Thousand Islands NY
August 29th-Sept 1st.
Some how I deleted this whole post and once it was erased, I just didn't have the mojo to return to it....but I did not want to miss out on posting. There was many things said in the deleted post that also made reference to the activities that had been going on over the week leading to our trip to the St. Lawrence river, but I refuse to recall all the specific detail.
In summary....Work has been a bear! I have spent many evenings hugging friends and family tight. Sending prayers to my dear friends for their loss, and clutching my own children close. The loss of a child forever impacts.
Our trip to the Thousand Islands was both a needed escape from life, plus an opportunity to simply relax. Mark has continued to struggle with his medical concerns and this would be the first trip away since things began.
Mark and I headed up to Alexandra Bay and located our camp site for the following three days. We were slotted site #7 in 1000 Islands Campground.
We the site was fairly small and as Mark is not 100% confident in his backing up, the camp host were very nice and help us. Soon as we were backed in and all set up,(we are really getting good at this.) we took Riley for a walk and scoped out the park layout. This was our first RV experience not at The Villages at Turning Stone and it is quite different.
This is not to say that this park was NOT lovely because it was. It is simply different is all. It is much much smaller then we have been to. Sites were smaller, park was smaller. It didn't take all of about 10 minutes to walk Riley around the entire place. Despite the small space between sites, it did not feel crowded. There is a bath house, a restroom, a playground, walking trails, pavilion space, a check in area with wood to purchase, and on the main street of the campground is a small store with some yummy coffee and an Ice Cream place.
Along with the RV sites there are cabins, glamping tents and tent spaces.
Both the cabins and these darling glamping tents looked very nice.
Overall this campground had everything we needed. It would have been better if it was on the River, but it did have trails that lead to the State campground directly next to us and this campground is on the River. We walked the short distance and took a dip in the cool waters. It was a very HOT August day and the water was welcomed.
We had a very late lunch back at the RV site before taking a ride into town.
This is not to say that this park was NOT lovely because it was. It is simply different is all. It is much much smaller then we have been to. Sites were smaller, park was smaller. It didn't take all of about 10 minutes to walk Riley around the entire place. Despite the small space between sites, it did not feel crowded. There is a bath house, a restroom, a playground, walking trails, pavilion space, a check in area with wood to purchase, and on the main street of the campground is a small store with some yummy coffee and an Ice Cream place.
Along with the RV sites there are cabins, glamping tents and tent spaces.
The skies were amazing too.
We had a very late lunch back at the RV site before taking a ride into town.
Alexandria Bay is a quaint river town was a whole LOT of tourism. One main street is home to multiple shops, eateries and tourist types of activities. Side streets open to the parks, hospital, schools and a small public beach. Perhaps what makes A-bay so touristy is it's very popular Uncle Sam's Boat tours. I myself have taken Uncle Sam's boats four times in the past, All tours make a stop at Heart Island, the home of Bolt Castle. (behind Mark is the check in for Uncle Sam's) We had dinner at Riley's later in the week, we simply had to get a picture of Riley below the Riley sign.
You can see Bolt Castle from the Riverwalk area. On this trip Mark, Riley and I walked along the River Walk and enjoyed the many colors of the skies as the evening closed in on the day.
The Riverwalk trail runs along the River behind the hospital and ends at the Village park. This was where Mark, the boys and I had gone for Pirates Weekend a few years back.
There was a free band playing in the park pavilion. Mark and I did not stop to listen. It was not our style of music and Riley was not having the break. We cut across the parking lot and weaved back to the main road making our way to the A-Bay public docks. As we walked down the side street I noticed a rainbow up ahead.
I loved how I was able to capture the water tower in the shot.
Along the dock, the area was pretty peaceful. As the weekend progressed this changed immensely.
After taking the pier stroll, we headed back to the truck ready to call it an night.
This was the only picture I caught of the sun actually setting and it was while we were speeding back to the campsite.(Maybe I should have insisted my body stay out on the pier, I am sure it would have been an incredible site.)
Back at the RV...…Riley found his spot for the night. Right in the center of our bed.
