Winter is here again, and the only way to enjoy it is to embrace it! What a better way than exploring the surrounding countryside, where every unexpected corner can offer many surprises; this time the rare and stunning frost flowers.
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers” – L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
February is the month when Canadians have most of their winter fun, as lots of events and festivals take place across the country. Indoor, and especially outdoor activities highlight Canada’s cultural, artistic, and culinary diversity, and most of them are free and take place everywhere.
Before the ice age month will come to an end, we decided to go for a drive in the country side, enjoying another sunny and beautiful day.
Out of the hundreds of hiking possibilities in Northern Ontario, the trail going to the White River suspension bridge is the one you won’t want to miss. If you like hiking, you love nature, and suspension bridges, then this is the trail you must have on your list.
Being on the road already for few days, on our West to Northwest Road Trip, we planned carefully a full day on this rather difficult trail.
One of the largest living history attractions in North America, Fort William offers a vivid image of the fur trade life. Re-enactment of the old days was our main reason we chose to visit the fort, as we very much enjoyed the cheerful animators from Fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. Although the park staff was very limited after the big lockdown from the beginning of the year, we considered lucky to be able to visit it, as the park re-opened mid-summer.
The story of the North West Company and its rendezvous place at Fort William covers but a brief span of history. Between the American Revolution (1776-1783), the war of 1812, and later the Pemmican War, then until its own absorption by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821, the North West Company exercised a virtual monopoly of all trade into the northwest directed from Montreal. As the company’s inland headquarters, Fort William became the pivotal point in a vast fur trading empire, in a peaceful time before the several changes of what will later become Canada, such as 1869 when Hudson Bay Company turned over the governance to the new nation of Canada who decided the future of the North West territories. Anyway, Fort William remains an eloquent proof of peaceful trading times, frozen in time at the height of the fur trade in North America, as it was in 1816.
Hope you will enjoy the little movie, and the cheerful animators of Fort William!
Tip(s) of the day:
~ visited in August 2021
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”
― Jim Bishop
I was often in awe of the craftsmanship of many bridges I crossed or admired over time. Some of them are right in the middle of famous cities, probably famous just because of their prodigious bridges, while others are built in the midst of unbelievable places, in the middle of nowhere. Either way, all of them are taking you to some of the most scenic views.
As the cold season approaches, the little creatures start their annual feast, getting ready for hibernation, or migration. The flowers are still blooming, offering their reach nectar to the ones that like foraging the beautiful gardens.
Many birds, bees, moths, insects, and butterflies consume nectar. Without knowing it, they spread the pollen that is stuck to their body to other plants, therefore pollinating.
The summer was upon us when I realized there was still a lot I wanted to do before experiencing a new season.
Our love for long road trips started many years ago. We find joy preparing a road trip, and get excitement to the max with every new adventure on the road. Having our own schedule leaves us the flexibility to adjust the plans on the go, giving us a certain freedom, especially in these pandemic times.
1000 Places and Memories 