1000 Islands & 3 Cities

Sunset at anchor, at 1000 Islands. Post-dinner dominoes! A hood was necessary to show those mosquitos that I was in control.

LAY OF THE LAND
Lake Ontario is a border lake between the United States and Canada. The Easternmost side of Lake Ontario pours into the St. Lawrence River, also between Canada and the U.S. The St. Lawrence runs downhill (and Northeast), past Montreal, and at the 400-mile mark, Quebec City, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. 

The head of the St. Lawrence River was a forty-mile-long region called 1000 Islands(1). I had never heard of it until a few weeks before we arrived. Yes, there were supposedly one thousand islands in the area, mostly small, and five large ones. They are populated with many waterfront homes that vacationers primarily use during the summer. 

We decided to hang out for a week and make it easy on ourselves by staying on the U.S. side. Then we would cross into Canada at a town called Kingston where we would go through customs and park the boat for a week. We took a vacation from the boat, again, and traveled via the Canadian railroad system to Montreal, Quebec City, and Ottawa. 

Our route was in red. This is the Northeast Part of Lake Ontario, if that helps you identify the area I referred to.

1000 ISLANDS

We left Oswego pretty early, I thought, but we were in the second set of boats to go through the lock (the thirty-first lock of this leg and our trip so far), the gateway to Lake Ontario. Our first take of Lake Ontario was a relief. The lake calmed down completely compared to the tremendous fetch we spied from the Fort Ontario hill three days before. Our second thought was how vast it was. We couldn't see land on the other side. And it was a lovely teal blue and noticeably clear fresh water. There was nothing brackish about this part of the trip. 

We first stopped at a 1000 Islands gateway town, Cape Vincent, which was a one-block-long town and had a free city dock.(2) We were shocked to be able to see ten feet down through the water.

We moved to the substantial gateway town, Clayton, NY, the next day. Not only was it a cute town to hang out with other Loopers and get supplies, but it also had a locally famous wooden boat museum. 

The homes we walked by seemed to be up to one hundred fifty years old. Most were a curious color of red brick with artistic black iron trim.(3)

We stayed at the marina for an extra night because there was much to do. 

Mike took an afternoon to join a fishing charter with some guys he met at the Clayton dock. He came home with some pike—a new taste for us. It's a good, mild-tasting fish.

There was a hum-dinger of a storm that night. I saw wind gusts of forty MPH. There was such a deluge of rain that I couldn't see the lightning strikes in the dark out our window. I only saw flashes. It reminded me that I was a long way from the Bay Area. Incidentally, Mike slept through the whole thing.

This area was famous for fast and stylish lake boats that New Yorkers used to speed to and from their tony island homes. The museum featured antique wooden racing boats and local boats owned by elite owners.

A shiny example of the exceptional antique boats in Clayton, NY. Can you imagine seeing boats like these whip around the islands in summer?

The other popular tourist stop was the Boldt "Castle" island. The small island supported an extravagant, three-story house, a family playhouse tower with a bowling alley, and a private power plant. The house was built in 1905. Rebuilding and refurbishing the structures was an ongoing process supported Boldt Castle with wedding venue fees and tourist entrance fees.  

Here was just the private power plant building from Boldt Castle. It was like something from a fairy tale. 

Our favorite stop in the 1000 Islands was at Grindstone Island. We anchored out for a night and dinghied in during the afternoon on a Friday. We quickly learned from a welcoming park ranger that there was a winery. This goal to try New York grown grapes led us on a three mile through swampy trails.

It was worth it to hike to Grindstone Winery. Helpful, hand-written signs pounded into the lush greenery, like the one next to Mike, showed us the way.

Great wine, warm hosts, and my first local delicacy--a wine slushy.(4)

Some island residents gathered at the winery for their weekly Friday night happy hour. It was fun to connect with them, comparing their community to ours at Decourcy Island. We were relieved that the apprentice winemaker was willing to give us an ATV-type ride back to the park border. We made it back to Sacagawea safe and sound with our new bottles of wine---and about twenty mosquito bites each!

We also enjoyed a couple of anchorages in between islands. These anchorages provided the first real opportunity to jump into the water right off Sacagawea's swim step. Just like in Cape Vincent, the water was clear and cool on the warm days we experienced that week. We noted that we needed some pool noodles!(5)

Mike’s drone captured this pic from above at one of our lovely anchorages. Note the posh house at the top of the pic with an arched bridge to a nearby islet. 

