Well. Here we are. Not exactly home, but back in Ottawa where we catch our flight home tomorrow. Love it. Today we had four and a half hours of actually car time travel to get from Syracuse, New York to Ottawa, Ontario. This would be only the second time during this month that we have that many miles to travel in one day. But we were only travelling. Not seeing anything, just stopping as necessary or stretching legs. A full day of travel but a leisurely one.
So, last night when I was considering where might be a few good pit stops along the way, we realized that we are going to be right beside Lake Ontario for a good segment of our drive in Upstate New York. So we better dip our toes in Lake Ontario just to say we did it. We found a nice beach and hung there for a while, it was really hard to get back in the car once we got our toes in the sand, though. Lovely and unexpected treat along the way.
But that was not all. No. That was not all. Just where the border between the US and Canada, New York State and Ontario falls, right along the St. Lawrence, we would be passing through the Thousand Islands. Yes! The very Thousand Islands that were named after the famous salad dressing.
So we thought, this is cool, the border crossing is like part of the Thousand Islands. In fact, the crossing is on one of the Islands. Why isn't this more generally known, I ask. At any rate, we are coming up to the border crossing, and there is this ominous looking Rapunzel-like tower. We are wondering what it is. Lo and behold, it is a viewing deck from which one can pay an exorbitant amount of money to ride up in an elevator to a very high, 360 degree view of the Thousand Islands.
Will the wonders never cease?
So we shelled out our dough, took the ride and I can tell you, this is perhaps one of the best kept secrets of the Western World. They should put a revolving restaurant up on top of this tower, and a resort at the bottom. So at this place, where the St. Lawrence River widens out and dumps into Lake Ontario are all these beautiful islands. 997 to be precise. For those of you on Vancouver Island, think gulf islands all covered in deciduous trees all getting decked for the fall as far as they eye can see.
And here is a little wacky thing. Do you remember George Boldt? Of course you don't. But anyway. Ol' George was the self made millionaire hotelier made both famous and rich as proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City. And other stuff. It appears George knew a good thing when he saw it, and he decided to build a castle for his dear wife on one of the Thousand Islands (visible still from the Rapunzel tower), in 1900. She had the cheek to die four years into the construction of it, and Boldt left the project and never returned to it. The castle sat uninhabited and in ruins for 77 years. Until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority (I know not what to what extent their authority runs) purchased the estate and is in process of restoring it. Isn't that an interesting bit of trivia?
Another little jewel amongst so many we have had on this journey. Well, now I am sitting up, barely and the mammals place where we will visit and spend the night and visit some more tomorrow until it is time to make our tearful goodbyes. And then home. Literal home.
Pictures tomorrow.
So, last night when I was considering where might be a few good pit stops along the way, we realized that we are going to be right beside Lake Ontario for a good segment of our drive in Upstate New York. So we better dip our toes in Lake Ontario just to say we did it. We found a nice beach and hung there for a while, it was really hard to get back in the car once we got our toes in the sand, though. Lovely and unexpected treat along the way.
But that was not all. No. That was not all. Just where the border between the US and Canada, New York State and Ontario falls, right along the St. Lawrence, we would be passing through the Thousand Islands. Yes! The very Thousand Islands that were named after the famous salad dressing.
So we thought, this is cool, the border crossing is like part of the Thousand Islands. In fact, the crossing is on one of the Islands. Why isn't this more generally known, I ask. At any rate, we are coming up to the border crossing, and there is this ominous looking Rapunzel-like tower. We are wondering what it is. Lo and behold, it is a viewing deck from which one can pay an exorbitant amount of money to ride up in an elevator to a very high, 360 degree view of the Thousand Islands.
Will the wonders never cease?
So we shelled out our dough, took the ride and I can tell you, this is perhaps one of the best kept secrets of the Western World. They should put a revolving restaurant up on top of this tower, and a resort at the bottom. So at this place, where the St. Lawrence River widens out and dumps into Lake Ontario are all these beautiful islands. 997 to be precise. For those of you on Vancouver Island, think gulf islands all covered in deciduous trees all getting decked for the fall as far as they eye can see.
And here is a little wacky thing. Do you remember George Boldt? Of course you don't. But anyway. Ol' George was the self made millionaire hotelier made both famous and rich as proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City. And other stuff. It appears George knew a good thing when he saw it, and he decided to build a castle for his dear wife on one of the Thousand Islands (visible still from the Rapunzel tower), in 1900. She had the cheek to die four years into the construction of it, and Boldt left the project and never returned to it. The castle sat uninhabited and in ruins for 77 years. Until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority (I know not what to what extent their authority runs) purchased the estate and is in process of restoring it. Isn't that an interesting bit of trivia?
Another little jewel amongst so many we have had on this journey. Well, now I am sitting up, barely and the mammals place where we will visit and spend the night and visit some more tomorrow until it is time to make our tearful goodbyes. And then home. Literal home.
Pictures tomorrow.
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