Canadian Waterway tour

You made me chuckle Nolan.  

We are in North America and have pretty much the same as the USA.  

Including, but not limited to Mcdonalds, electrical plugs and Kentucky Fried chicken. 

You can go up I75 via Detroit to Windsor and cross over then follow the 401 to Kingston and you have to go through Toronto which I try to avoid. 

The other option but I think is longer for you is to get to and take 81 north, go around DC, and head towards Ogdensburg when you hit Watertown your essentilally there and you can cross over to the 401. then come back a bit to Kingston or keep going to Brockville.  In any case your pretty close to wherever you might want to go.  

I use the Ogdensburg route and border crossing, and take the 416 to the nations capital it is a nice small town with great and friendly folks.

Don't listen to Ray- you can't drive your car here (you'll have to rent a dog sled at the border) and it's best to book a flight that gets to Canada via London, England. And only the very richest people have electricity in their igloos 

PS- and watch out for moose walking down Main street in Kingston- they think they own the place!

Al is pulling your leg of course but it is not uncommon for certain questions to be asked by those who live in the Great USA who are not as informed about the northerners and of course vice versa, 

We have seen people drive their cars up from the southern USA in the mid summer with skis on their roof racks expecting snow as they cross the border at Niagara Falls. 

We have to inform them that only Glacier skiing in Whistler in BC norrth of Seattle Washington can you do that, other than that, you can try the water, you know waterskiing.  

But do always remember your mosquito repellant.  Didn't mean to tick you off Nolan but that too is an issue in the Eastern Canada so watch out for ticks, it's a Limey area.

Thanks IAM-RAY, great advice from both you and ALB Not to worry ALB, we've got some repellent for the bears here in Tennessee which says on the label it works on moose, wolverines, beavers and Loons. We've packed our parkas and mukluks and will bring a couple of extra car batteries incase we can't find a gas station for fuel to run our portable solar generator. Are the natives friendly and do they speak English? One other question, are there paved roads there? I hate to ruin the set of tires I just got. Oh just about forgot, will my cell phone work there?   

I include in my research of Canadian culture by watching "Camping with Steve" on YouTube.

By the way, aren't they actually pronounced "tyres" north of the border?

I learned everything anyone needs to know about Canadian culture by listening to Rush and watching Red Green. (Who also taught me how to make cool stuff, as everyone here can see!)

And I learned all I need to know about the U.S. from watching this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHNIqlrsOVQ

I guess after the EMG mis/and or/understanding some feel the need to use emojis.  I didn't when I referred  to "Camping with Steve".  He's a young guy who likes, to camp most anywhere, builds things (sometimes borderline Red Green) and drink beer.  He and his much older sidekick "Crazy Neighbor" have the kind of spirit I enjoy seeing but don't think you would have to look too hard to find somewhere in any county.

Hollywood though is on another planet

https://www.mapquest.ca/direct...23/to/ca/on/kingston

Not sure if that link will work but if you go to mapquest.ca or other map routing website, it will usually give you 2 options:

A/ Going from TN north through OH and MI to cross at Detroit/Windsor, then east through Toronto and on to Kingston. I have done that trip several times on a motorcycle.

or

B/ Going NE from TN through WV and up through NY state and up through Syracuse to cross over into Canada at the Thousand Islands border crossing.

TAKE OPTION B.

Reason one, the total route length of ~900 miles is within 20 total miles of each other and total difference in time to travel is about 10 minutes.

Reason 2, with option B, you stay in the US for almost the entire trip where gas is much cheaper and you're on main but not crazy busy highways. Toronto (GTA) traffic really is among the worst in NA, rivaling anything LA, New York or Boston can offer Increasing, there is no rush hour, it pretty much lasts all day and there can be accidents and delays at all hours of the day. That's with 20 various E/W highway lanes traversing the city. Toronto is a massive city, both geographically and population. Avoid it unless it's your destination.

At no point, get on a Hwy called 407, it's a massively expensive toll road.

Reason 3, you get a beautiful scenic crossing (Google Thousand Islands Bridge) vs Detroit/Windsor. Enough said. The Thousand Island Bridge lets you off east of and very very close to your destination in Kingston, right along lake Ontario.

Trust me.

Small town Canada is very much like small town USA and has some of the most beautiful scenery and nicest people in NA. Kingston is more small town Canada, Toronto is anything but. Where you're going, you wouldn't guess you've left the US (most fo the same brands in restaurants and hotels are here) except that the gas stations have funny brands, speeds are in km/hr (basically 100kph = 60 mph) and gas is priced per liter (litre), not gallons.

I think gas here today is equivalent to about $3/gallon. Food in the big city is also more expensive than you're used to but the $US/CDN exchange rate takes care of that.

Oh, and our mass produced crappy beer is better than your mass produced crappy beer  Cheers and have a great trip.

Nolan posted:

My wife and I are planning a St Lawrence Seaway cruise for our 60th anniversary and need some information about Canada and how to get to Kingston Ontario from Tennessee. First of all is what electrical outlets are used in Canada? Are they the same as in the US or will we need adapters? Second is what is the best routes to drive from Knoxville Tennessee to where ever the border crossing closest to Kingston Ontario would be? Is any SOC member familiar with Kingston and could let us know what to expect?

Just curious, Nolan. What cruise would you take from Kingston and where would it go?

