ausable chasm, port kent, lake champlain ferries

Ausable Chasm, Port Kent, Lake Champlain Ferries - 2000

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Ausable Chasm

I arrived at AuSable Chasm late in the afternoon and took a spot in the adjacent KOA campground. I almost had the run of the campground; I think there were only three other campers on the property.

I was able to do some exploring on foot, but the chasm itself is private property and can only be accessed by paying for the tour. From what I saw, it was worth waiting until morning to do that.

The autumn had been drier than usual in New York, and almost all the water coming down the AuSable River was being captured by the dam and fed to the two hydropower plants at the head of the chasm. Not much was left to go over the falls.

Along the trails, the ground was blanketed with pine needles. The air was autumn-fresh and fragrant.

Here, I'm looking down a notch that intersects the chasm. There were several of these, there are faults and rifts that are visible in the chasm walls.

Port Kent, New York & Lake Champlain Ferries

Port Kent, New York is just south of Plattsburgh, and is the point of departure for ferries across Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont.

The Lake Champlain Ferries between Port Kent and Burlington carry full-sized tour buses, recreational vehicles and many cars on each trip, and they run frequently. The crossing takes about an hour.

Amtrak's Adirondack trains between New York and Montreal stop at a shelter just above the Port Kent ferry landing. I saw about a dozen people get off the train with bikes, baggage, and backpacks and walk down the hill to board a ferry to Burlington.

When I crossed the lake on the ferry Valcour, the sun was bright and the sky was blue with wispy white clouds. A brisk wind made the lake choppy, and sometimes waves would slam into the bow sending sheets of spray flying across the forward part of the deck. The sightseers there soon headed for the stern or for the lounge and gift shop below. The wind was whipping a flag on a pole near where I was standing, and the rolling motion of the ferry was enough to cause the air suspension on the tour bus parked behind me to pant and sigh rhythmically as it tried to keep the coach level.