By James Stoness

Suppose you were prospect-ing in the unexciting brown hills of New Mexico, not really expecting to find anything, and you stumbled into a fabulously rich silver strike!

This happened to a local rancher who found traces of silver on the side of a dry hill. It was not a find that easily revealed what lay hidden below. But then not many discoveries excite the prospector, they just raise his expectations a bit. The silver was found in 1876 and after two years of exploration work, the rancher accepted the fact that his find didn’t show all that much on the surface, and he knew he didn’t have the money to develop a mine, so he sold his claim.

That was a costly mistake. It was not long before the new owners tunneled into a large chamber laced with silver. The so-called Bridal Chamber yielded over 70 tonnes of silver.

The barren looking patch on the hillside began attracting people from all walks of life. Developers hawked the strike in newspapers everywhere and investors, anxious to get a piece of the action, poured in money through the purchases of stock. The ore was rich, yet most investors lost their money. Soon the Bridal Chamber was mined out, but even as that was happening, the best times were closing. In 1882 the government changed the money standard from silver to gold. Silver instantly devalued causing chaos among the investors and the town people, who began to leave in droves.

In the early days, as the mine tunnels and shafts edged into the hill, rapid growth occurred in the new town of Lake Valley. Cabins went up to provide cover from the elements. Boarding houses and small restaurants lined the street, although all of these businesses occupied negligible space compared to the saloons, bars, and gambling digs. It became a typical old time mining town, full of some of the roughest kinds of people on the frontier. When you take the easy self-guided walking tour you will spot piles and piles of bottles, vivid evidence of why the ordinary miner never became rich.

In 1884, the site became of rail centre, as a railroad pushed a new line into the mining area. Things were looking good for the new mining town whose population rose to perhaps 4,000 inhabitants. This estimate is probably high, as there does not appear that there was enough room for this size of a population.

There was a church and a school, and the rolling hillside began to resemblea giant anthill with ferocious activity everywhere you looked. But the devalued silver price was changing everything.

Then there was the 1985 fire. It was the kind of disaster that occurred in many hastily built towns in the west. Wooden buildings, set side by side, burned easily, and a fire, once underway, was difficult to stop. It was over quickly and most of the business district was gone, not to be rebuilt.

There was another inevitable happening. The silver ore was running out, as eventually happens in all mines. Combined with the fire, it was the beginning of the end for the town of Lake Valley. The events were hastened by the devalued price of silver. During the Second World War, there was more mining activity to extract manganese, but this brief flurry of prosperity ended in 1955.

Across the highway to the west, a cemetery bears witness to the large population that once toiled on a lonely mountainside mine in backcountry New Mexico.

To help you get up close to what remains of the sprawling town, there is a self-guided walking tour. There is not much of the town left, but there is enough left in the ghost town to get the feel of the surroundings, and make you wonder what on earth would inspire a rancher to look on that hill, expecting to find a trace of mineral.

New Mexico has a wide variety of topography and an eclectic mix of scenery, ranging from high forested mountains to dry plains and deserts. To experience these, plus a few old mining towns you might follow a circular route from Deming north, turning counterclockwise to return to Deming. For snowbirds, this can be a handy tour, but the scenery tends to be dry and brown in the winter. It would look really nice from late spring to early summer.

To reach the Lake Valley ghost town, head north from Deming on NM-26 to Nutt, turn west onto NM-27. This drive is mostly open rolling rangeland with a view of high, mostly bare mountains. At Nutt, there is a large area populated with solar panels and a few windmills. The project makes perfect use of a very flat valley bottom, which is backdropped by mountains. This is a shared project where landowners can make money by renting the land for the panels, but also can buy ownership of some of the projects.

NM-27 climbs into the foothills circling around the hill where the Lake Valley town existed. It then gets hilly, and crooked, as it climbs in and out of deep valleys. Along the way are a few prosperous looking ranches that have made use of the intermittent streams for irrigation. Finally, the road drops off a hill into the old mining settlement of Hillsboro where the tour turns west on NM-152 toward Kingston.

The Kingston, Hillsboro and Lake Valley area was a hotbed of mining discoveries in the 1800’s. The area was also territory travelled by the Apache, who frequently raided the settlers.

In 1877, prospectors found gold in the area which led to the building of Hillsboro. People came in large numbers and the region produced millions in gold and silver from several mines. Ore was so plentiful that a year after the discovery they built 10-stamp mill to pound the ore to dust for processing. An old volcano northeast of town has several ore bearing veins radiating out from the centre of its four-mile-wide body.

Today, Hillsboro is a small, relaxed village with pleasantly cared for homes. You may find some gift shops and art studios and many historic buildings. It’s a great place to take advantage of the town’s self-guided walking tour.

Now head west nine miles to another ghost town, Kingston, created by the discovery of silver in 1882. You’ve seen the roads, now imagine riding the route from Lake Valley to Kingston in a regularly scheduled stagecoach, keeping in mind the ever-present risk of attack by outlaws and the possibility of Indian attacks.

In its heyday, Kingston featured two dozen saloons, bars, and gambling houses. It also had an Opera House. A short self-guided walking tour will show you the town up-close.

As you head west to Silver City, be prepared for a tortuous, twisting mountain highway. Scenery is marvellous, although the driver may be very busy watching the road as it winds through a series of hairpin turns.

Silver City sits in a verdant mountain setting, in an area that has been the home of people for several hundred years. This is not a ghost town – it is a thriving, comfortable place to visit. You will enjoy quiet walks in this town of 10,000 inhabitants, and thrill to the many discoveries of hidden gems. The old downtown district has a plethora of art galleries, but there are also many attractions in the quiet outlying areas, and it will take a few days to work your way through the shops of the glass blowers, the jewelry makers, and the pottery wizards. You’ll be struck by the brightly painted buildings in the downtown and the general cleanliness of the area.

For decades, local mines have contributed to the growth of Silver City. Natives had mined copper and later prospectors discovered a large copper deposit. A few miles away, gold was extracted from more than 30 mines in the Pinos Altos area during the 1860’s.

Fifteen miles east of town, you can find the open pit diggings of the Santa Rita mine (Chino Mine). Mining has gone on here from the early days before the area was settled. Its isolated location made it a target for frequent Indian attacks. This is a very large open pit mine and will require a lot of rehabilitation when the ore is gone, if the terrain is to ever look normal again. It’s worth a visit if just to marvel at the huge amount of rock that can be shifted around by humans in a few short years. Mining operations can cease unexpectedly. Check in town to see if the parking lot and viewing areas are open before going.

The discovery of silver led to the creation of Silver City. Heavy production ran throughout the latter part of the 1800’s. Its location makes it easy to get out on hiking trails that have been designed for easy and for tough walking. The city is home to the Gila Wilderness National Forest with easy access to great scenery and relaxing locations. Residents and travellers love the Boston Trail System, built on 400 acres of open space that provides excellent views of the valley and the distant mountains.

This town is a good place to stay while you visit the city and the surrounding area. Make your temporary home here at one of the numerous RV trailer parks. The Silver City RV Park is only a short walk away from the old downtown, with food, exploring, and shopping outlets. Seven miles away from town to the north, is the Continental Divide Park. The huge number of old mines and the history of the area make it great place for historical buffs to spend a lot of time.

While you are in the area, you might visit the Mogollon cliff dwellings along the headwaters of the Gila River. There are two important sites, as well as several scattered sites. The steep sided canyons provided several protected areas where the natives could build. The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is 44 miles from Silver City and because of the mountainous road it is suggested that you schedule a few hours for the drive. The walk on the trail will take a couple of hours if you do it slowly and visit all the sites. Carry your own water on the trail, as potable water can be scarce.

A few miles outside of Gila Cliff Dwelling NM there are four forest campgrounds for tents and small vans. This is a scenic area carved by streams into deep rugged sided canyons, topped by large Ponderosa pine. Everywhere it’s pleasantly green from small trees and bushes growing on the pink-tan coloured rocks.

At this point in your adventure, the circle tour is almost complete. From Silver City take US-180 east, and south, descending through the mountain foothills and passing across open rangeland to return to Deming.

This tour passes through some of the most active mining areas of New Mexico. In the dryer season, the beginning of the tour and the end of the tour may seem boring and desolate to some travellers. The historic areas attract many visitors, as do the copper mines of Silver City. The scenery is great and improves west of Hillsboro as you enter high mountains with forested slopes of green trees.

Enjoy this drive through a historic slice of New Mexico! 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

For Lake Valley: https://www.blm. gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-02/brochure-lake-valley-self-guided-hike-lcdo-508.pdf

For Gila Cliff Dwelling: https://www.nps.gov/gicl/planyourvisit/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/gicl/index.htm

For Silver City: https://www. silvercityrv.com/
https://www.continentaldivide camp.com/home

James Stoness is the author of ‘Touring North America’, a series of travel guides on CD to help you plan your trips across North America. Visit his website to read his novels and travel guides – https://stonessrvtravel.com/

Our friends at ToDoOntario suggest that an Ontario adventure is the ideal way to enjoy March Break, 2025!

Ontario is the perfect place to spend your March Break and discover Maple Syrup Season…

During the unofficial transition from winter to spring, the month of March offers a wide range of activities for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages! With schools in Ontario (and many other regions) taking March 10 – 14, 2025 off to celebrate the coming of Spring, why not plan a family adventure to discover scenic and historic destinations and activities in our home province.

