Toronto 1

June 29, 2019 Saturday Day 41

Woke up early and refreshed. The hotel was undergoing some renovation so its breakfast area was cramped, but the breakfast was terrific. Lots of selections from hot and cold dishes and lots of fresh fruit.

Toronto is a very big city. It is the provincial capital of Ontario, the commercial capital of Canada, has almost 3 million resident as and the metropolitan region has almost 6 million. It got started as a French trading outpost in the mid 18th century, but was acquired by the British following the British victory in the Seven Years War between France and Great Britain in 1763 (known in America as the French and Indian War). it was made the capital of Upper Canada. It was named York after the Duke of York, but renamed Toronto in 1834, reverting to its native name . There was a large influx of settlers from the United States after the Revolutionary War by United Empire loyalists who wanted to remain with Great Britain.  In 1813 during the War of 1813 it was successfully invaded by the Americans who burned down the legislative buildings. In retaliation the British burned the White House in Washington DC the following year. in 1837 it was the center of the Upper Canada rebellion against British colonial rule. (I guess the loyalists' decedents saw things differently their elders.) It was briefly the capital of colonial Canada before that status was transferred to Ottawa as part of the process of Canada obtaining its independence. Through  the first two thirds of the 20th century Toronto grew through immigration, but its population and economic importance still remained second behind the much longer established Montreal. However due in part to the political and economic uncertainty raised by the Quebec sovereignty movement, many businesses moved their activities from Montreal to Toronto and by 1980 Toronto had surpassed Montreal in population and had become Canada's chief economic hub.  Toronto has more skyscrapers including high rise residences than any other city in North America

After breakfast we walked down to Yonge St to Harbourfront Centre/Queen's Quay Terminal where we encountered the International Tall Ships festival. For a small price we gained admission to a score of ships of varying sizes, designs and functions. Most of the ships were sponsored by organizations that were not Canadian, one was sponsored by the port of Baltimore, and were used for training and/or publicity purposes. Several offered members of the public the opportunity to work on the ships, essentially summer camps for adults. This was just one of many stops for most of these ships to ports around the world for similar festivals.

The CN Tower is the tallest structure in North America

After a few hours touring boats and talking with the crews, we walked along the waterfront on Queens Quey E into the Old Town neighborhood. We stopped at a park which had music and festival booths. The music was bluegrass. There was a New York State tourism booth and I won some swag including a hat by winning a trivia contest. We continued east on the waterfront to Sugar Beach Park which had a lot of street performers. Sort of a cleaned up Venice Beach.

We then headed away from the lake front to the St. Lawrence Market.  This was sort of a larger and upscale Grand Central Market, but not too much was open on a Saturday holiday weekend afternoon. However we were able to sample the signature Toronto sandwich at the Carousel Bakery. Mainly cured bacon rolled in cornmeal flower. Not to my liking, but better than the French fries and cheese curdles, poutine that is a Canadian national dish. We shopped at the Metro supermarket purchasing ice cream, wine and assorted snacks.

We ate the former at a small park at the back of the historic Flatiron Building. This five story building was built in 1891 by the Goodenham family which made their fortune in the distillery business. It was completed a decade before the much taller Flatiron building in NYC. It has a tunnel under the street to the a bank also owned by the family so the family could move large bags of cash without going outside. There is a mural on the back of the building that is a mirror image of the building across the street. That creates an optical illusion, trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye) in which something appears real when it is not. The building was designated as a National Historic Site in 1975 which saved it from demolition when all around it apparently were demolished. Now it stands as the only older building among a forest of modern structures.

   
It was early evening but still very light so on the way back to the hotel we stopped off at Cantina Mercatto for some drinks and a light dinner. After more progress to the hotel we sat in a park eating and drinking and people watching. The predominant temperature throughout the day was hot while the  predominate language throughout the day was English.

Watching the people watching the fountain

We walked over 7 miles during the day. However by the time we arrived back to the hotel at 9:47 it was still light.

