Lake Champlain is modest by comparison to the Great Lakes, yet impressive.
North of Ausable, we chose to follow route 9 along the shore,
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The terrain became flat and much more populated which made progress a lot slower.
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Soon we were back at Point au Roche parking in a different place.
Dragonflies flitted about in the sunshine. No, this one did not get stuck!
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As far as I can recall, I’ve never seen a red dragonfly before.
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It was quite windy, just as it had been three weeks ago, but the temperature was considerably warmer, unseasonably so. And many of the trees still held their beautiful foliage.
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No sign, this time, of the cedar wax-wings.
We proceeded to the lake…
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There we found gulls enjoying an afternoon siesta.
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Snoozing and grooming in the sun.
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They paid scant attention as we wandered by.
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A gaggle of Canada geese had claimed a spot further along the beach.
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Most of them tucked up and sound asleep.
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This did not seem like late October.
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By now it was gone 2 o’clock and shadows were already getting long.
Maybe we should take the throughway home?
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But we’d enjoyed the drive up, so as a compromise we decided just to avoid the more populated part of the journey along the shore, which would save us a little time at least.
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We got back on the shore road a bit further south.
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When possible, scenery should be viewed from at least two sides and at different times of day.
So, we decided what we need to do is drive up later in the day, overnight near the border and return early the following morning. Easy to arrange. I’d just need to persuade myself that being away from the little darlings for one night would be perfectly alright!
Much harder.
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It would be nice to see reverse light conditions.
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Back-lit trees are a pretty sight, but the southbound journey had me squinting and fighting a harsh glare off the windshield.
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Northbound, we’d come suddenly upon this curious house of very many windows.
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We were past it before we’d really taken it in, but exclaimed at the same time:
“Did you see…?”
It’s the sort of house I’d love to see the inside of.
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The lake was still that astonishing colour in late afternoon.
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There was the Moon, just left of centre.
It was now 1545. With luck, we’d be home in time to feed cats at the appointed hour.
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Thank you, Carolyn, for the interesting update from your drive. I love the photo of the red dragonfly!
Joanna
Wow, I’d love to see inside that house too. How eccentric!
Definitely worth the trip! I would like to live in a house like that, but only if someone else cleaned the windows. I have also never seen a red dragonfly, so looked them up. Best wishes, Pete.
‘Red dragonflies include species like the Common darter and Ruddy darter, which are common in Europe, and the Red-veined darter, a migrating species. While males are typically bright red, females of the same species are often yellowish or brownish. Other red-colored species, such as the red grasshawk, are found in Asia’.
It’s always fascinating that the same road can look so different when you drive in the opposite direction. That house with the many windows … I’m glad I don’t have to wash them 😁. There are quite a few dragonflies in our garden on the farm, but I have never seen a red one. Lovely photos!