The River on a November Afternoon

I don't think that I have ever been out on the St. Lawrence River in November...until today. An unseasonably mild afternoon precipitated a decision by my husband to take our boat to Alexandria Bay to be winterized and to take a quick spin on the river first.

The sky was an icy blue with wisps of white clouds when we launched at Keewaydin State Park. The campground is closed for the season, so no one else was in sight, except for a porcupine feeding on something along the side of the entry road. At first the motor did not turn over and it sounded like the battery might not have enough power to accomplish the task, but after a few tries, it roared to life.

During the summer as we leave the marina, numerous boats can be seen both up and down river, and sometimes the water churns as their wakes bounce off each other. Today, although the wind created some choppiness, we entered the main channel without a boat in sight. The lack of leaves on the trees increased visibility. We could clearly see the American span of the Thousand Islands Bridge up river and Boldt Castle down river.

Heading down river first we passed many grand summer homes, boarded, shuttered and otherwise closed for the season. The resorts along the river, which bustle with activity in summer months, were quiet and parking lots empty. No crowds stood in downtown A-Bay waiting for the next tour boat.

In summer months, Boldt Castle and the island it occupies are swarming with visitors, but today it stood surrounded by barren trees, looking lonely and desolate. Passing by, we headed for Mary Island, a state park just off the down river end of Wellesley Island. We have a favorite picnicking spot on Mary Island, but this was a quick trip not allowing time for a leisurely picnic.

We swung around and headed up river in the main shipping channel toward the TI Bridge. There was only one large ship in sight, and ironically we passed it in the very narrowest part of the shipping channel. The Emerald Star out of Halifax glided by us carrying something somewhere. We turned around right under the TI Bridge and headed back to the marina.

Except for a couple of fishermen tucked back in bays off the river, and the Emerald Star, we had this section of the river to ourselves for those 45 minutes. And what a wonderful 45 minutes. The air was cool enough to need a sweatshirt, but warm enough to feel comfortable standing up to let the wind blow through my hair, and figuratively through my head, chasing away concerns and stresses.

What is more, I have just relived it by writing about it, allowing the cares of life to blow off. I plan to fall asleep tonight with the images and sensations created this afternoon still fresh in my mind.