To Toronto

June 28, 2019 Friday Day 40

Woke up early without any bed bites or sleep interruptions, so the motel served its purpose. I checked on the car which I had plugged into an outside outlet at the far end of the motel and it was still slowly charging. I then went for a swim in the motel's indoor pool. It was a nice size but very humid and chlorinated. The deck was being rebuilt.

Then went to the breakfast area and were greeted by a mob of Sikhs. The motel was hosting a bus tour of Sikhs from the Punjab in India. They were virtually all male and primarily older. They were from a seniors club and were dressed in Sikh style clothing. There was no one in the breakfast area except us who was not part of that group. The tour guide was a Indian-Canadian who had immigrated to Canada over 40 years ago. We spoke at length, he seemed to welcome the break from the Sikhs, and he recounted the difficulties and discrimination he had experienced in Canada, but he also expressed his gratitude for the good life Canada had afforded him. He said that the travelers were on a two week visit to Canada and were up from Toronto for two days and one night.

The breakfast was a chaotic affair. At one point my wife's English muffin was squished down in the toaster by another guest's bread. The food area was pretty messy, spreads like peanut butter were being taken right out of the jar and the owner was furiously, but unsuccessfully trying to resupply the food. At least the breakfast had fresh fruit and was filling.

After breakfast we quickly packed up and exited for downtown with a 48 mile electric charge. We took Parry Sound Drive, Joseph and Isabella streets, the latter going under a high railway trestle into a very cute downtown.

The town is located on Parry Sound, which has the deepest, natural, freshwater port in the world. The town is named after the sound which was named by Captain Henry Bayfield, yes he of Bayfield WI fame which we passed through earlier in the week, for William Parry, an Artic explorer.  The town has a permanent population of about 6,400, that swells considerably during the summer. For the first part of the 20th century area's economy was centered on explosives and munitions plants. Today tourist is the main economic driver.

We parked by the harbor and observed the great lake cruise ships. The sound opens up to Georgian Bay, which has 30,000 islands. and then out to Lake Huron.

Then we walked through a park and entered a local historical museum. At the other end of the harbor is the Bobby Orr  Hall of Fame. He was a great hockey player who was born and raised in Parry Sound and played his entire career with the Boston Bruins. Pretty small and pricy, $9, but a must see if you are a Bobby Orr fan. After quick stops in the gift and ice cream shops, we took a stroll on the Fitness Trail which roughly parallels the shoreline and provided nice views of the bay.

We then drove through town and exited at the southern end and resumed our drive to Toronto. Back on the highway it was a long, monotous drive through very green, but flat brush and new forests. As we got closer to Toronto farms began to appear.  We stopped for a Subway sandwich lunch and gasoline as it began to rain.

As we approached Toronto during rush hour we encountered major traffic congestion, both going into and out of town.

Toronto sort of took me by surprise. I knew that it is a major metropolitan area, but I had never been there and was not prepared for what I saw. Perhaps it was because we had really not been in a major city since Minneapolis. My first vision of the city was forests of residential towers and lots of construction cranes.

We entered the entertainment district, south of the downtown business area on an elevated freeway that ran past lots of sleek glass and steel office buildings and more residential high rises.  Found our hotel without problem, but had to unload in the rain and park around the block in an underground garage to avoid a $45/day parking charge at the hotel. We had reserved a room in the Executive Hotel Cosmopolitian, a former apartment building so we have a spacious suite with a nice view. The hotel is at 8 Colborne Street, a narrow street, in the heart of downtown. Various taxes amounted to 24% of the bill.

