Follow the Springtime

The capitol cities of the United States and Canada are about 570 road miles apart, Washington, D.C. lying almost due south of Ottawa, Ontario. This makes for a fine road trip, with plenty of interesting things to see and do along the way.

And spring is a great time to take that trip, south to north, because spring, at least the time of spring when trees bud and flowers bloom, comes several weeks earlier in Washington than it does in Ottawa. On a leisurely drive, with some stops and side trips, you can actually follow springtime as it moves north.

Even better, you can start with an annual festival of spring in Washington – the National Cherry Blossom Festival – and finish with the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa.

Both festivals are celebrating an anniversary in 2012. It’s the centennial of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and the 60^th anniversary of the Canadian Tulip Festival.

National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington D.C., March 20 — April 27, 2012

In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo made a gift of 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C., to honor the friendly relationship shared by the USA and Japan, which had been growing since 1854 when Commodore Perry and representatives of the Emperor of Japan signed the Treaty of Peace and Amity.

Those first trees were planted along the shore of the Tidal Basin, and many more have been added since. World War II ended the festival for five years, and in fact four of the trees were cut down, presumably by vengeful patriotic vandals, four days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. There were no further incidents, however, and the festival resumed in 1947.

Every spring the spectacular sight of all those trees in full bloom has become a great attraction. Over the years the festival has grown from one day to its present five weeks, with a multitude of special events, activities, displays, dining and entertainment possibilities.
For more information, please visit:
nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/2012-centennial.

On the Road North

Directions for driving from Washington to Ottawa are simple: Exit Washington across the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge; take the George Washington Memorial Parkway northbound to I-495; follow, sequentially, I-495, I-270, and I-70 northbound to I-81 at Hagerstown, Md.; take I-81 north to the Canadian border, cross on the 1000 Islands International Bridge and follow Highway 137 to Highway 401; go east on 401 to Highway 416; follow 416 north into Ottawa.

However, if you follow that route exclusively you’ll be missing some beautiful scenery and some very interesting things to see and do. We will make a few suggestions here, but there are many more if you dig in and do a bit of research.

Antitetam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, MD

You don’t have to go too far west off of I-70 between Frederick, Md., and Hagerstown to find this Civil War battlefield. This year will be the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862. It was, and remains, the bloodiest one-day battle in American history, with 23,000 casualties. The site is operated by the National Parks Service, and there are knowledgeable and informative Park Rangers on hand to explain the plans, strategies and actions of the Union and Confederate armies – while you are seeing the actual ground on which the battle was fought.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.nps.gov/ancm.

Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA

The site of this most famous of the Civil War battlefields is a somewhat longer side trip; it’s about 20 miles to the east of I-81 after you cross into Pennsylvania. It’s not all that far from Antietam – maybe 35 miles or so north and east – but the Battle of Gettysburg was fought almost a year later, during the first three days of July in 1863. The Union victory marked the turning point of the Civil War, and today the park provides compelling glimpses into the actions and the places with such famous names as McPherson's Ridge, Cemetery Hill, Devil's Den, the Peach Orchard, and Little Round Top.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.nps.gov/gett.

The Scenic Route: Susquehanna Trail

If the view from the Interstate is getting old, try this scenic side trip: Follow Rt. 11, the Susquehanna Trail, from Harrisburg north along the Susquehanna River. In the days before interstate highways, the Susquehanna Trail was a route for automobiles traveling from D.C. to Niagara Falls. In this area, it winds along, close to the river, through the peaceful Appalachian countryside and villages. You can pick up I-80 near Danville or Bloomsburg and go east to rejoin I-81 northbound near Hazelton, or you can stay on 11 and follow the river all the way to Wilkes-Barre, and pick up I-81 there. 

Incidentally, if you feel like doing a bit of hiking, this route crosses the Appalachian Trail at the Clark’s Ferry Bridge, just north of Harrisburg, Pa. where Route 22 crosses the Susquehanna River.

The Scenic Route: Finger Lakes

Another possible side trip will take you through New York’s Finger Lakes District.  North of Binghamton, N.Y., at Whitney Point, exit I-81 and take Route 79 westbound over to Ithaca – home of Cornell University. You can drive north along the shore of either of the two largest of the Finger Lakes – Ithaca to Seneca Falls beside Cayuga Lake or, several miles farther west, Watkins Glen to Geneva along Seneca Lake. A little farther north is The New York State Thruway, I-90, which you can take back eastward to I-81 at Syracuse.

