A Weekend Jaunt to the 1000 Islands
Per usual, it was Friday afternoon, end of the workweek, but Hil and I had still not decided where we wanted to spend the weekend. The decisions have been difficult in recent times since there are so many places we enjoy visiting, but we’ve done a good job of mixing it up lately. This weekend we made the choice to visit the 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence River, just northwest of the Adirondacks. The day started out overcast, but the skies began to open up nicely in the early afternoon as we approached the Seaway area. Our destination was Ed Huck Marine in Rockport, Canada.
After we cleared customs on Wellesley Island, it was a short drive to the marina. We were greeted by the Johnston family (Peter, Sam, & Cis) who took us out for a boat tour of the islands on the Canadian side. We rode through some neat coves, saw some incredible waterfront homes, and found some campsites that we may visit at another time to stay for a night or two. During our ride we even passed by the famous Boldt Castle and Yachthouse. Later that afternoon, Hil and I put our kayaks in the water and headed across the channel to a sandbar that Peter had pointed out to us. After tying the kayaks up to a tree, it was time to kick back in our floats to enjoy the water and the afternoon sun. Upon locating a spot to put up our tent for the night, we set up camp, ate some leftovers that we had packed for dinner, and relaxed in our flex lite chairs to watch the sunset and enjoy the warm summer breeze coming off of the river.
The next morning, I woke early to capture some photographs of the sunrise. After a week of temperatures in the 90s, it was hard to believe that I was actually a bit chilled while taking pictures, even in my long sleeve shirt. Later in the morning, after some breakfast and packing, we went for another paddle. Heading out from the marina, we made our way across a few channels to a nice bay area where we floated and soaked up some sun. Once we had our fill of the bay, we paddled back to the car and headed back over the border to the US. A pit stop in Clayton was next on the agenda, where we met up with a college friend to hang out at the town dock and throw around a football. His wife and her brother met us later in the afternoon for ice cream at The Scoop. After wonderful afternoon of summer sun and catching up with friends, we made our way back to Syracuse to meet up with Hil’s parents and grandparents for dinner. Another great weekend in the books!
