Saturday was a really nice 80 degree day so we took the short 20 mile road trip straight north of our KOA to the little town of Penetanguishine. Its name in the local native tongue meant, "Land of the white rolling sands."

It is a picturesque town of about 8,000 with direct access to Georgian Bay from a really nice harbor. In the harbor is the recreation of the naval station called Discovery Harbour which was an important military post during the War of 1812. We had just finished the documentary series about the war so this was fun and educational. The place is manned by interpreters in costume and looks the way it should have some 200 years ago.



As part of the naval establishment it was an important supply base and ship repair and building center at the time. Currently they have two tall ships in residence, the larger Tecumseth and the smaller Bee.

Both ships are wonderfully maintained and we were able to explore the decks again with the help of interpreters in period dress. The Tecumseth is about 125 feet long and has a 90 foot mast. The larger piece of the mast is a single Douglas Fir tree!

After walking the old port for a while we then drove around the little town a bit. One of the remarkable structures is St. Ann's Church which was built in 1886. This thing is huge and beautiful and sometimes called the Cathedral of the North and was dedicated to the Jesuits who were a major factor in the establishment of this region.

After all the history which made us tired and thirsty and hungry, we adjourned to Ken's Pub on Main Street for a couple of Stella Artois and some fish and chips. You will notice the normal table setting which had the normal and malt vinegars for your fries ...

And then the perfectly cooked halibut arrived with chips, slaw and a roll. Jo-Anne is spooning some of the gravy from the cup on her plate onto my chips ... and yes there is some ketchup there as well for some color ... or colour.

Great day ... great food ... time for nap.