Last few days in the camper

Our last few days in the camper. We took the vehicle ferry to Prince Edward Island and drove around all its bays and peninsulas. It was pretty but not exceptional.  This is a lake on the island, which is in a lake (Lake Ontario). 

The next day (day 22) we had our first rain. We had been to look at the suspension bridge near the locks on the River Trent (not the River Trent as I know it!!) then after a coffee at Tim Hortons it started to drizzle :-( We can't complain, after 21 days of sunshine, but it curtailed our plans a little. We drove to Petroglyphs Provincial Park where there are petroglyphs carved into the rocks by First Nations tribes between 600 and 1100 years ago. Luckily they are inside a building (to protect them) so we could view them without getting wet - and there was an adjacent visitors centre where we saw a short film about the carvings, etc. Photography isn't allowed at the site unfortunately. 

  

River Trent

This is from the information centre at the petroglyphs and shows what they are like (sort of)

 Sunny again today - we drove through the Kawartha Lakes region. The temperature has plunged this last couple of days from around 30 degrees to around 17!  This is the World's (or Canada's, possibly Ontario's) highest hydraulic lock

Old mill in the Kawartha Lakes

The Thousand Islands

We had a relaxing morning exploring the little town of Gananoque before taking a 2 and 1/2 hour cruise around the Thousand Islands.  Got excellent coffee at this cafe, the counter is made from piles of books.  

Loved these shovels but I don't think we could take one on the plane.

This is our cruise boat.

We saw some tiny islands some with just room for a house, also one larger island with a castle on it.  We saw bald eagles and not-bald seagulls, who obviously fly up to the boat regularly and the skipper holds up a sausage which they take turns swooping down on for a bite.  Not quite dolphins but entertaining.  The boat trip was well worth it, very relaxing and interesting.

Locks and trains

Canals and trains day. We drove to different places on the Rideau Canal, stopping at Merrickville, Smiths falls, Newboro and Jones Falls. There were series' of locks at all these places built in the early 1800s. The waterway was a main thoroughfare until comparatively recently, now the lakes and canals that link them are quiet backwaters. We found a railway museum in Smiths Falls where we looked around inside lots of old trains and a boxcar. One wagon had been converted into a travelling dentists room. The dentist, his wife and family and a nurse travelled to the settlements in the far north of Canada. The service ran from the 1930s-1970s.

St Lawrence Waterway

The St Lawrence waterfront from Montreal to Thousand Islands National Park is full of history. We learned how marauding Americans crossed the frozen river back in the early 1800s when we visited Fort Wellington at Prescott. We had parked for lunch by the river beside a little marina and gardens, then noticed the fort across the road. The chatty guide there told us all the history of the area - who fought who and what happened. The weather is still super-hot, we need a fan in this van! Can't believe the overnight temp was 4 degrees our first night, last night it was too hot to go to bed at 10.00pm!

Montreal

We are pretty much citied-out but went into Montreal last Sunday (no wifi for days so just up-dating). The old port area was nice to look around, lots of tourists and buskers, artists, etc. Another scorching day, I think this is the summer the Canadians reckoned they didn't have earlier.

Malcolm photobombing the sculpture called tourists

The bridges of south Quebec road trip

Had to move Walmarts late last night, security guy at Quebec wouldn't allow overnight stays so we drove across the river to Levis where the Walmart was like a campground! Today we drove south through a landscape of Autumn colours. We wanted to stay at Parc du Mt Megantic and do some walks but there were no places so we turned west and found a campground with a pool :-) just right on another 30 degree day.

Mountains covered with deciduous trees

..in the background the park we couldn't get a site in

Madison County is not the only places with these bridges...

Love the speedo guys.

Random totem pole.

Another of those bridges - we stopped for lunch here.

Camp site.  Malcolm plugged in the power and I grabbed my togs!