Elora, Ontario

One of the reasons we love rv’ing is the opportunity it gives us to see another part of this country we live in and today was no exception. We set out on a sunny Sunday to visit the small towns in the area that give that special flavor to southern Ontario. One needs only spend an hour on the freeway from the big city of Toronto and you can enter into a totally unexpected world to someone unfamiliar with the area.

We drove thru Guelph, Ontario, which is a university town with that unique look and feel that I have only seen in movies. The detour thru town made that part a bit complicated, but we did manage to get to the other side of town and carried on with the day.

That set the pace for the day and we carried on for a Sunday country drive. We had plans to see lots so we didn’t plan to stop at all villages and we followed the roads past fields of corn, lots of corn, assorted crops and cattle, too.

Art on the river

We next entered the small village of Elora, found parking for the truck and set out to see the sights. We didn’t do any shopping but we did enjoy walking the streets of shops and seeing the boutiques and works of local artisans. Some of it a bit surprising, but all interesting.

Ruins of old

Some of the buildings are a few hundred years old and yet are meeting the needs of today. It is amazing to think that they were built so long ago and yet are still standing today. Many of them, though, have succumbed to the ages and didn’t weather the storms.

Shops along the Grand River

The old buildings line the Grand River just across the bridge. This location made a great place to take a picture that makes me think I am in Europe. We follow the street that takes us down to Elora Mill, which is no longer a mill but a hotel and enjoyed their viewpoint near where the Grand River meets the Irvine River.

Horse and buggy parking lot

We decided we had best eat some lunch before setting out for St.Jacobs and it was while we did, that a local gentleman suggested we visit Victoria Park. So off we went to do that. On our way we managed to get a picture of the local horse and buggy stop. Now if that isn’t a flashback……..

Irvine River Gorge at Victoria Park

Victoria Park was not as expected with a big parking lot, but a small treed area with places to picnic, cars parked on the roadway, and mainly for hiking and viewing the gorge. The river is a long way down there but there are stairs that make it very accessible for those that want to play in the river. It was surprising to see all those enjoying different activities in the water. Many were just splashing in the water but some were taking kayaking lessons and others were learning how to raft thru the rapids on the river.

So this will explain why we didn’t do all that we had hoped to do on this great day. There is always more to see and enjoy and we want to see it all but there just isn’t enough time in the day for that ! But we did see more on this day so follow us onto the next stop.


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Souris, Manitoba on our Cross Canada Adventure

Souris, Manitoba held a special interest for us because Keith’s mother’s family had been from the area so we thought we’d include it on our Cross Canada RV adventure. As life often offers us little gifts, we got a nice one as we were parking in the RV park on our arrival.

The neighbor started chatting and we told him there were family ties and he asked names, and when he heard them, he said that there were many with that name living in town. That surprised us but we also didn’t think they would be related. But they are.

                                                               Hillcrest Museum

We spent some time at their museum and found some pictures and names of family members. They were one of the founding families in the community and there are cousins still living there. The original family farm is still being worked by a family descendent.

The Swinging Bridge

Souris boasts that it has the longest historic suspension bridge in Canada, That is quite a span of river to cross. The original bridge was built in 1904, then rebuilt in 1977 after being destroyed by a flood. I did manage to get halfway across but decided there was no need to go all the way so came back to take pictures. My weak knees had nothing to do with it !

Victoria Park

We parked our RV in Victoria Park in Souris. It is a city park and includes a very nice RV park under the trees next to an arm of the Souris River, the city swimming pool is there, ballparks, nature trails and a bird sanctuary.

Peacock hiding

We saw several peacocks in the park but they were just minding their own business and none were strutting their stuff. There are about 25 peacocks, all descendants of the original 2 and are free to roam but had retreated to the sanctuary on our visit.

The bird sanctuary

The bird sanctuary is a very special part of Victoria Park. It is surrounded by water and offers a refuge where all birds are safe from predators. It was founded in the 1980’s and has grown since. It began with Canada Geese and grew to include pheasants, ducks and swans and a pair of peacocks.

Now we leave this little town and carry onto Ontario, follow us to Kenora, Ontario.

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