1000 Islands Getaway

"The older I get, the more I understand it’s okay to live a life that others do not understand." ~Anonymous

One of our favorite places we've traveled on The Pearl is the 1000 Islands, Clayton being one of the best ports. We haven't been in the area since 2018, so we decided to take a little road trip and revisit the area and stay in Clayton.

Clayton, NY is located on the St. Lawrence River and is just one of the cute little towns in the 1000 Islands. It was settled in 1822 and quickly became a major shipbuilding and lumbering port. Dozens of charming buildings from this magnificent era still remain. In fact the home that we stayed in was built in 1899.

The Thousand Islands constitute an archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the US/Canadian border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. The islands stretch about 50 miles downstream from Kingston, ON to Brockville, ON. To count as one of the Thousand Islands, emergent land within the river channel must have at least one square foot of land above water level year-round, and support at least one living tree.

The first stop on our little getaway was Robert G. Wehle State Park. It's a beautiful new park on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. It was the former estate of Mr. Wehle.

Our second stop was in Watertown, NY at the Farm and Craft Market. We picked up a few treats and had lunch in the park listening to music.

Our perfect little home in Clayton. It was on one of the main streets and just blocks from the river. The house actually has three units, we had the two story apartment on the right. We loved sitting on the front porch...watching the world go by.

The first night we had dinner at Di Prinzio's Kitchen. The view was nice and the food was good, but the service left a little to be desired. Nothing's like it used to be...unfortunately.

George and Lorrie came by for a visit. We met them years ago at the marina in Ithaca, They now travel in their RV and summer in Clayton.

The Clayton waterfront on the St. Lawrence River. The River runs 743 miles from the outflow of Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The sheer enormity, strikingly clear waters and stunning sunsets make this major American river and the 1000 Islands region very unique. The River forms a natural border between New York and Canada and serves as a maritime route from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Theodore Too is a large-scale imitation tugboat built in Nova Scotia based on the fictional television tugboat character Theodore Tugboat. It was docked in Clayton for the week.

Buildings in Clayton

We spent one morning going through the Antique Boat Museum. The museum is a resource of all things regarding the River, islands, boats and people of the area.

We've seen the 1000 Island Tower in our travels through the 1000 Islands, but we never had a chance to go up it. Today we were able to take in the view and see just how amazing the area truly is. Don't worry we didn't have to climb the stairs on the outside of the tower...an elevator takes you up to the first viewing deck.

Looking towards Canada and their part of the International Bridge. We've anchored around many of these islands.

While we were in Canada we decided to drive over to Rockport. It's the town we checked into the first time we traveled these waters on The Pearl back in 2012.

Tibbetts Point Lighthouse in Cape Vincent.

Salmon River (Selkirk) Lighthouse at the mouth of the Salmon River.