The following morning Mark, Riley and I made our way to the Town of Clayton. This is another River town along the St. Lawrence. Our RV park is located right between both Alexandria Bay and Clayton. Most of Clayton is historic and the buildings along this towns main street was lined with lovely turn of the century homes, business and older manufacturing buildings.
A nice paved walkway along the River runs besides the 1000 Islands Harbor hotel. The hotel did look lovely. (The Hotel is in the background)
Below this bridge post reads 1912. No current crossing available. We will simply have to settle for walking along side.
Following along the pathway we headed back towards the center of town. The Clayton public docks.
Clayton is charming. It is a nice blend of traditional small town and modern life. Although there was not much to do, I did enjoy the area. It is also very DOG friendly. We found that the River walkway offered poo bags, there was a dogs only grassy area, and there were many store fronts with water dishes out front. It is always nice when an area welcomes your pups.
I simply LOVED the colors of all these ADK chairs. What a nice enjoyable seat to take a view the waterway.
There are usually many more boat out there on the river, but the wind was up and it was pretty early in the day. I thought this statue was pretty cool. This is a specific kind of fish and there was a blurb about it, but I cannot recall what kind.
You can see how choppy the water is...
Guess what I had for a snack.....
Shortly after she arrived we made our way to A-bay to get our seats on the afternoon Two Nation's Cruise. This Uncle Sam's cruise takes the St. Lawrence down Million Dollar row, the Canadian Million Dollar row under one of the bridges that crosses over to Canada and the last stop is to Heart Island.
Both pictures are from the dock.
Our host did a wonderful job of telling about the many facts along the St. Lawrence. Here he was demonstrating the life jackets.
It was incredibly cold and surprising too as yesterday was HOT HOT HOT!!! I was so glad Diane had extra blankets in her car. I usually pack for cold weather, but the days had been so humid I only had my one sweatshirt for the whole week.
Our tour was quite full. We assumed that it would be as this was the Holiday weekend. When we had come to pick up the tickets the parking lot was empty, but when we returned around lunch time, we had to park around the corner. If you happen to be in the area for the Holidays and I would assume any weekend in the summer, make sure to get your tickets early and expect a crowd. I was super glad it was Friday and not Saturday as this already full boat ride would have been even tighter.
We were soon off and on our way along the waters. How amazing to have a home on one of these many Islands.
They are beautiful.
This is the crack where someone hid out or maybe something was stored. I think it may be bootlegged whiskey. I can't remember or didn't hear. with my hood up, the wind blowing and the motor I missed much of the information.
A glimpse of some of the wildlife along the way. These two rock formations above the water would not be considered one of the 1000 Islands counted. Do you know why?
(I will give you the answer later....)
If I recall this was once an Island utopia, the largest Island (I cannot remember how many miles) but it housed many people and offered many amniotes. Only problem was getting around the Island was a chore. I do recall our announcer reported that people would drive cars across the Ice in the winter. It is illegal to dump into the River, so it was a risk to run your car over the ice not knowing the depth of ice between your car and the water below. If your car went under not only would you have a healthy fee and criminal charges but you were also stuck with the bill to have the vehicle removed.
Another Island once was the resort for many wealthy vacationers from NY City and Chicago. This one burned to the ground. All that water and no way to put out a fire.
I thought this weather vane was so cool.....
We got a ton more stories about these homes, the land and the changes the area had over time. I really do wish I had not lost my previous post and had a better memory.
One of the large barge ships that passes along the river.
How fun it must be to stroll these walkways.
These are some of the Canadian homes. You can tell as many are newer. The Canadian's also have strict laws around preservation of trees. Many of the home's views are abrupted as to preserve the environment.
We came around by heart Island and Bolt castle, Isn't she Beautiful. ( I have a post of me visiting the Island and the castle in here somewhere. I would link if I knew how to do that.)
This is the playhouse. (Below)
and the boat house
This is the smallest Island of the 1000's, and there are actually nearly 2,000 Islands in total. It took several years to count everyone. The Island below is counted because there is a tree growing on it. (the answer to the question above). I think our tour guide reported it can also accommodate 15 people standing on it. (thus the # marker).
