Eileen's dogs woke me up at around 0530 and I spent a little time reading. When Eileen was awake too, I joined her in the kitchen and she made breakfast for me. We talked for a little while about our upcoming weeks and took our time getting ready. Since we were still finding tiny shards of glass in various places, I helped Eileen move furniture so she could do a deep cleaning of all the rooms. She had plans to meet some friends at 0830 so I packed up my car and said goodbye to her just after 0800. I left Potsdam by driving south and east on NY-72, which took me to NY-11B. From there, I got on NY-458 and used it to reach NY-30. Along the way, I passed lots of areas with thick snow (temps were still in the 30s). I listened to more audiobooks on the way. Using NY-86, I drove to Saranac Lake and continued on to Lake Placid. As usual, I bypassed town on the Old Military Road and joined NY-73 after that. From there (using a couple of minor roads as shortcuts), I was able to reach NY-9N and drive around the southern end of Lake Champlain. I then switched to NY-185 and drove to Crown Point State Park (arrived at 1045). Since reading “Rabble in Arms” (Kenneth Roberts) a little while back, I’ve made a point of visiting a few (new to me) sites related to the 1775 Invasion of Canada and subsequent retreat towards Fort Ticonderoga. The weather was wonderful so I stopped to walk the grounds around the historic forts at Crown Point (NY) and Chimney Point (VT). There were lots of interesting things to see and I probably got almost an hour of walking on the old earthworks above Lake Champlain. Bonus: I walked a section (very short) of the North Country Trail and checked out the Samuel de Champlain Memorial. Back on the road (1145), I used VT-125 to reach Middlebury. Eileen called just as I drove through town and we talked for a little while before I stopped at McDonalds for lunch (1235). She said she'd call me back but I had a lot of driving with barely any signal coming up - bottom line: difficult to carry on a conversation while crossing Vermont! I used US-7, VT-125, VT-100, Bethel Mountain Road and Camp Brook Road to cross all the mountains and reach VT-12. From there, I got on VT-107 and drove to I-89. Eileen called again at that point and we talked more about our great visit. By the time we hung up, I'd reached New Hampshire and continued towards my condo. Before arriving at my condo (still under repair/construction), I got a gas fill-up at the former Irving (now Citgo) station near my home (1400). Then I drove up to my parking lot, got my mail and greeted my neighbors - they were outside enjoying the nice weather. Monte offered to give me a ride to return my rental the Lebanon Airport and I didn't want to pass that option up! Quickly moving all my things from the rental car to my own, I was ready to depart for West Lebanon by 1430. We then drove in a convoy to the airport and I dropped off my Honda HRV at around 1450. From there, Monte drove me home and I got my own car. Since my insurance company had been informed that my condo would probably not be ready prior to April 10, they had made me a reservation at the nearby Residence Inn (Lebanon) - it's great to have USAA! I went to my new "home away from home" and was able to check into my room at 1515. I spent the next hour setting things up the way I wanted them - the room layout was pretty nice for teleworking. I'm hoping that my stay is not too long but it is nice to have a good place to live while the condo saga continues... I let the girls know I was home and then relaxed for the rest of the evening. What a trip - whew! NCT Today = 0.59 miles (hiking) / NCT Total = 12.6 miles
