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2017-08-23 Westbound; Back at CanAm RV for service…

We left Burning Kiln Winery at about 5:00 am; we had a lovely drive in the dark; we stopped for coffee about 6:30, and we rolled into CanAm RV about 7:30.  We pulled into “our” parking spot, and hooked up to power.

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We had a few issues for CanAm today: They will install the new stainless steel rock guards we ordered last time we were here (see above…)  Also, they will check out, and hopefully fix, the refrigerator, they will replace the cracked and mostly missing skylight, they will look into why the electric water heater blows the circuit breaker, and they will look at the rear storage hatch frame, plus a few odds and ends. After 9,000 miles on the road, it’s time for a little fix-up.

About 8:15 Dan came by. He checked out our hitch, and everything seemed fine. He did tell me that I needed to buy grease to lubricate the hitch, one of the most awful things about the EazLift hitch…  They pulled the Villa into their service bay and we left for town.

We stopped into the local Chevy dealer and asked for an oil change and regular service; while they worked, we walked to the neighboring Costco to see if they carried my beloved Vita Rain Water.  Nope – we struck out again.  We did stop into a grocery store and bought a few minor things, and by the time we were back at the Chevy dealer the truck was not only finished, but they had washed it as well!

We drove back to CanAm and we were informed that the refrigerator is dead, with a fluid leak. A new one takes at least one week to arrive at CanAm; so my job now was to find a refrigerator and an Airstream service place along our route.  After many phone calls and internet searches, we have an appointment at the Airstream dealer in Minneapolis on September 8.  This means two more weeks of buying ice…

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The rest of the day was uneventful. We walked around the new trailers, and re-planned our trip so that we could spend the day in Minneapolis.  At 5:30 they were done for the night, so we embarked upon Happy Hours and retired for the evening, safe inside CanAm’s gates…

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Tomorrow we head to Boblo!

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2017-08-22 Westbound; A Stay at the Winery via Harvest Hosts…

We move on today to a new experience; we are visiting a winery and spending the night in the Villa, through the Harvest Hosts program.

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Harvest Hosts is a program through which you pay a modest annual fee to be connected with farms, wineries, orchards, museums, and other sites which will allow you to camp overnight, for free; the unwritten rule is that you purchase something from your host. We had signed up several months ago, but this is our first opportunity to take advantage of it…

So we are headed to the Burning Kiln WInery, in St. Williams, ON, about 100 miles south of London, ON, on the shores of Lake Erie.

This trip entailed driving through the greater Toronto area.  There is a lot of construction going on, (Local joke:  there are only two seasons in Toronto – Winter and Construction…) busy morning traffic, and, of course, rain.  Lots of rain.  Heavy rain.  Sudden rain.  Sudden sun!  It was a bit nerve-wracking, but eventually we left the freeway, and within two minutes we were in the countryside, with nary another vehicle in sight.  The rain stopped, the skies lightened, and everything was beautiful.  As we drove further south, towards the lake, the vehicles, towns, and building got smaller and further apart.  By the time we reached St. Williams we were in what seemed like a very remote area.  The crops on the farms were either corn or some other odd, large-leafed plant that we could not identify.

Eventually we reached the winery and parked the Villa in the large gravel lot.  We headed to the winery to check things out, and to do a little wine tasting…

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We had a delightful time at the wine tasting. We learned that the odd, large-leafed plant that we could not identify was tobacco.  But this tobacco farmer has converted his farm to grapes. However, he uses the tobacco drying racks to dehydrate the grapes, much like they do in parts of Italy.  Drying the grapes allows water to evaporate, concentrating the flavor of the juice.  (No, there is no residual tobacco to impart flavor from the drying racks…)

So we tasted several wines, and bought a few:

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We needed to get a little exercise after our hard day, so we walked about one mile down the little country road to another winery – Inasphere. These wines were not as good, and, besides, we didn’t want to carry them back on our one mile return walk, but we were tempted by their farm stand:

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Back at the Villa, we enjoyed the view out our door; the vista over the vineyards was also quite nice…

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We also looked around the vineyards:

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That evening we returned to the winery for dinner.  They have simply cleared an area in the winery, brought in tables and chairs, and set up a gourmet food truck on the property.  While it was a little cool in the winery, the food was excellent!  I even ordered a steak, which I haven’t done in years… It was fabulous! Maybe I should eat steak more often!

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After dinner, as we walked back to the Villa, the sky was beautiful! (It stays light late up here…!)