The 1000 Islands has not changed its name to 2000 Islands because that would mess up the Salad dressing, known to have been named after the chunks of greenery in the dressing resembled the several Islands of the area.
Our boat had a paddle. See the monarch butterfly in the right side of the frame. (we are calling these sightings Adam.)
Our tour guide told us some of the stupid questions he gets....like where is Niagara Falls on this tour or even funnier, where is the Statue of Liberty. He had a few more, but are people really that dumb? Then I remembered I called this river Lake Ontario when we first arrived to the area. Yep.....I believe there are some of those people.
This Island and it's attaching smaller island is actually both Canadian and American. The left is on the Canadian side and the right is on the American. There was some discussion around how "they" determined what Islands were Canadian and which were American, but I cannot remember how this was determined.
I guess you will have to take your own tour to get all the details.... As the day progressed the weather got warmer too. See all that sunshine.
After we returned to the docks we hit the several stores and did some shopping. We also had an early dinner at the Admiral.
Mark's mother left to beat the sun setting and a dark ride home. Mark and I enjoyed an evening by the fire.
Saturday Aimee came to join us. Kelly was also suppose to stop by as was a friend from work; Sarah. Both Kelly and Sarah couldn't make it. Once Aimee arrived we headed out towards Sacketts Harbor.
Mark was excited as Sackets Harbor is the place where Funnycide (the horse that took the triple Crown) owners were from. He was disappointed that there was NOTHING mentioning this bit of famous news about the area. The welcoming center was very nice and the women at the station was helpful. She offered a few sights of interest.
No famous horse...but apparently a battle.
We didn't go in (there is an admission fee and I do not know how much) to tour the battlefield.
I don't even know what battle was fought here. I actually thought the gift store/admission office staff were pretty rude. Aimee and I had no welcome and no direction when we walked in...so I took this picture (above) and walked right out.
The battle was fought off this waterway...Guess what this is? Lake Ontario. (See I knew I was near this Great Lake)
After a short but hot walk around the outside of the battlefield we made our way to the village area and strolled the streets. There really was not a whole lot to do.
Riley found is female twin along the way.
Awe....its true LOVE.
We also visited the Henderson Harbor area. We must have missed something because there was nothing but houses in the area. Mark had originally wanted to camp in Henderson Harbor, glad we didn't.
One last place to seek out, Cape Vincent. Where the Lake meets the River.
There is also a lighthouse....Aimee and I had a very nice conversation with the gift store clerk about the 22 (Or something ) light houses along the northern border of NY. Wow 22. He claimed that people travel around the United States just to see Light Houses. This BLOWS my Mind. This was pretty and all but really all over the US to see each and every light house? He claims there is even a stamp book like the National Parks book. Again....Mind Blown. Well if you are one of those people....known that you can purchase your Light House books and get a stamp at Cape Vincent.
Its interesting...I guess. We could not go up in it however....
The fog horn building was a little more exciting. I entered the room and the horn went off. Yikes....
A view inside the Light house.
The home is actually one of the United States few Hostels. Aimee and I had attempted to enter the building and were stopped by members of the hostel. We were offered a tour and provided with information about this and other United States hostels. Its not really my thing, and quite honestly you would have to go quite a distance to this point from any main area. I guess I am surprised that this would be a consideration. But what the heck do I know. I would have to be traveling alone as there are men's quarters and women's quarters. No couples quarter?
Nevermind, but thanks for the tour and the information...Mark reminded me of the horror flick Hostel and I knew for sure this was NOT for me.
After we all had our fill of Light Houses....we headed back to the RV, relaxed for a bit and then headed into town for dinner. 
We had dinner at Rileys….I had the Thousand Island Burger...Poutine a top of beef. YUMMMMMS
After dinner we did a little shopping.
I just loved these old signs.
We also happened upon the weekend of the Blues on the Bay.
Mark enjoying some music.
Aimee, Mark and I took a trip to Welsley Island. This is a NY State park and it is very lovely. They also offer RV sites and camping.
