Google Earth Explorations

While viewing the boardwalk via the burlington.kmz setting in Google Earth, I cam across a variety of pictures of the boardwalk throughout history. Two photos in particular struck me. One such photo depicted what appeared to be a hockey game being played on Lake Champlain. The people skating on the lake seemed to be quite far away, and the lake looked as if it was frozen solid all the way to New York! There was no date on the photo, but I heard somewhere recently that Lake Champlain has not been frozen solid all the way across for quite some time. The global warming trends in recent decades lead me to believe that I may never have the opportunity to see the lake frozen solid like this.

The other photo that struck me was similar in that it depicted people walking on the lake frozen lake, which was covered in snow. If I didn't know any better, I would not think that the setting of the photo was near a lake. Rather, it looks like an open field covered in snow. The picture gave me the same sense of sadness as the other as I wondered if I might be one of the last generations to see the lake in this state.

Many of the other photos were beautiful photos of the lake at sunset, of boats on the water. Looking at these pictures, I was overcome with a sense of appreciation for the absolute beauty of the lake. It was so nice to see photos that captured the feeling of joy and awe that I get every time I walk down to the water and look across the gorgeous expanse of water to the majestic Adirondack mountains! One picture showed what appears to be a happening restaurant that serves customers right on the boardwalk. I have never seen this restaurant before, and so I wonder whether it is still in business, or whether it only operates during the summer. I plan on visiting some of my friends who will be living in Burlington over the summer, and I hope this restaurant is in operation when I come.

It was fun to explore the boardwalk through Google Earth and click on the various layers. It certainly provided me with a different medium from which to view my place, and I feel like I gained more insight about the different aspects of the boardwalk in Burlington.