Notes from the Road: Crossing Canada (Part 3) - Central Canada

The Road Home, New Brunswick to Trois Rivieres, QC

Let's see, where were we?  Ah, yes, just leaving New Brunswick.  Oh how I loved Small Town, Quebec!  Sometimes Broader Canada has little more than disparaging remarks for Quebec's passion for protecting its language and culture but I have a different perspective. Admittedly, travelling through this lovely province can be a bit daunting when one only speaks English. According to Stats Canada, while French may be the mother tongue of only 22% of Canadians, it is the first language for about 80% of Quebecois and that number is increasing! Indeed, as we continued to explore, we found the lack of English speaking Francophones to be the norm.  Initially, it was a bit disconcerting to find ourselves a minority in our own country.  We had to consciously remind ourselves that Canada is, after all, a bilingual country; perhaps we have has much responsibility to be able to converse in French as Francophones in English.  I don't know why but, more than anything, we were caught unaware.  Once we checked our attitude and moved through Quebec in the same manner we might adopt while visiting any other place in the world where English is not the first language, we did perfectly fine. A friendly face and the desire to communicate trumps the need for a mutual language. 

One of the Many Dairies we Passed Along the Saint Laurence

What I found most endearing was that this Province truly embraces the concept of shopping local.  I remember one little shopping expedition, in particular, that exemplified the concept.  We were in a town of perhaps 5,000 population, with a single main street.  I entered a market only to find that most of what it carried was produce related. While I made my purchases, I inquired where I might find the other sundry items I was looking for and was directed to a second market about a block down the street.  Here I found all of the additional items on my list but not before I took note of how complementary these two stores were.  There was very little overlap except in essential items.  Not only did the two businesses offer little competition toward the other; much of the inventory was also produced within the Province.  I liked that.  I liked that a lot!

There is nothing new about the increasing demand for local produce throughout Canada; the big story is the life these markets breathe into Quebec's small farms. Here, the farm-to-table experience is not only alive and well, but thriving.  Perhaps one of the most successful examples is market gardener Jean-Martin Fortier who freely shares the tricks of his trade.  We can all learn from this gentleman!

Originally erected in 1739, the Aulnaies Mill was fully restored in 1975.  

If you have the time to stay away from the major freeways and follow along the very scenic Saint Lawrence, you will also experience an area steeped in history. Take Saint-Roch-de-Aulnaies,a heritage and natural municipality and one of the oldest seigniories of the Cote-du-Sud region.  The French-inspired architecture includes a stone church (1854), small procession chapel (1792) and flour mill (1739).  Today this mill produces 11 types of organic flour (an annual production of 100 tons) with the same mechanism of the XIX century and all available in its very own bakery! It doesn't get much more local than that! Tours of the mill and its 7 hectare grounds will transport you back to in time by staff dressed in period costume and fully immersed in their respective roles.

The mill grounds today

You certainly won't want to miss the gift shop. . . or maybe you will. . . of all the stops we made along the way, this is where I spent the most amount money, coming away with a hand woven cotton coverlet for our bed.  Now that winter is upon us, I can't tell you how much we love snuggling in under it!

Trois Rivieres to Tobermory

Merrickville

We crossed the Saint Lawrence at Trois Revieres and into Ontario at Hawkesbury, on the south shore of the Ottawa River. From here, we meandered our way through Alexandria, Chesterville and Winchester, until we found ourselves in Merrickville.  This quaint little village is one of several along the Rideau Canal, itself a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

The Operation of the Locks on the Rideau Canal, Merrickville, ON

With its main street lined by gift shops, antique stores and boutiques housed in historic sandstone buildings your biggest challenge will be finding enough time to explore every nook and cranny that calls out to you.  If you don't feel like shopping, check out the Blockhouse Museum, or wonder across the bridge to the Merrickville Industrial Ruins on Pig Island. The Blockhouse, with it's metre-thick walls, was constructed as part of the canal defense system and is the second largest remaining in Canada.  

Merickville Industrial Ruins

Glen Allen Park, Days Gone By

It wasn't long before we found ourselves camped for the night on Crowe Lake, in the district of Marmora and Lake.  I admit, I was more than a little curious about this community.  It was the childhood home of a good friend of mine who had anything but a happy upbringing.  After many years away, her initial return brought with it pain and sadness and yet, she still remarks on the physical beauty of the area. Originally a mining town and lumbering community, the big attraction today is the legacy of the Marmora Open Pit Mine, being a man-made lake, a full 75 acres in area with depths of more than 600' and filled with clear blue spring water.

