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On Saturday, June 21, we bicycled north along the St. Lawrence River toward Brockville.  Our path took us from Mallorytown, down to the 1000 Islands National Park Visitor Center, and then along the 1000 Islands Waterfront Trail.

Here's Kathy showing off her power-cycling form across from the red sandstone/limestone/granite rocks that are characteristic of the geology of this area:

Along the St. Lawrence River, we could see numerous fishermen trying for muskie from their bateaux:

The area is replete with small farms.  Here is one of the picturesque barns along the river:

In one of the parks, goose families searched for food on the banks of the river:

Jones Creek is one of the many tributaries of the St. Lawrence River.  While the main river is too large to have held factories and mills, the side tributaries were the sites of many industries.  Here, Kathy stands on a bridge overlooking Jones Creek:

While the streams were home to mills and factories in prior centuries, now they are bucolic locations for cottages, boathouses and fishermen:

Some barns are perhaps older and a little more used than others:

When we reached Brockville, we found a food truck serving some scrumptious local cuisine, including poutine, an artery-clogging concoction of french fries, cheese and gravy.  We decided that our long bike ride earned us small portions of this scrumptious dish, which we hadn't sampled yet.  Here, David is showing how much he enjoys the local delicacy:

Pedaling back along the river, we passed Chimney Island, the site of former Fort Levis, originally a French fort.  When the fort was built on the island, it was named Isle Royale rather than Chimney Island:

Along the river are a number of small islands on which small (or sometimes very large) cottages rest:

Small docks stretch out from the shore, even through marshland, to give property owners access to the river:

While most docks probably are meant to give access for boating, some docks appear to be merely for the purpose of setting out an old Adirondack chair and sitting to watch the fish rise or the sun set:

Our bicycle ride was a grand preview of the 1000 Islands region and, as we cycled home, we looked forrward to our upcoming boat tour of most of the islands.