“We love to highlight Maple Season on the website and across our social channels because it’s a truly Canadian experience,” says Jeanine Jankowski, owner, ToDoOntario, “Ontario produces over one million litres of maple syrup a year – and Canada is the world leader in maple production, supplying 80% of the world’s syrup! Maple season is a great way to educate your kids about the environment and food production, in a super yummy and fun way.”

Maple Festivals + Getaways

From Haliburton to Simcoe, to Perth, ToDoOntario has created an awesome guide to Maple Season with an extensive list of festivals across the province. Check it out: todoontario.com/maple-festivals/ If you’re looking for a unique getaway, visit: todoontario.com/best-march-april-maple-syrup-getaways/

The Best Maple Farms in Ontario

If you’re a fan of maple syrup, then visiting a maple farm should be on your travel itinerary. Fortunately, there are plenty of maple farms in Ontario, near Toronto and Ottawa, where you can get a taste of the finest maple syrup that Canada has to offer. Don’t miss this guide where we explore some of the best maple farms in Ontario: https://todoontario.com/what-are-the-best-maple-farms-in-ontario/

Your Ultimate Guide to March Break in Ontario!

Ontario is one of the best destinations during March Break, thanks to the variety of activities and events available. Big cities and small towns in Ontario have so much to offer to keep children (and all those who are young at heart)  busy over the March Break Holiday. For a full guide to March Break deestinations and activities, check out the website at: todoontario.com/things-to-do-on-march-break-ontario/

About ToDoOntario:

ToDoOntario is the leading privately-owned tourism resource for Ontario. ToDoOntario connects an audience of fun-loving adventurers to tourism businesses and promotions in the province. With industry memberships including The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, the Travel Media Association of Canada and Indigenous Tourism Ontario, ToDoOntario continues be THE go-to for adventurers across the province.

For more information on tourism in Ontario, Canada, please visit todoontario.com

Still hungry for a sweet sensation?

Check out our RV Lifestyle Magazine feature by Travel Editor James Stoness:

It’s Maple Syrup Time!

Story and photos by James Stoness

The crisp mornings of spring herald longer days, melting snow, and thoughts of warm days in the sun. There is another ritual that signals spring is on the way. Across the maple tree belt of Ontario, farm families will head for the woods and in a few days the sweet aroma of boiling sap will float in the air around countless sugar shacks.

Producing maple syrup from maple sap is a tradition that stretches back into the ages. The Algonquin North American Indians made maple syrup before white men arrived in Canada. How they discovered it, no one knows, but somewhere along the ages they learned to concentrate maple sap and get maple syrup, and maple sugar. Using buckets made from birch bark they heated sap by heating stones in a fire, and then transferring the hot stones to the bucket. Possibly a family used sap from a dripping maple tree as a substitute for water and discovered that the ‘water’ got sweeter the longer they heated it. However it happened, the technique took off and soon they were heating the sap in hollowed out logs, and possibly in rough clay pots. They tapped the trees by making slash marks in the bark of the maple tree and used pieces of bark to duct the sap into their collecting buckets. Since the product was sweet, and nutritious, they drank it as a sweetened drink, or produced syrup, and also made maple sugar.

Settlers arriving in North America had the advantage of metal containers and the skills to produce wooden buckets. They boiled the sap in large iron pots suspended in a tripod over the fire. To keep rain out of the product they often built simple roof shelters much as the Indians had done, and later built little sugar shacks. Even today it’s still called a sugar shack, even though producers are likely only making maple syrup in it, and some of the more elaborate ones definitely do not look like a shack. To make a litre of maple syrup it is necessary to boil away 40 litres of water, and sometimes when the sap is low in sugar content, it might be necessary to boil away 50 or more litres of water just to make one litre of sweet tasting maple syrup. That’s a lot of water to evaporate to get the maple syrup!

Eventually, flat metal pans took the place of the suspended iron pots and at the end of the 1800’s a Canadian created a pan, the precursor to the modern evaporator, that had channels built into the bottom so that the boiling sap had to follow the channels getting progressively more enriched as it did so. In more recent years connecting the trees with plastic tubing has been replacing the sap bucket making gathering the maple sap simpler. Some of the more progressive producers use vacuum systems to pull the sap right into a large tank at the sugar shack.

Several producers now cater to the tourists and offer tours of the operation, and may even have a restaurant on site where they offer pancakes covered with nature’s sweetest syrup. Of course there will be maple products for sale. Many people take drives into the country to enjoy a visit to a sugar shack.

Canadian Geographic Travel Magazine listed Wheelers Pancake House and Sugar Camp as one of the Ten Best Maple Experiences in Canada, so my wife and I headed off to visit their popular sugar shack in Eastern Ontario, north of highway #7 near the community of McDonald’s Corners.

The maple syrup operation is run by Vernon and Judy Wheeler and their family. They began tapping in 1978 and they now have 14,000 taps and 240 km of plastic pipeline that uses a vacuum system to ensure the quick delivery of the sap to the sugar shack. The fresher the sap is, the better the maple syrup.

Visitors are always amazed at the rows of large black plastic pipe that pick up the maple sap from the small blue plastic lines that run from the taps on the individual trees. A clear section placed in the black plastic pipe near the restaurant window lets you see the sap shooting through the pipeline.

The Wheelers built a new Pancake House and Sugar Camp in 1996 in a location within the forest. This is a beautiful open concept building built of the logs salvaged from 6 different old barns, and lumber sawed from trees taken from their forest. At one end there is a massive stone fireplace rising to the roofline making the room a cosy place to eat and relax with friends.

In an adjoining room you can see the massive evaporators where the sap is converted to maple syrup. Visitors are welcome to take a short sleigh ride through the sugar bush during March break and some weekends. If you want to explore there is a variety of trails, the longest being 11km. Many visitors take advantage of the many kilometres of cross country ski trails and if you want there are a limited number of snowshoes for your use. You could learn to be a real northern snow traveller. The trail built on the old K&P Railway, fondly known as the Kick and Push Railway, is usually well groomed for snowmobiles, and a side trail takes you right to Wheelers.

Their Maple Heritage Museum is sure to be a hit with adults and children too. Vernon Wheeler has spent a lifetime collecting items associated with producing maple syrup. There is a large collection of sap buckets ranging from wooden buckets to those made of metal that during the war had been intended for use by the petroleum industry and were already painted with the company’s logo and name.

The museum is filled with old sugar moulds, spiles for the trees, beautiful bottles, as well as a replica Indian sugar camp showing how they made their sugar products. There is a simulated cooper’s shop showing how they made wooden barrels and buckets in the past.

Of interest to me were the perfect dovetail joints in the huge logs that make up the walls of this building which has a lofty pine ceiling. These cedar logs retain their outer dark colour for the exterior of the building while on the inside they were shaved revealing the bright wood underneath.

In 2008 the Federal Government announced the designation of Maple Products as a Nationally Significant Heritage Event and will place commemorative plaques in three places throughout the Maple Tree Belt of Ontario. One of these will be placed in Wheelers Maple Heritage Museum.

Wheelers are open all seasons. In summer and fall you can use the 14 km of nature trails that ramble through their large acreage wandering through the sugar bush, stands of white pine, and wetlands where the beaver have their houses.

The Pancake House will be open and perhaps daughter Kristin will be there to serve you some nice thick pancakes and syrup edged by some juicy homemade maple sausages.

If you take the drive, it’s best to follow their signs. Tom Tom and other GPS devices may take you through some small roads that you would rather avoid.

You could make your trip to Wheelers a part of a larger visit to Lanark County. The rural nature of the drive is relaxing, and the small towns are known for historic and architecturally pleasing buildings. Since Wheeler’s restaurant is open year round, you could make this maple syrup landmark a stop on an extended camping trip through this beautiful county – don’t pass up the chance to spend some time on their hiking trails.

Maple syrup production is older than Canada, and still going strong. Enjoy a visit to a maple sugar farm or Conservation Authority as spring makes its appearance. Who knows what treats you may take home!

To help you plan your Maple Syrup Adventure…

http://www.wheelersmaple.com

http://www.lanarkcountytourism.com/

Check out these campgrounds:

http://www.casawinaticampground.com/

http://www.malscamping.com/

James Stoness is also author of ‘Touring North America’, a series of travel guides on CD to help you plan your trips across North America. Visit his website to read his novels and travel guides – https://stonessrvtravel.com/

By James Stoness

One of the nice things about RVing is that you can meander off the beaten track and visit some less known places. We don’t usually hear much about volcanism in Canada, and being able to drive into a relatively young flow of lava just might interest a few travellers.

There are several volcanic areas in Canada. North of Terrace, British Columbia lies the youngest lava flow in Canada. Active only about 250 years ago, you can now easily visit the scene of the devastation caused by the flow of basalt lava from Tseax Volcanic Vent. The Nisga’a Highway follows the edge of Lava Lake just 20 kilometres west of the source of the flow. With the steep hills on one side, the deep lake on the other, the views down the lake to the distant mountains make this a very scenic drive.

The lava was very fluid, a fact that caused so much damage. It rapidly flowed down hill from the crater and quickly dammed the Tseax River to create a very long lake, called Lava Lake. The lava then turned north following the Tseax River valley until it reached the relatively level, broad plain of the Nass River valley. Here it spread outwards forming a lava plain. The edges of the hot lava forced the Nass River out of its channel over to the north side of the valley where it is today.

This valley was the home of the Nisga’a aboriginals and the volcano destroyed their villages and killed an estimated 2,000 inhabitants. The rapidly erupting volcano sent poisonous fumes down the valley and there was little chance for the people to escape. Forest fires ignited by the flowing lava added greatly to their problems.

