The Great Canadian Camping Adventure traveling from Craigleith Carefree RV to LaFountaine Carefree RV Resort

Okay, I am sure my regular blog readers have figured out that we are not still in Canada ... they have snow right now, no way would we be there! We are home in Florida, but our blogging got distracted during our Great Canadian Camping Adventure ... So we are getting back on track sharing our two lane adventures with you!

We departed Craigleith Carefree RV Resort on Route 26 and found Walters Fall’s. The first sawmill at Walter's Falls established in 1854, the town remains the home of Hallman Lumber and Sawmill. Walter's Creek plunges 9 feet in the heart of the village. Named for the pioneer John Walter and his family, the picturesque settlement grew around its waterpower, which continues to provide energy for a gristmill.

We passed through the town of Collingwood. It has three Sister Cities: Boone, North Carolina; Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and Katano, Japan. When I saw Boone on the sign, it made me think about our friends at Majestic Oaks that summer in Boone, Steve, Geni and Jack! The Sister City Agreement with Boone, NC has been in effect since October 1995.  Band exchanges occurred in the late 90’s between both cities. In 2004 a delegation visited Boone and the following year, the Collingwood Chamber of Commerce hosted a group from Boone.  The Town of Collingwood’s longest and most established sister city relationship is with Katano, Japan.  While the twinning was officially announced in 1981 when a delegation visited Collingwood from Japan, the relationship was forged in previous years by a Collingwood citizen, who was residing in Katano in the late seventies.  In 2007, a municipal delegation travelled to Katano to celebrate the 27th anniversary of the twinning agreement.  A delegation from Katano, visited in 2008, to celebrate Collingwood’s sesquicentennial. Collingwood’s most recent sister city relationship was declared in 2005 with Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico.  A delegation from Collingwood travelled to Zihuatanejo to sign the declaration.  The following year, an official group from Zihuatanejo visited.  In 2009 Collingwood citizen and musician, Drew Wright participated in the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival. In the summer of 2010, a new Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo/Collingwood Sister City Committee was formed.  

Wasaga Beach is not only the longest freshwater beach in the world with 14 km of safe, sandy shore, but the sunsets there are breathtaking. Wasaga Beach was the first provincial park in Canada to be awarded the “Blue Flag” designation for its banks management efforts under the international environmental standards. There is a 6 acres natural area that protects wildlife habitat and nesting shorebirds, including the Piping Plover, which is endangered. The Wasaga Beach visitor center is the gateway to the Nancy Island Historic Site which features a theater, a museum and a replica of a Great Lakes lighthouse.

There are many traffic circles or as they are called in Ontario, round-abouts. It really made us think we were in New Jersey visiting Charlie's sister ... in New Jersey you can never make a left turn, you must always turn right ... and boy are the traffic circles plentiful in this area of Ontario.

Community gardens are places where people come together to grow fresh food, to learn, relax and make new friends. Community gardeners know that sharing land to grow food and other plants builds a sense of place and community. Wasaga Beach Community Gardens consists of 54 individual plots planted by multiple community organizations and residents. Many of the gardeners are donating all of the produce from their plots to the local food bank in Wasaga Beach.

Located northwest of the small community of Elmvale, Ontario, the Tiny Marsh Provincial Wildlife Area is a "must see" for any outdoor enthusiast. A series of trails follow the dikes through the marsh, wind through the shrubs and forest, and subsequently lead to observation towers and a viewing mound which provide visitors with a raised vantage point from which to view the vast array of flora and fauna which call this area home. Two hundred and fifty species of birds have been observed at Tiny Marsh. Ospreys nest here, as do eleven species of ducks and nationally rare bird species such as the Least Bittern and the Black Tern. Occasional visitors have included the Great Grey Owl and the Prothonatory Warbler who are both unusual visitors to the region. The marsh is also a haven for photographers who enjoy taking pictures of birds, plants, and the beautiful scenery in general.

Also in Tiny Ontario is the Ossossane Bone Pit. History indicates that before leaving the Ossossané villages site in 1636 the Huron created an ossuary, a final resting place for remains. Marked only by a broad, saucer shaped depression. The only site of its kind described by eye-witness accounts the ossuary was the first such location excavated by modern means in 1954. Excavations here yielded grave goods of both aboriginal and European origin including: shell beads, projectile points, textiles, pipes, bone pendants, red ochre, beaver skins, beech nuts, glass beads, copper kettles, iron knives, iron scissors, iron awls, bracelets, a key, and copper rings, copper beads and copper bangles. The Ossossané ossuary is located on a sandy plain. When it was first excavated in the late 1940s, the area was in an open field but it has since grown up in secondary forest. The ossuary component of the historic site is owned by the Huron-Wendat of Wendake First Nation.

We arrived at Lafontaine Carefree RV and were warmly welcomed but Anne and Raymond. We can't wait to explore this area, it looks beautiful!