Temagami - Temagami, Canada
Temagami, Canada
Aug 2
The Northern Ontario drive turned south today at Cochrane, ON and we finally moved into countryside where you could see more than just the trees on the side of the road. The landscape opened up somewhat into broad open agricultural plains where you could see for miles in either direction but closed back in again once we passed New Liskgard.
We are now in the Temagami area at Happy Holiday Campground on Duncan Lake. The sharp left turn from the highway was onto a very narrow dirt road through the trees. We encountered a car leaving the campground and both of us had to stop. We barely managed to get past the car with maybe a foot to spare. The next obstacle was some train tracks. If the owner hadn't added road mulch to both sides of the crossing, we wouldn't have been able to get over without bottoming out.
I went in to the office to register and the owner said there was a nice big pull-through for us just down the road. We had to empty the holding tanks since there is no sewer outlet at the site- just one for grey water only. The road is very dusty and any time someone drives by it raises a big cloud is very fine dust. The campground is heavily wooded with large birch trees. We are only a few steps away from the lake and have some view through the trees. It is a bit isolated here and I have no phone service and, since there is no WiFi, we are out of communication. The large trees also are blocking out the Shaw Direct satellite but once again the Sirius XM radio comes through so we have good music.
Again, the power has cut off. I went out to check the power pedestal and saw that the surge protector was going through its reboot delay. The power came back on but now the front air conditioner isn't operating. So we have no front or rear air and no electric heat or hot water. This must be a problem with the Energy Management System which distributes power to the major power drawing circuits. When the front air quit operating it was 92F outside so we sweltered for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Aug 3
Breakfast in Temagami.
We set out this morning to find a restaurant for breakfast then have a look around the area. First we stopped in to the Visitors Center to find out what we needed to see and the lady suggested we eat at Burgers Plus. They have a good breakfast special of sausages, eggs, hash browns, and toast for $5.99 which we enjoyed with a cup of coffee. The lady at the Visitors Center told us the fire tower was a must see since it gave such a good look at the surrounding area plus had a number of walking trails.
We also needed to make phone calls to see if we could get an appointment at an RV dealer to check out the Energy Management problem. I found that the nearest Newmar service center was in Barrie about 250 miles away so I called them. Turns out they would not be able to see us until late August when we will be long gone but gave us the number of another outfit in the Niagara area. I called them and explained our problem and they told me the Master Technician would call me back - he didn't.
The fire tower was just a short drive so we went and loved the views from the built up platform. The tower is about 100 feet tall with a stairway to the lookout cabin at the top. You could see for miles in every direction over forests and many lakes. We got some lovely photos.
Aug 4
We still had hopes that the RV Tech would call so we hit the road early to get cell service and were on our way to Huntsville. We arrived at Deer Lake RV Resort who gave us a giant site with trees providing shady areas but, unfortunately, the trees don't block the afternoon sun from the RV so it is hot inside as well as out plus the humidity is quite high here. The trees that provide the shade in the morning and early afternoon also do a good job blocking out the satellite dish - oh well.
By 9pm the outside temp was still in the 90s so I used the generator to power the air conditioners. They did a good job of cooling things off inside but you can't run the generator all night and, as soon as I shut it off at bedtime, the temp climbed again.
Aug 5
Huntsville is a very cute town with a wonderful Main Street lined with old buildings, funky businesses, and lots of restaurants. The large brick City Hall and a large brick church anchor the street. One of the town's tourism ideas was to have an outdoor Group of Seven Gallery. All around the town there are murals painted on the building of large scale group of seven paintings. A statue of Tom Thompson is in front. We stopped for lunch at On the Dock Pub and sat outside on the topmost of the three patios overlooking waterway, park, and bridge. It was hot but the breeze was blowing enough to keep it comfortable. They have several local craft beers on tap so Dan chose Muskoka Lager while I tried the Lake of Bays Brewing Company IPA - both were very good. After lunch we wandered up the other side of the street where a group of young musicians were playing jazz for the passers-by.