Today the area of the lava beds is now the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park, a joint park operated by the Nisga’a and British Columbia’s Provincial Government. It’s a great place to see up close the results of one of nature’s rampages.

You enter the park at Lava Lake. You are in a beautiful valley with excellent views across the lake. Thick vegetation, including lots of evergreens, line the hills. A picnic bench awaits you at a small glen, complete with a crashing cascade of frothing, green water, and a quiet river. This is very nice place to stop and eat your lunch.

Soon after this you start to encounter the lava, as it lines both sides of the highway. There is a surprising amount of recovery of the vegetation. Small spruce and other trees or shrubs push up out of impossible appearing places. Grass is plentiful, but it’s very difficult for grazing animals to get to it. 

Perhaps the first place to investigate would be the Visitor Centre. You will find exhibits that show the life of the natives. There are also examples of some of the crafts done by them. They produce several objects created by braiding long, flat, ribbon-like material. They make a very attractive hat similar to a straw hat we’ve all seen. This is a good place to find out about the 16-site campground if you are planning a short stay here. There are several Nisga’a villages just outside the park where you can find small grocery stores, tourist shops, and perhaps some B&B’s.

Basaltic lava is usually quite black in colour, but here, the moist climate has enabled lichen and mosses to grow over the lava field and its colour has a grey, or greenish cast. As you follow the highway through the lava field you will be amazed at the jumbled mess of rock. The lava surface cooled and solidified while the liquid lava moved along underneath. Sometimes when the flow was slower, the frozen surface warped and cracked. As the lava continued to push, it upended many of these thick blocks of solid lava, tipping and scattering them similar to the moving ice in an ice jam in a river.

In some places you will see surface features that look like a series of ropes laying side by side. This is Pahoehoe lava. Another form is AA lava, which is a jagged type of lava. There is a walking trail to a good example of a tree mould, which is a hole through the lava. The lava flowed around a living tree and solidified. When the tree eventually rotted it made a mould, or cast, of the original tree. There are other short walks to interesting aspects of the park.

When the lava was flowing, it often ran through lava tunnels for great distances. When parts of these became empty they left hollow tunnels. Sometimes these collapse. It is dangerous to enter them, and also to walk across the surface where they might be hidden below. A collapse of the roof of the empty tunnel could lead to a quick drop onto sharp broken rocks.

A special guided tour takes you through the old growth forest to a viewing area of the crater. You may not go to the cone unless you are with a guide because it is easy to destroy the delicate plant life, and even knock down tilted rocks. There is a charge for the guided tour, and an additional charge if you buy their lunch. There are some steep stairways and moderate hills on the trail.

As you drive around to the villages you will see several totem poles. The craftsmanship is quite amazing. One village has an impressive group of four totem poles and there are even totem poles at the entrance to the bridge across the river.

Gitlaxt’aamiks is the Capital of the Nisga’a Nation. At one time it was further upstream on the edge of the Historic Grease Trail. The Grease Trail was part of a trail system running inland from the ocean. The natives made grease, or eulachon oil, from small fish and carried it inland to trade for items such as copper, fur, and dark obsidian. Alexander MacKenzie, the first man across the continent by foot and water, followed some of this network to the Pacific Ocean. Gitlaxt’aamiks is now located south of the river in an area high above the floods of the Nass River.

Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Park is 80 kilometres north of Terrace. Just 12 kilometres south of Terrace is Lakelse Lake Provincial Park which is a beautiful campground where you stay right in the forest under the great trees of the west coast. From there to the lava beds it is an easy day drive. If you don’t wish to stay more than a day at Nisga’a lava beds, Lakelse Lake CG is a good place to stay.

A short drive southwest of Terrace will take you to the great aluminum smelter of Kitimat, on a bay of the Pacific Ocean. 

Another drive is the drive down the valley to Prince Rupert. This is a very scenic drive down the valley following the curves in the mountains along the way. In the far distance you will eventually see the open waters of the fjord. Prince Rupert is a modern town, and provides a chance to perhaps do a little shopping and sight seeing. 

British Columbia is one of Canada’s top destinations for great mountain scenery. Add in the chance to see the results of a geological volcanic disturbance, and you have the recipe for a great summer trip.

The scenery of Northern Ontario has been shaped by thousands of years of scraping by the Continental Glacier. The melting of the glacier left eskers, long winding hills of sand and rock, and kettles, which are small lakes.

Esker Lakes Provincial Park, 37km northeast of Kirkland Lake on Hwy-672, is part of the Northern Boreal Forest with black spruce, white birch, tamarack, and jack pine. It sits on top of one of Canada’s longest eskers, the Munro Esker, which runs for 250km with a width about 5km. It’s so large you can’t see the usual outline of an esker, which is a long, winding hill of sand and gravel.

An esker is formed by a stream running under the glacier. As the stream deposits debris on its streambed, it also carves away at the roof above, so that it continues to run unimpeded by the ice. When the glacier melts, the winding ridge is left.

Glaciers also drop chunks of ice, some very large, and which are then covered with debris from the glacier. Later, after the glacier has gone, these chunks of ice melt, leaving a hole in the landscape and are filled with water, forming Kettle Lakes.

Here in Esker Lake PP, the glacier left a chain of lakes right on top of the Munro Esker. This is a bit unusual because instead of looking up at the esker, here your activities take place on top of the huge esker.

It was the glacier that created the landscape where you can find a wide variety of things to do. There are lots of campsite, the lake provide lots of opportunity for canoeing, and the park has several trails for hiking.

The Sunny Point Campground has 135 sites, with about 30 that have electricity. The beach is available for water fun. In addition to these are two backcountry sites on Lulu Lake. There is a trailer dump station as well as two comfort stations, hot water, showers and toilets. You can do laundry at the office building.

The park offers endless adventure if you like to canoe. There are 29 kettle lakes with several connected by portages. It should be very easy to quickly find yourself on what feels like a ‘private lake’. The lakes are cold and are perfect for Rainbow and Lake trout, and some of them have hungry pike waiting for your lure. Ontario Fishing Regulations have to be followed. You need special camping permits for the backcountry campsites which you can pick up at the park office. For your added pleasure, no motorized boats are permitted.

Stop at the Visitor Centre for more information about rental facilities for canoes and lifejackets. Near the park entrance is the Store with some camping supplies, wood, and ice.

Trails

The park’s trails offer short and long hikes.

1 – Prospectors Trail, 1.4km, runs along the shore of Panagapka Lake and offers access to several of the park facilities. 

2 – Lonesome Bog Trail, 1.5km, winds around Sausage Lake where, using a boardwalk, you visit a bog. This area shows the bog transitioning to a meadow, with the help of the flooding beaver, which is changing the nature of the bog. The trail starts out passing through a stand of jack pine. They often result from fires, and require fire to pop open their cones and let the seeds out. Black spruce encroach on bogs and part of the boardwalk is a pleasant stroll through the grove. As you leave the bog you will find a zone of balsam fir trees. One of these sits by a large rock. This rock, called an erratic, rode to this location on the glacier. For a short hike, this is a very interesting trail. 

It’ll soon be evident that you are not the first to pass through here. You will cross a corduroy road built by laying down trees crossway to the direction of travel. Sometimes the logs were covered with dirt and gravel. This road reached a gold mine. You will also see old cut stumps where people cut the trees for timbers at the mine.

3 – Recreation Trail, 1.5km, is a wandering track near the campground, mainly used for exercise.

4 – The Trapper’s Trail is perhaps an endurance test. The three loops give you choices of 9km, 14km, and 20km hikes that will see you on the trail from 4 hours to a couple of days, and is considered ‘difficult’. It leaves from the campground area, at the north end of Panagapka Lake. The trail is one used by an Ojibway trapper woman. On the trail you will see the Trapper’s Cabin.

There are sanddunes and the forest often sits on sandy soil. Some areas have been clear cut by logging, or burned off in one of several large fires that crossed the north in earlier years, some as the result of destructive logging practices. Blueberries grow well in these open areas and in August the park hosts a Blueberry Festival. Fires that affected the bog occurred in 1875, 1910, 1925, and 1940.

We often read of the British Columbia fires, yet 1922, 1916, and 1911 were years of terrible fires across the north. Some resulted from settlers clearing the land by burning off the cover, others from burning the trash that resulted from clearing the land. Some logging areas were covered with slash, left over after logging. Many, many people died in these fires.

Kettle Lake Provincial Park is 42km east of Timmins, and continues your geological park tours. The very name tells it all. Here are 22 kettle lakes that had been created by the passing glacier, but unlike Esker Lakes PP, these are not confined to an esker. 

As I look past the branches of a white birch I see a small lake so calm that it reflects the row of evergreens and fluffy white clouds that form the perfect backdrop. Behind me, I can hear the crackle of burning wood in the firepit, and the campsite odour of smoke drifts past my nose. It’s a perfect place for relaxation.

The park lies on the Northern Clay Belt whose common tree is the black spruce, and the balsam fir. Where the soil is sandy it supports the jackpine, a tree that springs up after hot forest fires, and there have been hot fires, aplenty. Major forest fires have raged across the park area off and on for many years, resulting in several deaths in the surrounding areas.

Here, there is a transition zone where the trees that grow well in southern areas strive to exist, such as the white pine, aspen and white birch.

It’s a busy park with two campgrounds. 

The smaller Pines Campground has 20 sites with half electrified.

