GREY COUNTY – It doesn’t seem possible. I’ve walked maybe five minutes, past an old apple orchard, through a small meadow dotted with tiny white and purple wildflowers, and then into a hardwood forest of maple, birch, ash and beech trees filled with the soft, filtered light of an early autumn day. Suddenly, my guide for the day stops. “Look over there,” he says. I look out and gaze in wonder. I know my car climbed a reasonably steep hill to get to the Old Baldy/Kimberley Lookout. And I know that the Bruce Trail snakes along the Niagara Escarpment, with Read more
Canada
Move over, Ossington. East-end Toronto is coming on strong. For years, the trendy sorts in this city have been flocking to West Queen West and Ossington Avenue. And for good reason. Places such as Boralia and The Black Hoof on Dundas and Rhum Bar have been knocking people’s socks off. I think, though, that things might start shifting east. There are fantastic places in Riverdale and Leslieville. And now there’s a great food and drink outpost in a part of the East End you might not have expected a couple years ago. I was lucky enough to have drinks and Read more
ON THE BRUCE PENINSULA OF ONTARIO – Zane Davies is guiding me on a hike to the Lion’s Head Lookout in Lion’s Head Provincial NatureReserve. “I went to a beach place in Mexico and it was nice,” he tells me as wind our way along the ancient Niagara Escarpment, sunlight slanting through the deep green trees overhead. “But there weren’t any mountains.” Later, after showing me a rock formation that’s basically a hollow, vertical tube with an opening at the top and a space you can crawl into, he tells me he’s also been to the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Read more
HAMILTON – It had never occurred to me. Like many Ontario residents, and a lot of other folks, I’ve driven along or over the Niagara Escarpment hundreds upon hundreds of times. I’ve always enjoyed gazing up at the rock face and admired the way the escarpment snakes its way through southern Ontario. I’ve skied on it and walked on it and driven over it on countless occasions. But I’d never taken a minute to think about what happens when it rains on the escarpment. Naturally, the water collects in small creeks and streams and even small rivers, right? Just like Read more
WINDSOR – I was following my Google maps and heading into central Windsor to meet a fellow for a bike tour that would take us to a couple craft breweries and one of Canada’s best burger places. I wasn’t paying much attention to the surroundings, but was instead concentrating on making the turns that my iPhone kept reminding me to take. When I finally stopped the car and really looked around I was in a gorgeous neighborhood surrounded by deep red, brick homes with lush, vibrant gardens. The pale green and white hostas seemed to glimmer that extra bit and Read more
