This is part one of a ‘Cole’s Notes’ travel how-to. It bears little resemblance to any internet series. The travel style of cruise guru Garry Bembridge, or nomad Rick Steves aren’t my bag either. Steve Wallis’s YouTube spots on stealth camping are the closest you can find to my style of travel.
Coming your way are two weeks of information, opinion and experiences about a unique way of affordable and adventurous travel. Week one is the geography course you probably slept through. Week two is a river cruise ‘how to’.
Weather briefing: the prevailing wind on the St. Lawrence is from the SW. Since the river flows in a northeasterly direction, that means the cruise tends to have a favouring tailwind. “Whoopee!”
The current on the St. Lawrence varies, but always heading in a NE direction. Go with the flow! “Whoopee!” It can be as strong as 8 kph in some parts of the Thousand Islands, especially near Ivy Lea. “Whoopee!” In wider parts of the St. Lawrence, (Lakes St. Lawrence and St. Francis), there is less current.
Highways run parallel and close to the river on the Canadian and American shores. Ontario’s #2 goes from Kingston, through Gananoque, Brockville, Prescott, Cardinal, Iroquois, Morrisburg, Ingleside, Cornwall to Bainsville.
New York’s 37 takes you from Cape Vincent, to Clayton, Alexandria Bay, Ogdensburg, Massena to Akwesasne on the New York side.
The lock at Iroquois can be bypassed by a gate that is left open in the adjacent dam. “Whoopee!” However, the Moses-Saunders International Power dam at Cornwall and the American Eisenhower and Snell locks near Massena bar passage to canoes, necessitating a portage. “Aw, shucks!”
It’s clear paddling for canoes below Cornwall, going past Glen Walter, Summerstown and South Lancaster. After Valleyfield you encounter another barrier, the locks at Beauharnois.
Almost all of the above-mentioned communities can be used as boating put-in and take-out places, and offer opportunities for eating and provisioning. “Whoopee!” Gananoque, Brockville and Morrisburg are among my favourites.
Time for a brief geology lesson. The river goes from flat rock to contorted, then back to flat: Kingston is in a layered sedimentary flat rock area. The Thousand Islands area, including Ivy Lea, Gananoque and Rockport, are in the ancient granite bedrock of the Precambrian Shield’s Frontenac Axis. The river is in flat-rock territory again from Cardinal and downstream.
Class dismissed! Next week we’ll be paddling.
