Another Bike Ride to Rockport

Hi Blog! We are little behind in posting our blog entries.  The internet connection at Ivy Lea in the Thousand Islands was too slow to upload photos.  So, we saved all our pictures from our time there and will try to get them posted while we are here at Cedar Beach in Stouffville, Ontario.

So, let us go back in time to Thursday, July 17, 2014.  The weather was cool and sunny with just enough puffy white clouds to add depth to our photos. The day before, we had biked to Gananoque and had quite the adventure going off-road and on trail for a few miles. The ride to Rockport was a little shorter and filled with more touristy stops.  For example, just as we turned east out of our campground, we came upon the Thousand Islands Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve. Here is the monument that stands watch over the Visitor Center.

The Frontenac Arch is the ancient granite bridge from the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains. Its incredibly rich natural environment and history was recognized in 2002 when it became a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, part of a world-wide network of 610 Biosphere Reserves in 117 countries.

 The intersection of the Frontenac Arch and the St. Lawrence River Valley forms one of the great crossroads of the continent. The Arch connects the Canadian Shield boreal forest to the forests of the Adirondack and Appalachian Mountains—a south to north/north to south migration route. The river valley is a route from the Great Lakes forest heartland of the continent to the forests of the Atlantic Coast. The Frontenac Arch Biosphere is at the very centre of that intersection, where five forest regions merge, creating a tremendous wildlife diversity. Here is a photo of one of the intersections. Just kidding, but it is a cool little eco-diverse island.

Here we are looking down on one of the many little bays along the St. Lawrence.

As we bike along the Waterfront Trail next to the Thousand Islands Parkway, we come across these great granite outcrops.  Here is one of the more photogenic ones.

We stopped for a bite to eat at Cornwall's Pub in Rockport. They have a great outdoor patio that looks over the river. After lunch, we headed back toward the campground with plans to stop in the village of Ivy Lea on the way.  We reached Ivy Lea just in time to see the Gananoque River Cruise leave port.

The community of Ivy Lea, more a hamlet than village, is the focus of a sector of the river where an array of cottages and boating facilities extends along the north shore. Because of Ivy Lea's splendid situation, several fine marinas developed nearby, as did hotels and motels. It is also the favorite hangout of the rare multi-colored moose.  We were lucky enough to spot this family enjoying a late afternoon snack.

The bridge in the background of this photo is the Thousand Island Bridge. What you see is only one span.  The bridge is actually a series of five bridges that span parts of the St. Lawrence River, ultimately connecting both banks. The southern end of the bridge connects with Interstate 81 in the U.S. and the northern end of the bridge connects to Highway 401 in Canada.

After leaving Ivy Lea, we followed the Waterfront Trail back to our campground, stopping at several points to take in the views of the river as well as to pick black raspberries for breakfast. Tomorrow is move day as we continue our adventures in Canada.