ONTARIO WEST (Thunder Bay, Marathon, Red Lake)
Day 12 Fri June 13
KENORA
Husky the Muskie. A large fish statue is on the shores of the lake, but there is no parking.
The Muse—Lake of the Woods Museum & Douglas Family Art Centre. This local museum features exhibits on boats, sports, animals, lumber, mining, and fishing. The price is $7, reduced by $6. I didn’t see the Art Centre.
Kakabeka Falls, Oliver Paipoonge, is a waterfall on the Kaministiquia River, located beside the village of Kakabeka Falls in the municipality of Oliver Paipoonge, Ontario, 30 km (19 mi) west of Thunder Bay.
The falls have a drop of 40 m (130 ft),[3] cascading into a gorge carved out of the Precambrian Shield by meltwater following the last glacial maximum. Because of its size and ease of access, it has consequently been nicknamed “the Niagara of the North”.
The rock face of the falls and the escarpments along the gorge are composed primarily of unstable, eroding shale. These rocks host sensitive flora and contain some of the oldest fossils, some 1.6 billion years old. Due to the fragile rock, going into the gorge below the falls is prohibited.
“Kakabeka” comes from the Ojibwe word gakaabikaa, meaning “waterfall over a cliff”.
ON Kakabeka Falls
Day 13 Sat June 14
THUNDER BAY
Thunder Bay Museum. A good local museum. Free
CCGS Alexander Henry was the main Canadian icebreaker committed to Lake Superior. It worked from 1959-85. The ship supplied lighthouses and performed search and rescue operations. $15, $10 reduced
I started the long drive around Lake Superior. I enjoyed it more this time as there seemed to be more vistas and less driving through the forest. There are lots of sandy beaches in Lake Superior Provincial Park. It is over 1000 km to Manitoulin Island.
ON the Past Wawa, at the highway rest stop.
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Day 14, 15 Sunday, Monday June 15, 16
Long drive days.
ONTARIO EAST (Toronto, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Windsor, Sudbury)
SAULT STE MARIE
MS Norgoma. Maritime/Ship Museums: Permanently closed.
Manitoulin Island (the largest lake island in the world). Hardly separated by a body of water, cross onto the island over a minimal bridge. The island has a fantastic diversity of habitats, from Canadian Shield to farmland.
ON a Roadside pull-off with a great view down to Lake Superior
Day 16 Tue, Jun 17
Ferry from Manitoulin Island to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. $118. 99% of people have reservations. I was there three hours early and was one of only three cars let on without a reservation. 2 hrs.
Bruce Peninsula. Flat, mostly farmland.
I purchased a new male end to the pigtail, replaced it and shorted out the camper. I could not find the breaker and went to a campground to use shore power and hopefully figure out where the breaker was. With the help of three other campers, we found the breaker in a place I would never have found on my own.
Tiffany Falls. An ok fall, but the $10 parking fee was irritating.
ON Old Homestead campground. It was my first night in a campground in Canada or the US—$73!!! I had a good shower. I should have dumped the grey water.
Day 17, Wed, June 18
Huron Historic Jail, Goderich. In operation from 1841-1972, three floors of cells in 12 blocks, 3 for women. A few vignettes showed jailings for destitution, unemployment, and insanity. The Dark Side. $7
Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History, Dresden. (1796-1883). Born in Maryland, he arrived on the Underground Railroad in 1830. He was a pastor and an abolitionist, and he helped 118 escape slavery.
Outside Kelsey’s Bar in Windsor, which has good Wi-Fi.
Day 18, Thur, June 19
WINDSOR
Pelee Passage Lighthouse. A tapering round lighthouse with a red top. Built in 1902, it was moved from the west end of the passage to Lakeview Park Marina in Windsor. This light is operated seasonally, due to the large amount of ice in the area in winter.
Tower of Freedom. A white granite slab tower with three bronze statues, two women and a man. “Terminus of the Underground Railroad: Keep the Flame of Freedom Alive”. By 1861, 30,000 had used the railroad.
Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is the second-busiest crossing between the United States and Canada, the first being the Ambassador Bridge, which also connects the two cities, which are situated on the Detroit River. The tunnel is 5,160 feet (1,573 m) long (nearly a mile). The two-lane roadway is 75 feet (23 m) below the river surface at its lowest point. There is a wide no-anchor zone enforced on river traffic around the tunnel.
The tunnel has three primary levels. The bottom level brings fresh air under pressure, which is forced into the mid level, where the traffic lanes are located. The ventilation system forces vehicle exhaust into the third level, which is vented at each tunnel end.
Construction began on the tunnel in the summer of 1928 and was completed in 1930 at approximately $25 million (around $363 million in 2023 dollars).
It is much more popular than the bridge but has no views. I did not go through the tunnel (I didn’t want to go through US immigration), but I was at the entrance.
Windsor Sculpture Park. 24 short blocks along the river with a sculpture. I liked the wood voyageur canoe. Bizzarium
Canadian Historical Aircraft Association. A unique “working” museum all about the rebuilding of old planes. The two occupying the most space are a de Havilland Mosquito, the fastest aircraft in WWII (except German jets), with two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. It was made entirely of wood and served as a bomber, a fighter, and an aerial photography plane. The body of this plane came from New Zealand. The second plane is a gigantic Lancaster bomber. Also, a reduced-size Silver Dart from 1908. $11, $9 reduced.
Buxton National Historic Site & Museum, Chatham-Kent. Elgin was established in 1849 by Reverend William King (1812–1895), and an association which included Lord Elgin, then the Governor General of Canada. King, a former enslaver turned abolitionist, purchased 9,000 acres (36 km2) of crown land for a haven for fugitive slaves and free Blacks. It was also a terminus on the Underground Railroad from the United States.
The Elgin settlement was divided into 50-acre lots, which could only be purchased by Black settlers who had 10 years to pay. By 1864, there was a steam grist mill, a steam saw mill, a shoe shop, two general stores, a blacksmith, a cooperage, a school with forty students on average, and a church seating 200. Exhibits about the community and history, an 1861 schoolhouse, an 1854 log cabin, and a barn.
Backus-Page House Museum, Wallacetown. Originally part of the Talbot settlement composed of Irish settlers, the Story, Patterson, Pearse and Backus families, all in the same family, lived in this house built in 1880 and lived in by the family until 1976. Most are original, but the furniture is only from the period. Guided tour by a volunteer. $10 no reduction.
HMCS Ojibwa, Port Burwell, is a submarine that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1965 to 1998. It was towed to Port Burwells in 2013. $6, $5 reduced. It could dive to 1,000 feet, was 295 ft by 26 ft, and carried 258 tons of oil, giving it a range of 17,000 km, 10,000 mi at 12 knots.
ST THOMAS
Jumbo the Elephant Monument. On September 15, 1885, Jumbo, the giant African elephant and Barnum and Bailey Circus star, was struck by a Grand Trunk locomotive. This remarkable life-size monument was erected on its 100th anniversary.
Elgin County Railway Museum. It has a locomotive, a baggage car, and a caboose. In the Michigan Central Railway Locomotive Shop. $9, $7 reduced.
ON Boston Pizza, St Thomas. BK is one of the few fast food restaurants with wifi.
Day 19 Fri June 20
LONDON
St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica. Built from 1880-85 in 13th-century French Gothic style, it is red stone with two grand bell towers and a rose window from Innsbruck. The Ways of the Cross are incredible wood carvings. The ceiling is very high and wood-beamed, and remarkable frescoes cover most of the upper walls and arches.
Labatt Brewery. Tours and a beer at the end. $15
Banting House National Historic Site. Banting (1891-1941, died prematurely in a plane crash in NFLD). He lived in this house for only 10 months in 1920, but it was in this bedroom that he had a dream about how to separate insulin. He won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1923 and was knighted. No original artifacts, but the furniture was period. $7, reduced $6.
Royal Canadian Regiment Museum. Saskatchewan 1885, Boer War, WWI and II, Korea, Afghanistan, all detailed in this big museum. Uniforms, guns, medals, campaigns, it’s all here. Free.
Fanshawe Pioneer Village, located 10 km outside of London, is a recreated village organized by era, featuring buildings dating from 1820 to 1900. The village is very well done, with costumed guides reenacting the era. Open-Air Museums: $12, reduced to $10.