First swim ever off of Sacagawea in the 1000 Islands. Crystal clear water. A little cold, but doable. 

In every direction the 1000 Islands area was filled with rock islets like this one. The rocks often were striated with three colors: greenish on top, pink in the middle and blackish next to the water. Like Spumoni ice cream!

Here’s an example of one of the many, beautiful homes in the 1000 Islands:

Another notable feature of 1000 Islands are thoughtful, stylish boat houses. Here’s an example of another tasteful, large home and its boathouse:

After enough gunkholing, we puttered off to Kingston, but not without minor drama. About halfway there, Border Control stopped us. They asked us all the questions we were ready to answer for our planned customs check-in. The agents were friendly and made the stop easy. 

MONTREAL

In the morning, we left Sacagawea secured to the dock with about five lines and five fenders--just in case! We boarded Via Rail, the Canadian train system, for a three-hour ride, in comfort, to Montreal. Since we only planned to stay about twenty-four hours, we mostly stuck to touristy Vieux Montreal, the old neighborhood along the waterfront. 

Our view from the Via train as we approached I think Montreal.

At the bottom of Place Jacques Cartier, a pedestrian walkway lined with restaurants that leads downhill to the St. Lawrence River, we were impressed with a display of enlarged, turn-of-the-century black and white photos on the sides of vendor kiosks. These photos of the same area made it easy to imagine how Montrealeans used the area for a few hundred years as an open-air community center and market.

In the morning, before we departed, we decided to see how far we could walk to Montreal's hill, the Mont-Real ("royal mountain"!). Between racewalking to a subway and this uphill walk on a humid day, the excursion tuckered us out. With long days on the boat, traversing The Loop is not a great way to get your daily steps in--and we could feel it.

Climbing stairs in luscious Mount Royal Park. The greenery was so lovely. It was a weekend so it was  filled with fitness fans.

QUEBEC CITY

The journey to Quebec City(6) took another three-ish pleasant hours on a train. When we arrived after dark it was pouring rain. We decided to walk the short distance to our hotel. It turns out the hotel, and the entire historical district, were on a fairly steep hill. We survived the walk with only squishy tennis shoes and the bottom of our jeans soaked. Rain was forecast for the next two days. 

On the first morning, Mike came back to our room while I was getting ready with two new essential items: matching umbrellas printed with Canadian red maple leaves. My hero! Here in front of a random building in Quebec—all the buildings in the old city were like this one—colorful and worth a good look.

Even in the wet, the two to four-story buildings in the old city were each unique. And charming. And colorfully painted. There were flowery annuals in many window boxes and along the outdoor patio restaurants along the two tourist streets that were parallel and about four blocks apart. 

This requires a second look—this was a steep street and the window boxes were installed so that the tops were horizontal. The bottom of the boxes were parallel with the street. Cool, right?

Mike snapped this memorable view of Quebec City. Just gorgeous!

The next rainy day we spent at Quebec City's Museum of Civilization. I had never been to a museum like it. There were three main exhibits, each quite interesting. 

There was a special exhibit about gladiators in Rome. Ask me anything about gladiators now...like, did you know that different cadres of gladiators were differentiated by types of armor and weapons? And that the practice of gladiator shows petered out after a few hundred years as the quality of the gladiators decreased? 

Another richly detailed exhibit focused on the experience of aboriginal peoples of Canada. There were artifacts and descriptions of their traditional lifestyles. 

I appreciated this part of the aboriginal wing of the museum. This dramatic display showed the wide variety of snow shoes the peoples used. Their usage varied depending on the type of snow and terrain.

It was interesting yet sad to listen to recordings of people from various tribes who described how elements of their cultural identification were being lost. Other recordings described how their native cultures were evolving, just like all cultures evolve. Altogether, they demonstrated the pride and persistence of the various aboriginal peoples.

I enjoyed a History of Canada exhibit that paired descriptions of key Canadian historical dates with the chairs commonly used during the era. It also helped me to understand how the confederation of Canada was considered the inception of the country. I did not know this! 

What a unique way to learn about key dates in a country’s history. Visitors walked by a winding display of information cards marking important dates. An antique Canadian-red children’s chair associated with the era accompanied the time/card which described Canada’s inception. It worked for me.(7)  

And finally, there was an exhibit of what it meant to be a Québécois (the French term). I think it was designed for Quebec citizens to examine and perhaps strengthen what being Québécois meant to them. This reminded me that Canada is a relatively young country/democracy. 

