Our View From The Road

Sharing where we've been and what we've seen

Tag: ON

Ontario

  • Prince Edward county: Wine and sand… Oh my!

    , , ,

    For our second trip to Prince Edward County this year, we teamed up with our friends Dean & Cathy to spend a week relaxing at Sandbanks River Country Campground. We chose to take the week immediately after the Labour Day weekend in the hopes that it would be quiet, we chose wisely!

    The drive to PEC was uneventful with the exception of having to detour around the town of Picton due to water mains construction in the downtown. Dean & Cathy have a 33’ class-A motor home and so we were hoping that none of the detour roads would be impassable in a rig of that size. Luckily, no problems were had and we enjoyed the country drive to the campground.

    As we were together and our van is small and maneuverable, we parked on our site ‘backwards’ by driving in. This allows our sliding door and awning to extend towards their site and thus makes it a friendlier camping experience. This meant that in order to dump our tanks we needed to partially pack-up in order to turn the van around to reach the drainage point and then turn back again to continue camping. This turned out to be easier than it sounds and was only performed once mid-week and then again just before we left.

    Below you see our 2 campsites shortly after arriving. Setup only took about 45min after which we relaxed for the remainder of the day catching up with each other.

    Early on the Tuesday morning, Tony headed out for his daily walk and went off to explore the access footpath into Sandbanks Provincial Park. The campground in which we are staying is directly across a road from the Provincial park and there is an agreement in place that grants campers in the campground walking access to the Provincial Park beach. The walk to the beach turned out to be only about 10mins. We will likely use this a lot during the week.

    This morning the beach is empty with the exception of a few dog walkers and joggers. The picture below shows how big the beach is when it’s empty. We’re in for a couple of cloudy days and so do not expect it to be busy until the weekend.

    Throughout the week we all had plenty of time to relax and enjoy our surroundings. Many a book page was read and many a drink was enjoyed. Once the weather improved later in the week for sitting out in the evenings, we enjoyed several campfires including the one below. At one many marshmallows were toasted or burnt and eaten in S’mores. At another pie irons were used to bake various campfire treats. We even explored making a ‘breakfast’ sandwich in a pie iron that included an egg and ham. Yummy!

    On Thursday we were driven to a distillery, 2 wineries and a craft brewery as part of a tour we had booked. The following pictures are from that tour. A great time was had by all of us.

    Our last full day was Saturday and the campground and Park beach had become much busier now that Summer-like weather had returned. We spent most of the day at the campsite relaxing and playing games before heading the the beach for one last visit.

    We have already booked the same campsites for the same week next year in the hopes that the weather will be as good.

    Great times were had by all. Friends for over 30 years and we’re still making fantastic memories together. Until next year, happy camping!

  • Mid-week excursion to Charleston Lake

    , , ,

    Our grand-daughter, Elena, is staying with us for the week and so we thought a quick two day camping get away would be a nice break. However, Mother Nature decided to make the start of our journey a little challenging by delivering a deluge of rain just before we were to head out. In the picture below you can see the Summer shower ‘inviting’ us to enjoy the great outdoors.

    Camping anyone?
    “Are we there yet?”
    44.49702° N, 76.04363° W

    Luckily the weather delayed our departure by only an hour and the drive from our home to Charleston Lake Provincial park is only an hour so even with the small delay we still arrived at our campsite well ahead of dinner time.

    Setting up the van took a little longer than usual as we had to prepare a 3rd bed for Elena. This is comprised of a board and blankets placed on the swiveled front seats. Really quite a nice space.

    Elena’s bed

    After dinner we took a short walk to the beach and then to the playground where Elena had to slide, swing, bounce and teeter-totter before she would allow us to leave and return the campsite. The evening ended with a small campfire.

    A walk in the woods

    The campground is quiet and the sites quite large and level as well as shady amongst maple and pine trees. Ours had lots of space for Elena to run around.

