Plus: Who is the Old River Rat? By Tom French As much as I love when my daughter comes home from college, it makes me nervous when she wants to go canoeing – she has a reputation for picking paddles with a bushwhack carry (see here, here, and … [Read more...] about Fall paddle on the Oswegatchie
The best view in St. Lawrence County
Worth the drive, bike and hike to get there By Tom French Drive, bike, then hike – at least that was the plan when Doug and I decided to check out Little Blue Mountain, an 1,840-foot peak in central St. Lawrence County well known on the … [Read more...] about The best view in St. Lawrence County
When nature is the classroom
Lakeside School in Essex makes sure no child is left inside By Tom French Students spend much of their day outside beginning as they arrive in the morning. One climbs the fort built atop the remnants of a tree lost in Irene. Two chat as they … [Read more...] about When nature is the classroom
A windfall of a ride
Following a historic tornado along a remote stretch of St. Lawrence Co. By Tom French In the fall of 1845, a weather system spawned a series of tornados from Lake Ontario to Burlington, Vermont, that cut mile-wide swaths of devastation for … [Read more...] about A windfall of a ride
Morning tea with loons
Long Pond in St. Regis Canoe Area is long on scenery, seclusion By Tom French Before Carrie and I had kids, we used to visit Long Pond in the St. Regis Canoe Area every year. We had our special site, a point of land with a large sandy … [Read more...] about Morning tea with loons
Hub showcases Cranberry Lake ‘magic’
Community rallies to transform former church into new gathering place By Tom French Cranberry Lake is overflowing with history beginning with a timber crib dam in 1866 whose purpose was to “improve hydraulic power on the Oswegatchie.” … [Read more...] about Hub showcases Cranberry Lake ‘magic’