Craver
After making the 16-lane madness of Highway 401 and a brief journey on the 410 w...
Late spring could be the perfect time for a driving trip, so yesterday my co-workers Vanessa, Khurram and I trigger to check out the country around Toronto. Neither among my co-explorers has lived in Canada for very long, so that they havent actually had to be able to find areas outside the Big Smoke. Which means this was their first chance to venture forth into the hinterland that enters our big city.
After leaving the 16-lane frenzy of Highway 401 and a brief journey on the 410 we drove into Ontarios country north of Brampton. The landscape started to open up - areas, farms and forest started to seem. The calm rolling hills north of Ontarios money have a simple beauty in their mind and I started hearing remarks like this is like a book, this would be a great place for spending a weekend etc. The scenery around Hockley Valley and the hilly moraines further north offer quite breath-taking views over Ontario farm country.
Our first stop was in the village of Creemore, only a little village saved in the Mad River Valley, surrounded by the Purple Hills. The villages history goes higher than a century, initially supplying Toronto with much needed wood and later supplying hogs. One of the major attractions today could be the Creemore Springs Brewery, a really popular Ontario micro-brewery. After a regional breakfast with scones and tea the street was crossed by us to see the brewery, and we still had fun researching the brewing process, combining trips, barley and several other elements, despite the fact that two people aren't beer-drinkers. We admired the big brewing kettles, two made of metal and one made of copper. A premium lager is made by creemore Springs and during the cold temperatures season the brew experts also produce an UrBock model for the festive season.
With our knowledge of beer properly enhanced we continued on with our country travel, gradually approaching the Niagara Escarpment place, Southern Ontarios best geological feature. Where we admired the old feed work of the Hamilton Brothers, dating back entirely to 1874 we stopped in the small hamlet of Glen Huron (populace 51). Just a few steps away was a charming water wheel (cheekily given with a water hose in the place of a genuine river...).
empilhadeira
On a hilly region just south of Collingwood we stopped to enjoy the sweeping view that stretched all the way to Georgian Bay and then we continued into the Town of Collingwood, a location that's really become popular over the last couple of years. Collingwood, its adjacent Blue Mountains Ski Hill, Ontarios largest ski resort, and its location on Georgian Bay make it a four-season recreational destination. Recently, the facilities have already been replaced and a whole European-style village awaits at the base of the ski mountain. Downtown Collingwood it self features over 300 shops and restaurants, waiting to offer discerning travelers.
So we continued our drive eastwards towards Wasaga Beach, with an amount of 14 km the worlds longest freshwater beach our day was small. Bordering this white sandy beach are several kilometers of hiking, cycling, cross-country and snowmobiling paths. Furthermore, Wasaga Beach is also a favourite destination of beach volleyball players. We got out from the car, and with this windy blustery day (it might not have been over 12 degrees Celsius) you definitely needed a warm wind-proof coat. I admired the para-sailers, daredevils who braved the cold waves of Georgian Bay.
The highlight of our time was yet to come: after having a veritable traffic jam in the town of Barrie, we squeaked in to the Town of Orillia just over time to make it onto the Island Princess, Orillias famous double-decked river-style cruise boat, with the capacity of holding 230 guests. On this cool and increasingly rainy-looking morning there were no more than twelve of us, but the narrated tour was enjoyed by us around Lake Couchiching. Lake-front living is common, and we learned that a lot of of the houses around the lake now provide for C$750,000 and up.
After our hour-long exploration by boat we disembarked and went on a soothing walk through the parklands right close to the shores of Lake Couchiching. The waterfront parks are graced by an imposing monument to Samuel de Champlain. Several small children were actually swimming in the cool lake waters, showing again that Canadians do indeed have anti-freeze flowing through their veins.
Our quick waterfront walk was followed by a stop for ice-cream in one of the lakefront sales trailers. Near by and right across from the Island Princess dock is another Orillia attraction: the Ossawippi Express, a seafood restaurant offering several fully-restored, turn-of-the-century railway cars dating back to 1896 with an deck overlooking Orillia's Lake Couchiching. We had a sneak peek at this special dining concept and all agreed that the Ossawippi Express will be the ideal restaurant for a particular function.
Down we were back in the car, driving back towards Toronto on the east side of Lake Simcoe. South of the river we were back in the moraines and we stopped briefly at a local country store named Hy-Hope Farms to pick up some gooseberry and rhubarb-strawberry pies, a work treat to keep in mind our country drive.. After leaving the 16-lane madness of Highway 401 and a quick journey on the 410 w...
