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

Interstate 5; the West Side Freeway

The past four years I've frequently driven the entirety of Interstate 5 in San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley. I-5 from Wheeler Ridge north to a segment near of Woodland is known as the "West Side Freeway."

The West Side Freeway segment of I-5 refers to an approximately 330 mile portion of the highway from the split with CA 99 at Wheeler Ridge north to the convergence with I-505 near Woodland.

Part 1; the history of the West Side Freeway and the split of I-5W/I-5E

In the 1947 Interstate plan I-5 was to be routed up US 99 where it would have split into I-5W and I-5E in Modesto. I-5W was to planned to use the following current state highways:

- Modern CA 132 west to I-580.
- Modern I-580 west to I-80.
- Modern I-80 east to I-505.
- Modern I-505 to I-5.

As the second Interstate System was being drafted the path of I-5 was shifted to the western part of San Joaquin Valley which was planned as Legislative Route 238. I-5W was planned to split from I-5 at the p…

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Part 1; the history of El Camino Real and Old Stage Road

The Gabilan Range between what is now San Juan Bautista and Salinas Valley was first explored during the second Juan Bautista De Anza Expedition of Las Californias. While the De Anza expedition likely crossed very close to the present alignment of Old Stage Route their exact path isn't clear. Juan Bautista De Anza noted the following in his journal while passing near present day San Juan Bautista on March 24, 1776:

"In the valley we saw many antelopes and white grey geese. In the same valley we found an arroyo...and then came to a village in which I counted about twenty tule huts. But the only two people we saw were two Indians who came out to the road and presented us with thr…

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What is now a popular recreational trail in the northeastern Massachusetts city of Newburyport was once a northbound alignment of Interstate 95, and before that, part of a relocated US 1. A trip down this 1.1 mile long abandoned section of highway shows a road that was left mostly intact, complete with the original pavement, curb cuts and pavement markings. But there is a story about how this highway became a trail...

Originally conceived to be part of a relocated US 1, the stretch of road that is now the abandoned section of I-95 in Newburyport was part of a highway that was constructed between 1951 and 1954 from modern day US 1 in Danvers, Massachusetts and ended just south of the state border between Massachusetts and New Hampshire in Salisbury, Massachusetts. The highway was originally constructed with three 12-foot wide lanes in each direction, although the rightmost lane eventually became a hard shoulder for the road. The highway was not Relocated US 1 for long, as it became I…

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