Day 16 - Message from Mr. Frei

Greetings, gentle reader,




Brian has been doing a great job in describing our passage so far; I apologize for not being as prolific but when it's all been said so well, why say it again? I will certainly add some commentary when we are home and I have access to my own machine...which may be sooner than i would like. You see, this afternoon I experienced severe back spasms...akin, frankly, to the feeling of a broken rib. I'm feeling great pain in the boat, and we pulled off early today so that I could rest and medicate. We're in Burlington, a literal stone's throw from the finish (80 miles or so), and I will feel terrible if I cannot finish this journey. We'll sleep on the beach tonight and I hope that when the morning arrives, I'll be good to go.



In the meantime, back spasms aside, it's been a great few days. The clear waters of Champlain are a refreshing change from the yoo-hoo patina of the richelieu river and as we proceed south, the mountains around the southern Champlain valley- the green on the east and the Adirondacks to the west - rise around us. Sweet.



So, gentle reader, I go to sleep a grateful but somewhat worried man....grateful for the chance to make and share this trip with Brian and, vicariously, with you, but i'm worried that I may not hit the finish line with him. It won't be for lack of trying. We'll keep you posted.



Big ups,



Mr frei

Brian shows Al how to use the iPad

Day 16 - South Hero, VT to North Beach, Burlington, VT (Brian)

Rooney
Blogpost 10


July 6, Burlington, Vt.

The air is clearing here at the public beach after a dramatic storm.

We started this morning with such a tough headwind that we almost called a day off. It took three hours to cross a bay to the protection of high ground. The waves were high enough that the front third of our boats were coming out of the water. It took another hour to row to a break in an old railroad causeway and cross under.

 We made about 15 miles before Al started having back spasms and we landed at the public beach. A few minutes later the beach was cleared as the storm brought lightening and horizontal rain. Then it hailed as a ferry boat rode it out, head into the storm.

The jury is out on Al's back ... Could be out for the day, could be a season ender.

 Lake Champlain has great geology where you can see the evidence of turbulence overtime. Some of the islands and peninsulas have vertical sedimentary layers where the land has been heaved.
We have also seen a lot of damage from the spring floods. A marina near the Canadian border was heavily damaged as are many waterfront homes. We passed a string of 18 beach front homes that had all been damaged, one destroyed. The high water mark is about four feet above where we have been rowing.

On the Richelieu, the high water was six feet higher, but we hated that river and screw 'em.
Tuesday we set out from Chazy's Landing and also were dodging winds from the start. That's when we crossed to the Vermont side looking for protection from the east. We  went many miles looking for a marina to buy supplies and water up. Finally we came to a bay between two islands known as "the gut" and the Ladd's Landing Marina. There Emily Clark took care of us, digging some chicken sausage out of the refrigerator, along with potato salad, and directed us to the barbecue on the lawn, where we cooked up a great lunch.

We rowed another 10 mies or more after that. Finally pitching tents just at dusk in a park at South Hero.
Now we are wang to see whether they will kick halibut this beach park.




Rainbow after the storm at North Beach, VT