We were supposed go camping yesterday, but we delayed our trip for a day because of the air quality. Camping in New York next to the Canadian border did not seem like the best idea when the air quality there was worse than at home. This morning the air quality was much improved so we got up early and were on the road by 8. The sky is gray and there is rain in the forecast but hopefully it won’t rain the entire time we are away.
On the way to our campsite in Cedar Point State Park in the Thousand Islands, we stopped at Sackets Harbor Battlefield. It was the site of an anti-climatic battle during the War of 1812. In order to break the stalemate between the US and Great Britain, the Americans attacked York—now Toronto. The Americans lost, and in the process inspired the British to stage their own offensive. At the time, Sackets Harbor housed the main US shipyard on Lake Ontario. Militiamen were unable to prevent British soldiers from landing, but the winds blew in America’s favor, preventing many British ships from joining the fight. As a result, the militia rallied and forced the British to retreat. However, stupid Americans working in the shipyard completely panicked and burned the navel stores and ships to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Needless to say, this cost the Americans a great deal of money AND it helped the British partially attain their objective. Each side ultimately claimed victory though it seems only logical to conclude that it was really—at best—a draw.
We paid for what I was told would be a tour of the battlefield but it ended up being a tour of some house that some random guy from history lived in in the 1860’s. He might have been someone important but I don’t know because the tour guide was absolutely awful. It was the worst tour we have ever been on and you know we take A LOT of tours. The guide spoke from a memorized script in the dullest monotone. The only thing that stood out was he kept pointing at historical artifacts and saying, “That was from Japan.” He said it so often that G3 started pointing at modern things in the house—like the fire extinguisher—and exclaiming, “Oh look, it’s from Japan.” Thankfully, the tour was only ten minutes because I don’t think any of us could have endured the agony of being there much longer. You know it’s bad when we leave a battlefield and I’m the one reaching for my phone to google the nearest winery.
When I was a child, my parents took me to the Thousand Islands on one of our vacations up into Canada. Even all these years later, I still have clear and sharp memories of many of the places we visited when I was younger. Unfortunately, most of my memories of the Thousand Islands, seem to have been deleted. I vaguely remember swimming in the Saint Lawrence River, but the only vivid memory that remains is the fact that I insisted on having Thousand Island dressing on my salad when I was in the Thousand Islands. I really was a rather lame child.
Our campsite is one of the worst we’ve ever stayed at. We knew it wouldn’t be great when we booked it. That’s what you get for being rather last minute on a holiday weekend. And we didn’t actually have the forethought to plan a trip for this week until the end of May when all the campgrounds we initially looked at were booked. This was the only site available at the only campground we looked at that had a vacancy. The sites are all squished together on a big open grassy field. It looks more like an RV parking lot than a campground, and of course all the RVs are running their loud generators. But being here is still preferable to being home. I am outside. We have things we can see, places to explore. G3, on the other hand, has not stopped complaining. He is pissy about the site. Unhappy that we are so close to other people. Cranky that the ground slopes. Hopefully, he will cheer up soon.
After we set up our tents, we went to Thousand Island Winery. The wine was some of the best we have tasted—and we have tasted wine in many wineries across the country. G3 asked for a soft pretzel with a nacho cheese dip. That made him happy for about ten minutes. After our wine tasting, Kati and I shared a slushy wine flight. The slushies were really good. We left with three bottle of wine. If Dad were alive we would have left with four because I would have bought a bottle for him.
G3 has rediscovered the pleasure of reading in Stephen King. While I have never been a King fan or even a fan of horror, I am glad he is reading again and that he has found a book—The Shining—and author that he likes. When we returned to the campsite, G3 set up his hammock, made himself comfortable, and read.
Elizabeth Jaeger 