Phil & Chris Onuczko

Our journey today takes us to the eastern tip of Lake Ontario. The highway is called “The Loyalist Parkway” in honour of the United Empire Loyalists who crossed the border to live in Canada. This is a lush and heavily treed area that has large amounts of fruit farms and wineries. For all you antique and craft people, the Prince Edward County is the place for you. There are oodles of craft, antique and collectible stores, plus the tradition continues - most homes are simply restored. They keep the brick and structural design intact. Then there is always the beautiful Lake Ontario and islands abounding. You sure don’t get bored with the scenery, and the pace here is so laid back.
We didn’t do our research very well since the route we chose through this area brought us to a ferry that crosses one of the bays of Lake Ontario. Luckily the ferry was large enough to handle our unit, and it was free – double win! The ride was less than 10 minutes, and it allowed us to continue our scenic route along Lake Ontario into Kingston.
Our campground is just north of Kingston, overlooking the Rideau Canal. This is more like a lake because the canal has been dammed in places to allow for locks. The theme at this campground is “ducks” – they are constantly waddling around looking for handouts. There’s even some that look like a cross between a turkey and a duck.
We drove into Kingston, which is maybe 10 minutes away from our campsite. What a beautiful historic city which blends the old with the new - restored buildings that are now eateries or stores. Also I was surprised to see the architecture of the churches. Some of these churches date back to the 1700’s, and it reminded me of the cathedrals we saw in Rome or Spain.
You can’t go away without learning interesting facts about an area. Kingston, the oldest city in Ontario, was once the capital of United Canada but turned into a guard city to protect Ottawa. The Rideau Canal (202 km long) between these two cities was built after the 1812 War to provide an alternative route for travellers since the St. Lawrence River had too much sniping on it. There are 47 locks with 24 lock stations that are still being used for pleasure crafts and are all hand operated. Now there is your history lesson for today, class!

Pictures