Travel Notes on Thousand Island Lake in Canada
When mentioning Qiandao Lake, I believe many people's first reaction is my country's Qiandao Lake Scenic Area, also known as Xin'anjiang Reservoir, located in Chun'an County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It is the largest artificial lake in China. However, Canada also has a Thousand Island Lake, located in Kingston between Toronto and Ottawa, which is one of the world's famous tourist attractions. On the second day of our two-day trip to Kingston, we chose to go to Thousand Island Lake.
The English name of Qiandao Lake is Thousand Islands, literally translated as Thousand Islands. Qiandao Lake is actually not a lake. The Great Lakes in North America are the largest freshwater reservoirs in the world. The abundant lake water flows into the North Atlantic through the St. Lawrence River near Kingston at the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. That is, the St. Lawrence River is the channel through which the Great Lakes flow to the North Atlantic. . Just at the entrance of the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario, there is a wide stretch of water dotted with 1,865 islands of various sizes. This river has a vast water surface, gentle flow, and looks like a lake, so it is called Qiandao Lake. In the middle of the river is the dividing line between the United States and Canada, which divides Thousand Island Lake into two parts. The south bank is New York State in the United States, and the north bank is Ontario, Canada. Two-thirds of these islands are in Canada and one-third are in the United States.
There are two main boarding points for Thousand Island Lake cruises, one in downtown Kingston and one in the town of Gananoque. Kingston is a little far away from Qiandao Lake. It takes about half an hour by boat to reach Qiandao Lake Scenic Area. Gananoque is east of Kingston, about 30 kilometers away from Kingston. Starting from Gananoque, it is closer to the center of Thousand Island Lake than any other route. Undoubtedly, the best place to embark is in the small town of Gananoque.
After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, our family of four drove to the small town of Gananoque. While reminiscing about the novelty of visiting Kingston yesterday and admiring the beautiful scenery of Qiandao Lake, the two children chattered excitedly in the car and looked left and right.
After about half an hour’s drive, we arrived at the Thousand Island Lake Cruise Terminal in the town of Gananoque. From a distance, I saw a large Qiandao Lake cruise poster standing in the parking lot. The town of Gananoque is known as the gateway town to Thousand Island Lake. It has a very long history and has been guarding the St. Lawrence River since 230 years ago.
The red house is the cruise ticket office .
On the other side of the road is the St. Lawrence River. A cruise ship is parked on the shore, waiting for tourists to get on board.
We parked the car, went to the red house to buy tickets, then went down to the river bank and ran to the cruise ship. The blue sky is bright and clear, and the white clouds are floating gently. The temperature on this day is neither high nor low, which is just right.
After following the team onto the boat, we chose to sit on the middle floor. Because it was still during the epidemic, the seats in the cabin were placed far apart in rows, and everyone wore masks. There were also staff carrying disinfectant supplies to wipe railings, handrails, etc.
The cruise ship has three floors, the lower two floors are cabins, and the top floor is a terrace.
At 11 o'clock, the cruise ship set sail on time! The entire flight will take approximately 2.5 to 3 hours. Three rolling white waves were drawn from the rear of the cruise ship.
When I came to the front of the cruise ship, I looked around and saw a wide and boundless field of vision.
The second girl in my family ran up and down happily and was very happy.
More than a thousand islands dotted on the river began to appear in front of us one after another. Canada's Thousand Island Lake has a very special definition of an island. It refers to land that is exposed to more than 1 square foot (about 930 square centimeters) of water all year round and has at least one tree growing on it. It can be called an island. The islands in Qiandao Lake are only a few hundred meters long, and the small ones are just rocks above the water.
Most of the islands in the United States on the south bank of the river hang American flags high and fluttering in the wind.
As the cruise ship continued to sail, a bridge came into view, hanging over Thousand Island Lake, connecting the north and south shores and crossing the US-Canada border. The bridge is busy with traffic and the flow is constant. This international bridge is tall and steady, adding a magnificent color to Qiandao Lake.
The deep, blue river water and the vast, quiet river surface show the charm of nature. Islands large and small are lush and green. Under the shade of green trees, unique and elegant villas and gardens are looming. Most of these islands have been purchased by private individuals, and the island owners have built holiday villas and marinas on them to build their own summer paradise and paradise.
In the distance, an island attracted everyone's attention. The buildings on the island are unique in form and magnificent. This is the most famous Heart-shaped Island among the many islands in Qiandao Lake. It is said that when viewed from the air, the entire island is heart-shaped, hence its name.
Heart-shaped Island is located in the United States and is the main landmark and tourist attraction in the Thousand Island Lake Scenic Area. The heart-shaped island is famous for its fairy-tale and dreamlike Boldt Castle and the love story behind it.
At the beginning of the 20th century, George C. Boldt, the owner of the world-famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, USA, began to invest heavily in building a grand hotel on the picturesque Heart Island. castle to express his love for his wife Louise. Starting in 1900, 300 workers including stonemasons, carpenters and artists gathered here to build a 6-story castle with 120 rooms, including tunnels, power station, Italian gardens, suspension bridges, towers, dovecotes, etc. However, in January 1904, Bolt's wife died suddenly due to illness. The sad Bolt ordered a stoppage of work and never set foot on the island again, leaving the unfinished castle to commemorate their love.
In 1977, after 73 years of erosion by wind, rain, ice, and snow, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority took ownership of the island and decided to use all net proceeds from the castle's operations to repair and improve the heart. The island and its castle are left for future generations to enjoy.
The cruise ship we took went around the heart-shaped island and returned.
Our family got to the top of the cruise ship and had a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of Qiandao Lake. The Canadian maple leaf flag on the ship flutters in the wind. The wind gently blew across my face. With this situation, I can’t help but feel as free as the national flag.
The cruise ship moves forward slowly, the quiet river water is rippling slightly, the islands in the river are of various shapes, and the elegant villas and docks on both sides of the river are another scene.
Goodbye, the beautiful Bolt Castle; goodbye, the picturesque Thousand Island Lake!
We found a pizza shop and ordered two hot pizzas. After filling our stomachs, we drove back to Toronto.
After about 3 hours of driving, we finally arrived home. A perfect ending to our two-day trip to Kingston.