Driving to Grand Oaks Carefree RV Resort on our Great Canadian Two Lane Camping Adventure

From Sherkston Shores we headed to Grand Oaks Carefree RV Resort! We traveled mainly along Highway 3. It is a major east west artery from Lake Erie to Wainfleet and onto Dunnville, St. Thomas eventually into Windsor.

We traveled through downtown Port Colborne. It is a Niagara Peninsula city located at the southern end of the Welland Canal on the northern shore of Lake Erie. First Nations people, pre-dating European settlement by thousands of years, had long inhabited this shoreline edged by a mature Carolinian forest and covered by a cranberry marsh further inland. The Welland Canal effectively bisects the city, has been the major determining factor in the city's pattern of growth. By the 1880's, Port Colborne had become an important summer tourist resort as side-wheeling steamers,

steam engine locomotives, and high wheeled bicycles brought hundreds of tourists on a daily basis to lake-side amenities such as Lake View Grove. The discovery in the late 1880's of significant amounts of natural gas in the area led to the rapid industrialization of Port Colborne and the surrounding area as companies such as the Erie and Foster glass companies and the Ontario Silver Company situated here to utilize the new source of fuel. In 1966, Port Colborne was officially accorded the status of 'City'. For those with a taste for adventure, visit Port Colborne in early August each year. The Tall Ships gather in Port Colborne for a four-day celebration of history and heritage. The Canal Days Marine Heritage Festival offers activities and attractions that will enliven the senses. Explore the decks, try your hand at the wheel, or feel the spray as you cruise a Tall Ship on Lake Erie.
Burnaby was originally guaranteed to three settlers, David Morgan, Abraham Minor and Jacob Ott. The men originally from Holland, had settled in Pennsylvania. However the American Revolution forced them to flee to Ontario. The name Burnaby was suggested by William Kinnard, who was instrumental in securing a post office in Burnaby and he owned the first store in the area where he sold everything from farm machinery to pianos. His first suggestion was Wainfleet, but that was rejected by the other men. The name originated from an article he read in “The Globe” about Colonel FrederickBurnaby who had been killed in the Egyptian War. Just can’t get away from the people jumping from the sky! Today, Burnaby is home to Masterson Field and Skydive Burnaby. Masterson Field is a historic grass airstrip was originally used by a group of locals, the Hill's and the Sickout's, to train pilots to fly for military services starting in 1948. Airplanes had been flown above

the 69 acre field for years but in 1962 the residents of Wainfleet and Port Colborne started seeing something different in the air. Parachutes. Canadian skydiving pioneer Glenn Masterson purchased the property and moved the already existing St. Catharine's Parachute Club to the airfield. Glenn past away in 1975 of cancer but he stated in his will that his land was to remain a skydiving operation. The original St. Catharine's Parachute Club, widely considered as North America's oldest skydiving club, was a non-profit organization founded in 1948 and continued operating as such until 1998, celebrating 50 years of operation. In 1998 Mike & Tara Pitt purchased the property as Mike had been a member of the club since he was 10 years old and wanted to continue Glenn's dream of progressing the sport of skydiving in Canada. In 1999 the name was changed but the mission remained the same. Skydive Burnaby has kept the spirit of Masterson's Field alive by continually advancing student training methods and providing experienced Canadian skydivers with a venue to let their passions soar. At Skydive Burnaby you get both, a history of skydiving in Canada combined with the skydiving techniques of the future.

We passed the Chippawa Creek Conservation Area is located in Wellandport, along the Welland River. In the center of the park is Dils Lake, a 10-acre man-made lake. The conservation center offers numerous well-kept trails that wind through the area offering views of the scenic countryside.

Attercliffe is a tiny hamlet located in the northwest corner of Wainfleet Township. Situated very near the Welland River, the tiny settlement evolved to serve the logging industry. A hoop mill, a shingle mill and a saw mill were located there. Logs were rafted downriver and planed lumber and shingles were loaded on barges at Port Davidson, just east of Attercliffe on the Welland River. Here the lumber would head to markets in the US across the Niagara River from Chippawa. The first post office opened in 1853 and closed in 1916. Other business sprang up in the community including a buggy and harness manufacturing shop, a tannery, two hotels, two stores, several brick kilns and a bank. In 1878 a cheese factory was built and did a thriving business until it burned down in 1933. The road through Attercliffe is known as Old Talbot Trail, because it was built along an old Indian trail that was one of the first ways into the interior of Upper Canada. Today, the biggest buzz in

Attercliffe is the Attercliffe General Store wants to host a farmers' market. Owner, Roy Graystone has a vision of local farmers selling their farm-fresh goods outside his Attercliffe General Store this season. The owners of the Attercliffe General Store support the local economy by serving locally-sourced foods in the restaurant portion of their rural business. The bacon is purchased in Beamsville, the eggs from Dunnville, the home-fried potatoes are Ontario grown. For dinner they serve Lake Erie perch and Smithville chicken. Now, they are looking to provide a location for local farmers to sell their goods. They are looking to fill that void by offering their large parking to area farmers to sell their farm-fresh produce once a week. All they need to bring their dream to fruition is some farmers willing to set up a booth once a week. I wish it was later in the season because I really miss the fresh fruit and vegetables we get in Florida!

In Cayuga we stopped at a bank and finally turned some of our US dollars into Canadian currency. Charlie was really craving some McDonalds, but the best that Cayuga had to offer was a Tim Horton’s. But, the parking lot was too small for our “big” rig … so we headed into Grand Bay Carefree RV Resort and he settled for a ham sandwich! Stay tuned for more information in the next blog about this campground!