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We retired to the Villa.  Tomorrow we will leave before first light again…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2017-08-21 Westbound; A quiet day, not watching the eclipse…

We spent a quiet day in an empty RV park in Grafton, ON:

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We had good internet access, so we spent the day catching up on reading, writing, and arithmetic (paying bills)…

We also had semi-good TV, so we were able to see and hear all the breathless hype over two minutes of darkness… We did poke a hole in a piece of cardboard to project the sun’s image onto a piece of white paper out on the picnic table; in our location we were at about 70%; we could see it in the tiny, 1/8″ image. I wasn’t impressed. I spent the majority of the eclipse like this:

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We had some nice walks, around the RV park, and along the adjacent country roads. There was even a creek for Lynda to sit by:

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The rest of the day we relaxed and enjoyed Happy Hours:

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And, once again, an enjoyable time was had by all…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2017-08-20 Westbound; 1000 Islands, USA

Today is an exciting day.  When we started planning this trip last spring this was not on the itinerary.  But a Singer sewing machine in one of the old houses we toured reminded me about Mr. Bourne’s castle, located here in the 1000 Islands

2017-08-20 1000 Islands 57 Singer

But first we had to get there!  We left our campground outside Montreal before first light. We were at the KOA in Ivy Lea, ON, by 9:00 am.  Luckily our reserved site had just been vacated, so we could pull in and do a minimum of set up.  We left and headed for the bridge over the St. Lawrence River, across the border, to Alexandria Bay, New York!

 

2017-08-20 1000 Islands 01 USA Bridge

We slipped through customs very easily, because we were not pulling the Villa.  We were soon on the boat trip to the Singer Castle:

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The 1000 Islands are a group of more than 1,800 islands in the St. Lawrence River, straddling the border of the U.S. and Canada, extending from the edge of Lake Ontario and stretching 50-60 miles down river. A fashionable retreat for the elite in the late 19th century, today the area is a hub for outdoor activities. It’s home to elaborate island mansions and modest summer cottages.

We were amazed at the beauty of this place. It rivals Nova Scotia, but it is at a much more human scale. hundreds of miles of coastline are covered with cabins, docks, mansions, boat houses, beaches and forests.  Anyone who loves water and boats will love this place:

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We cruised down the river for about an hour; soon we approached the Singer Castle:

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American history and local folklore meet at Singer Castle on Dark Island, located in the St. Lawrence River, about 30 miles down river from Alexandria Bay, NY.. Singer Castle is the only remaining/existing castle on the river to be completed, fully furnished and resided in during the heyday of the great builders of castles. The Castle remained in the possession of the original owners, the Bourne family, from its construction in 1905 until the mid 1950’s. Frederick Bourne was the fifth President of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, which is where the name “Singer Castle” came from.

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I love the Boathouse:

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The dungeon is in the tower, at the tiny windows:

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The view:

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As the story goes, Bourne and his architect had read the novel “Woodstock” by Walter Scott; it is set in Woodstock Palace, a bizarre and spooky place with secret doors, stairs, and passages. This was their inspiration for designing all the service corridors and stairs in “secret” locations. There are 3 circular stairs located behind hidden doors, plus a maze of corridors, many on an interstitial level, allowing the servants to watch activities of the family and allowing them to see and anticipate the family’s needs, say for the refill of a drink, or a second helping of food at dinner…

The house contains all the original furniture. It looks like the family walked away yesterday… In reality, the family sold it in the early 1950s, and it had a sucession of owners, but it was left intact. Today it is owned by a multi-national corporation who buys and restores these great old buildings and opens them to the public. They are also available for weddings and other activities. In the case of the Singer Castle, you can rent a 2 bedroom apartment in the house, up to 6 guests, for overnight stays, including full access to the castle, dinner served in the dining room, etc.

The Library:

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The Wine Cellar:

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One of the “secret” circular stairways:

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The Dining Room:

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The Loggia:

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It was a delightful visit. We boarded the boat and cruised up the river back towards Alexandria Bay.  Directly across from Alexandria Bay is Boldt Castle. It is larger than the Singer Castle, but it was never finished (due to family “issues”…) and it was never occupied.  After sitting vacant for over 70 years, it was finally donated to Alexandria Bay with the condition that it be opened to the public, but never finished or occupied…

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2017-08-23 1000 Islands 31 Boult

So after this exhilarating day, we stopped off and bought some Kentucky bourbon (rarely available in Canada) and headed back across the border to return to the Villa.  We relaxed with Happy Hours; an enjoyable time was had by all…

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2017-08-10 Nor by Nor’east Caravan – More Lobster!

Today we had another day on our own; we spent the day planning the remainder of the trip and enjoyed some quiet time.  We need to rest up, because tonight is: More Lobster!

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Once the caravan ends (in five days) we have about 2 months to get home; we will travel back through Canada, through New Brunswick and Ontario, stopping off to see the 1000 Islands; we will stop at CanAm RV in London, ON, then meet up with the McAnoys and see our Grandchildren on Boblo Island, located between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. After that interlude, we head north, over the top of Lake Huron and Lake Superior, through Thunder Bay, and back into the USA in Minnesota, all by September 1… After that, we’ll go through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota, checking out all the Frank Lloyd Wright and Laura Ingalls Wilder sites we can manage.

But tonight we have a dinner at St. Ann’s Lobster Galley. This is a very nice restaurant set on a lovely lake.  Once again we enjoyed time eating together; meals like this create opportunities to get to know the other caravanners and enjoy a stress-free time together.

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We had a Drivers Meeting to discuss our last travel day within the caravan; tomorrow we take a ferry from Caribou, NS to Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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