Tucked away in Canada’s Thousand Islands are beautiful and elegant homes of different sizes and designs. Some are used as residences. While the rest are vacation houses of businessmen and famous people.
My research on “what to do and where to go” for our 2014 Road trip brought us to this place via the Island Queen Boat Cruise. It is a 3 hour ride with lunch, which I booked online.
We got to the marina early. So it gave us time for some photo op. 🙂
We embarked on the 3 storey boat around noon. A few minutes later, the Captain spoke and welcomed all the tourists.
When the band started singing, we were ushered to the 2nd floor for the buffet lunch. I remember the food to be delicious. And surprisingly, pilaf rice was included in the buffet. You just don’t know what a relief is that to me, a Filipina who grew up with rice as my main source of energy. 🙂 Burgers, pasta, mashed potato, salad, etc. – those are all good but it leaves me still hungry after every meal. So anyway, I chose the beef stew , a little vegetable and the pilaf rice, of course.
I was so excited about the trip. And with the band serenading us while having lunch, it just felt so relaxing and wonderful.
After lunch, I went up the open deck on the 3rd floor to get a better view of the islands. The hubby stayed at the dining area, talking to a Canadian who was in the same table as us during lunch.
Let me share with you the photos I took that day. (click on the pictures to enlarge them.)
Beautiful right? The islands range from 40 square miles (100 sq. km.) to smaller ones with one house. Like the one below. How cool is that?! 🙂
There are a total of 1,864 islands that stretched from Kingston, Ontario in Canada to the US border, near the Adirondacks mountain.
It was sunny when we started the trip. But strong winds started to blow our way, as we were going back to Kingston port. Big waves plied our way, which made traversing Lake Ontario frightening.
The boat moved up and down , which left the dishes falling into the floor. I heard the singer remarked loudly on the microphone, “whoa, we’ve never experienced this before”. Kids were crying, while some of the tourists started throwing up.
As we were getting nearer to the port, the captain of our boat, tried to stay near the ferry. We could see the water splashing through the vehicles inside the ferry boat.
I remember asking John if the Canadian rescuers will reach us on time incase our boat capsizes. He said calmly, ” don’t worry dear , with the cold water, we will probably die within minutes. The good thing is that it’s daytime, they’ll find our bodies easily.” I would probably have laughed if I wasn’t so scared that day.
When part of our boat’s main door got smashed and the water seeped into the ground floor, I thought we were gonna die that day. I know I’ve never prayed as much as I did that day. I could hear the others praying too.
The captain told us that he hasn’t experienced that kind of wind in 30 years. It was just our luck that it happened while we were on the cruise. 🙂
I was able to take the picture above as we went down the boat. See, the door partially opened up. Due to the small opening, it flooded the ground floor. We had to walk on water as we were going out. Horrifying experience, believe me. I have never been so happy to be on land once again! 🙂
Friends who tried the cruise though on a beautiful day said that it wasn’t dangerous at all. I believe them too.
I guess, nature no matter how beautiful it is, can get really grave. And perilous, sometimes.
We were so blessed to have been spared that day. So upon reaching our hotel room, I knelt on the floor and said my thanksgiving. Thank God for his protection and for giving us the chance to live, to tell the tale. 🙂
Was the trip beautiful? Oh yes!
Would I do it again? Maybe , someday. Perhaps during summer, where the weather is a lot nicer. 🙂
Was it worth the experience? Not if it kills me. ha ha… But honestly, the Thousand Islands is worth the visit. So yes, I am recommending , that if you’re in Ontario – go check the place!
The Thousand Islands is located in Lake Ontario , Canada. The boat cruise starts in Kingston and can be booked through here – http://www.1000islandscruises.ca/
Before I end this very long blog, I found this entry through Wikipedia about the Thousand Island Dressing –
According to The Oxford Companion of Food and Drink, “the name presumably comes from the Thousand Islands between the United States and Canada in the St. Lawrence River.”[11] In the Thousand Islands area, one common version of the dressing’s origins says that a fishing guide’s wife, Sophia LaLonde, made the condiment as part of her husband George’s shore dinner.[when?][12] Often in this version, actress May Irwin requested the recipe after enjoying it.[when?][13] Irwin in turn gave it to another Thousand Islands summer resident, George Boldt, who built Boldt Castle between 1900 and 1904. Boldt, as proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, instructed the hotel’s maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, to put the dressing on the menu.[when?][4] A 1959 National Geographic article states, “Thousand Island Dressing was reportedly developed by Boldt’s chef.”[14]
Interesting huh? 🙂
Lea C. Walker