Island Lake Campground has 100 sites, with 70 electrified. Depending upon where you are you might find yourself in a huge site surrounded by a wall of trees that shield you from the next campsite. Something you will find in some campsites is the unhandy location of the electrical boxes. They are often between two sites and you will need double the length of extension cord you would normally use.

If you don’t have a tent or a camper, you might like to try the camp cabin which sleeps 5. It has mattresses, frig, counter, and a kitchenette. The table and chairs provide a place to eat inside, while if you want to move outside there is a BBQ and picnic table.

The trail system seems to be made for easy hikes. Maybe if you take your lunch you can enjoy one of the many secluded quiet spots. It should be pleasant to sit under a canopy of leaves, by a small lake, and listen to the lapping of the water on the shore.

Kettle Trail in its 2kms takes you to where you can see and explore an esker, as well as areas of bog. There are Interpretive Signs to help you understand what you are passing.

Tamarack Trail is a 2km loop around Tamarack Lake and provides easy walking.

Wintergreen Trail is a fairly easy 1.5km trip with views of Island Lake.

Oh-Say-Ya-Wah-Kaw Trail has interpretive signs which discuss the geology of the kettle lakes along its 3km route.

The Long Bike Trail uses the gravel roads, paved roads, and some trails to take you 14km through the Boreal forest. Of course for shorter trips, you are able to cycle over some of the 40km of roads and trails.

The park was logged prior to 1950, and burned over several times. Over 1,500,000 trees planted in the last few years should go a long way to reforest that area.

The lakes are stocked with rainbow and brook trout, and pike, also yellow perch.

Kettle Lakes PP has two campgrounds, The Pines CG, and Island Lake CG, that can handle large trailers. Some sites have electricity. For swimming, select Island Lake.

You can Rent bicycles at the front gate, and engage in 14km of trails that range from comfortable to more difficult. 

If you like canoeing there are lots of lakes for you to discover, and if you didn’t bring a canoe, you can rent one at the park. Just remember, kettle lakes are formed from the holes left by melting chunks of ice, and the lakes are not usually joined by streams. If you portage lake to lake you will likely find your ‘private lake’, at least for a few hours until someone else joins you.

Many Provincial Parks offer a Discovery Programme where staff help visitors learn things about nature. The programme may include hikes, evening or campfire talks, and programmes of interest to the young ones. At the Visitor Centre, if open, you can peruse the displays and talk to the park staff.

After a day of heavy activity, or even after a long relaxing afternoon, you can enjoy the large comfort station at Island Lake CG with its hot water for showers, laundry, and you will also find flush toilets.

If you don’t wish to bring your toys, you can rent canoes, paddle boats, kayaks, and lifejackets and bicycles. Stop at the Park Store, near the main entrance, for camping supplies, firewood, and other camper needs.

Other amusements include horse shoe throwing, volleyball, baseball, and of course swimming.

You are likely to find the camping experience top notch. The large sites, and the privacy trees make your trip into the wilderness very real. The absence of boat motors and ATV’s is certainly a plus. A serious drawback can be the using of generators until 10:00 pm which is not good. Generators while preparing meals and off by 7pm would leave you the evening to sit out and watch the stars and the fire without man-made engine noise.  

https://www.ontarioparks.com/pdf/maps/eskerlakes/esker_lakes_trappers_trail.pdf

https://www.ontarioparks.com/pdf/maps/eskerlakes/esker_lakes_campground_map.pdf

https://www.ontarioparks.com/pdf/maps/kettlelakes/kettle_lakes_trail_map.pdf

https://www.ontarioparks.com/pdf/maps/kettlelakes/kettle_lakes_campground_map.pdf

https://www.ontarioparks.com/pdf/maps/kettlelakes/kettle_lakes_overview.pdf

Why are we driving all the way from Ontario to visit British Columbia’s Chilcotin Plateau for the third time in less than a dozen years? The answer is hidden somewhere in the magnificent scenery, and that unexplained feeling you have when you arrive at somewhere special. The attraction is in seeing a sparsely populated countryside, with cattle grazing land that rises to the feet of snowclad peaks. Did I forget to mention the intensely blue lakes nestled among evergreen forests?

My first knowledge of this region came from reading a great book, ‘Three Against the Wilderness’, by Eric Collier. It’s an early 1900’s story of a man raising a family in the British Columbia wilderness, many kilometres from easy contact with civilization. It was his dream to bring back the beaver to restore the dying, and burning landscape to its former state. It’s a good book and made me want to see that part of Canada. In 1994 the Canadian Army Engineers restored Collier’s old homestead. A rough dirt road leads from BC-20, forty kilometres to the site. 

Highway BC-20 starts at the small city of Williams Lake, the centre of cowboy country. If you arrive in July, on the long weekend, the Williams Lake Stampede hosts several rodeo events complete with the risky manoeuvres by clowns as they try to detract a definitely fierce and angry bull from taking out his revenge on the cowboy that was on his back and is now on the ground. You will likely enjoy the exciting chuck wagon races as those many horse teams vie, wheel hub to wheel hub, for the final stretch of the raceway. Since Williams Lake is a supply centre for ranches and for the logging industry it’s a good place for you to fuel up, and stock up the kitchen. 

It’s 460 km to Bella Coola at the Pacific end of BC-20 and along with the beauty of the countryside you need to be aware that you are crossing plateau and canyon country and there will be some quite steep hills. Your reward to driving it will be the rafting possibilities of some of the dashing rivers, or perhaps kayaking, and of course the lakes will offer outstanding fishing and there are many outfitters ready to help.

You’ve barely climbed out of Williams Lake when you start a long descent through spectacular volcanic cliffs to reach the Fraser River at Sheep Creek Bridge. The switchback road that follows is steep and long before ending atop the plateau. Fences along the road, built in the old style of rustic snake rail fences, front some of the several small ranches scattered over the verdant plateau. Snowy topped mountains backdrop small lakes and streams. Ancient volcanic ash, scattered from nearby extinct volcanoes has eroded creating the weirdly shaped hoodoos. This is good animal habitat and deer and moose are frequent visitors, and the bighorn sheep look down upon your passage from aerie lofts on the high cliffs.

The Chilcotin Plateau is ideal for exploring off the main highway. There are many kilometres of side roads leading to ranches, lakes or logging sites. If you have a vehicle separate from your RV, this country is made for you. 

The Historic Chilcotin Lodge has a few campsites nearby. By leaving your RV there as a camp, you can drive to Farwell Canyon on a good gravel road. At the canyon there are long switchbacks down to the bridge across Chilcotin River and up again. As we drove along the side of the cliff I was surprised to see across the gorge Canada’s largest moving sand dune. This is a remarkable dune that seems to change colours as the daylight changes and its ripple pattern changes with the wind.

If you followed the gravel road southeast it would be possible to reach the location of the old Gang Ranch, largest ranch in North America at one time, and then continue to the highway to Williams Lake and return to your RV. Instead, turn west and north to follow the road back out to BC-20 and just explore before returning to the RV.

If you can make arrangements to park your RV at Hanceville on the dirt strip near the store and by the highway, you can take a great trip south in a car or truck into the Nemiah Valley. It’s mostly a good road with some roughness and lots of cattle guards. There are many steep winding turns and plenty of climbing and descending as the road cuts through the forest and the valleys. Higher elevations present you with magnificent views of huge snow covered peaks in front of you. 

The road passes a few active logging areas before it slips across the bridge over the wide Taseko River which will be white with glacial milk, with rapids and whitecaps. Near an old church there are a few campsites, and an RV parked in one of them indicated that the road is suitable for RVs if done slowly and carefully. These campsites have a great view across a long lake, backdropped by huge mountains. If one drives further along a rougher road you can perhaps reach the edge of Chilko Lake, one of British Columbia’s premier lakes. This is a long narrow lake between high mountain cliffs and is reputed to be dangerous for boats and canoes because the winds can quickly produce high waves and the steep cliffs make it difficult to reach the shore safely.

Tsilos Provincial Park, operated jointly with the natives of the Nemiah Valley, protects forever the lands around Chilko Lake which have been protected for centuries by the natives.

On our way to the community of Tatla Lake, to our pleasant surprise, some residents of the community told us to climb 3 km on a gravel road to a place overlooking Martin Lake and offering long views down across open meadows. It was an easy drive, and from our campsite we saw herds of wild horses grazing far down in the quiet fields. Beyond those meadows was the highest mountain in the province and its many glaciers showed up easily from our campsite.

We left our motorhome and drove the Jeep south on a gravel road looking for Chilko Lake. We passed the occasional mountain farm, some using irrigation to help the crops in dry times. Occasional glimpses of white peaked mountains are just a peek into the views to come. We passed a large blue lake and came to a choice of roads at a wye. Signage is not a priority on these back roads. We stayed to the right and ended up at a provincial park with a rutted road that would swallow an army truck. We backed into a very sharp turn-off that dropped down to the water of Chilko Lake.

It turned out to be our lucky day because we had arrived at a just being built ‘bear resort’. It was patterned after African safari viewing stands. We were invited to sandwiches and a drink and were shown around the wooden structure. It’s perched high above the grizzly bears giving the customers very good views. They were in the process of creating little rooms to stay overnight out of wood to replace a large white safari tent, which they tried. It was shredded and blown away in a storm, bending the support rails. From their balcony they had a great view along Chilko Lake.