Late spring is the perfect time for a driving trip, so yesterday my co-workers Vanessa, Khurram and I tripped to see the countryside around Toronto. Neither one of my co-explorers has lived in Canada for lengthy, so they havent actually had an opportunity to find areas beyond your Big Smoke. So this was their first possibility to venture forth into the hinterland that enters our big city.
After leaving the 16-lane madness of Highway 401 and a brief trip on the 410 we drove into Ontarios country north of Brampton. The landscape started to open - areas, farms and forest started to seem. The serene rolling hills north of Ontarios capital have a simple beauty in their mind and I began hearing remarks like this is like a book, this will be a good spot for spending a weekend etc. The landscape around Hockley Valley and the hilly moraines further north offer quite breath-taking views over Ontario farm country.
Our first stop was in the village of Creemore, just a little village saved in the Mad River Valley, surrounded by the Purple Hills. The villages history goes greater than a century, originally supplying Toronto with necessary wood and later supplying hogs. Among the main attractions today could be the Creemore Springs Brewery, a really popular Ontario micro-brewery. After having a local breakfast with scones and tea the street was crossed by us to look at the brewery, and although two folks aren't beer-drinkers, we still had fun studying the brewing process, mixing trips, barley and some other ingredients. We admired the big brewing pots, two made of stainless and one made of copper. Creemore Springs makes reasonably limited beer and during the winter season the produce professionals also produce an UrBock model for the festive season.
With our understanding of beer appropriately augmented we continued on with our country travel, gradually approaching the Niagara Escarpment area, Southern Ontarios best geological feature. Where we admired the ancient feed routine of the Hamilton Brothers, dating back completely to 1874 we stopped in the small hamlet of Glen Huron (population 51). Just a few steps away was an attractive water wheel (cheekily provided by way of a water hose as opposed to a real river...). farmacia de manipulacao
On a hilly region just south of Collingwood we stopped to savor the sweeping view that stretched all the method to Georgian Bay and then we continued in to the Town of Collingwood, a spot that's really become popular during the last couple of years. Collingwood, its nearby Blue Mountains Ski Hill, Ontarios greatest ski resort, and its location on Georgian Bay ensure it is a four-season recreational spot. In recent years, the facilities have now been improved and a complete European-style village awaits at the bottom of the ski hill. Downtown Collingwood itself features more than 300 shops and restaurants, waiting to offer discerning travelers.
Our time was small with an amount of 14 km the worlds longest freshwater beach, so we continued our drive eastwards towards Wasaga Beach. Surrounding this white sandy beach are many kilometers of hiking, biking, cross-country and snowmobiling paths. In addition, Wasaga Beach is also a popular destination of beach volleyball players. We got out of the car, and (it could not need been more than 12 degrees Celsius) a warm wind-proof jacket was definitely needed by you on this windy blustery time. I admired the para-sailers, daredevils who braved the cold waves of Georgian Bay.
The highlight of our day was yet to come: following a veritable traffic jam in the town of Barrie, we squeaked to the Town of Orillia just over time to produce it onto the Island Princess, Orillias famous double-decked river-style cruise vessel, capable of holding 230 guests. With this cold and increasingly rainy-looking day there were no more than a dozen folks, but we loved the narrated tour around Lake Couchiching. Lake-front living is common, and we found out that most of the houses around the lake now sell for C$750,000 and up.
After our hour-long exploration by boat we disembarked and continued a relaxing stroll through the parklands right close to the shores of Lake Couchiching. The waterfront parks are graced by an imposing monument to Samuel de Champlain. Many young children were really swimming in the cold sea waters, proving again that Canadians do indeed have anti-freeze going through their veins.
Our brief waterfront walk was followed closely by a stop for ice-cream in another of the lakefront income trailers. Close by and right across from the Island Princess pier is another Orillia attraction: the Ossawippi Express, a seafood restaurant offering several fully-restored, turn-of-the-century railway cars going back to 1896 with an terrace overlooking Orillia's Lake Couchiching. We'd a sneak peek at this unique food concept and all agreed that the Ossawippi Express would be the ideal restaurant for a particular event.
Off we were back in the vehicle, driving back towards Toronto on the east side of Lake Simcoe. South of the lake we stopped briefly at a local country store and we were back in the hilly moraines called Hy-Hope Farms to get some gooseberry and rhubarb-strawberry pies, a work treat to remember our country drive..