After unpacking we walked around the downtown. I felt like a tourist gazing up at the tall buildings and people watching the well dressed pedestrians. Very much like New York City or San Francisco. Entering the westside neighborhood we passed through Union Station, a large handsome edifice, which was still crowded with passengers and were headed in the direction of the Rogers Center to see if we could get in and see the baseball game. Toronto Blue Jays vs. the Kansas City Royals. Two teams having very poor seasons and going no where in the standings. As we approached the stadium a young man solicited us to purchase his two season tickets. They were very good seats, 5th row box, slightly down the line from first base. He was seeking $120 a piece  for them. I expressed interest in the seats, but not the price. We had an extended negotiation and he reduced the price, but not to a level I was interested in, so I walked away. Shortly thereafter he pursued us and we agreed on a price of $80 US. Thus we watched the Blue Jays pull out a come from behind 6-2 win. Two, loud, but joyful Royals fans 2 rows behind us who had traveled to Toronto from Kansas City primarily they said to see the game were very disappointed. The ballpark was completed in 1989 and was the first with a fully retractable motorized roof. One outfield wall is the wall to a luxury hotel. We could see some of the hotel guests in their rooms.  Weird seeing a baseball game indoors on artificial turf. Little noise in the stadium, less than 19,000 in attendance and no organ or piped in music. We purchased some Labatt beer and fries. Usual ballpark exorbitant prices. However it was bobblehead night and we were given two of them which we will mail to the grandkids when we return to the US.

Sculpture on the outside of the stadium

This was the beginning of Canada Weekend so the town seemed to be emptying out and after the game many of the restaurants were closed. late  We ate a late dinner at the Irish Embassy Pub and Grill. Reasonable food and low priced beer. Then walked back to our hotel.

Across Ontario

June 27, 2019 Thursday Day 39

We got up relatively early, ate a hardy breakfast of eggs and fruit, packed up, collected the 50 yards of extension cords that helped to charge up the car to 48 miles. Initially we drove around the Canadian Sault Ste Marie. It is much larger and more prosperous looking than the US side. Lots of large and well maintained homes and modern and multi-story buildings. Then we set out to explore the northern shore of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada.

I had not planned to take this route as my original plan was to drive south through Michigan passing through Detroit and to enter Canada Windsor.But Detriot was not exciting, most of Michigan looked like flat farmland or depressed factory towns, so I decided that we would explore the great open area north of Lake Huron. However I had no maps, guide books for or reservations in that part of Canada. Thus our first stop was the Ontario visitor center to get maps and tourist books for the area. That was located next to casino to which we walked to change US for Canadian money. A very favorable exchange rate.

It turned out that while this area of Canada is great for boating swimming, fishing and camping, there is not much else there.

Outside of town we got on the Trans-Canada Highway, a 4,860 mile mostly four lane divided highway that is the only road which connects eastern and western Canada. It stretches in the east  from St. John's, Newfoundland, then to the mainland by way of a ferry and ultimately to Victoria BC in the west. It has different numbers throughout most of the 10 provinces (it does not go to any of the Canadian territories), but throughout it has a distinctive white-on-green maple leaf markers.

The drive was relatively flat and accompanied by endless green forests. There was little traffic. While we rarely saw it, we were following the northern shore of Lake Huron and there were  periodic signs for vacation spots on the many islands. We passed a few small towns, Bruce Mines, Blind River and Spanish, but did not enter any until we arrived at Massey, a non-descript town of about 1000 residents that is the gateway to Chutes Provincial Park.

The Park is named after the logging chutes that diverted logs around the waterfalls and other obstacles on the Aux-Sables River. From the late 1800s until the 1930s this was a major logging area. Trees, mainly pine, were toppled and dragged on to the ice covered river. Each logging company branded its logs. In the spring, when the river was at its highest level the logs were floated down the river to the mouth of the Spanish River, then to Lake Huron where they were towed by tug boats to sawmills. The logs were shepherded down the rivers by the Whitewater Men. Their duties included minimizing the damage to the logs while then traveled and to minimize jams which cold occur when logs got caught on obstacles.  There were pictures of the Men working on the logs on the river with long pikes maneuvering the logs.

The main attractions in the park were its waterfalls and rapids. There was a nice trail network and we took a long stroll through the park enjoying the water and the verdant vegetation. The water level was down considerably from its height in early spring.   We also had a little picnic. There was also an exhibit at the Graveyard Rapids which described the log-driving era and the hazards that the Whitewater Men experienced.

After exiting the park we returned to Massey and sought a place for an early dinner. There were not many choices. We selected the Dragonfly Restaurant. It had outdoor dining and an extensive menu. Lots of dragonflies hanging from the ceiling. A nice dining experience. The pasta was very good and the portions generous. Our waitress was a young girl who said there was nothing to do in town. She was planning on leaving as soon as she could.