We met a man there who insisted we visit the Huston Lodge. This is a magnificent log structure, interesting inside for its use of natural raw wood from the forest to create bed posts, stair rails, and chairs. In the bathroom there was a massive sink carved from a solid block of lava rock. We were offered a cold drink in thick-walled, heavy goblets, right out of the freezer, and sat in the huge lounge with a fantastic view across the lake to the snowy mountains. Reluctantly, we soon returned to the Jeep for a long drive on gravel roads back to the motorhome, and the day was getting short. With a maze of unlabelled roads, this would not be a good place after dark.

The next day, moving on west, we stopped to camp at the Dean on the Nimpo Lodge. This is a beautiful building and a lot of fishermen have flown in here over the years to some topnotch fishing. As with many of the lodges on the Chilcotin, their clients have grown older, some unable to go anymore, and the younger generation don’t have their interests. It’s making survival difficult for many of these lodges.

Up the road, our next stop was at Anahim Lake where we camped at Escott Bay Lodge operated by Bill and Darlene. Our view across the lake to the white mountains was just perfect. If we had had an extra few days Bill would have taken us on an overnight backcountry horse trip, or arranged a flight over the coloured mountains of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. That would have been terrific!

We left the motorhome there and headed to Bella Coola, on the Pacific Coast. The road was gravel for 36 miles, from Anahim Lake to the bottom of The Big Hill. In two hours we met 4 vehicles. The road up the Big Hill is the Freedom Road. When the government told the locals in the valley it was not possible to build a road over the mountain to give them access to the rest of Canada, they pooled their money and machinery, and did it, and gained their freedom. It may have been crooked, and narrow, with up to 18% grades, but they had a road. It’s used by cars, transports, buses and RVs. But it’s not for the timid. Its steep sides with no guard rails, and long drops scare some people. Others do not know how to go down in their low gears and avoid long periods of braking.

Near the bottom you cross the Alexander Mackenzie hiking trail, which follows the route taken by him when he became the first man across North America by foot and canoe.

The highway travels down a glaciated U-shaped valley to Bella Coola. This is rain forest country and you will see some magnificently large cedar trees.

Soon we returned to the foot of the Big Hill to spend a night at the Tweedsmuir Park Lodge. Our cabin looked across the river to the grey mountains with their white glaciers. Although in the winter it is a heli-skiing centre, in the late summer it’s a grizzly bear capital. People come from everywhere to see them. While there we did a river boat float trip hoping to see some. The views of the mountains from the river are great, and we saw many eagles, but no bears. Sylvia saw a few salmon which means the run had just begun. Ken, the boat guide, said from now on the numbers of salmon would rise dramatically. The eagles know that, and that’s why they are arriving. So we were about a week early for the bears. But the float trip was great, and the pictures too. A few years ago we hiked with Doug on the Trail and saw 14 grizzly bears eating and catching salmon along the river. Doug is still there, and still taking people out to see that huge bear catching fish. The lodge has now built a high grizzly bear viewing stand down by the river.

Recently the government cancelled the large ferry that could easily shuttle RVs between Vancouver and Bella Coola, thus severing one of British Columbia’s circle drives. Now visitors from Williams Lake must drive the 460 km both ways. This will make it hard on the economy of the campgrounds and lodges.

If there is anything good about it, it’s the fact that the scenery seems totally different when seen coming back in the opposite direction. If you are looking for a trip that’s a little different, take a look at the map, and give this one a try. We’ve enjoyed it tremendously and met some great people.  

Lancaster Pennsylvania –

An Eclectic Mix of Trains, Cuisine, and Culture

By James Stoness

Travellers who follow the frenetic I-81 on their annual migration south to Florida, may think of Pennsylvania as a state that features hilly, twisty stretches of mountainous road. Yet only a few miles east of the interstate you can find a prosperous community of farmers living on gently rolling land. It’s one of the most appropriate regions to illustrate the concept that when it comes to RV touring, “getting there is half the fun”.

If you are looking for a place to visit where you can enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, try Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A tour of the Amish communities shows you a very different way of living in a hectic world. Later, you might drop into the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and afterwards ride the Strasburg Scenic Railroad through some of the best agricultural land in the east.

Time to slow down and enjoy a different pace of life…

Lancaster, PA, has the oldest and largest Amish settlement in the USA. The forefathers of this community began arriving in the early 1700’s while attempting to escape hard lives in Europe. The Amish have embraced a way of life that avoids individualism and pride, both seen as having the potential to disrupt the community. The members of the community dress in simple clothing, avoid mirrors, and do not wish to be photographed.

In general, they are a fairly self-contained community, and avoid using cell phones, TVs, and other modern technology. Horse-drawn buggies are the common mode of travel, and this is one of the first things you will notice when travelling on their roads and highways. The interaction of 21^st century technology and the traditional Amish ways creates a complicated living environment, and in modern times, there are various orders who view things more moderately. In Intercourse PA, you can visit AAA Buggy Rides to enjoy a ride in a genuine Amish buggy, with an option to extend your ride to include a tour of the famous covered bridges of the county – it’s a wonderful way to experience a taste of this fascinating culture.

On Amish farms, multiple horse or mule teams are used to draw farm equipment. You may see a team of horses drawing a round baler that is powered by an engine. For tilling, they use 6-horse teams to draw cultivators and plows. Corn harvesting is an interesting mixture of two large teams, one drawing the cornstalk harvester and chopping the corn stalks into silage, which is loaded into another wagon, also drawn by a team of several horses.

Several equipment companies produce farm implements for the Amish, some towed by large teams, and some towed by large teams but also using a small engine to power the equipment such as a baler or harvester.

The Amish families generally stay together, and turn out every day to help with the work. Neighbours come and help at large projects such as barn-raisings, which are a celebration of teamwork and ingenuity among the entire community.

To get more information about their lives, plan a visit to the Amish Village, where on a small 1-acre farm you can visit a realistic farmhouse, visit the animals in the fields or pen, and, not to be missed, visit the Smokehouse Market where you can purchase homemade treats. For a long-lasting souvenir, stop at the Village Store where they feature Amish built crafts.

The Backroads Bus Tour will take you on an interesting 90-minute voyage of discovery through a variety of Amish farms while the driver describes life as practised by the Amish. It’s a great way to learn about their lifestyle, history and what they believe. It will also show you some of the very prosperous farms operated by the Amish.

Railroad Technology of the 1800s…

A large drawing card in Lancaster County is the Strasburg Railroad that dates from 1832, when a rail line started up to link Strasburg to Philadelphia. In 1837, the train was drawn by draft animals. Later, the tracks were replaced with heavier rails to carry locomotives. Over the generations, technology passed the Strasburg Railroad by… efforts were made to preserve the history, and after a series of failures, a group purchased the line in 1958 and began tours in 1959.

Today, there is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a short 45-minute train ride through some of the best of the Amish agricultural fields. The tour ends at the small village of Paradise, and it was here we had a startling surprise. As we left the farmlands and pulled into the village, we were jolted by a loud train horn and the rush and clatter of a fast-moving passenger train. It happened so quickly that basically all I saw was the train disappearing into the distance. Our small quiet track had arrived in Paradise side by side with a busy mainline.

Train aficionados will love this area! You can ride on a selection of trains powered by a vintage steam locomotive – choose from First Class, Dining Coach or an open air car. On special days, you can choose the Luxury Wine & Cheese Ride complete with a sampling of wines, cheese, and crackers.

From November through December, you can ride the Santa’s Paradise Express, the Night Before Christmas, the Santa Clause Limited, or the Christmas Tree Train.

There are also trains with theme plays, such as the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Murder Mysteries, or A Day out with Thomas.

Train enthusiasts will enjoy an opportunity to sit in the engineer’s seat for a 30-minute experience of pulling on the power and actually driving a steam locomotive. It will cost $450. For only $275 you can learn about firing the engine, reading the gauges and learning what they mean. It may be pricey, but the steam engine era is passing and you may not get another chance like it.

Locomotive 475 is a relative youngster, built by Baldwin Works in 1906. It is the only 4-8-0 class locomotive running in North America and is a very strong engine, flexible enough for a large number of uses, from passenger coaches to heavier freight cars.

Before you join the train for your ride, pick up some food by stopping on the platform at the Café 1832. You can have a good meal, or just some lunch. They prepare the food right there as you wait. I found the big hamburger with fries was both delicious and filling. A talk with Dave Parsons, Chef De Cuisine, helped us make our choices.

Strasburg, PA, has become well known for its railroad museum, and rightly so. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania has more than 100 old locomotives and rail cars. It is a marvellous museum, featuring the history of railroading in Pennsylvania.

Although the museum opened in 1975, it has not ceased to grow. As more and more artifacts were collected, they needed a safe place for storage. Now, many of the locomotives and cars are stored under cover and you can walk across a viewing bridge to look down upon them. This is a perfect place for photos, and afterwards you can go down on the main floor and examine the collection more closely. One large locomotive sits over a pit and you can go down under the engine and see those huge wheels and axles up close.

Another outdoors area holds some newer acquisitions and some of the larger engines. You will also find a variety of equipment slated for rebuilding, or perhaps for parts.

Inside, there is a large working model of toy trains where you may see several trains running at the same time. We found the staff extremely helpful in giving directions, and explanations. The museum is an excellent place to get close-up with some of your favourite trains.

Theatrical Productions…

The Lancaster area has become well known for live Biblical themed performances at the Sight and Sound Theatre. The present impressive building dates back to about 1999, built only a year and a half after a spectacular fire destroyed the original theatre. The new building has expanded the stage from the front of the audience to wrap around the sides, making for impressive action on stage. It’s a large building, capable of accommodating 2,000 guests.