    Campsite setup completed

    On Day 2 we decided to spend some time at the beautiful beach that they have in this park. It is really quite suited to younger children as it’s roped off and quite shallow. The water was warm and clear, and frogs and fishes were spotted.

    Beach time!

    After lunch it we enjoyed some quiet time at the campsite.

    Quiet time with Grandma

    In the evening we had a campfire where marshmallows were roasted and s’mores were made. Sleep came fairly early as we had all really enjoyed the outdoor air.

    Magic flames

    Day3 started with Grandpa cooking breakfast on the griddle before we all pitched in to pack up our campsite. Time for one last picture before heading out.

    Happy campers about to head home

    Although the camping trip had been fun, we all slept really well in our own beds at home that night. Until the next camping trip, here’s hoping everyone enjoyed seeing and reading about our quick get away to Charleston Lake.

  • A short trip away…

    , ,

    Late July and we’re off again, this time for a short two-night stay at Farran Campground on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The campgrounds along the St. Lawrence river are fairly close to home being less than an hours drive door to site. As this was a mid-week get away, we made reservations just a few days in advance and managed to snag ourselves a nice flat grassy site in the quiet Western section of the campground.

    Quite a view

    We arrived in the late afternoon and setup our site. It was breezy and our chairs kept getting blown over (see picture above). This also necessitated using the windscreen around the grill while cooking the burgers we had prepared for dinner. The sites along this section of the park are huge with large level grassy areas for parking. This allowed us to setup with lots of space between us and our neighbors and because the sites are unserviced we didn’t need to worry about hookups, etc. (the van has ample electrical storage and drainage storage that we didn’t need a serviced site for the 2 nights that we were staying).

    After dinner we walked around the campground making notes of other possible sites for future trips and observing how others setup and “camp”. Due to the windy conditions we decided to pass on getting some firewood for the first night and will see what tomorrow brings. Returning to camp we enjoyed a drink and settled in for the night. It is so incredibly quiet that it should be a good night for sleeping.

    Day 2 of our short trip away was to be cut short. Barb had not had a good night and tested positive for COVID-19 in the morning. She was feeling rather under the weather and so we set aside our plans to cycle along the Long Sault parkway. In fact, after spending the morning and early afternoon lounging, we made the decision to prepare an early dinner and head home for the night rather than spend it in the van. I had not yet come down with any symptoms and therefore going home allowed us to keep some distance between ourselves and possibly avoid my also becoming sick.

    Ahead of leaving the campground we (as stated above) spent the day lounging on site. We both did some reading and napping to pass the time. The weather really was amazing.

    Arriving home it only took a few minutes to put away things from the van that we would need in the house. The next few days would see myself also test positive for COVID-19. The decision to come home early had been a good one as we both settled into recovering from the viral infection over the next week or so.

    As this is being written, we’ve both come through the infection and have both now tested negative. A few more days of staying away from others and we can get back out there again for another trip in our van. Plans are already underway so stay tuned!

  • July 21, 2022 – Recap and Statistics

    , , , ,

    Three weeks, yes it’s been that long since we arrived home after our 42 day cross-continent tour. A few friends have asked for some specifics about the trip and so we provide the following for your consideration.

    The first question tends to be about where we stayed each night. Did we find suitable camping locations? So, here are the stats for that.

    • 13 nights moochdocking (family laneways). Thank you all.
    • 3 nights at Indianapolis Motor Speedway camping field (no services).
    • 7 nights at Harvest Host locations
    • 3 nights in Walmart parking lots
    • 6 nights at KOA campgrounds (serviced).
    • 3 nights at US state park (Fort Stevens)
    • 2 nights at Canadian National Parks
    • 4 nights at Ontario Provincial Parks

    As you can see we mixed it up a bit and tried a variety of places. Favorites?

