Road Trip!
As I said in the prior post we were off on Wednesday on a trip to the east. We departed Barrie and motored east on the 401 as it is known here through Toronto and on toward Cardinal Ontario for about 300 miles. We picked Cardinal because it had one of the higher rated parks in the books we use and was a KOA where we could use some of our points.
Well ... OK. Here we are in the woods in the gravel and oops there is no sewer hookup for anyone here ... surprise! We haven't done this since we were in Phoenix and didn't plan on doing it again but fortunately I'd dumped the tanks before we left and could survive a couple of nights without hookup.
The real reason we picked Cardinal was its proximity to the Upper Canada Village which is one of Canada's premier historical sites. This is a wonderful facility of restored and replicated 1800's structures along the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Here's the entrance as you drive up.
The sawmill was really interesting as these logs are being sawn with a blade driven by water power from a stream below ... really amazing ... and represents the eco-friendly technology of the mid 1800's.
The village has over 20 structures manned by interpreters in period dress demonstrating things like how they made straw brooms. The young people here are part of a summer program called the Time Travelers where they really participate and dress the part.
And the tin smith was equally fascinating practicing the art and science of making a really simple but useful tin cup.
Which then were for sale in the gift shop later.
And a last picture of the holding pond which drove all the water wheel powered equipment including the woolen mill below.
All the structures in the village were relocated here in the early 1960's from the surrounding area and then restored to their original style and function.
Jo-Anne remembers coming here shortly after the place was started on a train as a ten or eleven year old. She has talked about the Upper Canada Village since we were married and now its uniqueness is a reality for me.
Really a true Canadian treasure and worth spending much more time than we allowed.