Myrtleville House, Brantford. Occupied by four generations of the Good family, they were from Ireland, settling here in 1837. All original furnishings in an average house. Smoke, Ice and Work outside buildings. House and Biographical Museum. Free
ON Niagara Falls. I parked about 1 km above the falls, walked down in the evening and stayed in the lot until the Power station opens.
On a parking lot about 1 km above the falls. I walked down in the evening to get a great view amongst the throngs.
Day 20 Sat June 21
NIAGARA
Niagara Parks Power Station. Please take a look at the old power station, which was operational until 1972. A 180-foot space was created for all the shafts and penstocks. See the Nikola Tesla display with many of his inventions and the discussion between DC and AC. They take an elevator down to the 2,200-foot-long tunnel to a viewing area under the falls. $36!!!
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens. A well-manicured garden with all the flowers in bloom. $8 to park, $12, $10 reduced.
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
Brock’s Monument. (1769-1812). The structure was 56 m high, and some of the blocks weighed over 3 tons—$ 4.50 to climb the 235 stairs. On top of Queenstown Heights on Oct 13, 1812, the Canadians had a decisive victory, but Brock was killed. The statue had to be replaced as it was severely damaged by acid rain.
Laura Secord Homestead. In the Battle of Queenstown Heights, she walked 19 miles to warn Capt Fitzgibbons of the American attack and saved her husband. Please take a look at the restored house with period furniture and period guides. $11.62 with tax
Fort George. Except for the powder magazine, this is completely restored with a wooden stockade, four bastions and recreated barracks. Free
Prince of Wales Hotel. 1864. 3 stories, great wood in bar, tintype wallpaper, busy tea room, great stained glass window in lobby. Hospitality Legends
The Olde Angel Inn. 1789. This is the Best Pub in the World and the oldest still open pub in Upper Canada. Serves British pub food. Very busy. Hospitality Legends
ST. CATHERINES
St. Catharine’s Museum & Welland Canals Centre. Watch a great video that explains the four versions of the canal, reduced from 40 locks to 8—a good history of St Catherine’s. Outside is a metal stand beside a canal, but there were no ships. Free
HAMILTON/BRANTFORD
Battlefield House. Also known as Gage House, it is the site of the historic Battle of Stoney Creek on June 6, 1813, which was fought during the War of 1812. It was built in 1796. Also located on the property are the Battlefield Monument and the Grandview (Nash-Jackson House) building. During the first weekend in June, a re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek is held with re-enactors in full regalia. British units made a night attack on an American encampment. Due in large part to the capture of both American brigadier generals and an overestimation of British strength by the Americans, the battle was a victory for the British and a turning point in the defence of Upper Canada.
Hamilton Art Gallery. Don’t miss this excellent gallery, although the temporary Helen McNicoll exhibit is only there over the summer. She is fantastic, and many of her pieces will be sent back to their owners. Watched a great video investigating whether a found painting in Britain was hers. Several excellent points on the second floor. $14, $12 reduced.
HMCS Haida. A WWII destroyer. $6
Dundurn Castle
W.J. McCallion Planetarium
ON Street in downtown Hamilton, mooching city wifi.
Day 21, Sun, June 22
Tim Hortons (the 1st Tim Hortons). It opened on May 17, 1964. This location, initially named “Tim Horton Donuts,” is now a popular spot for Tim Hortons fans, featuring a museum area within the store that showcases the brand’s history, including uniforms, coffee cups, and a replica of the original store. A bronze statue of Tim and a plaque are outside Tim Horton (1930-74), born in Cochrane and signed with the Maple Leafs in 1949. In his 22 years, he played 1446 games, had 518 points, was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977, and played with four teams. In 1964, to supplement his income, he opened Tim’s Doughnuts at this location.
Albion Falls. Barely visible from the road, and no parking. The best view of the top of the falls is from a slight illegal pull-off. Walking back only gives views of the lip of the falls.
Tiffany Falls. Walk about 375 m on a pleasant trail to this ok waterfall.
W.J. McCallion Planetarium. At McMaster University. Closed on Sunday.
Dundurn Castle. Closed on Sunday.
