still pumping.
-    Few miles later, a truck of guys pulls up yelling something. Christen pulled her typical response of turning to Bri and singing or talking really loudly in an effort to make them think she didn’t notice.
-    Few miles later, same truck of guys pulls up. What do you want?!? What’s that? Gas cap? Tank is open? Bri? Did you close the gas tank? No. No you didn’t. Thank goodness we have the kind of cap that is attached to the car or we would have lost it miles back.

Things we did in Burlington, VT:
-    Skipped the Magic Hat Brewery Tour. Sigh.
-    Arrived at the La Quinta Inn. We were given another disabled room. Apparently some hotels reserve these for their Priceline guests. But hey, it means a bigger bathroom! And Christen is known for being a bit clutzy. Some extra bars to hold on to are never a bad thing.
-    Christen took her first shower in two days. For someone who is obsessive about cleanliness and personal hygiene, this is a huge deal. This trip has really broken her of some fixations.

Pedestrian Church Street in Burlington, VT

-    Drove into downtown Burlington. Charming Church St. is pedestrian only! It is multiple blocks of cafes with outdoor seating and shops with doors propped open. Lovely.
-    Went to the Vermont Pub & Brewery for dinner. We love trying local brews, and we especially love samplers. This pub allows you to order their sampler log with any six of their ten beers. We voted Vermont Pub & Brewery’s brews as the best local brews of the trip. Theirs were very original. Even if we didn’t LOVE all of them, we did respect them for their uniqueness. Our favorites were the raspberry, the IPA, and the ESB. Bri also liked the ambergris, but Christen thought it tasted like flowers.

Beer Sampler Paddle

-    Split a basket of sweet potato fries with provided honey mustard dipping sauce. Yum! Also split a chargrilled veggie burger and a veggie reuben. Double yum! A vegetarian reuben is a rare find, and Christen adores reubens. She loves sauerkraut so much that she can eat it out of the container.
-    Enjoyed a local roaster’s coffee and a no-bake cookie at Uncommon Grounds on Church St. while we watched some talented local musicians playing the tuba and clarinet and singing outside.
-    Heard “Sweet Georgia Brown” on our way into the coffeeshop, then heard Ray Charles singing “Georgia on My Mind” inside, and also got a Georgia quarter. It’s a sign. It’s about time to go home. Despite the fun we are having, we miss it.
-    Watched Twister back at the hotel and marveled over how far special effects have come since the mid-90s. That movie was so cutting edge then! Watch it now and it is a cheese-fest. The dialogue is terrible, and the effects are totally cheap.
-    Pretty glad this day is over. Not our best, despite the nice time in Burlington at the end. We are really getting tired…