We stopped in to view the show ‘David’. The stage roof soars above your head allowing some of the sets to reach high above the audience and the sets are very well done, if a little unusual at times. You may be a bit alarmed at seeing a flock of sheep running down the aisle where you just came in, but it is live theatre! The show was well acted, with lots of energy. The main drawback for us was the extremely loud sound system that detracted from the good things happening on stage – as we get a bit older, we often use ear plugs to mute the loud noise at concerts and stage performances, a tip we learned from younger fans of rock music.

Vintage Vehicles…

We dropped into Barry’s Car Barn to see the plethora of old cars dating back from the 1970’s. It sure is impressive when you open the door to the garage. The cars are polished to the max and reflect the ceiling lights along their bodies… and the chrome! I had almost forgotten how good cars looked with all their chrome, and their REAL bumpers. Just beautiful! Hanging on the walls and ceiling are the old signs, gas station logos, and all the things that made these cars feel at home, including several gas pumps. I did miss seeing any references to ‘Supertest’, an old oil company friend to my family.

I was especially interested in the 1931 eight-cylinder Packard. It’s an impressive vehicle that carries a magnificent hood ornament. A cherry red Dodge Challenger looks ready for someone to drive away in style, and some nice Chevy models look great. It’s important to remember that these vehicles looked like cars you’d like to be seen in – large and comfortable, not to be compared to present day cars that I often think of as “jelly beans with wheels”.

Fine Dining…

Huckleberry’s Restaurant and Tavern had been recommended to us for a good meal. It’s difficult to fully describe the food, except to say it was ample and very, very tasty. Their pot roast was wonderfully tender, the result of long slow roasting with vegetables and beef gravy that worked perfectly with the potatoes.

The restaurant is part of the SteamBoat Inn complex. Here in the middle of farming land, sits a magnificent steamship, at least in shape. It was built in honour of Robert Fulton, who was born nearby, and became known as the father of American steam driven ships.

Camping…

When you visit an area it’s great to have a central campground from which you can range outward to see the attractions without having to drive long distances to return to the camp to relax. Country Acres Campground is a long rambling 18-acre RV park with spaces for big RVs, smaller RVs, tents and tent trailers. We enjoyed a wooded site up on top of the ridge with good views down over the park. Separation between the campsites is good – but here is a word of caution. The road up to the ridge campsite is one-way, and some of the entrances to the campsites angle the wrong way, making it very difficult to back in.

For amenities, enjoy the outdoor pool, the pickleball or basketball courts, and the wi-fi signal that will help keep you up on world events, should you feel the need.

If you wish to travel without an RV, rent one of the one-room log cabins complete with bunk beds, refrigerator, microwave, and heating or air conditioning. They have no indoor plumbing, but the facilities are close by. A two night minimum stay is required and no pets or smoking.

The Lancaster area has a large number of attractions, enough to fill the needs of a traveller who makes this area the centre of his trip. We found that the people everywhere were helpful and friendly and willing to make your trip an enjoyable one.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.barryscarbarn.com/

https://fultonsteamboatinn.com/dining-drinks/huckleberrys-restaurant/

https://bird-in-hand.com/

Follow this link to book a AAA buggy ride or a covered bridge tour:

https://aaabuggyrides.com

Follow this link for a listing of campgrounds in Lancaster County:

https://www.discoverlancaster.com/blog/10-great-campgrounds-lancaster-pa/

Check out this website for additional information on Lancaster County, PA:

https://www.discoverlancaster.com/blog/easy-road-trips-in-and-near-lancaster-pa/

Visit the official website for Lancaster County:

https://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/

For more RV Lifestyle Magazine travel features by James Stoness, please follow this link:

https://www.rvlifemag.com/?s=by+james+stoness

James Stoness is the author of ‘Touring North America’, a series of travel guides on CD to help you plan your trips across North America.

Visit his website to read his novels and travel guides – https://stonessrvtravel.com/

By James Stoness

It’s a typical picture of prospecting for gold in a stream – men stooped over, busily rinsing the sand and sediment out of a gold pan. Eagerly they peer into the residue at the bottom of the pan, hoping beyond hope to see a few flecks of gold, or maybe a dull nugget. 

The cold, splashing stream they are wading in is possibly backdropped by a glacier clad mountain peak, and edged by a thick forest that has cast deadfalls into the stream. It is wonderful scenery but they are too tired to look at it. If we go back many years, this is the likely scenario for the gold discoveries in British Columbia’s Bridge River Valley, located approximately 300 km north of Vancouver, and approximately 100 km west of Lillooet.

In the 1850s, some prospectors picked a few nuggets out of the Bridge River that initiated a gold rush. By the end of the century, a shaft went down into the hard rock of the mountain establishing the Bralorne Mine and the community of Bralorne began to grow. Yet, it was not until the 1930s that the rush took off, and Bralorne grew into a progressive community with a population of 3,000 with schools, churches, and stores. These miners dug into the mountain creating almost 160 kilometres of little darkened tunnels, lined with logs from the adjacent mountain. Their results produced millions of dollars in gold making it the richest gold mine in Canada.

Then came the low prices of gold in 1971, and it was over. The people left everything behind and headed for civilization, except for a few hopefuls who stayed on in the belief the mine would recover. Gold is still there, and there is active exploration of the deposits. The community collapsed leaving only shadows, but a playground remains for those who like to explore. You can hike on the old trails left by the prospectors searching for other gold deposits, or even take your four-wheel drive Jeep over rough paths to see what is at the end. 

Something that didn’t vanish is the great, majestic mountain scenery of the area. The mountains are rough, carved by water and ice into steep walled canyons where the sound of turbulent waters echo from the cliffs. Therein lies their beauty. 

Visualize summer when the mountain meadows are a mass of blooming flowers, with startling hues of purples, and contrasting yellows and whites. In the background, the green cloaked-mountain flows upward to the red coloured peaks, terminating in the white caps of a snowfield. Did I mention that all of this is framed by a deep blue sky punctuated by billowing white clouds? This is truly a great place.

It’s worth a visit just to drive and wander among the ghosts of those who lived and worked there. The Bralorne Pioneer Museum holds a collection of historical exhibits. Outside you will find neatly painted pieces of equipment from the mines.

The easy way into the Bridge River valley is to camp at the campground in Lillooet, take a car or truck and follow the Fraser River out of town. There’s a 13 percent hill down just north of town, but it’s paved. At the bridge over the Bridge River, turn west. The road alternates between gravel and pavement. The scenery is terrific and everywhere the mountains squeeze in on the valley. There are exposed places on the cliffs that show hundreds of feet of alluvial deposits. When these deposits are disturbed – such as when digging the road – they tend to slide. There are lots of slides and some slide areas deposit stones and gravel on the road.

During our trip there were a few exciting places that had sheer cliffs climbing above us, alternating with steep gravel slopes. Meanwhile, we were driving a few hundred feet above the splashing green river. The shoulder of the road basically, in most places, was a drop-off, sometimes eroded in as far as the pavement, or gravel road. 

In one place there is a magnificent amphitheatre created by an ox-bow curve in the river. All around the curve, the alluvial gravels slide down to the river, and the road runs close to it along the top. It’s a great geological formation. Soon, the road splits and may be called Carpenter Lake Road, or it may stay named the Bridge River Road. At times there will be lots of climbing and descending steep switchbacks so sharp that you use the opposite lane to make the turn. It’s a really nice drive, and sounds worse than it is when you are in the driver’s seat. 

Occasionally, side roads leave the main road and some have primitive camping areas. One of my wishes is to take the Jeep and work my way north through these rough trails to come out on the Chilcotin Plateau and eventually, Williams Lake. Many of these roads are old logging roads, and since some are no longer maintained, you never know how far you can go before turning around and returning. It’s a good place to have a friend in another Jeep as this is “self rescue” country, and cell phones don’t work. Its adventure country, so don’t leave the main road unless you are prepared for emergencies, with food and extra water.

Later you pass a large dam, one of British Columbia’s first hydro dams. This one created Carpenter Lake, which you follow along the base of a high cliff. Views across the lake are good, and sometimes unbelievable. At the end of the lake, high peaks appear from behind a small mountain, and here the blue and green of the lake makes a perfect picture with the white peaks behind. Up there, a few kilometres ahead, is Gold Bridge.

You cross a bridge and soon come to the settlement of Gold Bridge, which acted as the supply town for Bralorne, at least for a while. It also contained several saloons that became prosperous from the miners of Bralorne. Gold Bridge is an old settlement perched on the side of the mountain. Its streets occupy several levels with the houses and sheds backed against the sandy gravel embankment of the mountain. The town is mostly closed, but there are a few places that show activity and during our visit, a hotel was for sale.

There are many hidden valleys, some of which had their own small settlements as prospectors found a bit of pay dirt. Most are gone now, but there are traces of their existence and are exciting to explore. This entire region is crossed with gold rush trails, although many are impassable even with four-wheel drive, but make for good hikes. There are some campgrounds here and it’s not unusual to see truck campers, small trailers, and tent trailers enjoying the trip.

To access Bralorne, climb some of the steep switchbacks and you come to the abandoned town of Bradian. This is a ghost town but it has had the roofs repaired on the buildings for preservation and now the entire town is for sale. Just beyond Bradian is the Pioneer Mine, also a major gold producer along with the Bralorne Mine. This is all that remains of a great and profitable gold mine.