Aug 6
Today was cooler so we took advantage of that and made it mostly a working day. First up was to clean the bugs from Stella's windshield and front cap. These had been baked on by the hot weather and took so elbow grease. Inside, one of the day/night blinds had a broken cord making it dangle uselessly. Dan took on re-stringing the blind while I was on house cleaning duty: scrub the shower, vacuum, dust, wash the floor...
Once the work was done we explored this large resort on our bikes. There are a lot of seasonal sites and many of the tenants have park models with boat slips situated on waterways that allow them to access Deer Lake and through a channel to the much larger Vernon Lake. Some of the residents have done much to improve their site adding decks, gazebos, landscaping, and deluxe slips to tie up their boats. Others have done little so there is no cohesive look to the resort, which hasn't imposed any design standards. Still most sites are large by resort criteria and some are huge. The roads are gravel and the entire site has many trees giving shade, privacy, and a rustic look. Our site is in the central hub area right next to the washrooms, showers, pool and playground so there is a lot of traffic and the constant shrieks of children at play.
Aug 7
We had heard of a couple of locations to visit in the area and headed first to Lions Lookout on a hill overlooking Huntsville on one side and giving a great view of Fairy Lake on the other. You could see some private islands where residents had built beautiful "cottages" that were only accessible by boat. From the lookout there is no denying the beauty of the area with the lakes, trees, and town.
From there we drove north for about 10km to Arrowhead Lake Provincial Park. The park has several lakes including Arrowhead with its sandy beaches and four large campsites. While we in the park office paying for a day pass they told me that they have recently added pull-through sites that could accommodate RVs of our size. All of the sites were on long roads into the forest and seemed to be unserviced so it would be dry camping only. The campground was completely full so a reservation would be a must.
We took a walk up Stubb's Creek Trail to Stubb's Fall where a park naturalist was talking about the flora and fauna in the area. The falls themselves were over gently sloping smooth rock formations but still dangerous, even at this time of year. In the spring runoff season it would be much more daunting. The trail led back to Arrowhead Lake where the creek separated the doggy beach from the main beach. There was a hut there where you could rent canoes, Kayaks, paddle boards, mountain bikes, etc at hourly rates. Three beaches were spaced out along the sandy beach for a kilometre or so.
Aug 8
Another place we heard was good to visit was the Muskoka Heritage Centre with its museum, pioneer village, and working railway. It is located near the Canada Summit Centre where the G8 leaders met in 2010 The Heritage Centre was devoted to the history of the Muskoka Region and Huntsville dating bake to the early 1800's. The museum exhibits showed the early indigenous people, the fur trappers, and the development of Huntsville a village into an incorporated town in the late 1898. There were many artifacts from the time with explanatory notes as well as peoples' actual clothing from the turn of the century that had been donated to the museum. There was also a good display of how townsfolk of the region were involved in WW1 with an entire division coming from this area.
The Pioneer Village has original buildings from the mid to late 19th century that were donated and brought to the site. Schoolhouse, general store, blacksmith, mill, barn, boarding house, and many homes with the history of the people who built and lived in them. Some of the buildings we staffed with people in period garb explaining what was going on and answering questions. There is also a working narrow gauge railroad that runs a kilometre to Fairy Lake that receives good reviews on Trip Advisor. Unfortunately for us, it wasn't operating today.
Aug 9, Niagara Falls
We arrived at Campark RV Resort after an easy drive from Huntsville and got a nice long pull-through site. They are a bit narrow but spacious enough. We had to tie down an overhanging branch that was blocking the satellite dish and that took a few tries to get it right. It is sweltering outside with temperatures of 94F and 90% humidity. It is even hotter inside as we don't have any air conditioning since the energy management system fritzed out. The good news is we are facing north east so have plenty of shade and there is a nice breeze which helps cool us down a bit. Sleep was hard to come by since it was so hot and sticky even though we had all the fans running to keep the air moving.
