We left Gananoque and continued up the Saint Lawrence River, following the Bateau Channel along the northern shore. Our destination was Kingston, a short distance away, but worthy of a stop and visit. We traveled at slow cruise and watched as the islands became fewer and larger. Now out of the Thousand Islands National Park, houses stretched along the shoreline. We spotted a strange and very colorful mass in the water and as we moved closer it was determined to be the world's largest private collection of gigantic water inflatables. The funniest part was they were all tied to a mooring ball, spaced out perfectly, and playing together nicely as we passed by.
Kingston is home to Fort Henry, a 19th-century British military post. It was easy to pick out on the horizon. We have planned to take the hop-on-hop-off trolley tour of Kingston on Thursday and this will be one of the stops. Our home for the next two nights is Confederation Basin, a 350-slip marina located in the middle of the historic downtown area. We are running very low on bottled water and were excited to find the grocery store is a short walk from the marina office. The disheartening issue is that it is an equal distance from our slip to the marina office. We get our bags and head out for a little exploration and to get the water. We break the case open and divide it between the backpack and a canvas tote, and head back to the marina like pioneers, with all of our goods on our backs. After unpacking there is time for a little planning, reading and napping in the late afternoon.
We're in luck as we've arrived on a Wednesday, which is when Fort Henry has their Sunsets on Fire ceremony. We get our tickets at the visitor's center, grab some seafood for dinner right across the street, then set out on our two-mile walk to the Fort. The performance began at 7:30 and featured the Fort Henry Guard Drums, Drill Squad and Artillery Detachments performing 1860's military music, drill, and weaponry ... followed by fireworks.
This was quite a show in a great setting. The sound alone of all the shoes striking the stone floor in perfect cadence was amazing.
As darkness began to fall, the show ended with cannon fire, first with smaller guns on the ground and then with the larger ones from the upper rim of the Fort. The flag was lowered and a bugler played God Save the Queen. Then as the Guard recessed, the fireworks began and went off for about two minutes. It hadn't really gotten dark yet, so the pictures weren't the best. It never really gets dark before 10:00 up here north of the border.
When we leave the Fort and begin our walk back, dusk is in its final moments. By the time we get to the bottom of the hill, the sky is indeed black and we enjoy the illuminated City Hall and fountains along the way.
We're now a good distance away from the United States border, so we're back on the Canadian cellular plan. The internet is frustratingly slow and unreliable. Of all life's luxuries that we take for granted in the States, strong wifi is the one I've missed most.
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