Starting Point: Niagara Falls, NY
Ending Point: Thousand Island, NY
Distance Traveled: 300 Miles
Last night, after spending a few hours at Starbucks in Niagara Falls I decided it wasn’t worth it to reserve a hotel for only 5 hours. I just proceeded to drive toward Rochester, NY and after about an hour I pulled over to a rest stop and slept for five hours.
At about 5AM, I awoke at the rest stop and continued driving toward Syracuse and then toward 1000 Islands, a scenic river area that separates Canada and the United States. The river area includes about 1800 islands, ranging from small outcrops in the ocean to 40 square mile islands. An island is defined as a mass of land that’s fully exposed throughout the entire year, has at least one tree on it and one other kind of vegetation, and is at least three feet in diameter. The islands throughout the area and mostly privately owned and house anything from grand estates, mobile homes, cottages, memorials, nature reserves, and more. Many of the islands has an interesting history dating back to as far back as the 1800s.
At 10AM, I went on a “Two Nations” Cruise with Uncle Sam’s in Alexandria Bay. (Uncle Sam’s Link) The “Two Nations Tour” takes guests on a 2.25-hour boat ride through the Canadian and USA parts of the 1000 Islands. The tour guide provided a lively narrative, complete with backgrounds of the islands, humor, and stories. We learned interesting facts such as the utilities service, waste disposal, access during winter, and more.
At the end of the tour, we had the option of being dropped off at Boldt Castle, an enormous, unfinished castle of at least 30,000 SF that was built by a wealthy man as a token of love for his wife. The island is shaped as a heart, a sentimental shape for the man and his wife. Unfortunately, shortly before completion the man’s wife passed away and he was devastated. Him and his family both vowed to never set foot on the Island, and the home was eventually deeded to a public entity for use a museum.
After the tour, I drove to Wellesley State Park, a 40-square-mile island located on one of the largest of the 1800 islands. After checking into a campsite, I drove to the Nature Center in the State Park and hiked a couple of miles through the bright green, lush landscape. The trail I hiked on was also marked as a backcountry ski trail for use during the winter.
Afterwards, I drove to Thousand Islands Village (AKA “TI Village), a privately owned village encompassing a large part of Wellesley Island. According to the residents, in 1875, TI Village was leased out to the residents on a 99-year ground lease and all the homes are privately owned. The land-lease payments are made in the form of high property taxes (up to $18,000 according to Holly at Boomerang Canvas). This “corporation” was incredibly smart, especially now looking at the surrounding estates worth tens of millions of dollars.
In TI Village, I visited the docks and rented a kayak for a 1.5-hour trip through the narrows and around Mosquito Island. Jumping into the river immediately before kayaking definitely helped keep me cool during the warm kayaking trip.
Holly, the owner of Boomerang Canvas and serial entrepreneur simultaneously is a schoolteacher, café owner, rents sporting equipment, and sews canvas on the docks! I guess if you want to live in TI Village, you need to be creative and open-minded. The owner of the kayaking rental business, Holly, has been visiting TI Village during the summer since she was a teenager. As a teenager, she met her husband on the Island and now lives there and will likely plan on retiring there soon. Holly has an adorable fluffy black dog that’s 9 months old, and being trained to be a “dock dog,” or friendly dog spending time around the docks. She also suggested several areas to visit in the Adirondacks for tomorrow’s drive!
After kayaking, I visited a restaurant in Clayton, NY, the largest town in the area and had a nice, healthy dinner (grilled chicken breast) at Koffee Kove. The food was OK, but was enjoyed immensely due to my hunger and Subway-Sandwhich-Streak that this meal just broke!
After kayaking, I drove back to the mainland and visited Clayton, NY, the largest city near Thousand Island, and ate dinner at Koffee Kove Restaurant. Afterwards, I walked the Main St in Downtown. Although I’m in awe of the scenery, weather, and attracitve quality of life, I quickly remember that during the winter the weather is below freezing and I’m grateful for living in Los Angeles.