There is a four-wheel drive road out of this area south to Pemberton on the Hurley River Road which is open in summer and is reputed to be exciting and breathtaking. If you are visiting and camping in Lillooet, it may interest you that the beginning of the Cariboo Trail is here at Mile 0 and from here north, the prospectors and travellers stopped at a series of overnight stops such as 100 Mile House or even 109 Mile House. These distances were measured from the Mile 0 monument, which is presently located in Lillooet. The true location was across the Fraser River Bridge.  At one time Lillooet was one of the biggest towns in the country and the largest town west of Toronto. Its position on the Fraser River makes it an important tourist destination, and of course its nearness to adventure roads into the gold backcountry draws people there as well. 

There is a fine museum featuring local history and artefacts in downtown Lillooet. Rock hounds will enjoy the bare hills and cliffs along the river where it’s easy to search through the gravels for rare specimens. Jade is one of the more common finds. 

The Cayoosh Creek Campground, just down the hill from downtown Lillooet, is ideal, but noisy at times. Unnecessary engine braking on the road right above the campground was not pleasant, and it was often compounded by a helicopter just across the river, which seemed to spend a lot of time running, and sometimes coming over the campground at low level.

You can make Lillooet part of a circle drive west over the mountains to Whistler, and south to Vancouver, then return through the Fraser Valley to Lillooet. This circle tour will give you some of the best sights that South Western British Columbia has to offer. Alternately, you can head north to BC-97, stop to visit at the historic Hat Creek Ranch, before turning north for other adventures on the Chilcotin Plateau.

If you go, you will find that the backcountry (and all of its scenery) of the Bridge River Valley more than meet your expectations. Plan to stay a while. Enjoy the treat of a lifetime. 

About the Author

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  

Visit his website to read his novels and travel guides – https://stonessrvtravel.com/

On your next journey through Saskatchewan you might contemplate spending a few days camped in the shade of a grove of rustling trees. From the nearby lake would come the relaxing sounds of the waves and the crazy song of the loon. No, this is not a wild dream, although those of you who never leave the TransCanada might think so.

The picture of Saskatchewan that frequently comes to mind is that of vast rolling fields of wheat, grain elevators, and long, long vistas, a place where the sky meets the horizon low down, and it all looks the same.

Well, that’s Saskatchewan for sure, but so is this. Take time to visit the Saskatchewan of aspen and grassland, of dark arboreal forest, sparkling lakes, and rippling streams, and not cattle, but bison, moose and elk, and bears.

This land awaits the traveller who heads north of the city of Prince Albert. Here the rugged Canadian Shield runs northwest across the province creating a land of pristine lakes, rivers and thick forests. The Shield has some of the oldest exposed rocks in Canada, those of the very roots of the continent. At one time it was composed of great mountains, long ago eroded by water and the elements, and then polished and ground down by the great Continental ice sheets that pushed down from the north. In the places where these rocks are exposed you can see the rounded ends of the rock, and the scratches in the surface caused by boulders dragging in the bottom of the moving ice.

It is in the midst of all of this that the government, in 1927, created a 3,888 square kilometre park. The park enclosed a sample of grassland in the south with groves of aspen merging to a land of lakes and thick dark spruce forests as you move to the north. Inside its boundaries are 1500 lakes of all sizes.

The sheer size of this park means there will be something for everyone. If you like canoeing you couldn’t ask for more. The canoe routes will take you beyond the edge of civilization where the street lights and traffic will not ruin your outdoor experience. How wonderful it will be to listen to the cackledoo cry of the loon as the sun sets, or the shivering howls of a couple of wolves talking to each other across the lake. Some nights you will be treated to nature’s splendour as the northern lights dance across the sky.

Carla Flaman, the park’s communications manager, told me that their goal is to provide experiences that take you close to nature so you can enjoy the tranquility that the forest provides, and at the same time have a safe and enjoyable time. Those planning on spending time in the backcountry need to be aware of the dangers, and their own limitations. Backcountry trips require a permit, and you need to reserve your campsite at the same time.

Canoe trips range from day trip length to several days. Some routes are easy, with no portaging. Others, as you would expect require you to link from lake to lake or stream and there will be portages. One of the most interesting portages is the rail trail portage into Kingsmere Lake. Here you will find a 1 km set of rails and two carts to fit the tracks. A larger 4-wheel cart is available for boats while a lighter 2-wheel cart can be used for canoes or kayaks. Of course, this isn’t quite like it was when the fur traders had to portage, carrying their load and their canoe across the rough terrain. There are cautionary warnings about keeping near the shores on Kingsmere Lake because of the speed with which a calm lake can become dangerously rough when the wind rises. This is probably true for Lake Waskesiu and Creen Lake as well. We’ve seen some very windy conditions from the wharf on Lake Waskesiu.

Most RVers will likely head for the town of Waskesiu (wask-a-soo) where the largest campgrounds are located as well as hotel rooms, cabins and motels. You can get meals here, and stock up your camp with groceries, and perhaps stop at the library for something to read on the beach.

The Waskesiu Trailer Park contains 152 sites with full hook-ups, washrooms and showers. Nearby Beaver Glen Campground has 213 sites. Washrooms, showers and kitchen shelters are spread throughout the camping area for your convenience. Recently, these camps have been receiving upgrades to better accommodate the larger RV’s.

The kids will love the sandy beach. It’s a perfect place to dig deeply and to build immense castles of sand. The cool water is close and is a good place to rinse off the accumulated sand before heading back to camp. A walk out onto the long breakwater provides an excellent place to watch the sailboards taking advantage of the afternoon winds. Some of these are quite colourful to watch as they skip their way over the whitecaps.

When the waves are high the breakwater can be a wet place to be as the waves pound into the concrete and cover the walkway with spray. Lake Waskesiu has excellent fish and this is frequently the place where you can see them being pulled out by the ardent anglers.

For those who wish to get away from the village atmosphere, twenty-five kilometres northwest you will come to Narrows Campground. A few years ago several of the mature white spruce and jackpine were cut for safety reasons and the area was replanted with 3000 white spruce seedlings. The 87 sites here are serviced with washrooms, fireplaces and sewage disposal facilities.

The park has been experimenting with the use of solar power at the Narrows in order to cut back on the use of their large generator. Recently they’ve added more solar panels and storage batteries to increase their capacity. New requirements made it necessary to add water treatment and a deeper well. These additions, as well as a general increased electrical use, required these updates.

South of Waskesiu there are smaller more primitive campgrounds. These are found at Sandy, Namekus, and Trappers Lakes. These have outdoor toilets and fireplaces, and being smaller than the Narrows and Beaver Glen campgrounds you may find them quieter, and perhaps they will provide a more isolated feeling. During weekends and at other busy times camps are taken rapidly. It is wise to arrive early to avoid being sent to the overflow area.

This park really excels in its hiking trails. Enjoy a nostalgic walk following an old freight trail dating back to the era when furs were packed along it. The trails range widely in length but there are a few that are short enough for a leisurely stroll allowing you lots of time to investigate the plants and animals and just enjoy a walk in the woods.

One of those is the Boundary Bog Trail. Forests tend to naturally fill in open areas with a process called plant succession. The process takes place in meadows, and also in swamps, marshes and small lakes. As the roots grow towards the marshy areas, other plants grow on top. The top becomes quite dense and you can often walk on it although it may feel spongy and bounce underfoot. Below the top layer there may be a layer of water. Once in Northern Ontario, I saw a hole in one of these mats where a fisherman had fallen through and had to be rescued by his friends.

On the Boundary Bog Trail you walk on 600 metres of boardwalk in the midst of a black spruce and tamarack succession forest. Here you can see the various coloured mosses of oranges, reds and browns, and many other shades. This bog also has cranberry, pitcher plants and rosemary. Depending upon the season they can be quite colourful.

The park consists of three biologically different regions. In the southwest corner there is a region of fescue grasslands. To the north there is the original boreal forest, thick, dark and mysterious. In between lies the mixed-wood forest of aspen and spruce. The great diversity in plant and animal life that you can see within the confines of the park is the result of the differences in each of the three regions.

The woodland caribou inhabit the northern part of the park. Dan Frandsen, conservation biologist, said that several of the caribou are now fitted with GPS collars to help staff learn more about their travels. This could help them find out how human activity to the north will affect the caribou. The woodland caribou tend to live in the wetter regions where there are abundant plants and lichen for them to feed upon. Predators such as wolves often avoid these areas which improves the survival rate of the young caribou.

You can encounter elk, or wapiti, on your travels. Imagine waking up to the sounds of their high pitched bugling. You’ll not likely forget the sound once you’ve heard it close up on a nearby hill. The elk are now often found in the swath of land that was cut as a firebreak around Waskesiu, and on the golf course.

In the far northwest corner of the park is Lavallee Lake which is sanctuary to the second largest white pelican colony in Canada. This is normally out of bounds to visitors.

The bison live in the sedge meadows of the south although they also roam northward, grazing in the open areas and wooded lands. Some of the hiking trails in the south will take you through small sections of a now rare species of grasslands, the fescue grasses that once covered the plains. If you encounter a herd of buffalo treat them with respect. These creatures may look like peaceful cows, but don’t you believe it. Several visitors to such herds have been badly injured by these `peaceful’ animals charging them. Quietly slip away and give them a wide birth. Dan Frandsen, conservation biologist, told me that this herd of Plains Bison is the only free ranging herd of bison in Canada. Although there are captive herds in other places, in Prince Albert NP animals run free in their natural state.

