Jan25Written by:Ian Coristine
Sunday, January 25, 2009  I almost had you fooled last month. Surprisingly few correct answers came in despite the fact this is same scene featured in the December 2005 wallpaper. The only difference is that this time it's snowing - hard, which made it tough to keep the lens dry.
I’ve always seen this spot as classic Thousand Islands. It’s the Lost Channel, named for an incident that occurred here on August 14, 1760. If you aren’t familiar with the story and have my first book available, page 41 will explain. There are many other stories about this place too, one of them from this month’s winner Jack Patterson: And I 'd guess we're standing on the flat portion of the Canadian Span of the 1000 Island Bridge looking upriver just west of Georgina - the Park island and just north and east and some downriver from Benson's Rift .
Maybe yes ?
And if so, when I was ten or so I put a note in a bottle and launched it, a la "Paddle to the Sea" and his uncharted journey to the sea - seeing my 'bottle' somewhat like Paddle. But I asked that people contact me. And I got a letter later that summer from the people on the island that makes up the (small) island side of Benson's Rift! My bottle landed and they saw the note in it and wrote back to me. I think there was a visit down to their island - this would be around 1948. This bottle launched from Axeman Island in the Lake Fleet Group.
Can tell other tales of items small and big that under their own power left Axeman Island to wander down the river including a newly built rowboat left loosely tied circa the 1940's when adventure for us was watching Phil Sharples' 40' Hacker Craft, Bon Papa, course down the north shore of Grindstone, make the turn at Canoe Point for the Picton Chanel and eventually reach Clayton.
This was back when I - we, could tell the boats at night rounding Picnic Point by their sound. The 'men' were coming for the weekend! Or longer - up from NYC after long eight - nine - ten hour drives.
And in the back of the little cabin on Papula I knew from the sound which boat wouldn't hold tightly to the north shore as above and would swing wider, wide enough to cross the border by Fort Wallace but not so wide as to be heading for the Gananoque Narrows. And I knew thusly had to watch out for the green spar buoy between Axeman and Ft. Wallace in the night and, " Put the flash on it, no, don't shine it in the boat!"; a spar buoy now more than 60 years marking the way in the day .
I knew by the sound of the Chief or of the Tomahawk (in the dark) immediately they came within earshot - which on a quiet night, was at Picnic Point. Knew who was who. Excited that my Dad (uncle, great grandfather , grandfather , guests . . . as 'we' were all women and children during the week) would be eventually getting into the St. Lawrence skiff at the boathouse and rowing down to a little 'papule' of a speck of an island and cabin and I could greet him then with a ten year old's news! Jack Patterson, Axeman Island Many thanks Jack, for taking us back in time and your correct ID of the Lost Channel. Perhaps it’s appropriate to share another story that links to this spot, which you may soon be listening to. A little over a year ago, I was alerted to an episode of Stuart McLean’s “Vinyl Café” radio show being broadcast from the Gananoque Playhouse on CBC and NCPR. Stuart was hosting a musical group, “Great Lake Swimmers”. I very seldom respond instantly to music, needing to be conditioned over time, but by the end of the broadcast had not only purchased and downloaded the songs they had just played, but all three of their albums. I find GLS' music hauntingly beautiful, perhaps best described as folk/rock and thought their sound might marry perfectly to the River. I contacted their manager, Phil Klygo and invited them to visit the region, which being an extension of a Great Lake, seemed appropriate. Late last summer I had a call from Tony Dekker who leads the group. He explained they were in the process of recording a fourth album and loves using acoustically interesting spaces. A few phone calls followed and thanks to the immediate support of Tom Weldon and Mr. Farhad Vladi of Singer Castle, Bob Helm at Rockport’s St. Brendan’s Church and Peter Dunn of the Brockville Arts Center, we managed to put together three very interesting recording venues. Tony and Eric Arnesen of Great Lake Swimmers were sufficiently smitten by our favorite place to title the new album “Lost Channels” and despite most of the material having already been written, added two last tracks before putting it to bed; “River’s Edge” and “Singer Castle Bells.” The album will be released in the spring. You can check them out here: http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com/ or listen to them on My Space Music or YouTube. You may also want to keep an eye out for the March issue of Lakeland Boating Magazine. This is the second feature I've done with them and Amy Hiemstra (L B's art director) has really outdone herself with this layout. A really well designed presentation can increase the power of images considerably. You be the judge. I’ll leave you with this scene to ponder for February. As always, the best story accompanying a correct identification of the area will receive a set of prints. Enjoy, Ian Coristine 9 comment(s) so far... Comments posted below pertain to last month's wallpaper. Please post comments for this month's image below, but realize they won't be made public until next month so as not to give the location away.
Re: Wallpaper February 2009
Ian, you always present a challenge. The configuration fits the entrance to Halfmoon Bay, but the lack of ice argues strongly against that possibility. Another possibility is the eastern approach to Smuggler's Cove taken from the mainland in Ivy Lea. The vegetation argues against that. So, I'm going with Lost Channel looking south from Georgina. Certainly this is a great picture because it captures the essence of the river in winter. It could be several different locations. The open water discloses a rapid current typical of the area north of Hill Island. Very similar views could be found in Benson's Rift, the International Rift, Needle's Eye, and near Fiddler's Elbow. I guess that's why I like it so much; it is the generic view of the 1000 Islands in winter. I'm sticking with Lost Channel as my best guess. Happy New Year! Here's a story with a little history.