    • Harvest Host: Shiloh Winery & Vineyard, Kansas. Quiet solitude on the plains.
    • KOA: Central City, Colorado.
    • Parks Canada: Jasper, Whistlers Campground, Alberta.
    • Ontario Provincial Park: Macleod, Geraldton, Ontario.
    • Family laneway: Yeah, we’re not picking a favorite as we love you all.

    The next obvious question is about where exactly did we go? Here’s a map that shows you the route West from Ontario, across the US Midwest, up to British Columbia and the back across the Canadian prairies.

    Map of the journey

    Lastly, given the current price of fuel, folks have asked how much fuel we used and what it cost. So, here it is all laid out in a table for you to review.

    Fuel statistics

    So there you have it, a few statistics about the trip. Hoping you find them interesting.

  • Day 42: June 30 – Deep River, ON to Home

    , , ,
    Good morning.

    Slept in today as it will be a short drive home from Driftwood Provincial Park. Had time to cook eggs, bacon & hash-browns and enjoy them outside…. Yes, the weather has finally cooperated to allow us to do this.

    Last breakfast on the road for this trip

    This being the day before Canada Day traffic between the park and Ottawa was much heavier than we had seen in recent days. However, we enjoyed an uneventful drive and before long we found ourselves driving into our laneway. We are home.

    We were greeted by Kyra and an overly exuberant Dublin (Kyra’s dog) both of whom had missed us these past 42 days.

    The remainder of the day will be spent unloading the van and settling back into the house.

    If you’ve followed our journey from the beginning, thank you. I hope that my writing and our travels have been engaging for you. I plan on posting one or two follow on posts in the next few days that provide some statistics and thoughts after the fact. So, stay tuned!

    Happy travelers. See you soon!

  • Day 41: June 29 – Timmins, ON to Deep River, ON

    , , ,

    Today we shall complete our Hwy-11 journey and join Hwy-17 at North Bay for the journey down the Ottawa Valley.

    We pass through Earlton and wave at ‘Earl’ the bison on the way past. We stop for lunch at a quiet rest area a little North of North Bay and find an amazingly tranquil lake.

    North Bay seems overly congested after the past few days of driving. The return to civilization is a little jarring. We leave the Toronto-bound traffic and continue Eastward on Hwy-17 towards Mattawa.

    At Mattawa we spot Big Joe Mufferaw and turn towards Ottawa. Our destination for the night is Driftwood Provincial Park near Deep River as it will leave a short drive for tomorrow, our last day.

    We snag an amazing waterfront site and settle in for a relaxing afternoon in the sun. The view is incredible across the Ottawa River and the sun is warming but not hot.

    ‘Earl’ the bison in Earlton, ON
    Lunchtime view a little North of North Bay, ON
    Lunchtime view a little North of North Bay, ON
    Hwy-11 bridge
    Hwy-11 scenery
    Hwy-17 scenery
    Driftwood Provincial Park, near Deep River, ON
    View from our campsite
    Last night campfire
    Sunset
    Good night

  • Day 40: June 28 – Geraldton, ON to Timmins, ON

    , , ,

    Although last nights weather forecast was only for light showers, we actually had an all out thunderstorm for about an hours or so around midnight followed by light rain the remainder of the night. By this morning the rain had ended. Yay.

    We traveled East for a few hours through the Northern Ontario wilderness and then stopped for fuel in Hearst. A short drive further and we arrived in Kapuskasing where Barb got to satisfy her desire for chip truck poutine from Nicky’s Chipstand. It was delicious (Yes I had some too).

    Leaving town we stopped at the Fromagerie Kapuskoise to buy some wonderful cheese products made with locally sourced milk (cow, sheep & goat).

    Driving along Hwy-11 you see some unusual sights; however, the flying saucer in Moonbeam probably has all others beat. We had to stop to take a photo.

    Our destination for the night is Kettle Lakes Provincial Park just East of Timmins, ON. A large park with lots of smaller lakes throughout, the campsites were roomy and separated from each other nicely. The mosquitoes are very abundant.