Driving over this bridge with out the hitch was scary, I am not sure we would have made the trip pulling the RV. It sure is pretty though.
Once we got to the State Park, Aimee and I took right to the beach. Mark walked Riley while Aimee did some swimming, I waded. (It was just a little bit to cold for me.)
We pretty much had the beach to ourselves for the sharing of these gulls who I admired fighting for a few fish.
I spotted this guy way up in one of the trees. I am not sure what he is.
The water was beautiful.
I am not sure what happened to these mushrooms...I would just love to see the other guy in this stand off.
Beautiful.
After an enjoyable time at Welsey Island we headed back to camp and prepared for the evening. We had decided to head back to A-bay for some more music, some drinks and some food and of course some shopping. We hit every store along the main street, enjoyed some music and had dinner at one of the restaurants along the pier. We also realized that our friend Mary and her family were in A-bay and made a plan to meet up with them.
We took our time, stopping for music and a few cocktails. We finally connected with Mary and Jasen at the Bad Dog Pub.
I cannot explain the beauty of the skies each and every evening as it set out here along the lake. Impressive was the dusk of the evening. The actual red, oranges and yellows of the sun setting was insane. (We were heading back to the RV at this time and I caught nothing but trees and blurs)
The skies continued to paint an amazement of colors.....
A nice paved walkway along the River runs besides the 1000 Islands Harbor hotel. The hotel did look lovely. (The Hotel is in the background)
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Below this bridge post reads 1912. No current crossing available. We will simply have to settle for walking along side.
We enjoyed a bit more walking and headed off the main road to some of the side streets and look what we found. The River Rat Cheese store. This is MY FAVORITE Cheese curds in all the world. I simply had to venture in and score myself some curds. Lucky me, they only have the curds available on certain days and Thursday was one of them....
Mark and I had spoken with his mother earlier in the day and had gone into A-bay to pick up tickets for the 1pm boat cruise as she was coming up to spend the day with us.
If I recall this was once an Island utopia, the largest Island (I cannot remember how many miles) but it housed many people and offered many amniotes. Only problem was getting around the Island was a chore. I do recall our announcer reported that people would drive cars across the Ice in the winter. It is illegal to dump into the River, so it was a risk to run your car over the ice not knowing the depth of ice between your car and the water below. If your car went under not only would you have a healthy fee and criminal charges but you were also stuck with the bill to have the vehicle removed.
Mark's mother left to beat the sun setting and a dark ride home. Mark and I enjoyed an evening by the fire.
Saturday Aimee came to join us. Kelly was also suppose to stop by as was a friend from work; Sarah. Both Kelly and Sarah couldn't make it. Once Aimee arrived we headed out towards Sacketts Harbor.
One last place to seek out, Cape Vincent. Where the Lake meets the River.
We had dinner at Rileys….I had the Thousand Island Burger...Poutine a top of beef. YUMMMMMS
I just loved these old signs.
We also happened upon the weekend of the Blues on the Bay.
We spent a little more time enjoying the evening festivities then made our way back to the camp site for the night. Enjoying the camp fire was the entertainment for the evening.
The following day, I met up with an old friend who has a beautiful camp on the river. Darla and I have a nice time catching up.
After some beach time, we caught up with Mark and Riley, changed into some dry warmer clothing and took a short walk around. There are some very nice trails that overlook the River.
After an enjoyable time at Welsey Island we headed back to camp and prepared for the evening. We had decided to head back to A-bay for some more music, some drinks and some food and of course some shopping. We hit every store along the main street, enjoyed some music and had dinner at one of the restaurants along the pier. We also realized that our friend Mary and her family were in A-bay and made a plan to meet up with them.
We took our time, stopping for music and a few cocktails. We finally connected with Mary and Jasen at the Bad Dog Pub.
A few more drinks and then we were back at the RV having a fire and falling into a peaceful slumber.
I have so much enjoyed having our RV. Mark and I have one more RV trip scheduled for the year before we close her up for the season.
We headed home the following morning all feeling like this was a very relaxed and enjoyable mini vacation. TTFN