PM me if you need more info on the area. I'm close. Many more river cruises nearby that may be more interesting. 

David, we're waiting on the brochures that Jan asked for. We're hoping it returns to the port of departure since we plan on driving up there. I'll let you know more when We know about the tour and which outfit is running it.

Nolan posted:

David, we're waiting on the brochures that Jan asked for. We're hoping it returns to the port of departure since we plan on driving up there. I'll let you know more when We know about the tour and which outfit is running it.

Not trying to pry into your plans, Nolan but the only reason I ask is that I'm not sure what cruises go out of Kingston. One very popular canal trip is on the Kawartha Voyageur and I know it goes past our marina, Long Island Marina, near Manotick, Ontario more or less at the South end of Ottawa. It's a popular canal cruise from Kingston up the Rideau Canal Waterway to Ottawa. Google www.ontariowaterwaycruises.com. 

If you boarded at Kingston for instance and took the cruise one way up to Ottawa, I could pick you up when you disembark and drive you back to your car in Kingston any day any time after giving you a bit of a motor tour of Ottawa. 

My wife just looked at the website and the tour we were interested in started from Kingston and ended in Montreal which won't do since our car will parked in Kingston. The tour we're looking for will start in Kingston and return to Kingston or provides transportation back to Kingston. Also it's for our anniversary, June 25th. We did find one but it's in May. If you know of anything that fits, round trip and in June, let us know, in the mean time we'll keep looking.

Nolan posted:

My wife just looked at the website and the tour we were interested in started from Kingston and ended in Montreal which won't do since our car will parked in Kingston. The tour we're looking for will start in Kingston and return to Kingston or provides transportation back to Kingston. Also it's for our anniversary, June 25th. We did find one but it's in May. If you know of anything that fits, round trip and in June, let us know, in the mean time we'll keep looking.

Did you see my post above ? We posted at the same time and maybe you missed it. 

Yes, just saw it and the wife is looking it up. So far they've only posted dates up until April so we'll send a request for any dates in June. It sounds like a red carpet tour both on the boat and with you and yours. Got our fingers crossed for the dates in June.

Ok, we looked over the cruises and schedules and there was only one that fits our plans. The Kawartha cruise which sails June 22 to June 27, which instead of Kingston it leaves and returns to Peterborough. I looked at map quest and the route looks good. Hopefully it's not booked up.

This site is awesome!  Kudos to you, David!

Nolan posted:

Ok, we looked over the cruises and schedules and there was only one that fits our plans. The Kawartha cruise which sails June 22 to June 27, which instead of Kingston it leaves and returns to Peterborough. I looked at map quest and the route looks good. Hopefully it's not booked up.

The Kawartha's are beautiful. 

Peterborough is a great little university town. Lots of small independent shops and restaurants right along the Otanabee River and connects to a huge section of lakes.

Late June is a great time, usually not too hot yet.

Just be sure you spell the name correctly. C eh N eh D eh.  Oh and just because someone is speaking French does not mean they cannot speak English. You will have a lot more money in your pocket. Only buy stuff make in Canada as the import tax is very high. Exchange your money in a bank not with a retailer. Last warning, they have the same street crime problems we have. 

David, I spoke with the office at Ontario waterway Cruises and they asked if you have been on one of their cruises, if so they said that you maybe able to something for referring us to them. Let me know and I'll give them your name and particulars.

majorkahuna posted:

Just be sure you spell the name correctly. C eh N eh D eh.  Oh and just because someone is speaking French does not mean they cannot speak English. You will have a lot more money in your pocket. Only buy stuff make in Canada as the import tax is very high. Exchange your money in a bank not with a retailer. Last warning, they have the same street crime problems we have. 

1/ You'll be hard pressed to find anyone that speaks French in Peterborough. More in Ottawa or next Province, Quebec.

2/ Your debit and credit cards work exactly the same here, you don't need a lot of cash unless that's your preference in paying.

3/ You'll find virtually zero "street crime problems" there. The only small sketchy areas are because they're full of poor University students.

The quaint downtown runs all along the river.

Peterborough is kinda like a smaller Boulder, CO

Another option but shorter cruises:

https://www.1000islandscruises.ca/

Nolan posted:

David, I spoke with the office at Ontario waterway Cruises and they asked if you have been on one of their cruises, if so they said that you maybe able to something for referring us to them. Let me know and I'll give them your name and particulars.

Never been on one, Nolan. I have my own boat ( a Nauset 28 )  and I just see them go by or when they are stopped at the locks. Happy faces on the passengers tells me they are enjoying the cruise. Very, very little street crime up here or near Peterborough. Don't know where Noel gets his info. I know he likes to joke though and maybe that's why he said it. 

My comments were never intended at a specific location nor to insult anyone. Americans have a sense of safety in Canada and tend to let their guard done. I have had my car broken into twice in Vancouver and once in Victoria. I was also faced with an attempted robbery in Montreal that I stopped with a kick in the nuts. These were not in "bad" neighborhoods. One car break in was in the parking lot of the Four Seasons. The point is in spite of American's perceptions of Canada as a safe place it is just the same as everywhere else with respect to crime. It is different that the criminals are at least polite. They did not smash my windows out. BTW part of my wife's family is from Blind River, OT and my son in law is from Nanaimo, BC. I lived in Seattle for 35 years and spent a lot of time in Vancouver. It is the most spectacular City I have ever visited.