BURLINGTON
Royal Botanical Gardens. There are many separate gardens (I especially liked the oak trees), and most are in full bloom. It is primarily known for its lilacs. $19.50, $16.50 reduced
Art Gallery of Burlington. With the largest clay art exhibit in Canada, this is full of bizarre and very creative pottery. Free
Joseph Brant Museum. Closed on Sunday.
Ireland House. Joseph Ireland (1792-1869) moved here in 1837 from Ireland and was the last in the Ireland name in 1972. The farmhouse has period furniture. $10. $8 reduced.
On one of the lakeside parks.
I had planned on making a circuit through Kitchener and Guelph, but it was Sunday and most museums closed, so I continued to Burlington and Mississauga.
MISSISSAUGA
Benares Historical House. Shows a great farm and grand 2-story house dating from 1870-1920. Seen on a guided tour. Donation. House and Biographical Museums:
Art Gallery of Mississauga. Closed on Sunday.
Absolute World is a residential condominium twin-tower skyscraper complex in the five-tower Absolute City Centre development. With the first three towers completed, the last two towers (Absolute World 4 and 5) were topped off at 50 and 56 storeys. The complex’s twin towers are nicknamed the “Marilyn Monroe Towers” due to their sinuous shape and design.
The larger of the two towers twists 209 degrees from the base to the top, making it very similar to Turning Torso in Malmö, Sweden. The tower has six levels of underground parking.
ON Lakeside park near Mississauga
Day 22, Mon, June 23
TORONTO
Shevchenko Museum. Shevchenko was a Ukrainian artist (1815-61) who spent the last 14 years of his life not painting and in a Siberian gulag, where he died. This gallery is part of a Ukrainian museum and a gallery of his art. I especially liked his small water colours. Donation
I then made the long drive out to my friend’s house (Bill Brown from High school), had dinner and watched a movie.
ON a Large mall area across Weston Ave
Day 23, Tue, June 24
We visited a senior community centre and played pool (9-ball and snooker). We also had dinner at Jolly’s Italian restaurant in the mall.
ON a Large mall area for the second night.
Day 24 Wed, June 25
Bill and I caught the bus and train and went downtown to see museums and sights – my usual walkabout. Bill’s phone said 29,000 steps at the end of the day.
Toronto Union Station. The major station downtown. A massive hall with coffered ceilings. About seven tracks.
Hockey Hall of Fame. More than you ever wanted to know. A famous, must-see place for Canadians. $25, $20 reduced
Distillery District. A district of brick warehouses and distilleries. Many shops and restaurants. A 2 km walk each way to get here. Urban Legends:
Mackenzie House. Built in 1858, the McKenzie family (William Lyon McKenzie, 1795-1861, Scotland) lived here from 1859-71. Toronto’s first mayor, journalist, newspaper editor, and politician in Upper Canada. Died 1861, family remained till 1871. Only two rooms and the basement are open, with little furniture and not much to see. Free
Toronto City Hall. Two curved towers surround a central flying saucer. Nathan Philips Square. Architectural Delights:
Campbell House. Sir W Campbell was the 6th chief justice of Canada. The oldest brick house in the original town of York – 1822. The house was moved 1.5 miles here from Adelaide Street in 1972. Empty with minor furniture, three floors. Free
Art Gallery of Ontario. Very good with Impressionists, many Group of Seven, Alex Colville. Very large. $35, $30 reduced.
The Image Centre. Two photographers (I forgot to write down the name of the woman whose work filled the large gallery). Some nice stuff, but lots of bad, printed on silver gelatin paper. Free
Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre. Lots of transport-related exhibits – a car, motorcycles, and horses. In the police station. Free
Royal Ontario Museum. A huge museum. I only saw the excellent (and free) indigenous exhibit. Original dress of several chiefs, Inuit kayaks with all the gear, a massive voyageur canoe. $25 to see the rest, with more for Auschwitz (which I wouldn’t have paid for).
Gardiner Museum. The Test Kitchen is exhibiting museum pieces and a massive porcelain exhibit on the second floor. Good description of the secrecy and intrigue. Free after four on Wednesdays.
We had dinner at the Duke of York hotel.
