Paul and Julie on the Road: THOUSAND ISLANDS AREA, NY August 26-Sept. 1, 2014

Still following the scenic Seaway Trail along Lake Ontario, NY, we planned a week to take in the sights of the Thousand Island area. Our first two nights were at another Passport America park at Bedford Creek Marina. A bit of a rough and rocky drive into the campsite but it was just a short walk away to the little beach along the lake, we don't often get that. After getting set up we set out to see the little village of Sackets Harbor, once the center of American naval and military activity along the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River during the War of 1812. We walked the Battlefield along the cliff with a beautiful view of the lake, then relaxed at Sackets Harbor Brewery for happy hour. The next day started chilly and windy so we took advantage of doing some things in the motorhome, but once the sun came out we took our chairs to the beach. Of course, we also had to stop for another fabulous ice cream along the road. We were getting addicted to afternoon ice cream treats.

From Sackets Harbor we moved 50 miles north to Burnham Point State Park, a darling small campground right along the lake, and we were able to get one of the few electric sites available...Memorial Day weekend was coming up. The park location gave us a chance to check out the other small towns along the St. Lawrence River. Our favorite was Alexandria Bay, or Alex Bay as the locals called it. We had been told several times about a "must do" excursion at Alex Bay: The Uncle Sam's Boat Tour, so we did that on Friday! We were so very lucky to have a gorgeous day out on the river and to hear all about the amazing houses and life of people in the Thousand Islands. And, true to its name, everywhere we look there were islands and more islands. Beautiful, wooded, both small and large. The summer crowds occupy the many houses along the way, some amazingly gorgeous!

One of the most famous of homes is Boldt Castle on Heart Island, begun in 1900 by the millionaire hotel developer, George Boldt as a tribute to his wife Louise. It was built as their summer home, but that never came to be, Mrs. Boldt passed away suddenly just months before the castle was completed. Mr. Boldt immediately stopped all building on Heart Island, leaving the property vacant for almost 70 years.

The castle is now owned and operated as a destination by the Thousand Island Bridge Authority, giving us a chance to spend the afternoon there on the grounds. The house was undergoing some renovations on the exterior but the rest of the house was open for self guided tours.

I didn't realize that the Boat House was also available for a tour, but it was beautiful just to look at from across the water.

The photo below is of the Alster Tower, also known as the Playhouse. It was intended for the entertainment of the guests and included a bowling alley with plans for a billiard room, library, bedrooms, cafe and grill on the upper level.

Saturday we checked out the small river town of Clayton. There's a beautiful Antique Boat Museum that was so worth the visit. We'd never seen so many gorgeous wooden boats, of all sizes and shapes. This one looked like a limousine for the water.

Sunday and part of Monday we spent the afternoons back at Alex Bay to listen to some of the Blues on the Bay, a perfect "official end" of summer.

As was happening in many of the state parks, our little Burnham Point State Park was closing for the season on Monday, so it was time to move again. The weather was warm and pretty I just wasn't ready to leave this area so we found another state park still open just about 30 miles east and still on the river, Kring Point State Park. We got such a primo site, #1!!! Paul backed the motorhome down the hill and there we were, our own private rocky beach.