    Hearst, ON
    Kapuskasing railway station
    Fromagerie Kapuskoise, Kapuskasing, ON
    Moonbeam, ON
    Kettle Lakes Provincial Park near Timmins, ON
    Our campsite at Kettle Lakes

  • Day 39: June 27 – Dryden, ON to Geraldton, ON

    , , ,

    Aaron Provincial Park was wonderful. Quiet and quite large sites. If you’re driving past it’s worth a stop for the night. We highly recommend.

    Slow start to the day it seems as we didn’t get rolling until about 10:00am. Today we are targeting Geraldton, ON along Hwy-11 from Thunder Bay. We’ve never driven along the northern branch of the Trans Canada highway and thought this trip was a chance to do so.

    Before we got to Thunder Bay we stopped at the marker for the crossing into the Eastern Timezone at 90degrees west. There is also a couple of plaques describing and memorializing Sir Sanford Fleming as he invented the concept of Standard Time.

    Our next stop was the Terry Fox lookout just East of Thunder Bay along Hwy-11/17. Not only is this is a wonderful place to lookout across Lake Superior it is also a fabulous memorial to an amazing Canadian. Driving here? Do not pass without stopping.

    At Nipigon we topped off our fuel, turned North onto Hwy-11 and headed toward Geraldton. The first hour is gorgeous with the road winding alongside lakes and traveling down valleys between rock outcroppings as tall as the Niagara escarpment. Eventually the road turned East again and we were now driving through the true Northlands of the province.

    Eventually we arrived at our destination for the night, Macleod Provincial Park. Again no reservation but they had an unserviced site next to the lake for us. It took a few boards to level the van but the view is worth it.

    Crossing back into the Eastern time zone
    Terry Fox memorial, Thunder Bay, ON
    Terry Fox memorial, Thunder Bay, ON
    Terry Fox memorial, Thunder Bay, ON
    Cable stay bridge East of Thunder Bay on Hwy-17
    Beardmore, ON
    View from our campsite at Macleod Provincial Park near Geraldton, ON
    Our campsite at Macleod Provincial Park
    View from Terry Fox memorial, Thunder Bay, ON

  • Day 38: June 26 – Portage la Prairie, MB to Dryden, ON

    , , , ,

    After a great nights sleep at the Walmart, we headed to Tim Horton’s for breakfast. Disappointment awaited. Barb’s breakfast sandwich had eggshells in it and my Bagel BELT arrived without L or T. 😒

    We made a quick stop at the White Horse monument just West of Winnipeg as we had stopped there on our last trip West in 2003 with the kids.

    We also stopped in Winnipeg for fuel and to look for a specific alcoholic beverage sold at the Manitoba Liquor Marts but not back home at the LCBO.

    Accessing the liquor mart required us to handover photo ID. The staff then checked the image on the card against each of us (I had to remove my glasses which were slightly tinted because of the sun). They then scanned the cards and returned them before unlocking the door to allow us to enter. Tighter security than any airport it would seem is required before you can buy your bottle here. Wow.

    The drive out of Manitoba saw us leave the prairie and enter the boreal forest. We then crossed back into Ontario 32 days after we left. We stopped to enjoy lunch at the ‘Welcome to Ontario’ information center and then continued toward our destination just past Dryden, ON.

    Our stop for the night would be Aaron Provincial Park. We have no reservation but they had some sites and ours was close to the brand new shower block. Shower first, then dinner.

    White Horse monument
    White Horse monument
    Story of White Horse
    …& into Ontario
    Typical Ontario view through the windshield
    ‘Max’ the moose, Dryden, ON

  • Day 5: May 24 – Exeter, ON

    , , ,

    A sunny and cool start accompanied me on a 5km walk about the town of Exeter today. The Victoria Day weekend over, the town returns to its normal routines and the streets are quiet as I walk while enjoying the flowerbeds so carefully prepared in the recents days.