Years ago we heard a call that a man was having a heart attack on Constance Is. I had a quick boat then and ran down there. Also responding was a boat from Parks Canada and USCG- Alex Bay. An older man was in a lawn chair showing symptoms of a heart attack. The Coast Guard had brought oxygen, but in those days, they were not authorized to use it. As I recall, they also were uncomfortable transporting the victim, who was American and wanted to go to Alex Bay hospital. Since this was well before the 9/11 attack in New York, we pooled resources and did what seemed best for the victim. The Coast Guard was out of its jurisdiction in Canada, but they kindly offered the oxygen they had brought. I'm not licensed in Canada, but I administered the oxygen, Parks Canada agreed to transport the man to Alex Bay, which probably stretches their authority a little. I left my boat tied to the dock, and accompanied the victim in the Parks Canada boat to A Bay. After delivering him to the hospital, Parks Canada kindly ferried me back to Constance Is. to retrieve my boat which was illegally tied in Canada. I returned to Clayton without checking into Canada, nor checking back into the US. Heaven knows if the victim was checked into Canada or if he ever cleared US customs on return. I hope that if he is still alive and sees this, the victim will have a little chuckle when he considers the number of rules that were broken on his behalf. Those were "good old days". The whole event helped to foster the warm feelings that exist between the folks who live, work, and vacation on both sides of the border in the Thousand Islands. This all took place within a hundred yards of the wilderness paradise you chose for January's wallpaper. I love the picture.
By Dick Withington on
Monday, January 26, 2009
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Re: Wallpaper February 2009
Whooo hooo! What a great way to start the New Year!! I actually know the exact spot for this picture! This is the island cluster just below the Canadian span of the TI bridge. I know because this is one of my favorite spots in the Thousand Islands (other than our own backyard).
At least once or twice a year Bob and I like to hike the entire length of the bridge from Hill Island to the Canadian mainland and try to soak in as much of the beauty below us as possible. One of the islands the bridge crosses over is the Provincial Park Island, Georgina which I would have to say is one of my favorite islands. When I was young, my parents would pack a picnic lunch for us and we would go spend the day wandering around on the island. It is impossible to decide which side of the island has the most beautiful views since everywhere you look, it is breathtaking.
Many years ago I brought a friend up to the Thousand Islands for a day trip from Syracuse and wanted to show her some of the most beautiful spots on the River. We walked the Canadian span and I pointed out Georgina to her, but to really experience the beauty of the River, I realized one must do it by boat. We had brought along an inflatable life raft and after spending a half hour blowing it up, we went down the stairs on Hill Island that take you below the TI Bridge and plopped our boat in the water. We got in and, with me manning the single oar, attempted to head toward Georgina. After only a few paddles, we were spun completely around and heading back to the shore. I turned us back around and pushed out a little farther only to find our little boat caught in one of the many currents in that area, spinning in circles.
We never actually made it to Georgina but had a wonderful day nevertheless, and I think my friend came to appreciate a whole new meaning to ‘round trip’.
By Patty Mondore Janesville, NY on
Monday, January 26, 2009
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Re: Wallpaper February 2009
I believe this shot was taken from the Canadian span between Constance and Georgina Islands. I think the shot is facing up-river, centered on a group of small islands that lie between Rabbit, Georgina, and Constance. AKA - the entrance to the Lost Channel.
By Bill Johnson Mexico, NY on
Monday, January 26, 2009
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Re: Wallpaper February 2009
I love the photo of the wintertime islands. Last February, myself and a good friend went to the River and walked across the frozen back bay near the 1000 Islands Club, to our home on Castle Rest Island. It was 25 degrees, calm and sunny. Perfect (if you like cold weather). There was no noise, other than the two deer we spooked off the island. I'm going to make it an annual trip to fill the need of the Island until spring time. If you can do the same, DO IT! It's magical.
By Rich Calabrese Rochester, NY on
Monday, January 26, 2009
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Re: Wallpaper February 2009
You're just testing us! This photo is the same as the December '05 wallpaper - just a closer shot of the end of the island/cottage and with a snow squall added. The 05 photo is one of my favorites and is a regular background on my laptop around the holidays. Did you take this one at about the same time as the '05 one?
I really appreciate your doing these wallpapers. As a non-native 1000 Islander who married a Watertown girl whose family had a cottage at Chippewa Bay (that is now ours), your photos and books give me a much better appreciation for the breadth of the Islands and their unique beauty. Thank you!
By Jim Smith Fairport, NY on
Monday, January 26, 2009
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Re: Wallpaper February 2009
If anyone does make it up during the winter an absolutely outrageous activity to do is get a bunch of people together and rent hovercrafts for a few hours. We did this a few years ago from an outfit in Clayton, not sure if they still rent out the hovercrafts...I still have some of this pics here: Heather" rel="nofollow">www.flickr.com/photos/heatherg/Heather
By Heather Gazdik on
Sunday, February 01, 2009
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Re: Wallpaper February 2009
I think this picture is in the Lost Channel. When I was about 30 yrs younger my dad and a boat full of people, me included were cruising along over in Lake of the Isles and it became dark, took a wrong turn and got lost. I stood in the front of the boat with a flood light and watched for items in the water. We also had a depth finder. We were able to find our way out and get to a place we knew. Had a boat following us as well. It was a very scary feeling out there at night in the dark. One I never forgot.
By Joyce Davenport on
Monday, February 02, 2009
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Re: Wallpaper February 2009
I think that this picture is so cool and cosy. I like the winter and thank you for posting such a nice picture.
By Siba El Ayoubi, Lebanon on
Monday, February 02, 2009
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Re: Wallpaper February 2009
My own back yard, (Lost Channel) and I thought you were talking about Chippewa Bay, thinking man that sure looks like Gary Clark's island with that goofy tree hanging out over the water and the tree tops of our island, 92. Should have known just to trust my instincts. Well you got me this time, great picture as always, but I am still glad I am in Florida to look at it, too damn cold for me.
By Tim Bresnahan on
Friday, February 06, 2009
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