June 26 – Thousands Islands

Visiting the Thousand Islands Area

Winter Harbor Marina

We picked up our rental car this morning and decided to drive north to some of the towns in the Thousand Island area on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. We took back roads and went through areas full of farms and apple orchards…beautiful countryside, rolling hills and lots of trees. Our first stop was along the Salmon River, where we got our first glimpse of Lake Ontario. It was very windy today and the lake was very rough. We then drove through Henderson Bay and stopped in Sackets Harbor. During the War of 1812 Sackets Harbor was the most active naval station in the United States. The U.S. and British navies engaged in a shipbuilding competition for control of Lake Ontario. Tremendous effort and money was spent, but in the end the two navies never met n a major battle on Lake Ontario. Several land battles did take place here and we visited the battlefield. Sackets Harbor is a beautiful town with a nice harbor.

Our next stop was Cape Vincent where we visited the Tippetts Point Lighthouse and got our first good look at the St. Lawrence River. The water in Lake Ontario and the river is very clear and very cold. Moving up the river our next stop was Clayton, definitely our favorite stop and a place we might bring the boat back to. The town is full of beautiful old buildings, shops, restaurants and a very nice waterfront. They have an Antique Boat Museum we’d like to visit if we get back here on the boat…we just didn’t have time today. Our last stop was Alexandra Bay, definitely more of a tourist town than the other places we went today. We ran into a couple from home…small world! We had dinner at the Riverhouse Restaurant and took the freeway back to Brewerton. It was nice to see a little more of New York than the canals. Tomorrow we head west.

Selkirk Lighthouse on the Salmon River - this lighthouse is topped with a rare example of the early 'bird cage' style lantern room. There are only three in the U.S. like this.

Salmon River and Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Monument at the Sackets Harbor Battlefield

Most of the little towns we have seen in New York have beautiful hanging baskets all over town.

Old building in Sackets Harbor

Tibbetts Point Lighthouse (in Cape Vincent) marks the point where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River in Northern New York State. Built in 1827, the Lighthouse features the only original working Fresnel lens in Lake Ontario.

Cape Vincent Fisheries Research State - Solid construction and good upkeep has allowed this building to stand on this site for 150+ years. Many activities have taken place in the building over the years, from milling grain, planning lumber, and raising fish, to its current use as a fisheries research station.