    Peaceful solitude

    We also spent some time planting tomatoes and hosta’s with Barb’s mom to help kick off the growing season.

    Tomorrow we leave Ontario and cross into the US heading South in the direction of Indianapolis. Stay tuned!

  • Day 4: May 23 – Goderich to Exeter, ON

    , , ,

    A cool morning greeted us today, so cool that the furnace was fired up in the campervan. My early morning walk was enjoyable as it was sunny, but the wind off of Lake Huron reminded us that it was till May and to not forget that the weather in these parts can be fickle.

    It looks chilly…. Brrr.

    The morning flittered by and before long it was time for more farewells as we prepared to hit the road once again. Kath & Al, thanks for having us, your warmth and generous hospitality were once again very much welcomed and enjoyed. All the best.

    The drive to Exeter is only about 40 minutes and it hardly felt like we had begun when, we had arrived! The next two nights will be spent camping in the laneway at Barb’s parents home. We’d spend the first evening catching up on family happenings with the help of Barb’s Aunt Pauline who stopped by and joined us for dinner.

    All for today. Life in the van is going well and we’re becoming accustomed living within the smaller space….. stay tuned.

    Oh, apologies for those looking for photos of our travels… I will be adding some as we get a few more so check back on earlier posts as I catch up on this task.

  • Day 3: May 22 – Goderich, ON

    , , ,

    After enjoying a wonderful breakfast prepared by our hosts, Barb took a walk through the campground to the beach on Lake Huron.

    Looking West across Lake Huron
    Looking North along the beach

    After a relaxing day (it was a little chilly) burgers and salads were enjoyed for dinner. Thanks Al & Kath.

  • Day 2: May 21 – Woodstock to Goderich, ON

    , , ,

    Today would be a short drive across the arable farmlands of Southern Ontario.

    After finally attaching the skid wheel to the trailer hitch of the campervan, we were ready to set off at about Noon. Mother nature had other ideas. Looking at the sky the thunder storm watch had turned to a warning and the clouds had been building quickly. The colours of the clouds told us that we should sit and wait for an hour or so before heading out. This was clearly the right call, as moments later the winds came up whipping trees about and the rain was driving sideways at a good 60km/h or more.

    Lunch completed and our farewells said, we were off towards Tavistock, Stratford & then onto Goderich. Our decision to wait out the storm took only a few minutes to be proven as a good one. We passed many large tree branches that had been snapped from Maple trees lining the roads and blown into fields on the other side of the highway. Some were 6″ of so in diameter & would have severely damaged any vehicles should they have been in the way. Entire trees were uprooted neared Tavistock; however, as we drove on the dame soon subsided and we head left the path of the storm. (We would find out later in the weekend from news reports that the same storm had reeked havoc in and around Ottawa. Our thoughts are with those that were injured or have suffered property damage.)

    In Goderich we were staying with Barb’s sister for a couple of nights and this first evening they took us into Goderich and to “The Old Saltie” Fish & Chip shack down near the harbour. It only sells fish & chips and only as takeout. Barb & I agreed that the food was fantastic!

    After a short drive around town to see some long forgotten sites, we arrived back at the campervan to settle in for the night.

  • Day 1: May 20th – On the road to Woodstock, ON

    , , ,

    9:15am and we’re pulling out of our laneway on the first leg of the trip. Destination today is Woodstock, ON to visit my brother and family. After a quick stop in Kemptville to fill up with gas ($2.046/l) we’re off down Hwy 416.

    Time to go!

    The van is driving very well on Hwy 401 and the first several hours pass without incident. Before we know it, we’re coming into the GTA where we stop for gas and lunch. Gas price in Ajax is $1.962/l which we think of As a bargain ?!?!

    Toronto traffic is heavy as it’s the Friday before the long weekend and folks are heading home and to their cottages. Although slow, we make it through and traffic lightens a little for the remainder of the drive to Woodstock. We arrive at about 3:30pm.

