One (2, 3, 4 or 5) in a Thousand

Wolfe Island (where?) is the first of the Thousand Islands. The Thousand Islands themselves are a geological train wreck of islands that jumble their way down the St. Lawrence River as it flows out of Lake Ontario northward toward the Atlantic. When Jake and Stone visited Kingston (Ontario) last January they rode the winter ferry to Wolfe Island and thought the island  might prove to be a good HQ for a summer visit. It proved to be so.

On the Cottage Patio

Saturday, June 25, 2011: The drive northward from NJ proved to be painless, especially once past Scranton, PA. Leaving I-81 north at Watertown the drive got quite scenic on Route 12-East as it runs through some pretty towns, skirting Chaumont Bay on Lake Ontario. At Cape Vincent (NY) we joined two other couples on the smallish ferry ($15 for us and the car) for the 10-15 minute, rather windy and choppy  trip to Wolfe Island. Canadian Customs proved to be both friendly and efficient, and we drove quickly and easily (there are but two main roads on Wolfe Island) to Cedarcliff, our rented cottage.

We had rented our place pretty much on faith, as we could find precious little info and absolutely no pictures on the Internet, but things turned out wonderfully, especially the setting. Here's a picture from the patio of  Stone going down the steps to investigate the cottage's little docking area. The cottage proved to be homey and clean, with a spectacular cliff-side view of Lake Ontario and Kingston across the way. Birds sang and zoomed around the trees and bushes, the breeze was making for small whitecaps on the lake, and some sturdy kids were swimming off the cottage's little dock down lakeside. And what's this? A 9-hole golf course right across the road! What do you know -- our landlady owns the course and says we can play for free. Oh, Canada!

In the little town of Marysville, less than two miles down the coastal road, we buy Jake's favorite Canadian brew (Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale), a newspaper, get some ($5/gallon) gas, and then head back to the cottage to lounge on the provided loungers overlooking the lake, waiting to be joined by our BFF couple -- "Dalabetts", who are driving up from the DC area. They arrive and unpack in time for us four to get the ferry over to Kingston, where we go to dinner at Chez Piggy. The nighttime ferry ride back to Wolfe Island is cool and bracing, and we all glad we had properly fortified ourselves with some martinis. 

On the Alston Moor G.C.

Sunday, June 26, 2011:  Stone, Jake and Mr. Dalabetts get up early enough for some free golf across the road at Alston Moore. The course sits among several gigantic wind turbines that are part of Wolfe Island's wind farm. We soon grow used to their presence and actually end up admiring their engineering elegance. The 9 holes prove to be a good, long walk, and during our two hours on the course we experience sunshine, clouds, two five-minute rain showers and a breeze that comes and goes with a dedicated capriciousness that was downright Scottish.

After brunch in the cottage we all four take the ferry (which is free, both ways) into Kingston for a walk around town. We visit the B&B Jake and Stone stayed in last January, walk up and down Princess Street, buy some Cuban cigars at Smokers' Haven on Wellington Street, pick up some goodies to eat on an outside bench at Pan Chancho, then get the 5 o'clock ferry back to Wolfe. While waiting in Kingston for the ferry, Mrs. Dalabetts had noted a map that showed a ferry from Wolfe to Simcoe Island, so once back on the main road out of Marysville we went hunting for what would be our third ferry ride.

Cable Ferry to Simcoe Island

The ferry to Simcoe Island proved to be the smallest we discovered. It had room for two cars, and worked "on demand." That is, you show up, and the ferry comes over (if on the other shore) to take you across. $2 for the ride. And this is a "cable ferry." It pulls itself across the water using a submarine cable. We four rode over with one other passenger who happened to be a census worker for the Canadian government. He told us Wolfe has about 1300 residents, and Simcoe about 60, down from about 75 ten years ago. He warned us that there are no services on Simcoe, but that at least we wouldn't get lost, as there was but one real road -- Nine Mile Point Road.

Simcoe Island charmed us all. Birds a plenty (the ubiquitous red winged blackbirds, herons, swallows, an apparent osprey nest, goldfinches and others we couldn't identify), lots of open space and sky, side "roads" named after the farmers who lived there, a bench by the side of the road "for the weary" (said the sign) provided by "Hildegard and Walt", some rundown shacks (fishing?) along side some very fine homes, and one herd of cattle.