Aug 10
We planned a day of sight seeing and went to the office to check on the attraction packages. While we were there, we asked if they knew of any mobile RV services that could help us with our problem. They immediately snapped into action making numerous phone calls to local RV dealers (who were no help) plus a couple of RV service companies. They actually found two mobile RV Techs who were willing to come out and one who would come within a couple of hours. Dennis from Seaway Trailers arrived and got right to work ruling out the typical suspects in electrical issues. He spent quite a bit of time but couldn't locate the circuit board that controlled the EMS. I opened up the breaker panel and there it was! I then called Intellitec tech support line who talked Dennis through checking a few points on the board and then told us to shut down power from the main breaker, disconnect all the white connectors from the board, and wait 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes were up we were to plug the connectors back in and turn the power back on. This solution was to re-boot the board and IT WORKED! All the lights on the remote display came back on showing power to each of the circuits and we had air and hot water again - Outstanding. This fix was the same as you do with your computer when it acts up: shut down and restart. We are so grateful to have everything working again -- all for the price of a service call and an hour's labour.
Aug 11
Niagara Falls without the Barrel.
When you grow up learning about Niagara Falls in school, hearing about it, seeing it in movies and news reels; you think you understand what it is all about. Seeing it in person - getting close to it - that is something else entirely.
We thought going to the visitors' info center would be the way to find out how to best see the Falls. The Welcome Center at Queen Victoria Place is part of Niagara Parks and, while they will give you information, their main purpose is to sell you tickets to the attractions and book times for you to see them. We chose the Adventure Pass giving us tickets to the four top attractions: The White Water Walk, Niagara's Fury, Journey Behind the Falls, and Hornblower Niagara Cruises. The package includes a 48 hour bus pass, and discount coupons to other local attractions.
Our first booking time was 90 minutes away so we used the time soaking in the view and taking photos. The Niagara River separates Ontario from New York State and you can see both the American Rainbow Falls and the Canadian Horsehoe Falls from the wide walkways all along the top of the embankment. Mist fills the air and you feel it on your skin even at a distance. The 6km bus ride to the first attraction was air conditioned and a nice respite from the already very hot day. White Water Walk is a quarter mile board walk along the rapids. You get to it by descending in an elevator 230 feet to the base of the escarpment at the River's edge. The boardwalk has interpretive signs along the way telling about the nature of what you are seeing. These are Class 6 rapids (the most dangerous) moving at nearly 50kmh. The water here sounds angry with violent eddies, whirlpools, and swells that reach five meters in height.
Next the bus took us close to the Falls at Table Rock where there is another Welcome Center with restrooms, shopping, restaurants, great views, and our next attraction: Niagara's Fury. We had lots of time for lunch before this 4-D Movie about the Falls. I was intrigued when they handed out rain ponchos to everyone and wondered what we were getting into. It started out innocuously enough with a cartoon feature about the formation of the Falls. When that ended you were led into another room - this one circular with rails to hang on to. The screen encircled you, the wind blew, water poured down the walls, you were showered and splashed with water, the floor moved, you felt you were flying , then going over the falls.
At the same location you access the next attraction: Journey Behind to Falls. From a waiting room on a lower floor you are again handed rain ponchos then taken down in elevators to tunnels in the bedrock. The first tunnel leads you to a viewing platform very close to the base of the Falls where you can really feel the power of the falling water and take some great photos. Two other tunnels take you to smaller openings right behind the falls.
It turned out that we had saved the best for last. The bus delivered us to our final attraction: the Hornblower Niagara Cruise into both the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The ship gets you up close and into the mists of the thundering waters. There are rainbows all around. This ride is breathtaking: an incredible thrill and unforgettable moment.
Aug 12
We decided to take advantage of the 48 hour bus passes that was included in the attraction package we bought yesterday. Even better, the Red Line loop is right next to the RV Park so using it is a no brainer. We hopped on and off throughout the day any time we saw something interesting. There was an archway over Lundy's Lane that I wanted a photo of some we got off there for the shot. It turned out to be the site of an important battle in the War of 1812 and there was a memorial and graveyard for those who fought there. There were many grave markers of those who had died in the 1814 battle. To our surprise, this is also the burial place of Laura Secord who had played an important role by walking over twenty miles to inform the troops of the enemy advance.
Back on the bus we stopped at Table Rock for another look at the Falls then back on the bus to Victoria Street for lunch. The route took us up Clifton Hill with its carnie-like atmosphere. There were wax museums, haunted houses, a Ripley's Odditorium , a Guinness World Records, restaurants, and gift shops all with huge colourful facades to attract your attention. Here also is the Skywheel, and a Dino themed mini-golf complete with a 50 foot fire belching volcano.
