Lake Champlain, Vermont

It came as quite a surprise to me that Lake Champlain and its four major islands, on the Vermont/New York/Canada border, are as secluded as they are. (Perhaps it was just late in the season?)

Having been on Lake George with the excitement and hustle-bustle of Lake George Village and the summer cottages that line the western shore, Lake Champlain, in comparison, is remote and quiet and far removed from much tourism.

Scenic, yes. Lots to do, not exactly. Each island had one or two interests, but overall one might go for tranquility rather than for activities.

Lake Champlain is a freshwater lake and is the 6th largest body of water in the U.S. Its four major islands, each connected by a bridge to the next, are Isle La Motte, Grand Isle, North Hero and South Hero.

In Sept of 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was a guest at this site on Isle La Motte. He happened to be visiting here when he learned of the shooting death of then President William McKinley. As a result of the death, Teddy Roosevelt became president, our 26th.

The Goodsell Ridge Preserve on Isle La Motte is a site of preserved fossils. Fossils are formed when animals die and fall to the ocean floor. The flesh is either eaten by other animals or decayed, and the remaining skeleton lies in the mud. Over thousands of years, the mud becomes rock, leaving the imprint of the animal's skeleton.

Samuel de Champlain is almost as common a name from school days as Christopher Columbus. It was here on Isle La Motte that on July 2nd and 3rd, 1609, Champlain first set foot on American soil and camped and hunted. Near this bridge at Burying Yard Point that leads from Isle La Motte to the mainland is a plaque that holds the name of Champlain and his description of the island. It wasn't until nearly 60 years later that the first settlement was formed on the island by French explorers.

This is Hero's Welcome, a general store, gas station and deli on the island of North Hero. There was more action here than anywhere else on the islands. To the left is the North Hero post office.

Across the street from the general store is a boat launch, a fenced-in picnic area for visitors to sit and eat and enjoy the peaceful waters of Lake Champlain and some of the smaller outer-lying islands.