Back at our lakeside ranch on Wolfe we rustled up a fine dinner, accompanied by a happy sangria mix done by Mr. Dalabetts. Adjourning to the patio, we sat outside to watch the long sunset over the lake and the Kingston skyline, sipped some coffee, smoked our cigars and watched the stars come into view.

Dalabetts always travel with good music and this night on the patio we listened to some of three CD's they brought along: "Rare Bird Alert" by Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, and two by Canadian boys-- the old: Leonard Cohen's "Greatest Hits," and the new: Robbie Robertson's "How to Become Clairvoyant."

As the gloaming finally flowed into deeper night and we all headed to our bedrooms to flow into sleep, the Great Lake flowed next to us as well, silently and inexorably, toward the Great River. Little wonder we all slept so well. 

Monday, June 27, 2011: Blue skies and abundant sunshine. Great day for a bike trip. The phone number for the bike rental place in town didn't seem to work, but luckily we got there just as Bill, who runs the rentals pretty much out of his garage, was getting ready to leave. The bikes were nice 21-speed jobs, and we get them for $15/each for the rest of the day, back by 5 pm.

On the Ferry to Cape Vincent (NY)

Out of Marysville we head out on Rt. 96 (the more "main" of the two main roads on Wolfe Island), then turn south onto Rt. 95 (the other main road) toward the ferry terminus across from Cape Vincent (NY). We saw right away why people come from all over to bike Wolfe Island. As we started out, there were no cars for about 5 minutes, then a flurry of cars for about 2 minutes, then nothing. We realized that the cars were heading to the Cape Vincent ferry -- about the only reason anyone seems to drive this road. In fact, Mr. Dalabetts timed it till we had another car come up behind us, and it was an astounding 30 minutes of car-free riding.

Out of Cape Vincent, NY

Biking Rt. 95 on Wolfe Island

The riding is basically flat and very rural, lots of farms and wind turbines, birds and cattle. It is hot in the sun so we take a break about every 10 minutes for water and rest when we can find some shade trees. It's about 6 miles to the ferry, which we arrive at just in time to save us an hour's wait. American Customs and border crossing is a breeze. Just out of Cape Vincent is a much recommended two mile bike ride beside the lake toward Tibbetts Point and its lighthouse. A simply lovely ride. We rested and recouped at the lighthouse area, then biked back to Cape Vincent where we had a quality lunch (sandwiches, wraps, pasta, salad) al fresco at Taste of Design.

Back on Wolfe and headed home we stop at Pykeview Meadows, a bison farm, to look at the buffalo. At the farm's little store we buy some bison beef (expensive, but then, it's all organic and oh so local) for dinner later tonight. Back home Mr. Dalabetts and Jake decide that if Canadian kids can stand to swim in the lake by the dock, so can they. The water is not that cold, but rather cool and very refreshing. The bison dinner proved to be very good indeed, the buffalo tenderloin and burgers tasting much better than what Jake remembers having years ago in Colorado.

At night again watching the sunset from the patio we spot a baby skunk slinking in the grass near the weeds. None of us have ever been this close to a skunk before; it is maybe 15 feet away from our table. Our talk suddenly becomes whispers and we all freeze, watching this little thing (quite adorable, really) sniff and waddle its way around the trees and grass in the growing darkness. As the skunk turns around the corner of the house it is almost too dark to see it, but that doesn't keep Mrs. Dalabetts from getting a flashlight and seeking out its trail -- from a safe distance. She does spot it (now named Pepita) in the house's garden, it's white stripe clearly visible in the flashlight's glow. Then Pepita sniffs her way into the darkness and finally out of sight and light.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is for rain. We'll see. The weather has been great so far. Even with today's constant sunshine it was only in the upper 70's, and always cooler than that in the shade. The usual island breezes always help.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011: The Wolfe Island Bakery provides us some fresh breakfast goodies. Today we all plan to drive around the area a bit. We head back to the ferry to Cape Vincent (again catching it with little wait time), then drive along Route 12-East again, but this time beside the St. Lawrence River, up to Clayton (NY). Here we visit the Boat Museum, but find we don't have the time to do justice to  a visit, so we nose around the gift shop for a bit, then head out on the road again.

