Destination:Fort Ticonderoga Ferry Rt.22A Shoreham, VT or Rt.74 Ticonderoga, NY
Traveling through Vermont means cheese, wine, antiques, and lots of farmland to most people. But did you know that if you are staying in the area of Brandon or Middlebury Vermont - you're really close to Fort Ticonderoga, NY? Thank you google maps!
I've never been and when I found that it was only about an hour drive from where we were - how could I resist. Add that to the fact that it is easily accessible by Ferry across Lake Champlain and I'm sold.
The drive was beautiful. We drove up hills and down into valleys with increasingly beautiful farmland vistas. Rarely did we see another vehicle on the road (unless tractors count). Once or twice we were able to glimpse the lake. All of a sudden we came around the corner and we were in the ferry line with the ferry just coming up to the dock.
The Fort Ti Ferry still uses the cable system to pull the ferry across which was first employed in 1946. The Addie B, a tugboat, powers the barge on which a few cars can travel in just seven minutes each way from the Green Mountains to the Adirondacks and back. Just enough time to buy a Fort Ti Crew t-shirt (and I did).
The weather was beautiful and Lake Champlain was sparkling in the sun, a sight best seen from the middle of it. Now, I know there is a new bridge that just opened up in November 2011 to the north (and we did use it on the way back), but somehow knowing that ferry crossings have been made here since around 1759 made this a historical experience in keeping with our adventure and well worth the $9 fare.
The next morning, another guest came into the breakfast area excitedly asking his friends if they realized how close Fort Ticonderoga was and that you could reach it by Ferry! I bet he is a Subaru driver too.
