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Published: July 19th 2013
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St. Lawrence River
leaving Alex Bay, NY 18 July, 2013
Cindy and Alex picked us up a little before 10 this morning and we went to their boat docked in Alex Bay. This was our first glimpse of the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands area. It is absolutely gorgeous there.
We rode out into the river moving between the American and the Canadian side. You have to have a chart to know the difference or the years of experience on these waters that they have. We skimmed along downriver for a few miles, then saw a familiar-looking trawler anchored. As we got closer and Alex slowed down we could see our friends Rob and Sue waving at us. We met them in the Keys, too, same as Cindy and Alex. Rob, Alex and Kerry played softball together and Sue, Cindy and I kept score. So, anyway, we rafted up with them and got aboard their boat and had a nice visit. Rob and Sue had planned to do the NY Canal system this summer, you know, the Erie Canal. Unfortunately, the heavy rains and flooding have played havoc with the locks and the canals have been closed. They are heading to Alex and Cindy’s
Rob and Sue
aboard Papillon dock tomorrow. They hope to continue their trip now that the canal has announced resumption of services.
After parting with them, we proceeded upriver on the Canadian side, passing Rockport, a pretty little town with more boats that people (folks from Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec keep their boats there and come down on weekends.) We got a great tour of the area and Cindy and Alex are great at telling stories about the different areas we passed by. It truly is a beautiful area to boat in, but they say it is really busy on summer weekends. It was nice and fairly uncrowded today.
There are two castles on islands in this area and we rode past both of them. Singer Castle was built as a hunting lodge. Cindy says you can rent a room there and have run of the whole place. They also have weddings and events there. Boldt Castle is on a different island and was built by an immigrant who was later owner of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The playhouse is said to have contained a bowling alley and a swimming pool. Unfortunately, the wife he had it so lovingly built it for died
Freighter
moving up the St. Lawrence River during construction and it was never completed. There are tour boats that go to both castles. They are pretty impressive to look at, especially when you realize they were just summer houses.
There is a lighthouse where a pirate was sent to pay his debt to society by manning the light. They have a couple of festivals there to celebrate him.
We watched thunderheads building and decided it was time to get back to the dock, where we met several of their boating friends and sat enjoying tasty beverages while the rain came down. When it stopped, we went to a restaurant on the river and had a delicious Italian dinner before coming back to the campground.
Thank you again Cindy and Alex for the wonderful day on the water and the great visit. We’ll miss you.
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barbara
non-member comment
Love the pictures, how beautiful it is up there.