We drove up through the Adirondacks through Lake Placid. Looked a more 'authentic' town than the tourist shop filled Lake George township, but shared the lack of parking. Didn't see any Lake but did see the lifts for the ski jumps. Still the base for the US winter teams, no doubt with better facilities since the 1980 winter Olympics. Lots of small lakes (tarns!) on the side of the road driving north and scenery was generally much more picturesque and enjoyable than the over development around Lake George.
We commenced the Seaway Trail at its beginning in Rooseveltown. Kinda missed the town (assume it is there somewhere) and headed down to the Eisenhower Lock. Supposed to be impressive when the large ships go overhead as you drive through the tunnel under the lock. Next sailing was two hours away and was just like any other loch. Enjoyed a picnic lunch in Robert Moses State Park, after u-turning away from the $7 parking at the Park's beach.
One of the attractions of the Seaway Trail for us was the large number of lighthouses along the Trail given how much Kieren was taken by the lighthouse on Chincoteague Island. But in what was to become a theme of the trip, we couldn't find the two lighthouses down the Trail to our hotel in Alexandria Bay. This is due (we think) to a combination of the directions we have to the lighthouses being a bit general; some of the lighthouses being private so are 'disguised' from land based traffic; and the lack of access to water frontage land here for the general public. This has been another theme for us. All the land down to the water, and often over it, is privately owned with vast stretches lacking in general reserves or other public access. This is something we take so much for granted in Australia it has come as a bit of a shock to be kept off the foreshore here.
We wanted to stay for only two nights in Alexandria Bay but after around a dozen fully booked hotels, Donna finally agreed to three nights at what must have been the last room in town. We'll give Ledges the benefit of the doubt as it was the last room we would have chosen to stay in, let alone be there for three nights. Hard to imagine a more worn out room which, together with the awful musty smell, was enticement to keep us out and going for a couple of very full days. (They have some great new floating villas as well - our room was the middle one of three with the floating part sinking below the non-floating part with associated sag etc and seemed to be the only room yet to be renovated.) Having a yapping lapdog in the rooms each side of us didn't help either. Don't understand why US and Canadian hotels allow dogs in their rooms but seems to be a widely accepted practice.
We found out that the reason for the three night stipulation wasn't the room quality but the fact that this weekend was Bill Johnston's Pirate Days:
"Bill Johnston was a renegade after the patriots war, who blew up the British steamer, Sir Robert Peel, hid among the 1000 Islands, and was hunted by both U.S. and Canadian authorities. The annual Bill Johnston's Pirates Days celebration commemorates some of his exploits. Fill your senses with the sound and spectacle when pirate ships attack the village from the St. Lawrence River, as the brave villagers try to stave them off. The air is filled with smoke and the sound of musket fire and cannon, and eventually the villagers succumb as the pirates invade the town. After the mayor turns over the key to the village to the invading marauders, everyone becomes a pirate."
We headed into town for dinner on Friday night to find a packed little village with everyone wearing pirate t-shirts, bandannas and packing plastic pistols and swords. Of course some went much further in the dress stakes which just added to the atmosphere. After dinner we kitted our little pirates out in gear so they were ready for the pirate invasion on Saturday. Dinner was at Captains Landing with views across the river to Boldt Castle and the passing parade of high performance boats.
After breakfast on a picnic table overlooking Ledges' marina (out of our room!) we headed into town for the kids to join the craft session. When it was time to leave for the kids' parade into town, lead by the British soldiers and with a fair sprinkling of full on pirates as well as all the parent and little pirates, our kids were the two that didn't want to leave making their pirate ships! Eventually dragged them away but they were straight back into it when the parade arrived back at Scenic View Park. The promise of lunch and the fact that everything was being packed up around them finally got them away. They got involved in a number of street skirmishes on the way back into town, mainly with grandparently type pirates who were having as much fun as the kids with their toy swords. After lunch we watched the pirate invasion and fighting with the guards leading to their capture of the key to the city. Cannon and musket firing added to the spectacle which concluded with the pirates throwing their captured booty (bead necklaces) into the crowd. Was a good fun day enjoyed by all and the lack of pirates on Saturday evening resulted in a noticeable deflation in the spirit of the town. Though hopefully the tills of the local shopkeepers who support the events kept ringing. Sales of pirate gear on Friday night were crazy!
On Saturday afternoon, we drove a bit further down the Seaway Trail to explore the smaller towns of Fishers Landing and Clayton. We again searched in vain for the promised lighthouses as well. In Clayton we even had a street name which Lizzie directed us to but no lighthouse was to be seen. Shopping in touristy shops and an icecream had to suffice before returning to Alexandria Bay and dinner at Captains Landing again.
On Sunday we went on Uncle Sam's Cruises' Singer Castle Tour, which was the primary reason for choosing to stay in Alexandria Bay. This was a three and a half hour tour down the St Laurence River, through many of the Thousand Islands (actually close to 1800 islands but was too hard to rename the dressing when they finally did a complete count) to Singer Castle. Frederick Gilbert Bourne made his fortune selling Singer sewing machines on the first time payment plan of $1 per week for 42 weeks. Impressive castle and grounds which were bought by a German investment group a couple of years back for $1.7m and with $2m spent on them since. Now up for sale for $25m with an offer of $17.5m having been received. Lot of original furniture from Bourne and his youngest daughter who inherited the property still in the castle which added a lot to the understanding of how they lived. American beaux-arts architect Ernest Flagg (1857 - 1947) designed the Castle after inspiration from Sir Walter Scott's novel about Woodstock Castle (1832) in Scotland. The design follows the descriptions, right down to the secret passages and portraits with eyes cut out to allow spying into the room!
The tour then took us back up the River to what is the central focus point of tourist operations in this area of the river – Boldt Castle. George C. Boldt made his fortune as proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. He bought Hart Island, renamed it Heart Island and had the shape changed to resemble a heart. Boldt Castle was designed as a token of his love for his wife. However she died before the Castle was finished. The story is that he then sent a telegram instructing all work to cease and he never set foot on the Island again. The Castle was allowed to run down until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the property in 1977. All revenues since then have been used to gradually restore the Castle. The ground level has been largely taken up to the marble etc standards that were intended with much of the other floors still suffering from weather and vandal damage. The externals of the Castle are now weatherproof and the three main outbuildings are back in pretty good condition. There is also a massive boathouse on the shore opposite the Island which took much of his fleet including a tall masted steam yacht and a range of wooden speedboats which he chased speed records with.
The range of private boats on the River are also worth noting. Twin 454s in large speedboats were fairly common although outdone by the numbers of jet skis. The tour guide on our ferry ride was telling us about one guy who has twin helicopter engines in his catamaran! The money involved was amazing, as no doubt is their 'gas' bill. The filling station at the marina opposite where we breakfasted each morning was flat out on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Day concluded with the kids getting their swim in the hotel's pool before dinner in town. It was a great stay in Alexandria Bay, spoilt only by our hotel room and the aching backs given to us both from the awful mattress and pillows.
Malcolm
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