1000 Islands

Apparently the definition of an island is that it is always above water level and it has at least one or two trees. And the definition of 1000 Islands (that's Thousand Islands, not One Thousand Islands) is that there are actually over 1860 islands. And they are all in the stretch of the St Lawrence River between Kingston and Brockville.

They all have names and most are privately owned. Many have houses and boatsheds. The US/Canada border winds along the river between the islands.

It was quite a dull morning when we started exploring the waterway but it still looked amazing. It would have been even better if we could access the views more often. We are constantly thwarted by the fact that in Canada people own land on the waterfront of rivers and lakes which means that there are very few walking tracks or lookouts on the water's edge. It's so much better in Australia.

The area must be extremely busy in summer so it was good to see it in the shoulder season. We saw seven tour buses lined up to decant tourists onto boats that cruise around the islands so it must be bedlam at the height of the season.

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston

Orange pumpkins are on lots of front porches at the moment.

One local described these as 'rodents'. 

Must be nearly time to migrate south.

Railway tunnel, Brockville. It's Canada's first railway tunnel, built in 1860 under the town of Brockville. Now it is a fascinating constantly changing sound and LED light show, with very good information panels spread out along its length.

The tunnel was designed to leak groundwater because it prevents the buildup of hydrostatic pressure that would damage the walls. (No, I don't understand that either but I can read signs.) The result is beautiful stalactites on the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. 

On the waterfront at Brockville, Canada. That's the USA across the St Lawrence. Large ships can move through this section of the river.