After dinner we got back on the highway and continued east passing Sudbury where the highway forked. We turned south and desiring to get to Toronto the following day, bypassed Sudbury, the largest city in the area and a nickel mining center.

Throughout this and prior trips I frequently did not make lodging reservations until a few days in advance, or in some cases on the actual day. It had never been a problem and we always had secured acceptable lodging. Due to the late decision to take this route, my unfamiliarity with the area and no idea of where we would be, I had not made a lodging reservation for this night. As we drove through
a very rural and wooded area with infrequent and very small towns whose accommodations seemed to be exclusively summer camps and fishing and hunting lodges we were having difficulty securing lodging. I began t ear that we would be camping in the car that night. We arrived in Parry Sound about 8:00 pm. Not many choices. We finally landed at a Canadian Best Value Inn and Suites. Neither a good value nor a desirable place to lay ones head.

After checking in we drove and walked around a portion of Parry Sound until we ran out of daylight. A very cute town with an expansive waterfront. 

Soo Locks

June 26, 2019, Wednesday Day 38

We woke up in Canada. Had a breakfast of smoked whitefish, yogurt and fruit, Delicious. It had stopped raining and the sky held the prospect of a rare, for us on this trip, a warm and sunny day. With the permission of the very cooperative owner I drove the car to the back of the house and plugged in directly to the electrical outlet. That worked and we charged up a few miles before departing.

As usual, we got out late, this time about 10:30 and I found the way back to Sault Ste Marie USA without mishap by again crossing the International Bridge. The bridge is long, it has two suspension spans, and just two lanes. Traffic is restricted to 30 mph so one can get a nice view of the St. Marys River and its rapids and the locks below.

Unfortunately, near the end of the bridge we encountered a long line of vehicles waiting to pass through US immigration. That wait was about 20 minutes. Most of the vehicles were Canadian. I recall a time when as a US citizen you did not need a passport to cross between the US and Canada. Then we again had to pay the $4 bridge toll, the price of getting lodging in Canada.

We drive into and around US Sault Ste Marie. Lots of old buildings, virtually no new ones and weather beaten houses of varying sizes, but most well maintained. The city owes its existence to the rapids in the river. From the beginning when various Indian tribes gathered at this site, which is the wheelhouse for the upper Midwest since it is where three Great Lakes meet, to trade, to the establishment by the French of the first permanent European settlement in the upper Midwest, to the nexus of the boundary dispute between the US and Great Britain, to the establishment of the first lock by the British to facilitate the fur trade and finally to the building of ever larger locks by the US to facilitate the passage of iron ore from the mines in the then west to steel mills in the east.

The French ruled the area for 140 years. They administered a single community on both sides of the river as did the British who followed them. However following the War of 1812 during which the Americans established Fort Brady on the southern side of the river, in 1817 the US-UK Joint Boundary Commission (which I subsequently leaned through a book by an author who traversed the entire US Canadian border, continued its existence for several decades and ultimately peacefully established the US Canadian border west to the Pacific Ocean and eastward in Maine.) established the boundary as the St. Mary's River. Whereas in the past the fur traders and Indians roamed freely throughout the area, the US forbid Canadians traders, trappers and Indians from operating in the US. That disrupted trade and commerce and lead to the establishment of the Sault Ste Marie town on the Canadian side of the river.

We parked on the outskirts of downtown.The US city has been losing population for 50 years and is now down to about 13,500 residents. It is the second largest city in the UP and is the northern terminus of I-75 which runs uninterrupted down to Miami, Florida.  The US city has been losing population for 50 years and is now down to about 13,500 residents. Beside the locks, the only other significant employers in town seem to be Lake Superior University and tourism.