The View hasn't Changed Much at Glen Allen Park

Travelling west on the Highway 7, we were poking around in a wee little shop in Omemee, now park of the City of Kawartha Lakes.  At one time a thriving shipping point for timber and grain, Omemee's more recent claim to fame is that it is also singer/songwriter Neil Young's childhood home and the town in North Ontario as it was described in the lyrics of "Helpless".  There's even a Youngtown Rock and Roll Museum!

Neil Young (top row, 3rd from the left) 1951-52 Class Photo

Memorabilia Proudly Displayed in a Local Craft Store

In fact, we were told by the owner of the Butternut Folk Art Store (an ardent fan of Mr. Young) that Neil lends his name to help the community out in any way he can and visits Omemee regularly with his brother who remains in nearby Peterborough.  Last year, he returned to perform a solo acoustic 'Home Town' concert.

By this time, and after more than 4 weeks on the road, one of us was getting a little antsy to be getting home.  While the original plan was to explore Southern Ontario, visit family, experience the Mennonite community of St. Jacobs and check out Stratford and Dashwood (birthplace of my great grandmother and grandmother, respectively) we decided perhaps the area deserved more time than we could give it on this trip.  Perhaps it's a destination better flown into where we can spend a week.  We skirted around Lake Simcoe and made our way toward Owen Sound and the Tobermory Ferry.  

Wireton, home of Albino Groundhog and  Weather Forecaster Wiarton Willie

Not only is this route incredibly scenic, it also shaves off several hours of driving around Georgian Bay where the Parry Sound forest fire had only recently been brought under control after closing the Trans Canada highway for several days.

North Manitoulin to Thunder Bay, ON

Bruce Mines, ON

The route gives one a view of Manitoulin Island not soon forgotten.  We hugged the north shoreline of Lake Huron, through Algoma Mills and Bruce Mines, Sault Ste. Marie and the stunningly beautiful Batchwana Bay before finding ourselves in Wawa, Home of the Goose. 

Wawa, ON Canada Goose

One of the most photographed landmarks in North America, this 2,700KG, 8.5m tall Canada Goose has been greeting passersby since 1963. By the way, this is actually goose #3, fittingly erected on Canada's birthday in 2017.  

But that wasn't the only thing in Wawa that caught our attention.  We were also pretty impressed by a very Canadian albeit very quaint Canadian Tire! 

Canadian Tire, Wawa, ON

On we went, through Marathon, Rossport, Nipigon and Thunder Bay, along the northern shoreline of the great Lake Superior.  Since we travelled Highway 17 heading east, and knowing how I hate to travel the same road twice, we headed for Highway 11, and Fort Frances and International Falls, on the Canada/US Border.

Thunder Bay, ON to Deloraine, MB

Did I tell you, Ontario is really big!  That's not a criticism, but I have to say, it was about this time in our trip that the road home was beginning to feel very long, even for me!  It didn't help that the weather turned cloudy and overcast and winds buffeting our wee Winnie Drop behind my SUV did anything but instill confidence in my usually self-assured driving ability.  I never thought I would say this but there really wasn't that much to see along this part of our journey.  In fact, we suffered a bit of angst when we realized the number of service stations between Thunder Bay and Fort Frances is, indeed minimal. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and even a bit of spray paint on a derelict building holds a certain allure, don't you think?

Art is in the Eye of the Beholder

We had already made the decision that we were not going to cross into the US.  Just west of Fort Frances, Highway 71 took us north, along the east side of Lake of the Woods.  It's easy to see the attraction this rugged, largely wilderness part of the Canadian Shield holds for so very many.   For me, it's sometimes hard to fathom exactly how big Lake Superior really is; it is indeed, much akin to a sea.  With approximately 550 wrecks (including the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald), Whitefish Point has been called the graveyard of Lake Superior.  The Light Station, established in 1849 is the oldest operating and arguably the most important light on Lake Superior. 

In case you're wondering just how big Lake Superior is, wrap your head around this: It's 563 km long and 258 km at it's widest point, with depths up to 406 metres.  It's watershed includes approximately 200 rivers.  Like I said:  BIG!

I'll let that last bit of geography sink in and end this as we are soon to enter the last leg of our journey home.  Until then. . .

Resources:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-402-x/2011000/chap/lang/lang-eng.htm
https://www.laseigneuriedesaulnaies.qc.ca/
https://thegreatwaterway.com/the-rideau-canal-it-is-a-historic-canadian-treasure-a-unesco-world-heritage-site/
http://www.marmorahistory.ca/glen-allen-peepy-horn
http://www.youngtownmuseum.com/
http://www.ptbocanada.com/journal/2016/5/27/take-a-tour-of-neil-youngs-childhood-home-in-omemee
http://www.butternutfolkart.com/contact.html
https://www.northernontario.travel/algoma-country/fun-facts-about-the-famous-wawa-goose
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefish_Point_Light