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Good karma brought me to the last weeklong spot available at Whetstone Gulf State Park in Lowville, New York. While weekends are busy, I enjoyed 5 days of peace and quiet alongside lovely visits with a couple from Syracuse, and another from Virginia. In between social time, I sat by the creek with a book, did a bit of hiking, and cycled the countryside. Whetstone Gulf is over 2400 acres built in and around a three-mile long gorge cut into the edge of a plateau. The park staff are locals who are amazingly kind and always cheery. The town of Lowville is just a couple of miles north if needed, but I enjoyed cycling south by gorgeous farmland and into small village centers. It felt like summers past with farmstands offering sweet corn, honey and whoopie pies. Mother Nature delivered just what I needed. I'm now spending August on the NY/VT border in a small town with big hills.
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As I peruse the photos, it’s incredible that I spent just 4 days in the St Lawrence River area of New York. While I didn’t feel all that busy, I do feel like I had a big adventure. It’s scenic, there’s wide open sky and sea, the River is extremely accessible, and most everyone is friendly and chatty. My agenda was to camp, bike, and take a boat tour; all of which I accomplished, thank you. What surprised me is the unique atmosphere and the welcoming locals and visitors. It is so beautiful here and people are happy to be here. Don’t get the impression that it was Pleasantville 100% of the time, of course. Cedar Point State Park was packed for the 4th of July week and the site set-up was not to my liking. The bike route along the main road is a faux experience -- signed and dangerous. Luckily, I’ve been at this long enough to have creative solutions to sleep and to ride. So, the Thousand Islands. There are actually 1,864 of them in the St. Lawrence River that are equally shared by the USA and Canada. In the late 19th century, it was a retreat for the elite, and now nearly 80% of the islands are inhabited though the area remains open for outdoor fun. Most of my time was spent in the village of Clayton that is built on a peninsula jutting into the River. Settled in 1822 as a river port for lumbering and shipbuilding, it then became a commercial center for nearby farmers and the growing influx of tourists. It also offers museums and galleries, an Arts Center, a historic Opera House, and of course, restaurants and shops. As planned, I jumped on a Clayton Boat Tour to peruse the Islands more closely and to visit the famous Boldt Castle on Heart Island. George Boldt came to the U.S. in 1864 from Prussia with little but confidence, yet eventually became manager and profit-shared in the Waldorf-Astoria. Boldt Castle, a 7-story, 120-room granite home was designed for his wife who passed before its completion. He then walked away, and following a fire and 70+ years of abandonment, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority began property renovations in 1977. Quite a success story, love story and never-ending project. I’m in disbelief that this was my first visit to the Thousand Islands and wish to return. At the moment I’m surrounded by the Rideau Lakes region of Canada. On foot and two wheels, Chaumont and Three Mile Bay have been my entire universe, so I've been thoroughly enjoying life surrounded by water. The area is on the eastern end of Lake Ontario and is known as the "Golden Crescent," with one of the largest freshwater bays in the world.
The communities combined have less than 700 people, though weekends bring a few more to fish, sail, kayak and imbibe. My lovely apartment on Sawmill Bay is part of a much larger residence on property that is a vineyard, winery, and animal sanctuary owned by a woman who is 5th or 6th generation here. My June agenda has included plenty of reading, a bit of writing, a good deal of cooking, and daily exercise. Sleep has certainly not escaped me though it's been a month of ups and downs -- of intense heat and windy, chilly temps; of relaxation mode and stress-filled days; and of doing very little, then a packed to-do-list. A day trip to Cape Vincent was so enjoyable that I couldn't get myself on the ferry to cycle Wolfe's Island. In a few days, I'll be pitching my tent at Cedar Point to visit Clayton and Heart Island. On the 4th, it's a trip across the International Bridge for a month in lovely Westport, Ontario, Canada at the west end of upper Rideau Lake. It feels like summer. It was an all day, stormy weather drive from the Shore to Western PA, but I arrived to four welcoming faces and felt right at home. While Scott is away, Heather and "the kids" kept me busy and entertained at home, church, and in the neighborhood. There were plenty of good meals, long walks, many chats, a yard sale, a few bike rides, a private bell concert, and the intro of "DownieLive," which really makes me wish I was traveling by train. Next stop along the route -- Letchworth State Park, a spot recommended to me by many people during the past few years. It was conveniently on the way, and I pictured a few quiet nights in the woods, coupled with trail hiking a number of miles every day. Letchworth bills itself as the "Grand Canyon of the East," which is a bit of a stretch, but it is naturally picturesque. While the campground is typical "state park," I would certainly return to hike many more miles than I fit into a 4-night stay. Within an hour, I arrived at my friend Barbara's house in Rochester to celebrate her birthday. As it turned out, there was an enormous itinerary of "to do's" at her new abode, at a number of events, and with her daughter Maeve, also visiting for the week. The past 6 weeks have been more socially active than the past 6 months! Good for me as I go into solo travel mode for most, if not all of summer. Yes, I'm continuing to point North. |
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November 2024
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