We've really been reluctant to take a big vacation this summer. We talked about going to Ireland in July last winter, but the thought of being stuck in airports, dealing with rental cars and crowds of people just wasn't what we wanted to do. So we've been enjoying the countryside closer to home. One of our favorite places to visit around New York is the 1000 Islands. Even by car it's a great place to spend a little time.
It was a last minute decision to go there this week. The smoke from Canada and the spotty showers we've had this month has made it hard to plan very far in advance. We rented a house downtown close to everything but it was lacking some of the things we like...mostly a porch or patio to relax on. But we made the best of it and really enjoyed relaxing, shopping and eating some great meals in Clayton. The house we stayed at was originally built in 1844.
Clayton is a cute little town that sits on the Saint Lawrence River in the middle of the 1000 Islands.
Since finding good places to eat was difficult in Lake George we made reservations in advance this time. The first night we had dinner at the Clipper Inn. We went early to take advantage of the wine and dine menu. We each enjoyed our meals.
Since we ate early we went to The Hop Spot for dessert later in the evening.
Our second night we ate at Di Prinzio's Kitchen. We enjoyed our dinner here last year and it was even better this year.
After dinner we visited with our friends George and Lori and watched the action on the river.
Coming and going to Clayton we spent a little time chasing waterfalls. Wednesday on our way we stopped at Salmon Falls near Pulaski. The trail is short and leads to several views of the falls as it makes its way to the top. We also took a trail towards the bottom of the small gorge so we could get a better view and photo. It was a pretty day and the falls were beautiful.
Salmon Falls plunges 100ft in three parallel sections becoming a single raging torrent during spring thaw.
On the way home we stopped at Pixley State Park near Booonville first. The falls are easy to see from a short trail that takes you right to the bottom. We also saw several smaller falls on tributaries that run into the Lansing Kill Gorge.
Pixley Falls is a 50ft cascade waterfall.
Our second stop was at Redford Falls. A small park in Sherburne allows easy access to the falls from 30ft above. The footbridge above the falls was constructed in 1877. It's a metal bowstring truss bridge that was rehabilitated in 2006. To reach the bottom of the falls we followed a trail along the top of the gorge till we reached a spot where we could climb down to the Mad Brook. From there we walked up the creek to the pool at the bottom of the falls. It was a spectacular place and we were the only ones there.
Redford Falls is a 75ft tall cascade waterfall located under a historic footbridge.
