1000 Islands-Clayton NY

It was a picture perfect day for cruising and we took a scenic detour through the 1000 Islands. We saw summer cottages (mansions) that had boat garages twice as big as our house! We saw several homes that had water inside, due to the excessive flooding that has been happening for the past month. The water is very high and some islands displayed on my chart had disappeared from sight! We stopped to change flags at the international boundary,  and docked in Clayton NY, where we cleared customs by a remote videophone. After the crew were allowed to put their feet on US soil, we explored the beautiful town. We immediately found the bakery, fudge store, and much needed ice cream, to replenish the calories burned from all the sightseeing we had done earlier. The highlight of the town for me was the antique boat museum! There are hundreds of vintage boats, motors, and every boating memorabilia one could imagine here. The smell of wood and varnish brought back memories of when I built several boats as a kid.  The town was filled with people in the holiday spirit getting ready for Independence day. After another tasty dinner we watched a thunderstorm develop that dumped buckets of rain on all the unprepared boaters that had tied up at the dock to watch the huge fireworks show. Carrie wanted popcorn so I made several batches on the stove. There were a bunch of soaking, cold, kids on the other side of our dock, so I offered them a bag of warm popcorn, which they quickly accepted. As the sky turned amazing shades of orange and pink at sunset, the rain stopped. The timing was perfect and the fireworks began right on schedule! Another great show that lit up the sky and the finale was spectacular, even better than Kingston! Along the dock I met several other boaters, and enjoyed conversations and stories until past my bedtime. The forecast is for smooth water crossing the lake and the rumor is the Oswego Canal will open up later this week. A beautiful morning it is, and we will be cruising soon.