I didn’t count them all, but I trust them, that seems like an accurate assessment. There are tiny little islands everywhere, the majority of which seem to be occupied by either the most unimaginably elaborate mansion or a small wooden shack being held together by early 1900’s craftsmanship. Wouldn’t it be fun to live on your own little private island right here on the border between two awesome countries. Some islands you can tour are occupied by enormous castles built with old world family money. The St. Lawerence River serves as the main roadway to connect them all to each other as well as to America on the south shore and mainland Canada to the north. The boat discrepancy is as varied as the homes with some sputtering by in trusty dingys and others in enormous luxury Yachts. 

Unlike most years, where we travel to a mix of new places and old favorites as well as going to specific cities to visit family, instead this summer everything is brand new, every day every hour, stuff we’ve never seen. As such, I had no idea what to expect from Thousand Islands National Park, the area we camped in had a relaxed small town beach vibe rather than the untrammeled nature that I tend to seek out in National Parks. But if I see National Park on a map then I’m bound to stop there.

Luckily the real highlight of this stop was three nights spent together with grandparents who drove out and camped next to us in their trailer. The kids got some precious grandparent time and Amy and I even got some precious date night time thanks to the precious grandparents. I also put Pop to work as he helped me fix and update a variety of things around the bus that will make the trip more enjoyable. 

My favorite thing about this area is how everything is bikeable, and so Amy and I put on our very best outfit we could muster and biked to a cute restaurant right on the water overlooking the many islands this area is known for. 

This year I installed a bike rack to carry all five of our bikes and in the morning we all biked together to a bakery for pastries. Around camp for three days the kids played with other campers, swam in the pool, and did every activity offered. We built and launched paper rockets, went to an ice cream social, and played bingo in a field at dawn. In the evening, Fitz builds a fire and we make dinner and go for a late walk. I think the highlight for the kids was the wagon ride, unlike a normal campground wagon ride this one was an all out water gun fight war machine. Each kid was equipped with a super soaker and troughs of water for reloading. The wagon made its way around the campground waging war with the adults who prepared their hoses and set up ambushes of their own. I filled a few water guns and left them pumped up and set them behind trees. In my head it was just like the scene from The Patriot where like Mel Gibson, I waited for the perfect moment and I got the unsuspecting little fuckers good. Like a ghost, I seamlessly mo ed from tree to tree, they tried their best to return fire but my elusive mad skills proved too much for the 30 headed water gun beast and I escaped so dry it was like I had been placed in a bag of rice. 

I used ChatGPT to help me find a visitor center that might have some nature for us to partake in and the response definitely made it sound like a great idea. When we arrived we were quickly advised that the visitor center was eaten by termites over ten years ago. The live animal exhibits that AI got me excited for, are no more. Instead we found a fun and involved children’s scavenger hunt and a ranger showed us where we could do some hiking. The rocks and trees in the area are beautiful and we scampered up to an overlook where we still had plenty of energy so we took the long way back meandering along the water. 

This morning we packed up, said our goodbyes, and started making our way toward Montreal. We will have to change our plans because this looks like our first day of rain, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon. We all already miss having the grandparents around.