I Love Thousand Islands!

This is our first time to visit this area and I hope it won't be our last. The people we've met have been welcoming, neighborly and full of information. It is understandable why so many New Yorkers have chosen Thousand Islands for their summer retreat. 

 I would never have dreamed a river could have such translucent water as the St. Lawrence River. The island residents even use the remarkably clean river water in their homes, after light filtration.

The quaint villages of Alexandria Bay and Clayton have fascinating shops, locally owned restaurants and charming homes dating back to the turn of the last century.  I could wander the streets, admiring the homes for several more weeks. 

 We took the Two Nation Tour which was one of several choices at Uncle Sam Boat Tours. Our tour director was a native of the area, living on one of the islands. He shared so much information and history I wish I had used a voice recorder. The tour included Millionaire Row and even a tiny man-made island with a small cottage built there. Our last stop on the tour was Boldt Castle.

I had read the history of Boldt Castle before arriving so I knew George C. Boldt built the castle as a display of his love for his wife, Louise. When she died suddenly, just before the completion of the castle, he abandoned the construction and never returned. The castle and other stone buildings sat abandoned for 73 years until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the castle of Heart Island. The revenue from tours is used to restore and improve the castle and other buildings. It wasn't until I entered the spectacular ballroom, which never hosted even one grand soiree, that I perceived the unquestionable sadness of this love story.