Sunday flight to Alexandria Bay

Our flying season is underway! Last week Dansville, NY for a fly-in breakfast, this week north to Alexandria Bay. It took a while to start flying more regularly because of other commitments but finally we are getting into the air!

When talking about places to fly during last weeks' adventure, Kate said she always wanted to see the 1000 Islands from the air. This part of the St Lawrence River is a favorite destination of mine. It it's not that far from my home, only about 2 hours by car and under an hour in our 150. For a few years, back in the 60's, my parents rented a cabin on Wellesley Island's Lake of the Isles.

As a kid I spent hours exploring along the lichen covered rocky shoreline of the area from a little rowboat with a 10 HP engine. Everything was interesting to me and so different from my home in Central New York less than a hundred miles to the south. Pine trees growing from granite rock that rose steeply from the water. Small bays filled with cattails and bass. Leaving lake of the Isles through one of two channels brings you out into the current of the St Lawrence where the water swirled around the many islands or submerged rocky shoals. Always the feel of adventure.

Forty years later I paddled those waters again in my kayak and they are even more exciting than they were back then.

From the air this area is breathtaking. So many islands, small outcrops of rock and many shoals so easily visible from above but frequently invisible to boats navigating the river resulting in the many ships lining the bottom of this river.

(click any image for large size)

Flying north from Watertown we joined the St Lawrence at Clayton as the Algosteel makes the sharp turn to stay in the channel. A few years back I was in Fineview watching a ship approaching from the west, and was able to see this turn being made in the distance. One moment the ship was at an angle to me, next time I looked it was almost straight on.

A moment before, the ship had just made the turn and its wake shows just how tight a turn it is.

Finveview, NY. A pavilion along the waterfront is great place to watch the passing ships. At the other end of the park to the left is a hotel that posts the schedule of passing ships. To the right across the street from that is an ice cream shoppe with many interesting and unique flavors.

The Thousand Island bridge. There is a walkway along the western side of the bridge and if you've never walked on a suspension bridge before it is quite an experience. The bridge moves and bounces with passing trucks. When a truck weighs down one side, the other goes up then down as the truck passes. With my fear of heights it was to say the least, exciting, and a little scary. I've been across it 3 times. Just like fire towers which scare the heck out of me, I force myself to do these things at every opportunity.

Alexandria Bay. The Mearsk Illinois about to pass Boldt Castle.

We landed for a short stop at Maxon Field located a mile or so south of the town of Alex Bay. The airport is abandoned and falling into disrepair. It is amazing that a tourist town with so much money doesn't value having an airport located within walking distance. Flying across the south it is a different story. They realize the value that an airfield brings to an area. In the south airports are well maintained with spacious and beautiful pilots lounges.

On the way back we flew along the shore of Lake Ontario, another favorite destination of mine. Last weekend I camped at Southwick Beach State Park. It was the last weekend before Memorial Day when things really pick up. I got a prime camping spot along the waterfront and had the place mostly to myself. I was in the spot opposite the tree in the water and right next to the walkway across the barrier dunes.

There I experienced one of the most beautiful and colorful sunsets ever...

Alexandria Bay for Fathers 81st Birthday

I wanted to do something special for my dads' birthday. I wasn't around for Fathers Day as I was flying as copilot with a friend taking his Lambada to Florida to be put up for sale. This would be nice...

Flying out of Marcellus Airport we like to keep the plane with something less than full tanks during the summer months which makes clearing the trees much less stressful. Particularly with a west wind there is quite a downdraft coming off the trees that line the runway. This slows both acceleration once in the air and climb. With about 1/3 tanks we headed over to Skaneateles for a top-off. Once there we found the card reader out of order. Though we had enough fuel to reach Fulton and probably even Watertown, I decided to go back to Marcellus for the 5 gallons Kate and I keep in the hangar. As it turned out there was only 3 gallons in the can. But with that there was plenty for the 45 minute flight to Watertown.

In the air headed north with dad at the controls.

Passing Lake Ontario at Sandy Pond. This is the outlet to the lake. I love the colors and patterns of the sand in the water.

After fueling in Watertown it was only a short flight up to the Thousand Islands. Here is the Thousand Island bridge over the channel and onto Wellesley Island. A ship has just passed under the bridge headed towards Lake Ontario and beyond. I tried to find the ship name from various online sources but couldn't identify it.

Alexandria Bay

We used to rent a camp here back in the late 1960's. It's still there but the area has become much more developed. There is a little island just offshore that as a kid I would row, and later, motor out to for play and swimming. This now has a summer home filling most of the small rocky outcrop.

Boldt Castle

We landed at Maxon Field. It is only about a mile south of Alexandria Bay and a fairly easy walk into town.

We ate at the Admiral's Inn. I remembered this place from a previous visit to the town last year and liked the look and feel of the outdoor dinning. Lunch prices were reasonable.

Maxon Field is soon to be another closed airport. Currently it is abandoned and the field is being reclaimed by nature with grasses and weeds filling in from the sides and growing up through every crack in the asphalt. The first 1,500 feet of the runway on the east end isn't too bad but beyond that weeds became thicker and thicker until the runway was barely visible. Sad to see these small fields go...

Dad did most of the flying going both ways and did a fine job of keeping us on track and altitude.

Passing Nine Mile point, the sun and clouds came together for an interesting shot.