    The evening is spent catching up with my brother while enjoying some pizza and drinks. Sleep came close to midnight. The end of an enjoyable first day with hopefully many mor e to come.

  • T-minus 1 day: Final Prep

    , ,

    It’s almost time to head out on our cross-continent road trip. A few final preparations to complete ahead of tomorrows departure, we’re in good shape… we think.

    We’ve been wanting to get a Class-B campervan for a few years and in 2020 we ordered from PleasureWay Industries of Saskatoon, Canada their OnTour-2.2 model. Based on the Ford Transit 350HD platform, the OnTour-2.2 comes complete with wet bath, galley and lounge/sleeping area. We picked up our van in October 2021, a full year after ordering.

    Storing the van under a shelter in our laneway for the Winter was hard as we both just wanted to get out and travel, but van camping in Canada in the Winter is not how we wanted to learn about the ins and outs of our new van. So, we spent the time instead planning for our first retirement trip in the van.

    And here we are…. After a long Winter of planning and preparing we are about to head out on a cross-continent trip that will see us leave Ontario, Canada and head to Indianapolis, IN to watch the Indy500 after which we will head West to Colorado and Utah before turning North to Idaho and finally Washington before crossing back into British Columbia, Canada. A couple of weeks later we will head East back across Canada arriving home in Ontario by early July.

    It’s hard to believe that it’s all about to start!

  • Prince Edward County: The shakedown trip

    , , ,

    Ok, so it’s time to check out actually camping in our campervan. We’ve had the van since last November but immediately put it away for the Winter. As such we have had several months to stock the van with all of the supplies and amenities we believe are needed. Time for a shakedown trip to discover what we have forgotten.

    To that end we have booked a 3-night stay at Smugglers Cove RV Resort near Picton in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Our friends Dave & Liz will be accompanying us as our experienced guides and mentors.

    The drive to PEC went very well with no issues of items shifting and after topping off our fuel we crossed PEC for the South-East corner of the county and locate the campground.

    We’ve chosen fully serviced sites close to the beach in order that we have good views across the bay. As you can see in the picture below, this proved to be a good choice come time for the sunset. What a view!

    Probably due to it being early-May, the campground is very quiet and there are lots of open sites. Our sites are not really level and so we had a chance to practice leveling the van on the wooden blocks I had cut just for this purpose. The water and electrical hookups were a little away from the van and so we also needed to use the extra hoses and electrical cords we carry just to make the connections. Again, proof of our preparedness.

    The first couple of days pass quietly as we settle into camp life. Camping in a van really is very different from the tent camping we both enjoyed some years ago. We used our Blackstone griddle to cook our meals and found it to be as versatile as we had hoped.

    On Monday we rode our bikes to Point Traverse (20km each way) and explored the old lighthouse that can be found there. The ride proved the longevity of the batteries on the e-bikes as although we used the batteries quite often during the ride, there was still plenty of charge left at the end proving that we could have gone further (if our bodies would have let us – Numb butts and sore shoulders.) 😊

    Monday night delivered another wonderful sunset.

    We had set aside Tuesday to drive our vans about the county and explore a few wineries. Below you can see that Waupoos Estates Winery was open and we purchased a couple of nice bottles to enjoy another time. We also located near Waupoos Bay a small store (shed) from which homemade tarts and pies were sold. The butter tarts were absolutely delicious!

    Our last evening at the campground was again spent relaxing and reflecting on how things have gone with the camping experience. In general we’ve been happy with the time we’ve had to prepare the van for travel such as this and we feel confident ahead of our 2022 cross-continent trip that we will be OK and not completely out of our depth. I guess we’ll find out in just a few weeks! Stay tuned.

    A big shoutout to our friends Dave & Liz for putting up with us ‘newbies’ on this trip. Their tips, tricks and words of wisdom will surely come in handy on the weeks and months ahead.