Instead of going to lunch on Victoria Street we returned to Clifton Hill, where the Niagara Brewing Company is located, for a craft beer then next door to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. The waitress talked us into ordering a pitcher of Stella because we would get a glass and a half each. Well-it was a 60 oz pitcher so a glass and half was 30 oz each which slowed us down some.
After lunch we wandered along Clifton Hill looking at the crazy fronts to the attractions and taking photos until we found ourselves back at Victoria Street and a Red Line bus stop. While we were waiting, there was a clap of thunder and lightening flashes and then the rain poured down. Luckily for us there was an overhang on the building where we stayed dry until the bus arrived. By the time it reached Campark the sky cleared up and we walked back to our site with the temperature still hovering around 90F.
Aug 13
I learned about Niagara on the Lake years ago on a business trip to Toronto. Since then I have always wanted to make a visit and today I had my chance. We took the Niagara Parkway along the Niagara Gorge, stopping to have a look at some of the large older homes that now function as B& B's that line a section of the Parkway. Further along we passed a more commercial section with a large Inn then into the Provincial Park stopping at Thompson Lookout. There is a great viewpoint right above the Whirlpool Cable Gondola that crosses over the large whirlpool in the river to the American side. After the park was the Brock Memorial then into the wine region of 35 wineries and many vineyards just south of Niagara on the Lake. When we arrived in the city we found the main road was blocked off and the Niagara Peach Festival was underway. Several blocks of Queen Street were lined with vendors' tents offering an array of peach related products, foods, kiosks, and entertainers and buskers including a large jazz band with singer. Queen Street and King Street have many 1840's period buildings housing the local businesses, shops, restaurants, pubs, and official buildings. One of the most impressive is the Prince George Hotel established in 1840 and still in operation. After wandering around the street festival and having a bite to eat it was time to check out some of the local wineries. The folks in the wine shop advised us to visit Peller Estates, Chateau des Charmes, and Collaneri Estate. Each of these had large Chateau or Villa style buildings with large tasting rooms; Peller Estates had very nice dining options, Peller and des Charmes were setting up for weddings in large tents, but only Collaneri's large Italian Villa housed the actual winery and the tasting rooms both overlooked the large stainless fermenting and aging tanks. I like this latter style of presentation so you can get a real sense of the operation as well as sample some pretty good wines.
Aug 15
Moving Day.
Our drive to North Shore RV Resort in Carrying Place, Ontario had a few complications.
I had painstakingly planned the route in order to bypass the freeway through downtown Toronto. Right away things went awry when we arrived at our chosen on-ramp to QEW only to find it was closed. Fortunately for us the detour route was well marked and a short while later we were on our way. We opted for the ETR 407 which is a toll highway and quite expensive at about 35 cents per kilometre. We needed to fill the fuel tank and we were led down a narrow country road which got us to the Flying J in Pickering. After that we were on the ON-401 E for the last 100km to the turnoff for destination.
At this point, the GSP disagreed with Google Maps so we went with the TomTom which we had recently updated with new maps. It had us turn a corner onto a narrow road where we were immediately confronted with underpass we couldn't fit under. We had to stop right on the road waving traffic around us while we unhooked the car. Dan then stopped the traffic while I backed up onto the busy road we had just left.
Still, we had the Google Maps instructions so I drove the bus while Dan followed in the car. The Google Maps were no better. It told me to go straight where I needed to make a turn so I had to use someone's driveway to turn around. This road led to a small one-lane bridge over a canal that said "Maximum 9 Tonnes"! We weigh considerably more than that. Stopping again, I asked the driver of a large dump truck behind me about it and he said it would be fine. With considerable trepidation I made my way over that bridge safely and we finally made it to the RV Park. Yikes!