Museum Station. One of the stations on our way home, and we got out for one stop. Recently renovated with new walls and repeated statues of hieroglyphics and more.
ON the Parking lot near Bill’s place for the second night.
Day 25 Thursday, June 26
I had a shower at Bill’s and left Toronto for points east.
Yorkdale Shopping Center. An older one-story mall. Hospitality Legends
Toronto Holocaust Museum. The usual. $18, $12 reduced. Have a highly complex parking system. Like all Jewish museums, entry is complicated.
Gibson House. A farm house built in 1851 by David Gibson from Scotland – an immigrant, land surveyor, farmer, politician and rebel. Donation.
Aga Khan Museum. An Islamic art museum is not particularly interesting. The calligraphy was lovely, but it got a little too much—$ 14, $12 reduced.
OSHAWA
Ontario Regiment Museum. A tank museum (all the tanks run!) and army/regimental information. $14, $12 reduced
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. Local art is not very interesting. Free
Canadian Automotive Museum. Cars, including some rare ones like the DeLorean, everything from the 1897 Fossmobile to a 2008 ZENN electric. $16, $14 reduced
Oshawa Museum. Please take a look at the two houses on their original foundations. The Henry House (Thomas Henry 1798-1879), a carriage house and the Robinson House, a Dutch colonial (lovely Wiadat longhouse model). Free
Barnum House Museum, Grafton:
ON Tim Hortons in Kingston
Day 26 Fri June 27
KINGSTON
Correctional Service of Canada Museum. Discusses the Kingston Pen with some great exhibits on corporal punishment, shivs, and the multitude of ingenious things invented by inmates. Also art. Free
Bellevue House. Home of Sir John A McDonald (1815-1891). He was responsible for the British North America Act (that gave Canada independence), the CPR, NWMP, tariffs, and the first National Park (Rocky Mountain), but also Residential schools and the Chinese Exclusion Act. He was prime minister from 1867-73 and 1878-91. Free
Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Closed under renovation.
The Miller Museum of Geology. On the campus of Queen’s University, there is a good exhibit on the geology of Ontario and the effects of four ice glaciations, many rocks and dinosaur fossils. Free
St. Mary’s Cathedral. A grand stone edifice, unfortunately, closed at 2 in the afternoon.
SMITH FALLS
Heritage House Museum. Home of the Davidson family (John 1866-1956). Smith Falls started in 1826, and the Rideau Canal was built in 1832, taking 6 years to connect Lake Ontario with the Ottawa River. Smith Falls provides the water for the canal, which features three locks in the town, period, but not original furniture. $10, $7.50 reduced.
Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario. A locomotive, dining car and two cabooses outside and a lovely train station inside. $12, $9.05 reduced.
ON at the shopping mall in Carleton Place.
Day 27 Sat June 28
OTTAWA/GATINEAU
Diefenbunker – Canada’s Cold War Museum. Designed in the 50s and finished in 1961, it was built to withstand a nuclear attack during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was closed in 1994. See the four levels on a scale model. Good exhibits on the Cold War, propaganda, the DEW line and teletype, the method of communicating. The Dark Side. $19.75 with tax.
Canadian Science and Technology Museum. A good history of the development of all things. $19, $$14.50.
Canada Aviation and Space Museum. Lots of planes but not the ones I was interested in – the DH Otter and Beaver. $16.75, $14.50 reduced
The National War Memorial is a tall, granite memorial arch with accreted bronze sculptures, first dedicated by King George VI in 1939. Originally built to commemorate the Canadians who died in the First World War, it was in 1982 rededicated also to include those killed in the Second World War and Korean War and again in 2014 to add the dead from the Second Boer War and War in Afghanistan, as well as all Canadians killed in all conflicts past and future. It now serves as the pre-eminent war memorial, with 76 cenotaphs in Canada. In 2000, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added in front of the memorial and symbolizes the sacrifices made by all Canadians who have died or may yet die for their country.
The National War Memorial is the focal point of Confederation Square with Parliament Hill to the northwest, the Rideau Canal to the northeast, and the National Arts Centre to the east.
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. Permanently closed.
I crossed the Gatineau River to Gatineau.
GO TO QUEBEC
