Keewaydin State Park, NY – Alexandria Bay, NY July 4, 2008

We went just a few miles to Alexandria Bay Village and stopped at their city dock. There are many stores, restaurants and gift shops there. There was also a Farmers Market today and we walked about ½ mile to find it. We were disappointed that there wasn’t much produce there.

As we were walking back we ran across a hardware store. Darrell and Bob decided that was their kind of boutique, so went in. Beth and Margaret continued back to town and did our own kind of boutique shopping. There were some very nice stores, but the only thing purchased was a very cute hat for Margaret.

There was a grocery store some distance away, but accessible by boat. Bob took us in his dingy and we bought what we needed. On our way back the engine died and, although they were able to get it started again, it wouldn’t keep running. So, we got towed back by a nice boater.

While in Alexandria Bay, we saw a boat named “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” from the port of Margaritaville and another boat which had a blow up doll as a passenger. There was a giant outdoor chess set. We also saw the Coast Guard racing for their boat, casting off and racing out of the harbor with siren and lights. We ate lunch in Alexandria Bay before leaving to visit Boldt Castle.

Heart Island and the Boldt Castle was a very fascinating place. George C. Boldt, proprietor of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City built Boldt Castle as a display of his love for his wife Louise. He purchased Hart Island, tore down the existing structure and proceeded to build a full-sized Rhineland Castle. He had the outline of the island altered to more resemble a heart and changed the name of Hart Island to Heart Island. There are hearts incorporated everywhere in the castle.

It was begun in 1900 and for 4 years Boldt and his family spent their summers on Wellesley Island while 300 workers, stonemasons, carpenters, and artists fashioned the six story, 120 room castle, complete with tunnels, a powerhouse, Italian gardens, a drawbridge and a dovecote. In 1904 Boldt telegrammed the island to “stop all construction”. His wife, Louise, had died suddenly. Boldt never returned to the island and for 73 years the castle remained vacant and unfinished. The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority assumed ownership in 1977 determined to preserve the legacy for the enjoyment of future generations. Since then, millions of dollars have been invested into the restoration of the structures. As of now, only the first floor has been restored and decorated.

The grounds are beautifully maintained and there are gardens everywhere. There is also the Alster Tower which was a playhouse built for the children, a bird tower, power plant building and other structures. Across the water is the Yacht House, which housed the family’s three yachts and houseboat (with tall masts and rigging standing).

Many weddings occur on Heart Island and there is no charge to book this beautiful place. The only cost is the entrance fee of all the guests ($6.50 each). There was a wedding about to take place while we were there.

After visiting the castle and yacht house we anchored about ¼ mile away. Bob and Margaret rafted up to us and we enjoyed the million dollar view. It was a most beautiful place to be. After dinner we watched the Boldt Castle fireworks display. There were hundreds of boats out also watching.

The only dark cloud in an otherwise perfect day was when Beth lost her cellphone in the water while going from our boat to Bellissimo.

Fuzzy at the Playground

When Nana and Papa were in The Solomons Fuzzy got to go on a walk with them. Fuzzy really enjoys going with Nana and Papa and visiting different places.
















As we were walking on the boardwalk Fuzzy saw a playground. Fuzzy likes playgrounds so much and wanted to stop for a little while. He played on all the equipment and Papa helped him on the slide. Fuzzy went down the slide many times.





Do you like going to the playground? What is your favorite thing to do at the playground?

Keewaydin State Park, NY - July 3, 2008

New York operates 14 state parks on the US side of the St. Lawrence River. Most of them are designed for small fishing boats, but there are 4 parks that can handle larger boats. They offer transient dockage and have electric, showers and restrooms. The park is very nice and has a large camping and picnic area and walking trails.

It was raining when we got up this morning and the weather forecast indicated no clearing until later this afternoon. That put our plans of taking the dingy to Boldt Castle on hold. We hung around the boat and did small chores and read.

It stopped raining about mid-afternoon and we went out for a little walk. This is really a huge park, and very nice. There is a very large swimming pool and the large rocks are perfect for walking on or climbing. The camping area was filling up, in preparation of the July 4th week-end.

Cape Vincent, NY – Keewaydin State Park, NY - July 2, 2008

There is a small museum here that is fascinating. The Cape Vincent Historical Museum is located right next to the Visitors Center and has a lot of information and displays. It was very interesting place. One of the items was a Friendship Quilt that was made as a fundraiser for St. Johns Episcopal Church. The fundraiser was from 1925-28. For 10 cents anyone could have his signature embroidered on the quilt, or embroider it themselves. There are 749 names, so it raised $74.90, which was a substantial sum in those days.

Cape Vincent also lays claim to a movie actress. There is a black beaded dress that Eleanor Bennett McVean wore when she appeared in the silent movies under the name of Eleanor LaMore.

We walked through the aquarium at the Cape Vincent Research Station. The Research Station monitors the health of the fishery of Lake Ontario. Using their trawler, they use nets to collect samples to determine population and health of various species. It was interesting to find out that you can tell the age of a fish by looking at one of its scales. The distance between the rings on the scales indicates fast or slow growth period as well as when it spawns.

One of the displays featured Lake Sturgeon, much smaller than its ancestors. In the western United States during the 1700’s sturgeon as large as 1500 pounds and over 100 years old were common. There are still Atlantic Sturgeon in the Hudson River that occasionally reach 200 pounds and are 6-8 feet long. The population decreased dramatically when they were harvested for their meat and eggs (caviar). Sturgeon are a prehistoric fish and remain basically the same as they were 65 million years ago. Most sturgeon populations are protected and regulated to help maintain or increase their numbers. We took a picture of the sturgeon, but it was through glass and is slightly blurry.