The RV Park
North Shore RV Resort is located right on the shores of Lake Ontario at Wellers Bay between Brighton and Carrying Place, Ontario. There is a large playground, clean modern washrooms with pay showers, and a long boat dock protruding into the lake. At the end of the dock is a large viewing platform with bench seating that is a pleasant place to sit and enjoy the view. There are canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, and pedal go cars available for rent. The owners, who are very pleasant folk, provide you with a goody bag that contains maps of the area and plenty of tourist info about the surrounding area.
The sites are level gravel pads beside a grassy area with picnic table, and fire ring. We have a large pull-through site on the end of the row so have a larger grassy sitting area than the neighbours. Right next to us a fifth wheel pulled in the wrong way so that they would have the lake view from their living room. It is a trade-off I guess because, when they open their door, they are just a step away from our sewer hose and power cable. There is "high speed Wi-Fi" available here for $3 a day but it is too weak and pretty useless most of the time.
Aug 16
Environment Canada has issued a Special Weather Statement for southern Ontario including our location. It looks like we are in for some heavy rains today with up to 50mm expected. This is the storm that caused all the serious flooding in Louisiana a couple of days ago so we will just hunker down and get caught up with some chores that are hard to get done when you are travelling every few days and maybe settle in with a good book.
Aug 17
We are on the road again, this time for Ottawa, and the drive held no surprises. Camp Hither Hills is in South Gloucester, a short drive south of Ottawa. The sites are gravel and grass with 30/50amps, picnic table, fire ring, and strong WiFi. The sites have varying degrees of levelness but manageable. The park is fairly open but has large trees at each site which complicates things a bit. We were just able to position Stella far enough back into the site to get past the tree that is tight to our right side and extend the awning. The dish was able to locate the satellite in spite of the trees so we are able to watch the Olympics. The toilets/showers are near the front of the complex and we are located farther back in the park but that is no problem for us. It is a pleasant place to be located and about 30 minutes from the city by car.
Aug 18
Ottawa has an excellent transit system with lots of Park and Ride locations as well as dedicated roads for the busses. We drove over to Riverside which is the end of the line for the 94 bus we needed which runs, every 15 minutes. We just got the car parked when the bus appeared. We purchased Day Passes for $8.50 and in about 40 minutes we were in the city just a couple blocks from the Parliament Buildings. We strolled around the Capitol Area admiring the impressive old buildings and listening to the music from the Peace Tower Carillon. We had a good look at the Rideau Canal Locks that are right between the Parliament Buildings and the Chateau Laurier Hotel. We continued in behind the hotel to Major's Hill Park with beautiful plantings and tremendous views of the Parliamentary Library, the Ottawa River, the Alexandra Bridge (opened 1901), and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau (formerly Hull). Our stroll continued to the National Gallery of Canada and the 1846 Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica with its twin tin spires, blue vaulted ceilings, large stained glass windows, and ornate knave with many carved wooden sculptures of various religious figures.
This led us to Byward Market, Ottawa's oldest neighbourhood which has housed on open air market since the 1840's. Today it is a bustling commercial district with plenty of shops, restaurants, pubs, lots of outdoor patios, and streets lined with vendors' stalls. The produce on display is outstanding with surprisingly reasonable prices. The other thing you find in Byward Market is people - lots of them- both tourists and locals who come for the varied ethnic restaurants, and international vibe. We stopped for lunch at the Aulde Dubliner Pour House - the restaurant that was featured in a triptych that hung over the bed at our condo in New Westminster. I had the Irish classic dish - curried chicken and chips - and a cold pint.
Late in the hot humid afternoon after a lot more walking, we were both a little footsore, so we hopped the bus back to the Riverside Park and Ride and the short drive back to Stella's waiting beer fridge.
Aug 19
The area south of Ottawa is predominantly rural and agricultural with a few smaller towns dotted about. We saw a lot of cornfields and 19th century farmhouses on the drive that led us first to Merrickville (pop 2867). What drew our attention were the stone buildings from the 1800s in the central area. The village grew around the fortified Blockhouse that controlled the Rideau Canal Lock. It is the largest of four such Blockhouses build on the canal and is now open to the public. The walls are stone and thick enough to withstand canon fire while the roof was tin to prevent torching. The site is now park of a pleasant park at the edge of the canal where people have moored their boats and is picturesque.
