July 20 - Good-bye Cousins, Hello Champ?

Bryn: Despite a lazy morning with visiting, waffle making, boxing up stuff to mail home, playing checkers with Vinny and packing the car, we were able to say good-bye to our generous hosts Catherine and Tom and get on the road by 10:20 am. It was really great to spend time with family at the half-way point of our trip - we were able to relax, regroup, plan some of the upcoming travel, and even get an oil change for the van!
Bret planned this part of the trip so he could earn his Traveler Achievement for his Webelos Cub Scout. He noticed that if we took a minor detour, we would be able to add Massachusetts to our states. So off we went, through the lovely Berkshire Mountains and the northwestern tip of MA on our way to gorgeous Vermont. We came to Burlington, where we boarded The Spirit of Ethan Allan III tour boat on Lake Champlain.
Just to remind those of you who have followed this blog for awhile, Bret chose to come to Lake Champlain to search for Champ, the American Loch Ness Monster. As we drove, he prepared a backpack with a disposable camera, water bottle, and binoculars. He debated bringing his journal book too in case he wanted to sketch Champ, but decided not to as photography is the best way to catch a fleeting glimpse of this elusive creature. He also talked to one of the staff members who grew up in Burlington, and he told us some good places to go to try to see Champ.
We don't think we saw Champ today, but we did see some interesting and unusual waves, so who knows who could have been under there?

Randy's choice for the day was baseball. This evening we went to Centennial Stadium to watch the Vermont Lake Monsters vs Brooklyn. The Monsters ate them up, 8 - 2. Near the end of the game, the boys gave high-fives to Champ!

Bret: This was one of the best days on the whole trip. I think we'll see Champ tomorrow. At the game I got a stuffed animal Champ in a baseball uniform, and two players signed Champ's shirt. I got a shirt for me and a hat too. They're green, my favorite color. And I got to run the bases and I was fifth when I started but I ran fast and passed them all and made it in first. The other ones didn't touch home plate.

Reed: That was a great game. I got a new hat and two of the Lake Monster players signed it for me. I also got to run the bases after the game. I didn't go in Bret's group, I went in a later group. The other cool thing about today was this morning. Tom gave us some antique money changers that I really like. And Vinny played checkers with us. I jumped him twice then he said I won because it was time to go.

Randy noted that the best thing about the day was watching Bret's intense interest in the lake, and having both boys enjoy the baseball game so much.