Were Off Again

Last weekend we were up north in Hanover moving into our new rig, getting the feel of it, and signing the paperwork. Today we are starting our 2-1/2 month trip though Quebec, Labrador, and Newfoundland. Packing up the rig is usually not a big deal. This time Susan could not help because of a big job she had to finish for the park. I don’t know where to put things because it’s brand new. Oh well we will find it eventually. As we pulled out of the park it was nice to see our friends Dave & Marilyn, Bill & Cheryl, and Rob & Fran all wishing us a safe trip. Thanks guys. 

Getting through Toronto is always an ordeal at the best of times. We left a little later just so we would miss rush hour. Not so lucky, I should have taken the 407. The traffic was backed up starting from Guelph Line right into Toronto. Oh well, I’m not in a hurry. It took almost 3 hours to get to Port Perry (Dave & Marilyn can relate to this one). With all the crashes and just plain traffic volume we kept going and are still smiling.

We arrive at our destination Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Campground (UCMBS) which is just east of Morrisburg. Deciding to stay a couple of days was my idea in order to check out the birds and see some sights.

We arrived

Our site

The UCMBS covers 9,000 hectares and was established in 1961. The land was acquired by the St Lawrence Parks Commission after construction of the St Lawrence Seaway. The campground sits amongst a variety of wildlife habitat including a mature upland forest, wetlands, and open water.

Lots of space between sites

New washrooms

Beautiful beach on St Lawrence Seaway

The park boosts an 8 km self-guided trail which Susan and I walked. As far as seeing birds, NOT. The trail was so wet from the resent rains we sunk to our ankles. We were still smiling until Susan got her hikers caught up in the muck and almost did a face plant. I caught her before she went down for the count but I was laughing so hard..... Did I mention yet the mosquitoes were as large as my fist.

Fungus growing on tree stump

Very mucky trail

Lots of obstacles

Nature, we were told a Fisher
got the deer

When we checked into the campground we were given day passes for Upper Canada Village. Not realizing how big this place is we went later in the afternoon and only got to see half of it.

Upper Canada Village

The original Bellamy Grist Mill was built in 1821, unfortunately it was destroyed by fire in 1863. Shortly there after it was rebuilt with two additional millstones and a new steam engine. Relocated to Upper Canada Village (UCV) in 1980 it represents a working mill where wheat is ground into flour through the use of both steam and water power.

Picking up flour from the mill to make bread

Grinding the wheat

End product: flour

Beach's sawmill was built in 1846 and represents a typical water-powered mill that uses a vertical saw to produce cut lumber. I could have hung out here the whole day. The smell of fresh cut timber was amazing.

The wood mill

Before

Cutting wood planks

The broom maker used material that was brought to the America's during slavery days.

The broom maker's house

Making brooms

  

The finished product

The McDiarmid House was built in 1864 using logs from the area. The front door and upstairs window show the skill of a competent carpenter.

McDiarmid House

Typical kitchen back in the day

Lumpy bed

Making rugs

A contrast between old and new on the St Lawrence River. Back in the day barges were used to transport product and people up and down the river. Today large lakers pass through many locks transporting product not only up and down the river but to several town/cities on the great lakes. 

A barge used to take people and product up and down the river

Now large ships due the tasks

UCV is filled with wonderful experiences and enlightening information. For those living in the city who don't have a chance to see farm animals to just learning about the history of this area, UCV has it all.

Mare & filly... the filly is 2 days old

Horse drawn carriages transporting people around the village

Workers dressed in period costume

What a wonderful afternoon however, we needed more time to see it all. There's always next time. Got to move on.

A Cyclone Has Hit Us

Yes that’s right a cyclone has hit us. You see we have done it again, traded our Bighorn 5^th wheel in for a 2015 Cyclone Toy Hauler. How can this be, I often wonder about that myself. Well the story goes like this. We were in Arizona on the Colorado River wishing we had canoes to paddle the river. Then we talked about how we couldn’t bring our golf clubs because we had no room. Then the ladder at the back of the rig broke due to the weight of the bikes. Now I have to take the bikes apart, put one in the under storage compartment of the rig and the other in the back of the truck. What a pain. One night sitting and discussing these issues and many more Susan says “wouldn’t it be nice if we had a toyhauler”. Well the damage was done and now we are proud owners of a 2015 Cyclone Toyhauler and she is pretty. The picture below was taken courtesy of my friends at Morry's Trailers in Hanover the day she arrived.

Front View

Rest assured I will be taking more pictures when we are on our travels so stay tuned. We are off to Labrador and Newfoundland on 29 May so watch for some exciting adventures.