SOUTHERN ONTARIO - Barns, Mennonites & Niagra Falls

As far as I can make out, Southern Ontario is that part of Ontario more or less that part of the Province which dips down into the United States, along the top of the Great Lakes.  Up until then the border with the US is a dead straight line.  Southern Ontario, however is playing tootsies with the U.S. states of Michigan and New York.  Toronto is not far north of Detroit.

When we reached the city of Sault Ste. Marie at the top of Lake Huron, the landscape flattened out and jagged rocks and pine trees softened into rolling corn fields with substantial farm houses and barns.

The farmsteads in Southern Ontario, except for Manitoulin Island, looked pretty prosperous, as did the townships.

We spent a few days on beautiful Manitoulen Island (a bit like a step back at least thirty years, with tumble down barns and interesting interwoven log fences), in Georgian Bay, at the top of Lake Huron, then crossed by the ferry, Chicheemaun, to the charming tourist village of Tobermory, and down into the lower penninsula between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, avoiding Toronto but catching up with Alvin's family.

The crystal clear waters of Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, around Manitoulin Island

From time to time there were signs to watch out for Mennonite wagons, and we did eventually meet up with one or two  - which is more than I can say of the mythical moose, which road signs constantly warn drivers about.

Mennonite wagon in Southern Ontario

We avoided Toronto, and Ottawa, but I had to see Niagara Falls.  Absolutely, tackily touristy and absolutely magnificent.  Nothing can take away the impact of such a force of nature ...  awesome!!  Then, to avoid getting caught up in the outskirts of the aforementioned cities, we decided, on the spur of the moment, to try out my US visa waver and skip to Quebec via the south side of Lake Ontario ... into the US, the New York State route.  Alas, the visa waver was a bit of a myth, only intended, they said for transit through airports ... we we spent a couple of hours twiddling our thumbs in the Border Post waiting waiting waiting with absolutely nothing to do and unable to leave, only to answer the same questions I had answered before on the visa waver ... this time with finger prints taken.  They were very pleasant about it, it was just a pain because while we waited the sun went down and we were forced to stay on the US side of Niagara for the night.  Still - the drive along Lake Ontario the next day was really lovely.

Downtown Niagara on the Canadian side.  

Niagra Falls - the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side, with  Maid of the Mist doing her routine trick.    There certainly was plenty of mist, enough to feel like rain, complete with rainbow.  

Wildlife sightings - a field of bison (which I didn't manage to photograph), one small unidentified bat and some Canada geese, real and decoy ...

Little bat enjoying an overday motel visit.

Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia to come, but it has been difficult to keep up after a long day's drive, and we are now almost at the end, due in Halifax tomorrow.