Traveling to Pickerel Park Carefree RV Park, Round Two of our Great Canadian Two Lane Camping Adventure

 

Leaving Lake Avenue Carefree RV Park we passed by the Picton Airport, it looks like it was an old military airport? A little research showed that to be true. During World War II, the United Kingdom required training facilities outside the British Isles for the thousands of pilots. Because of geographical similarities to Great Britain, sparsely populated Prince Edward County was considered an ideal location for an RAF Bombing and Gunnery School. In the summer of 1940, an aerodrome was rapidly constructed and in November 1940 the RCAF moved in and began small arms training at the facility. In April 1941, the RAF took over the base as No. 31 Bombing and Gunnery School and used it to train many of the aviators needed to help defend Britain as part of the British Commonwealth Air. Following the end of the war, the Canadian Army maintained a training facility at the old aerodrome. It was renamed Camp Picton in 1960 when it became a fully operational Army base. In 1966, it was renamed Canadian Forces Base Picton, but this was short lived - in 1969 the base was closed down and sold as part of the consolidation and downsizing of the Canadian military. The former Camp Picton now serves many diverse functions but the unique appearance of the base makes it a significant, if obscure, historical landmark. Due to its distinctive appearance, the dilapidated airport has been used as a filming location for several productions.

The quickest way to Pickerel Park Carefree RV Resort was to cross the water on the Glenora Ferry. Getting there is a beautiful lakeside scenic drive. The Glenora Ferry shuttles cars and RVs to and from Prince Edward County at no charge. The ferry crossing is operated by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, which runs at 30-minute intervals year-round and more often at peak times in summer. A one-way crossing takes fifteen minutes. We got off the ferry into the Greater Napanee area. It is slogan is “greater for many reasons.” The area’s heritage dates back to the seasonal migrations of early native peoples, followed by the settlement of United Empire Loyalists, British citizens displaced from their homes at the end of the American Revolution. Greater Napanee’s first settlers arrived in Adolphustown at what is now the United Empire Loyalist Heritage Center and Park. Old Napanee’s earliest settlement was centered on the Springside Falls, which was the source of power for some of the earliest mills in eastern Ontario. The village quickly grew on the success of lumbering, farming, manufacturing and shipping.

We traveled along the scenic Loyalist Parkway. It provides a leisurely tour along the Lake Ontario shoreline. The route honors the United Empire Loyalist heritage in the region. In 1984 Queen Elizabeth II officially designated the route as the Loyalist Parkway. Along this route, is a historic marker honoring the Loyalist Landing Place and Burial. This plaque marks the landing place of the Loyalists in 1784. It was unveiled at a ceremony celebrating the 175th anniversary of the landing of the Loyalists at Adolphustown held in June of 1959 in the park. The plaque was unveiled by John D. Van Alstine, a great-great-grandson of Major Peter Van Alstine. The plaque reads as follows: “THE LOYALIST LANDING PLACE On June 16, 1784, a party of some 250 United Empire Loyalists landed from bateaux near this site and established the first permanent white settlement in Adolphustown Township. They had sailed from New York in the fall of 1783 under the leadership of Major Peter Van Alstine (1747-1811), a Loyalist of Dutch ancestry, and passed the winter at Sorel. Van Alstine was later appointed a justice of the peace, represented this area in the first Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada and built at Glenora the earliest grist-mill in Prince Edward County.”

We arrived at Pickerel Park Carefree RV Resort, located on the shores of the Bay of Quinte. The Bay of Quinte provides some of the best trophy Walleye angling in North America as well as most sport fish common to the great lakes. The Bay of Quinte area played a vital role in bootlegging during Prohibition in the United States, with large volumes of booze being produced in the area, and shipped via boat on the Bay to Lake Ontario finally arriving in New York State where it was distributed. Illegal sales of liquor accounted for many fortunes in and around Belleville.