We soon get to I-81 and head north over the Thousand Islands International Bridge, but exit before we get to Canada onto the Thousand Island Park Road on Wellesly Island. On this large American island we head to its southern tip to see Thousand Island Park (TIP).  Founded as a Methodist summer community in the late 19th century, TIP is often billed as a "step into the past" because so much of its 19th century architecture remains intact. TIP has a grand hotel, a wonderful lakeside setting, and many fine homes. However, Jake had hoped to find another sort of Chautauqua, like the one he and Stone visited last summer, and TIP proved to be not nearly as nice. Many of the homes needed some TLC, the roads were often unpaved, and the public spaces were in need of some upkeep. Still it was interesting to walk around, many families were enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, and the library and historic hotel were interesting to visit.

We had hoped to eat at the hotel, but it doesn't do lunch, so we headed up to Hacker's Pub and Grill at the island's main golf course, the Thousand Islands Country Club. The food here was good enough, and the beer better than good enough. At the surrounding tables French was the dominant tongue of the day, but we didn't need to parlez vous Francaise to understand that most were complaining, apres golf, about their golf game, or laughing about someone else's.  It was an enjoyable mise en scene.

The major goal of our road trip was to take one of the cruises on the St. Lawrence River out of the Canadian city of Gananoque, which we had heard were superior to the river cruises out of Kingston. The only cruise we could get on (it was late in the day and the border crossing on the bridge was longer than we anticipated, and we had stopped for ice cream) was a one hour trip. What an hour! The cruise was simply stunning. The pictures can't do it justice. Islands just big enough for a single little house; larger islands with a single mansion and a 3-boat boathouse; islands with several homes; islands with no homes; islands with homes, roads and boathouses galore; islands with nothing but three or four trees and some birds. This is an archipelago like no other in the world. And everywhere is deep greens and blues (nod to James Taylor). To miss this would have been to miss the essence of: "The Thousand Islands."

Back at our cliff side bungalow we had dinner on the patio, watched another sunset spread nearly 180 degrees across the entire distant horizon, waited for Papita to show up (she never did), looked at the stars again (the Big Dipper looked almost fiercely bright) and then started to go to bed. Suddenly the predicted rain was on us, drumming the cottage's metal roof -- sleep music for the weary.

Pretty Par-3 at Riverfront

Wednesday, June 29, 2011: Mr. Dalabetts and Jake head to Riverfront golf course while the girls drive to Big Sandy Bay. Riverfront is Wolfe Island's other 9-hole course, and truth to tell, it is quite a bit better than the free one across the road from our cottage. It is in better shape, has a really nice par-3 that would be welcomed on any golf layout, and is generally more fun to play. But it is Riverfront's views that seal the deal. St. Lawrence River views abound, with now and then, a "Laker" (freighter) coming into view as it heads up or down river. We get done early enough that we head back to our "home course" for a quick additional 6 holes before heading into town for lunch.

At Big Sandy Bay

Meanwhile, at Big Sandy Bay, Stone and Mrs. D. have a nice day among the flora and other coastal ecology. It is a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the beach, but the path is easy and interesting. On this day the wind has driven the water so high up on the skinny beach that there is precious little beach space to walk, but the views are terrific.

We all four rendezvous at the Island Grill in Marysville for a nice lunch and then head home.

Sometimes good things happen; sometimes really good things happen: In Marysville after lunch Mr. D. picked up a local tourist paper and sees a listing that says on Wednesday, June 29, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers will be in concert at Watertown, NY. (!!) Stone and Jake demur, but Dalabetts make a couple phone calls to get ticket and venue info, and then are off to Watertown to see the show.

The concert proves to be fabulous -- almost two hours of great comedy and bluegrass music. Jake and Stone had a nice night themselves with a trip into Kingston to see Woody Allen's "Paris at Midnight," followed by drinks and food at Tango, before heading back home on the nighttime ferry.

Sometimes really good things do happen. Especially when on a vacation with friends.


Thursday June 30,Wolfe Hote 2011:  It's getaway day for Dalabetts, so we all go into town for breakfast at the General Wolfe Hotel, then we get our cars on the ferry to Kingston where Mr. and Mrs. D continue their Canadian journey towards Toronto while we head toward Amherst Island in search of a wine trail Jake has heard of. The lakeside drive from Kingston westward along Loyalist Parkway is lovely in the mid-morning sunshine. After a longer drive than we anticipated we just make the ferry (again!), with the closing gate almost hitting our bumper. The on-board toll taker ($9) jokes that people from Jersey are always late.