We had two especially excellent meals (Italian and French-ish) in Quebec City. In between, we toured the fancy Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel, the Citadelle of Quebec (which was a fort built starting in 1820 was steeped in military traditions) and the highlight: a private tour of the Governor General's mansion inside the Citadelle. We saw the luxurious formal meeting rooms and the exterior patio with an exclusive, commanding view of the St. Lawrence River. 

Me, casually strolling through the Governor General’s Mansion at the Citadelle in Quebec City. You can see the St. Lawrence River below and down a cliff to the right and the commanding view Northeast. It was a powerful place to build a Citadelle.

Mostly, we learned in a one-on-one format with our local tour guide about Canada's relationship with its sovereign, in England.(8)  

Outside of the Citadelle, which housed the Governor General’s mansion, had two of these sentries outside the gates. We watched a changing of the sentry. It was steeped in tradition and symbolism.

OTTAWA

Our last point of this trapezoidal trip was Ottawa. Mike, especially, was interested in seeing the seven "step" locks that allowed boats to move from the Ottawa River to the Rideau Canal.(9) We were there in the middle of a week, so few boats were going through. But we were impressed at the innovation of the locks and a little jealous of Loopers who could take their boats through it. Still, we were satisfied with our decision to forego the cruise there.

Mike snapped this pic of the Rideau Canal Locks from a bridge looking West. You are looking at the eight “step” locks that move boats 80 feet from Ottawa River to Rideau Canal. Also on the right is the fancy Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel we stayed at.

Here, Mike checks out the Ottawa River, at it passes behind the government buildings and meets the Richelieu Canal. There were falls in the center and boats purposefully cruised around either side of the falls. It was a spectacular day for cloud watching as well.

The key buildings we couldn't miss in Ottawa were the national government buildings that house Parliament. These neo-gothic, behemoth buildings and towers were nothing like the neo-classical buildings in Washington D.C. We enjoyed looking at the exteriors on our sunny day in the city. 

At Parliment Hill in Ottawa. The architectural style was striking: “Gothic Revival.” Note the tall windows  with peaks and black ironwork. Totally unexpected.

In the morning, we managed to take a private tour of the temporary Parliament room (a large group canceled--we were the only ones left in the time slot). We learned about Parliament traditions related to opening ceremonies, passing bills to laws, and how they symbolically include the Sovereign. 

I found portraits of former prime ministers on the walls memorable for their intensity and relatability. Outside parliament, there was a hall filled with plaques imprinted with thousands of names: the members of each year's parliament. It was as if they were enshrined here, being accountable for Canada's choices and growth. 

TIME FOR THE TRENT-SEVERN WATERWAY

Next up: Trent-Severn Waterway. Unlike the 1000 Islands, you could say we've been anticipating the Trent-Severn Waterway for years--since we first learned of The Loop. Was it as beautiful and wonderful for boating as we had read? 

FOOTNOTES FOR FUN FACT FANS

(1) This is the home of 1000 Islands Dressing. To my surprise, I'd say the local restaurants played it down. I'm not too proud to admit that I love 1000 Islands Dressing.

(2) Many small towns along The Loop have free docks to encourage boaters to come to support the local economy. 

(3) ChatGPT says: "These homes often feature intricate detailing, such as ornate trim work, decorative brick patterns, and sometimes elements of Queen Anne or Colonial Revival styles, reflecting the prosperity and design preferences of their time."

(4) It was a port wine slushy. It's a unique blend of different ingredients, unknown to me. It's not just port wine and ice in an ICEE machine.

(5) We especially liked the fresh water swim because our shower's sump pump stopped working! We were able to order one and Mike, of course, installed it before too long. 

(6) The historic neighborhood of Quebec City is an UNESCO heritage site. All of it! Not just one building or fort.  

(7) For example, 1867, the year the British North America Act was signed, created the Dominion of Canada. Red is sort of national color for Canada; the red of the maple leaf of Canada’s flag.

(8) Canada has a constitutional democracy with a parliamentary system. They have a ceremonial head of state: the King of England. 

(9) The original motivation for building these locks was to move the British Navy during the War of 1812 (which Canada calls The War with the United States) through Upper Canada (a British colony). Ultimately, they never used it during a war.