The Frontenac Axis of Eastern Ontario

Random acts of geology create some of our most scenic landscapes. In Eastern Ontario there are over 1000 islands in the midst of the St. Lawrence River.

Canadian Shield pond
Typical Pond in the Frontenac Axis

Thousands of tourists flock there for a boat ride through this scenic region, and hundreds of people happily shell out King’s ransoms to own a bit of the rock.

 

The islands are the happy result of the Frontenac Axis, which is an extension of the Canadian Shield across the river. The Canadian Shield is the oldest rock in North America. This was the first rock that rose above the ocean’s surface about two billion years ago and has risen and fallen, been bent and folded, and eroded.

Autumn in the Canadian Shield

Then it was eroded severely after being weighted down by massive ice continental glaciers which scraped and gouged it leaving a vast pockmarked land across much of Canada. The Thousand Islands are just the little bits of some of the humps that are left sticking up through the waters of the St. Lawrence River.

 

The Canadian Shield covers much of Canada from the Atlantic Ocean west to a line that runs northwest through the prairies to the Arctic Ocean. It is a land of thin soils, swamps and lakes that resulted from basins gouged out by the glaciers. The rock of granite and metamorphic varieties that compose the Shield is mostly resistant to water erosion and until streams can carve deep channels we will continue to have forested rugged land with scattered lakes, rivers, and swamps. It’s hard to imagine that before the attacks of the glaciers the Canadian Shield was the scene of very high mountains, now reduced to a lowland, yet still requiring deep road cuts to make travel easier.

Autumn Leaves on a Pond

In lower Eastern Ontario the rather sedate topography of the limestone plain ceases abruptly east of Kingston when you enter the Frontenac Axis. Suddenly the traveller enters a region of road cuts, beaver ponds, and random after thoughts of little farms. Here is a land of small and large lakes often encircled by granite or other hard rock cliffs. Small dams plugged rivers and streams to power water mills that ran sawmills, and ground grain for the farmer. These things are the very essence of that which attracts people to visit and camp in the area.

Canadian Shield Scenery

The Frontenac Axis connects the main body of the Canadian Shield across the St. Lawrence River to the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. It’s possible that the hard resistant rock across the outlet from Lake Ontario is the reason why there is such a huge lake here today. The hard rock became a dam that prevented the glacier from gouging out the bottom of the lake further eastward. This helps hold back the waters of the lake. Without it, the St. Lawrence River might have reached much farther inland.

The Frontenac Axis has been an attractive feature in Ontario counties before the nation began. It’s the name that many of us learned in our little one room schools and it is called this by the Minister of Natural Resources of Ontario. Unfortunately, some groups and been trying to convert its name into the Frontenac Arch but hopefully it will be our Frontenac Axis forever.

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

The Splendour of Niagara Falls

Stumbling and tired, the woman struggled through the forest wishing for a little light yet frightened to death that she might be caught by the enemy. Cold and wet from struggling through swamps, and creeks, and praying she wasn’t lost, Laura kept forging ahead on her mission.

Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Her undertaking would make her one of Canada’s finest heroines. Her lonely walk helped keep Canada free of the enemy to the south who, it seems, would stop at nothing to steal Canada for themselves. This young woman left 5 children and an invalid husband in her house, a house that was already occupied by the hated enemy, to carry information she overheard from the foreign troops to the British forces. She travelled 32 kilometres through the night and day for 18 hours. Her shoes worn through, and her feet blistered, she successfully got the message through . Her name was Laura Secord.  Her bravery gave a warning that resulted in the foreign troops being ambushed and defeated.

Flowers
Flowers in the Butterfly house

On your visit to Niagara Falls you can see her replicated home by taking a drive along the Niagara Falls Parkway. Niagara Parks maintains a remarkable strip of parklands and flowering gardens along the 53 kilometre parkway. There are also plaques and monuments of the great 1812 war against the south.

Of course the first thing will be to visit the falls. The Canadian Horseshoe Falls are one of nature’s most magnificent shows as the river plunges over their 53 metre height. The greenish water is spread thinly across the entire curve of the horseshoe. This is dramatically different to the USA falls which is turning into a combination falls and rapids because of the crumbling rock in its face.

Broken Rock at base of Falls

You can go down into a tunnel that opens under the falls. On the way you will hear the thunder and perhaps feel the vibration of the falling water on your walk. One viewing platform that provides a good view of the falls will leave you drenched from the spray, but it’s all in good fun.

Others like to ride across the river on a suspended cable car swooping over the Niagara River Whirlpool.  Then there are some who like to ride the Maid of the Mist boat right up close to the falling water of the Horseshoe Falls.

The Floral Clock

For a great view of the falls, ride up to the top of the Skylon Tower. The buffet supper is terrific and if you are lucky and sit on the falls side you can’t have a better view for your supper enjoyment.

The Niagara Parks Commission looks after over 1700 hectares of park land along the parkway and the surprising thing is that this government agency gets no government funds. It pays for itself through the fees collected from its operations.

Happy RVing

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com