(4)  Niagara - New York

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Ottawa, ON

After long boring driving days, we drove 354 miles for about 7 hours from Niagara to Ottawa to visit our old ham radio friend Mr. Hyung-Bo Kim, early Korean ham radio call sign of HM1AX, currently holding Canadian ham radio license with Canadian call sign of VE3HLM, though he is not operating the station any more.

It was more than 40 years since we met him last in Korea when he was a college student in Seoul but he is retired now. The time really flys. He livies in a beautiful house in outskiert of Ottawa with wonderful neighbors. He insisted to stay at his home and we stayed two nights in his home enjoying great foods prepared by his wife. "MNI MNI THX HM1AX es his XYL" (Ham language - Many Many Thanks HM1AX and his wife. XYL = ex-Young Lady = wife).

On the 2nd. day (8/27), he and another friend Mr. Sang-Maun Lee living not too far, took us to tour the beautiful Ottawa city, since it was our first visit to Ottawa city. When I worked for Samsung Semiconductor, I visited Toronto many times to visit Northern Telecom, Canadian telephone company, where these two gentlemen worked, but never had a chance to visit Ottawa.

Mr. S. M. Lee worked Anam in Seoul, moved to Cananda little after H. B. Kim, involved the business with KMI too at Northern Telecom (They call Nortel) and had some relation to Samsung Semiconductors, a vender for Nortel, that was how I met him. He is really friendly guy and was a top class tour guide who knows every corner and every details about Ottawa.

With HM1AX H. B. Kim and his XYL in front of his house.

3 couples on the first day at H. B. Kim's house. From left, S. M. Lee, H. B. Kim and D. I. Cho.

Ottawa Tour : At Governer General's mansion chatting with guide girl for visitors. Canada has a elected Prime Minister, but also has a Governer General appointed by British Queen (King) as a symbolic head of the country.

Governer General's mansion. Rideau Hall means Governer General's mansion.

In front of Parliament of Canada. You can go up centeral tower to just below of the clock.

Looking down from Clock Tower. The front building is the Parliament. The sharp triangle roof building is the Library of the Parliament. The other side cross the river is the city of Gatinaeu, Quebec province - the French region.

Relaxing at the War Museum after a whole day tour (10 AM - 5 PM).

With Mr. S. M. Lee who was the top class tour guide. Thank you very much.

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After wonderful 2 days in Ottawa, 8/28 was the shortest driving day. We drove only 101 miles for one and half hours of driving and that was all. We left Mr. H. B. Kim's house around 11:00 AM and arrived Gananoque at 12:30 PM to find there is a 2.5 hours tour boat of 1000 Islands leaving at 12:45, only 15 min. later. It was a perfect timing as we can check in hotel after 3:00 PM and the boat will return by 3:20 PM. We rushed to the boat and could board as almost last passengers. What a lucky guy again !!!

Thousand Islands, ON

The "Thousand Islands" is well known to everyone as the name of a salad dressing and you must have heard the story of "A Giant and the Thousand Islands". This time we were passing by the "Thousand Islands" area in Saint Lawrence River between Canada and U.S.A. when we were driving from Ottawa to New York and decided to stay the last night in Canada at Gananoque at the center of the 1000 Islands area to look around this famous islands.

The St. Lawrence River, flowing in from Lake Ontario becomes in the course of a few miles, so wide and so full of islands that it was called the Lake of the 1000 Islands . To the Indians it was known as ¡°Manatoana¡± or Garden of the Great Spirit. They claim this is a vacation paradise. The river, 15 miles at its source, gradually narrows to five miles in width, and not only 1,000 but 1,867 large and small islands in total, vary in size from mere points of rock to those of several square miles in area.  

This is what the local brochure says about the 1000 Islands, different from the "Giant" story.

 The tour boat. It runs 1 hour tours, 2.5 hour tours and castle tours several times a day.

 Just a few of 1,867 isalands, large and small. There are lot of beautiful homes in islands - perhaps vacation homes.

 Boldt Castle as described. There are few more castles in islands.

In the cabin of the boat.

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Skydeck

After a relaxing day in Gananoque, we left hotel in Gananoque and headed for New York at 9:15. On the way just before the border, there is Skydeck, 400 feet high observastion tower where we stopped and spent some time overlooking magnificent views of 1000 Islands from 400 feet high above the ground. 

It was rainy on and off from the night, not heavy but just very light. I worried about the rain to limit our visibility, when we go up the Skydeck. However, when this lucky guy arrived Skydeck, there was no rain and the visibility was great, almost same as clear days.

1000 Islands Skydeck Observatory Tower is in Canada side, not far north from the U.S. border control. The first (glass enclosed) and two more open observation decks provide visitors with a spectacular photographic opportunity as they enjoy the panoramic view of the 1000 Islands and St Lawrence River stretched out 400 ft below.

If you include all objects above the water, there are 1867 islands. If you include only the islands which are large enough to plant a tree, there are 997 islands. The others are merely small rocks above the water.

1000 Islands observed from Skydeck, 400 feet above the ground.

¡¡U. S. side border control. We waited about 20 min. to cross the border to U. S. A..

We crossed border to U. S. at around 10:15 AM, drove 369 miles for about 7 hours and arrived Hyo-Jin's house, grandson of my eldest sister living in Monmouth Junction, NJ, south eastern tip of New Jersey state, at 5:30 PM to stay one night.

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