Great Lakes Seaway Trail - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 904

1. Dwight D. Eisenhower Lock
FromRooseveltownthescenicdriveheadssouthtowardMassenaonRte.37,veeringnorth
on Rte. 131 to this oft-visited exemplar of naval engineering. In 1959 Queen Elizabeth II
and President Dwight D. Eisenhower stood on the viewing platform here to dedicate the
St.LawrenceSeaway—avastsystemofinterconnectingchannels,locks,andlakes—which
opened the foundries and farmlands ofthe Midwest to seagoing cargoships. The huge ves-
sels, up to 740 feet long and 82 feet wide, use the locks to stair-climb their way up toward
Lake Ontario or downward to the Atlantic Ocean.
The visitors' approach roadpasses throughatunnel that burrowsunderthe Eisenhower
Lock—and provides motorists with an unnerving experience when a 100-ton tanker is
passing overhead. Farther along is the New York Power Authority Visitors Center, near the
MosesSaunders PowerDam, andRobert MosesState Park,aforested retreat with abeach,
picnic area, campsites, and wetlands.
2. Ogdensburg
On days when the wind is high, the waves churn around the freighters that parade past Og-
densburg, the St. Lawrence River's midpoint and narrowest stretch. First the French Fort
La Presentation in 1749, the town is home to the historic 1809 Customs House, a Georgian
structure that is the oldest federal government building still in use in the United States.
Another notable site, the Frederic Remington Art Museum, is located on Washington
Street in a grand old mansion that was the home of the famed Western artist's widow. It
housesahugecollectionofhispaintings,watercolors,andsculptures.Onepaintingwithan
appropriately local theme shows fearless Chippewa Indians crossing the storm-tossed St.
Lawrence River in a birchbark canoe.
For a shady picnic by the water, head for Greenbelt Riverfront Park, complete with its
own marina. It's also the starting point for a walking tour that describes the Battle of Og-
densburg.
3. Thousand Islands
As it exits from Lake Ontario, the upper St. Lawrence River is itself a broad lakelike ex-
panse, dotted with the Thousand Islands. According to Iroquois legend, this idyllic collec-
tion of islets spilled like flowers from the Creator's basket as he was carrying the earthly
paradise back to heaven. The islands, whose number is closer to 1,800 than 1,000, come