Right in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River is Thousand Islands UNESCO World Biosphere, home of thousand islands salad dressing and summer retreat for the oh-so-wealthy. Actually there are about 1800 "islands," defined as a piece of ground at least one square foot in area that contains at least one tree and is above water all year.
We took the two-hour cruise from Rockport because once again a boat is the only way to see anything. The highlight of the tour is Boldt Castle, a 120 room mansion built by the owner of the Waldorf Astoria in 1900. Like many of the islands it is actually in US waters so we could only look from offshore. This area was a major route for bootleggers during Prohibition and I wouldn't be surprised if my grandfather passed through more than once. Hey, what's a poor, uneducated Irishman to do, eh?
