1000 Islands Tower

I pass through the Thousand Islands often enough where I've become fairly acquainted with the lay of the land and the places that dot the landscape. It is certainly a majestic and wonderful place to visit. However, every time I would cross the border into the United States or to Canada, I pass by a tall tower just north of the border into Ontario. During one of my trips back to Upstate New York from Ontario, I decided to check out the tower and see the Thousand Islands from a different angle. That tower is known as the 1000 Islands Tower.

Towering some 400 feet, or 130 meters, the 1000 Islands Tower sits on its perch on Hill Island. The tower is generally open from May to October, and after paying the admission fee, you can head up the elevator to the observation decks to get a bird's eye view of the area. The tower is currently owned by a couple who are originally from Germany, but fell in love with the Thousand Islands when they were vacationing in the area. They loved the idea of the 1000 Islands Tower as a landmark, and when the opportunity arose, they purchased the tower.

From the tower, a view of the Ivy Lea Bridge, which is the northern bridge spanning the Canadian mainland with Hill Island, can easily be spotted from the sky deck, along with other various islands on both the American and Canadian sides of the border. Let's take a look at what we can see, shall we?

The Ivy Lea Bridge, which is the northernmost of the bridges owned and operated by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority. The bridges opened to traffic in 1938.

Ontario King's Highway 137, which runs from Ontario King's Highway 401 to the United States border and Interstate 81.

Some small islands in the Thousand Islands. Some of the islands are only big enough for one house, if that.

A little wider view of the Thousand Islands looking west. The west end of Hill Island is straight ahead, with Wallace Island to the right, along with some smaller islands. Gananoque, Ontario is in the distance, somewhere.

Looking towards the south, you will see a bit of a rift between the islands to the right of the picture. That is part of the international boundary between Hill Island in Ontario and Wellesley Island in New York State.

The northernmost exit of I-81 to DeWolf Point State Park on Wellesley Island. The customs plaza is hiding somewhere in the trees. If you look in the distance, you can see the southern Thousand Islands Bridge crossing between Wellesley Island and Collins Landing on the mainland of New York State.

Alexandria Bay, New York is in the distance.

There are informational plaques around the observational skydeck. There's apparently not quite a thousand islands that make up the Thousand Islands region.

Another look at the Thousand Islands, this time looking east. Somewhere amongst these islands, Thousand Islands dressing was invented.

One final look at the Ivy Lea Bridge before I headed back into the United States.

A nice parting shot of the Thousand Islands. I hope you enjoyed your visit to the 1000 Islands Tower.

How to Get There:

Sources and Links:
1000 Islands Tower - Simply Breathtaking Views
Ontario Travel - 1000 Islands Tower
Visit 1000 Islands - 1000 Islands Tower

Route 75 Tunnel - Ironton, Ohio

In the Ohio River community of Ironton, Ohio, there is a former road tunnel that has a haunted legend to it. This tunnel was formerly numbered OH 75 (hence the name Route 75 Tunnel), which was renumbered as OH 93 due to I-75 being built in the state. Built in 1866, it is 165 feet long and once served as the northern entrance into Ironton, originally for horses and buggies and later for cars. As the tunnel predated the motor vehicle era, it was too narrow for cars to be traveling in both directions. But once US 52 was built in the area, OH 93 was realigned to go around the tunnel instead of through the tunnel, so the tunnel was closed to traffic in 1960. The legend of the haunted tunnel states that since there were so many accidents that took place inside the tunnel's narrow walls, the tunnel was cursed. The haunted legend states that there was an accident between a tanker truck and a school bus coming home after a high school football game on a cold, foggy Halloween night in 1

Former California State Route 190 at the bottom of Lake Success

East of the City of Porterville the alignment of California State Route 190 follows the Tule River watershed into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In modern times California State Route 190 east of Porterville climbs south of the Lake Success Reservoir towards Springville. Much of the original alignment of California State Route 190 within the Lake Success Reservoir can still be hiked, especially in drier years. Pictured above is the original alignment of California State Route 190 facing northward along the western shore of Lake Success. Part 1; the history of California State Route 190 through Lake Success The corridor of California State Route 190 ("CA 190") east of Porterville to Springville follows the watershed of the Tule River. The Tule River watershed between Porterville and Springville would emerge as a source of magnesite ore near the turn of the 20th Century. The magnesite ore boom would lead to the development of a modern highway in the Porterville-Springville

US Route 299 and modern California State Route 299

US Route 299 connected US Route 101 near Arcata of Humboldt County east across the northern mountain ranges of California to US Route 395 in Alturas of Modoc County. US Route 299 was the longest child route of US Route 99 and is the only major east/west highway across the northern counties of California. US Route 299 was conceptualized as the earliest iteration of what is known as the Winnemucca-to-the-Sea Highway. The legacy of US Route 299 lives on today in the form of the 307 mile long California State Route 299. Featured as the cover of this blog is the interchange of US Route 101 and US Route 299 north of Arcata which was completed as a segment of the Burns Freeway during 1956. Part 1; the history of US Route 299 and California State Route 299 The development of the State Highways which comprised US Route 299 ("US 299") and later California State Route 299 ("CA 299") began with 1903 Legislative Chapter 366 which defined the general corridor of the Trinit

Gribblenation

Search This Blog