We picked up some food at the grocery store and left Cape Vincent at 10:45 this morning. Bob and Margaret were going to get a later start. It was slightly cool again today and it was beautiful. The channel narrowed for awhile as we got further into the St. Lawrence River and, at one point, there couldn’t have been more than 1 mile between the United States and Wolfe Island, Canada.

We arrived in the Keewaydin State Park Marina at 1:45. We plan to stay here 2 days. Bob and Margaret arrived at 2:30.

Sackets Harbor, NY – Cape Vincent, NY – July 1, 2008

We awoke to fish flies all over the boat, so Darrell hosed off the boat before we got underway. We left at 6:45, on our way to Cape Vincent. It was a very beautiful day, mostly clear with puffy clouds on the horizon. It was slightly cool, just enough to be refreshing. We arrived and were tied up by 10 a.m. There is a large visitors dock here that can hold up to 10 boats. There is no charge for this and you can stay 2 nights.

Cape Vincent is located at the mouth of Lake Ontario where it meets the St. Lawrence River. As we entered the St. Lawrence River, Wolfe Island Canada was just off to our left. We can easily see Wolfe Island from our dock at Cape Vincent and ferry’s cross the St. Lawrence River hourly from early May to mid October. Cape Vincent is also the beginning of the area called The Thousand Islands.

The first 50 miles of the St. Lawrence River is called The Thousand Islands. (There are actually more than 1700.) These islands are the rocky tops of mountains and you must be very careful navigating around them. The water may be 1 foot deep in one spot and over 100 feet deep a boat length away. There are also many bays and coves, narrow passages and wide open areas. The channels are well marked and there are many places to anchor. There are many small towns along the shores, but most of the islands are privately owned and have cottages and summer homes on them.

We went to lunch at a local café. The food wasn’t as good as we had hoped for. The afternoon was spent walking around town and looking in some of the stores. The library was having a book sale so we stopped by and found a couple of books. Beth took some clothes to the Laundromat. Our washer can’t handle a full set of sheets so it’s easier to do it there.

Last night over dinner we made a tentative plan for the next few days. We will stay on the US side of the St Lawrence River for a few days and on Friday, July 4 anchor in Alexandria Bay, next to Boldt Castle. We’re told there’s a huge fireworks display that evening. We will then cross into Canada, clear customs and cruise on the Canadian side.

Oswego, NY – Sackets Harbor, NY – June 30, 2008

Last night across from us was the Grand Mariner, a small cruise ship of the American Canadian Caribbean Line. This ship cruises where the big ships can’t. It cruises the canal systems, rivers and lesser known destinations. The Grand Mariner has 50 cabins and a maximum of 100 passengers. They docked and lowered their pilot house to be ready to go through the canal system this morning.

We left Oswego this morning at 6:45 and started across Lake Ontario. Our destination was Sackets Harbor to the northeast of Oswego. We are still in New York but very close to Canada.

We had become used to the smooth ride of the canal system and were soon reminded of the unstable, rolly ride of a boat in big water. After we got in deeper water the seas became more calm and we had a nice, 4 ½ hour crossing to Sackets Harbor. We arrived and docked at 11:30. There is a dock at the waterfront. It is a visitor dock with a limit of 4 hours and no overnight allowed. This is a beautiful town. The waterfront is very nice, with a gazebo, picnic tables, benches, flowers and many trees. It was nice just to sit on the benches and look around.

Margaret and Beth went out to explore (read: check out the quaint boutiques). There are many cute stores here as well as several restaurants. The town of Sackets Harbor has about 1800 residents with the number increasing greatly in the summer when visitors fill the cottages. Fort Drum is near here and is home to the 10th Mountain Division. We also discovered there is a large Menonite and Amish population in this three county area.

Darrell and Bob heard about a place here that brews its own beer, so they went off looking for it. They found the Sacket Brewing Company and, of course, needed to sample the local brew. It was a nice place and the beer was good.

We left after our 4 hour limit at the dock and anchored near the entrance to the harbor. We rafted with Bellissimo, discussed our next few day plans and had dinner together.

Brewerton, NY – Oswego, NY – June 29, 2008

Along with Bellissimo we got underway at 8 this morning. We traveled 9 miles and went through the last lock before leaving the Eastern section of the Erie Canal.

Our last few days on the Eastern Erie Canal was very beautiful and scenic. Many parks and picnic areas were dotted along the way and were beautifully maintained. There were many free tie-ups for boaters. The waters were calm and the reflection of the trees and bridges in the water was so pretty.

At mile 160 of the Erie Canal we turned north onto the Oswego Canal. The Oswego Canal opened in 1828 and connects Three Rivers to Lake Ontario. Three Rivers is where the Oneida and Senecca Rivers join to form the Oswego River. We dropped from 363 feet above sea level to 245 feet above sea level in 24 miles and 7 locks.

The 4 concrete bridge abutments in the water used to support the trolley bridge on the line from Oswego to Syracuse. The Oswego Canal is yet another very scenic area of New York.

There are many interesting stops along the way, but we decided to travel the entire canal in one day. We stopped for the day at Oswego, the end of the canal and on the shores of Lake Ontario. We ran into several other Loopers here at Oswego. We are getting together tonight for snacks.

8 locks today – total of 32.

The weather forecast sounds good for tomorrow. We plan to cross Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence River, then into the area called 1000 Lakes.

After today we are not sure how often we will have internet access. We will be cruising in Canada for 4-5 weeks and will update our blog whenever possible.