south artery running the full length of Vermonts western  edge. Route 7 also traverses the Burlington/Lake Champlain area in  which the main characters almost certainly live. Adamant is a real  place, but it lies some 40 miles EAST of Route 7, more than halfway  across the state. It is not located "down 7" from anywhere, and in  fact is not located astride any numbered highway.