There is a wide variety of trails in the south, many of which are used by bicyclists in the summer, and by cross-country skiers in the winter. Some of these are old abandoned park roads and fire access routes.

We drove over to the Waskesiu Golf Course which is well laid out along the groves of trees on the rolling hills overlooking Lake Waskesiu. We were fortunate to see the famed golf course with elk grazing and dozing on one of the greens. It makes an interesting obstacle to talk about when you get home, especially if your ball lands in amongst them.

Canadians are very lucky to have this park. Many parks are created to protect areas of unusual interest, or regions that may be ecologically sensitive. When this park came into being the northland was completely wilderness and there was some question as to the saneness of creating a park here. Now, a little more than half a century later, man has brought his influence right to the edges of the park. Now it’s an island of wilderness amid land which is wilderness no more.  Along the southern edges, farmland has been cleared, making a mosaic of fields and trees similar to the fields in the east. Along the rest of the park boundary there are places where the thick forest has been cut for pulpwood right to the very edge. Civilization has moved in upon the park’s boundaries, and the surrounding extensive wilderness is now gone. Dan Frandsen says that new methods of timber cutting will leave groves of trees, doing away with the total clear cutting methods of the past. You would find it interesting to view this area using Google Earth on the internet. It’s slow on dial-up but the view is worth the wait.

Prince Albert National Park is an excellent place for a little rest and relaxation when you are travelling across the country. It’s a little off the regular TransCanada but worth the drive. When you leave the park you might take some time to visit the sites of the Riel Rebellion at Batoche and Duck Lake. This region is rich in Canadian history and worthy of some of your time.

For additional information please contact:

Prince Albert National Park:
Box 100
Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan
Canada  S0J 2Y0
https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/sk/princealbert

Batoche:
https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/sk/batoche

James Stoness is also author of ‘Touring North America’, a series of travel guides on CD to help you plan your trips across North America. Visit his website to read his novels and travel guides – https://stonessrvtravel.com/

Lead photo courtesy of Fairmont Hotels

Quebec’s north shore along the St. Lawrence River has everything you need for a great holiday. Whether you are looking for small villages nestled in green valleys, or the bustle of the large city with its theatres and shopping areas you will find everything here. You will also find terrific panoramic views of the St. Lawrence River, backdropped by tree clad mountains, and rugged canyons.

Quebec City draws people from all continents. The historic battlefield that shaped the future course in Canadian history is preserved in the Plains of Abraham and is a beautiful open park great for walking, having a quiet picnic, or exploring the history of the battles. Of course, everyone wants to visit the old walled city of Quebec enclosed with its 4 kilometre stone wall. Once you enter one of the four gates you are surrounded by well maintained historic stone or wood buildings dating back to the beginning of the city. It’s a delight to walk the narrow, twisting streets and sample the wares of the small shops. No visit is complete without descending from the high plain upon which the city is located to the lower level by the river. Here there are more narrow streets and lanes with small shops and places to eat, and an unforgettable view of Chateau Frontenac. This uniquely designed hotel with its red walls and green copper roof is Quebec City’s most recognizable building. It was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway as part of a chain of magnificent hotels built to attract tourism and increase passenger traffic on the railway.

Driving a few minutes to the east you reach the 83 metre high Montmorency Falls. This spectacular falls is now part of a park with hiking trails, and picnic areas. The top of the falls is reached with a long climb on a cliff hanging set of stairs, or in the comfort of a cable car.

The striking view of the river at Baie Saint Paul coaxes you to leave Que-138 and turn onto the Shore Road, Que-362, a road that descends along fields of hay and grazing cattle, passing quiet villages along the way. Not only are you passing through an area of great beauty, but it’s also a region that’s seen its share of dramatic changes. You will drive through the 54 km diameter Charlevoix crater which probably reached 10 km deep. This crater was formed when a meteor struck many millions of years ago. The crater spreads out under the river. The drive has steep hills 7-13%. Some of Quebec’s great water photographs are taken from this highway. Mont des Eboulements is the small mountain created by the meteor’s impact. Below the village of Eboulements is the village of St. Joseph de la Rive located on the landslide of the earthquake of 1663. The road to it is steep and space is limited in the village. This area is a high earthquake occurrence zone.

In 1608, the explorer Samuel de Champlain was less than pleased when the tide went out and left his ship stranded on the bottom of the beautiful bay he was visiting. La Malbaie takes its name from Champlain calling it ‘Malle Baie’ or bad bay. To the traveller it looks far from bad. It’s just a continuation of the wonderful scenery found along the river. In the 1800’s the rich and famous took advantage of the beauty of the area and flocked here for vacations.

If you are looking for rugged mountain hiking, paddling and camping, visit the provincial park (park national des Hautes-Gorges) on the upper reaches of the Malbaie River. This park features very deep valleys with sheer cliffs and high mountainous peaks.

Que-138 heads east  from La Malbaie through scenic, hilly country with good views of the river below. You can stay on this highway and cross to Tadoussac on a ferry. It is perhaps better to follow Que-170 towards Chicoutimi because it takes you along one of Quebec’s scenic jewels, the magnificent Saguenay Fjord. The highway is twisty as you reach the high cliffs of the Palisades of Charlevoix and pass attractive lakes before reaching the edge of the Saguenay Fjord in L’Anse-Saint Jean. This is one of Quebec’s pretty villages and its setting and the style of the buildings are worth seeing. While in the village, cross the covered bridge and drive upward to the edge of the Saguenay Fjord for great views. It may not be good for large vehicles as space is tight.

Near Riviere Eternite turn into the Saguenay Provincial Park which encloses the greater part of the Saguenay Fjord. This is one of the longest fjords in Canada and you can board a cruise boat here to see the cliffs from water’s level. The waters of the fjord and part of the St. Lawrence Estuary are protected by the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park managed by the Federal government and the Quebec government. The campground is at the base of the striking cliffs of the park. The Visitor Centre is further down the entrance road on the waters of the fjord. Take a cruise to fully appreciate the height of the sheer cliffs along the fjord.

When you leave the park, drive through Chicoutimi and then southeast along Que-172 to reach Tadoussac. There are fewer hills along this route and unfortunately you are too far from the fjord to see it. Tadoussac is at the mouth of the Saguenay River where it enters the St. Lawrence Estuary. An estuary is a zone where river waters meet ocean waters and the mixing of two different kinds of environments takes place. High levels of nutrients are present creating a perfect habitat for marine life. Here you will find whales of many different species and it’s for this reason that Que-138 is called the Whale Route (Route des Baleines), a distance of over 900 kilometres where whales are frequently present.

Tadoussac is a perfect port from which to take advantage of a whale watching cruise. You’ll also find that the Domaine des Dunes is a nice clean campground and very handy to the boat cruises with a shuttle bus stopping in the campground. A short sidetrip takes you to an area of large sand dunes. Tadoussac was first visited by Europeans when Jacques Cartier anchored there in 1535. A fur trading post was established in 1600 and was visited by Samuel de Champlain in 1603. From these simple roots came the Canada we know.

Two hundred kilometres north of Baie Comeau you would reach the Manicougan Impact Crater and Reservoir. It was a 5 km wide meteor that struck here 200 million years ago forming the 4th largest impact crater in world, 104km by 138km. It is easily visible from the air, and the water impounded behind the Manic V dam produces immense quantities of electricity. There is an excellent tour of the power plant and dam.

The Whale Route in places cuts through heavy dark forests with occasional views of the estuary, or twists among beetling cliffs and roams up and down steep hills. It is quite scenic. To the north of Port Cartier there is an enormous wildlife reserve with a large number of fishing lakes, many of which are part of canoe camping routes.

The city of Sept Iles was named in 1535 by Jacques Cartier after the seven islands that protect it. It is now an important year round shipping port shipping out iron ore brought to it by rail from Labrador. Cheap electricity also made it possible to build a huge aluminum smelter here.

Havre St. Pierre gives access to the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, a chain of islands and bays stretching over 150 kilometres. It features distinctive topography of arches, pillars, and sea caves. It is also a place to see over 200 species of birds. You can make arrangements with private operators to take you to the islands or tour them.

Havre St. Pierre is also a shipping port for titanium ore. A 45 km railway brings the ore from the mine to the port. A visit to the dock will show you the ore being loaded on the ship. There is an Interpretation Centre near the water in the old Labrador Stores and the Hudson Bay Company building.

Que-138 continues to pavement end at Natashquan. A few miles of gravel road continue. Someday this route may join with Blanc Sablon in Labrador and the ferry to Newfoundland. The terrain is flatter with many wet boggy areas resembling northern tundra, and the wild flowers that grow along the road can be spectacular. If you want to drive to Natashquan, one of the furthest accessible communities on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it might be wise to leave the RV at the campground in Sept Iles and drive a smaller vehicle because the highway is frequently twitchy and bumpy. Natashquan is the perfect picture of a fishing village with lots of gear lying round about. The Hotel Auberge la Cache is a very comfortable place to stay with good food.

Sylvia and I found the north shore scenery terrific and will return, perhaps in autumn to see the foliage colours when the far vistas from the higher hills should be spectacular. We found so many things to see that we didn’t know about, and the people were very friendly and went out of their way to show us around. If you haven’t explored the north shore now is the time to plan for it.

James Stoness is also author of ‘Touring North America’, a series of travel guides on CD to help you plan your trips across North America. Visit his website to read his novels and travel guides – https://stonessrvtravel.com/