It is our Jersey license plate that also intrigues two passengers who strike up a conversation with us as we look over the railing at the blue-blue water of Lake Ontario. As often happens in these friendly Canadian confines, we are soon in steady conversation with this husband and wife couple -- Keld (born in Denmark) and Maria (born in Italy) -- who tell us about Amherst Island, including the somewhat disappointing news that our sought after wine trail is not on this island, but further down the road in Prince Edward County.  We decide to see what we can of the island before getting a ferry back to the mainland, and take them up on their offer to drop by their waterside trailer for a drink.

Keld and Maria's Trailer

Keld and Maria have told us not to miss visiting Topsy Farms, a sheep farm, where we might buy some quality wool products. But when we  arrive we are informed by the shepherd(!), that the owners are out working the fields and will be gone all afternoon. We drive back down the road and easily find Keld and Maria's place by the lake. They have 400 feet of water frontage, a cute 30' trailer that serves as their P/T summer home, and a sailboat Keld hopes to get in the water over the weekend. Sitting in lawn chairs beneath the shade of several large trees, drinking a beer or two beside the gin-clear lapping water of the lake, we have a easy conversation about this and that before we have to head back to catch the next ferry. We exchange emails and hope to stay in touch.

Prince Edward County View

Once back on the mainland it is a bit more of a drive to Prince Edward  County, which is, confusingly, a Canadian municipality composed of several towns, and technically an island, though it can be easily driven to (don't ask). We opt for the free ferry instead of driving, and right away are struck by the beauty of the place. After seeing just the little we had time for, it is easy to see why Prince Edward County is such a favorite vacation spot for Canadians. It is full of  provincial parks, water vistas, B&B's, birding sites, charming towns, a bunch of wineries, and at least one very lovely place for a late lunch: The Inn at Top of the Mountain Resort. The name says it all -- especially when you are lucky enough to dine on the sun splashed patio with its gay umbrellas and restful lake view.

Our good luck of just making it onto ferries ran out when we got back to Kingston, so while Stone caught some shut-eye in the car waiting in the ferry queue, I walked over to the government liquor store in search of finding the Prince Edward County wine we had had at lunch, but it was out of stock. The liquor store (officially, the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario)) was jumping with customers, for tomorrow is Canada Day.

Friday, July 1, 2011: It is another day of sunshine and we head out fairly early for the Riverfront golf course, hoping to beat the holiday crowds. A fledgeling golfer, Stone is happy that we can play alone as a twosome, and we have a happy two hours on this delightful 9-holer. After lunch at home and a snooze, we head into Kingston to see the Canada Day activities, which are centered in Confederation Park across from the Kingston Town Hall. All around town most everyone sports a Canadian flag in hand, or on their hat, or in their hair, or on the baby's stroller, or on their motorcycle helmet, or on their guitar case.

There is the usual array of food vendors and several bands provide the music in the park as the day progresses. A local guitar playing duo (The Torres Project) does several artistic covers of hit songs, and afterward we ask if they have any CD's available. Sadly they don't, but they do have a presence on Youtube. Indeed, their cover of "Layla" shows two posters on the wall -- Hendrix and the Beatles -- no wonder they're so good! And here's an original tune that's worth a listen.

As the Canada Day festivities wound down we walked over to Chien Noir, one of the restaurants we wanted to go to last winter but missed, and had a terrific dinner on yet another patio.

Back on Wolfe Island as the day ends we seek out a yoga retreat we had heard about. Shanti is a couple miles from the ferry terminal and has a lovely setting. Stone, who recently did some yoga time with a lifelong BFF at the more famous Berkshires retreat, Kripalu, wondered if she and her pal might do this place next time. Certainly worth more investigating.

The day ends with us on our lakeside patio watching the distant Canada Day fireworks over Lake Ontario. As night gathers around us we can see small displays here and there on the broad horizon as the smaller towns and suburbs celebrate Canada's 144th birthday. Then at 10 PM the big show begins in Kingston, off Fort Henry.

When the booms and blooms are over, Jake and Stone are left in the quiet darkness to look at the abiding Great Lake and each other. They can't really see in the dark, but they can feel each other smile. Tomorrow morning they'll finish packing and drive home.

 

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