Initially took a side trip to the Post Office to mail in my electric toothbrush rebate and then walked downtown to the Canal Park. This is maintained by Homeland Security as the locks are considered a vital national asset. The Park is fenced off and bags are checked at the entrance. We were lucky that a large, but not the largest, freighter would be passing east through the lock in a short time. We climbed up into the multi tiered viewing area along with two score of other visitors that is placed right next to the Poe lock and gazed westward looking for the ship. As it appeared in view it was moving incredibly slowly and with a tug to guide it. After a about 10 minutes it began to slide into the lock. There was less than a yard between the edge of the ship and the edge of the lock, but the captain skillfully nudged it forward until its stern had cleared the rear lock. Crew and lock staff walked alongside of the ship holding ropes that were attached to the ship in what to me at first appeared to be a ridiculous activity. How could they hold back the ship if that was needed?  When the ship finally came to a halt 4 small metal like anchors were ejected from the ship that were attached to these lines and they were used to secure the ship to the deck of the lock. Then very slowly, almost imperceptibly the water level in the lock began to fall. Over the next 10 minutes the deck of the ship fell below that of the lock until the water level in the lock, initially at the level of Lake Superior, fell 21 ft.to that of Lake Huron. Then the front, east, lock was opened, the ship's engines began to churn the waters and the ship slowly began to move and slipped out of the lock. From first sight of the ship to its disappearance down the St Marys River the process took about an hour.

Freighter entering th lock

Gate opening to permit ship to exit the lock

We then watched a tug push a crane barge into the lock where it participated in some maintenance work on the deck of the lock.

The lock system is pretty basic and while the technology has improved over the ages, these locks, the largest in the world in terms of tonnage passing through, still basically operate the same as locks have throughout history. Gravity does most of the work. There are two gates, one at each end of the lock box. Ships sail in at either the higher or lower level depending upon whether they are going upstream or downstream. The locks are then closed and pushed by gravity, the water either flows in or out thorough pipes raising or lowering the water level to the adjacent waterway. Then the gate is opened and the ship sails out. About 1000 ships pass through the locks each year (the locks are closed from January through March due to freezing weather and ice.) and although they generally do not dock there. the US Post Office maintains a marine postal station in the middle of the locks to service the passing ships. There are much smaller locks on the Canadian side that primarily service recreational vessels.

We then toured the visitor center. Among other things it has computer screens showing in real time the ships approach to and departure from the locks. The largest ships that can pass through the locks are 1,000 ft long and 105 ft wide. Ships of such size cannot pass through the Welland Canal between lakes Erie and Ontario.They are land locked and are called "lakers." Ocean going ships that pass through the canal and get to the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence Seaway are called "salties".

After getting our fill of information about the locks we exited the park area and strolled down Water Street and did some window shopping and had lunch and drinks at the 1668 Winery and Lockside Brewery.  Continuing east on Portage Street we went to the Tower of History. Construction of this 210 ft tower was begun in 1968 by the Church. It was conceived as a monument to Catholic missionaries and a tourist attraction. It was supposed to be the cornerstone of a complex of buildings which were never built. The project quickly ran into financial problems and passed through several owners and is now owned by the historical society. The lower floors house a museum which has exhibits on local history, the missionaries and the local Native Americans. We declined the opportunity to pay $12 and climb the tower.

Tower of History

We started going back west and passed City Hall, formerly the federal building, walked along the waterfront and quickly toured the River of History and Historical Society museums. We passed a lot of bars. The Ramada Inn downtown is in an Art Deco building that was completed in 1927.  It has been nicely restored and has hosted Presidents and boxing champions Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey. Not your typical Ramada.

Our last stop was a Farmers Market where we bought provisions for dinner including grass fed buffalo steaks. We had a long chat with a local couple. They are long tine residents of the area and bemoaned its decline. In their words tourism was the only game in town lead in part by a local Indian casino.

We then drove back over the International Bridge, $4 toll again back to our Airbnb in Canadian Sault Ste. Marie. The views from the bridge are magnificent and since the speed limit is 30 mph I could it all in. There is a parallel railroad bridge owned the Soo Line which is the US subsidiary of the two major Canadian railroads.

We did some more food shopping in a Canadian supermarket and then went back to the Airbnb. Cooked and ate dinner and watched the Democratic Presidential debate.