From here it’s straight up I-81 to the St. Lawrence River, where you’ll cross into Canada on the 1000 Islands Bridge – really a series of five bridges that island-hop across the river. The actual international crossing is the shortest of the spans – just 90 feet from Wellesley Island in the USA to Hill Island in Canada.

From here, you could be in Ottawa in a couple of hours, via 401 and 416. But we suggest that you take two or three days, spend some time exploring the Kingston/1,000 Islands area, then take the Rideau Heritage Route to Ottawa.

1,000 Islands, New York and Ontario

Aboriginal people obviously felt this area was special, too, because they referred to it as “the garden of the great spirit.” It is beautiful, and seems easy going, despite lively tourism and recreational activities. One of the best ways to get a feel for, and take in the beauty of, the 1,000 Islands is on a boat tour. There are many choices, on both the American and Canadian sides of the river. 
For more information, Google “1000 islands boat tours,” or visit:
http://www.1000islandsinfo.com/boat_tours.htm.
http://www.visit1000islands.com/visitorinfo.

Fort Henry, Kingston, Ontario

Now peaceful and friendly, this border region was once the scene of strife, most notably during the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States, when Canada was a British colony. That’s when the original Fort Henry was built, in the strategic location to protect the trading and military routes from the Great Lakes to Montreal and farther east. The fort that stands in the same location today was constructed between 1832 and 1837, an updated replacement of the original. 

Today, visitors get a real feeling of military and civilian life in the 19th century, with drills and demonstrations that include the firing of muskets and canons. Points of interest include the soldiers’ canteen, the garrison store, the magazine, the ramparts, the school room, bakery, cookhouse and museum.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.forthenry.com.

The Rideau Heritage Route, Kingston to Ottawa, Ontario

When you do head for Ottawa, this is the way to go. It’s definitely “the back way,” longer and slower, but much more interesting. The Rideau Heritage Route is not one route, but several possible route combinations, depending on how much time you want to spend. It generally follows the Rideau Canal, a waterway that links Kingston and Ottawa through a series of lakes and rivers. Like Fort Henry, the canal too was built for military purposes, started in 1828 and – in an amazing feat of engineering and construction management for the time – completed in 1832. In 2007 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of the creative genius that went into its design and construction. 

Most of the canal operates today just as it did at the beginning, including the hand-winched lock gates, and it is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America.

Beyond the interest of the canal and its environs, the area itself is ruggedly beautiful. The Rideau Lakes district is continuous forests, lakes and rivers that make it a recreational paradise for watersports and fishing. 
For more information, please visit:
http://www.rideauheritageroute.ca.
http://www.rideau-info.com/canal.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/index.aspx.

When you reach Ottawa, having explored the Rideau Canal and learned much more about this remarkable waterway, you will appreciate why Ottawa’s original name was Bytown – named for Colonel John By of the British Army’s Royal Engineers, who masterminded the canal’s design and construction, and also laid out the original streets of the town that is now the Canadian capital.

Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa, Ont., May 4 – May 21, 2012

The annual Canadian Tulip Festival also grew out of a gift. Princess Juliana of the Netherlands presented the city of Ottawa with 100,000 tulip bulbs in 1945. This was in appreciation for the sanctuary the Dutch royal family were given in Ottawa during World War II, and the role of Canadian troops in liberating Holland from the German occupation. 

In fact, Princess Juliana, Prince Bernhard and their two small daughters lived in Government House from 1940 to 1945, and ran a government in exile from there. A third daughter, Princess Margriet, was born in Ottawa in 1943. She is the only royal baby ever born in North America, although the Canadian government did officially cede Princess Juliana’s hospital room to the Netherlands during the birth to ensure the child’s Dutch citizenship.

The first festival was held in 1953, and its growing popularity world-wide has resulted in the tulip being recognized internationally as a symbol of peace and friendship. Like its counterpart in Washington, the Canadian Tulip Festival has expanded over the years to include a diverse array of attractions beyond the spectacular arrays and varieties of tulips. 
For more information, please visit:
http://www.tulipfestival.ca.