Further along the route is Smith Falls (pop 8978). The city is also part of the Rideau Canal system of locks and the headquarters of the canal operations- a National Historic Site - is located here in large a stone building that was formerly a grist and oat mill. Inside there is a museum and information center run by Ontario Parks. The downtown features numerous heritage buildings including a beautiful town hall.
We spent some time at the lock watching while two pleasure craft approached from the east into the lock. The water gates were closed and the lock filled raising these boats 26 feet to the next level of the canal. The gates opened and the happy boaters were on their way. We found out you can buy a season pass for the entire locks system for $8.80 per foot. That's $176 for a twenty footer which seems pretty reasonable. For a separate annual fee you are able to tie up and moor anywhere along the system so you could spend an entire summer exploring the area from Ottawa to Kingston.
The owner of the RV Park recommended the small town of Perth as a very good example of early 19th Century architecture which is the reason we have been on today's exploration. It has been given national recognition for the preservation of the historic buildings and heritage. The Perth Military Settlement was on of three outposts established by the British after the War of 1812 to keep a trained reserve force in case of another conflict with the United States. Land grants we offered to entice officers and soldiers to emigrate. Perth became the capital of the district in 1823 attracting the moneyed and the educated. With the building of the Rideau Canal the town thrived and became a commercial center.
Enough history. Gore Street, the main downtown street, is lined with stone buildings dating from the 1820's that still house the businesses and dwellings. The Tay river canal runs through stone tunnels under the street. We had lunch at restaurant whose patio was right along the canal. The guide book we purchased has 24 pages of important historic buildings including the large town hall and many impressive private dwellings.
Just behind the main street is Stewart Park, a little jewel with the Tay running through it, large trees for shade in the green space and a statue of Ian Millar and his horse Big Ben. You will probably remember them as the premier Canadian dressage twosome who competed for Canada and won many International events. Miller is from Perth and Big Ben is buried at his Maple Hill Farms.
Aug 20
We hadn't yet visited the Canadian Museum of History over the bridge in Gatineau and drove there today. The museum is located on the banks of the Ottawa River where there are outstanding views across the river to Parliament Hill. The entire lower floor is dedicated to the history of the First Nations with the world's largest collection of totem poles on display in the Grand Hall. This exhibition includes the traditional house fronts of the several Northwest Coast houses with historical works of art, clothing, and tools. The First Peoples Hall showcases the history and diversity of the cultures, beliefs, and way of life of Canada's Aboriginal People. We spent a surprising three hours visiting.
Hunger reared its head so we drove back into Ottawa to Banks Street with its colourful neighbourhoods, restaurants, and bars. Because of the time we had just a quick bite and cold drink at the James Street Pub then walked around looking at the area.
Aug 22
It rained all day yesterday so we took advantage of the time to cleanup the Stella's interior and watch the last of the Olympics. Today we decided go see some of the other Ottawa neighbourhoods: Little Italy, Chinatown, and The Glebe.
Little Italy is a little south of Ottawa Center and covers about eight blocks of Preston Street. At each end of the area are large metal archways over the street announce "Little Italy" the street has many restaurants; mostly Italian but also from several other cultures. These buildings are fairly interesting to look at but the reason to go would be for the food.
Chinatown has a large gateway on Somerset Street. It is smaller than Little Italy but is home to a fair number of Asian eating establishments and businesses. Trip Advisor recommended the Yangtze Ding Lounge as the best in the area so that's where we went for Dim Sum. Coming from the Lower Mainland we are pretty spoiled for Asian cuisine but we both agreed that the Dim Sum was excellent.
The Glebe neighbourhood is quite an interesting area. The main street running through it is Bank Street which seems like a combination of Commercial Drive and 4th Avenue in Kitsilano except that the houses and important building are all red brick. The area got its name when 178acres were given to Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church. Glebe means "church land" so the area became known as Saint Andrews glebe lands. There is a linear park covering several blocks on both sides of Bank Street with small interconnected lakes running back to the Rideau Canal. This became Ottawa's first suburb. From the 1880's to 1910, a series of distinctive homes were designed and build by noted architects of the day and to own a home along the park in this part of the Glebe showed that the owner had property or position, probably both.