Canada 2006 - Southern Ontario

At the beginning of May 2006 I began my cross Canada trip. Leaving Toronto, I headed straight for Kingston Ontario (the former capital of the country.) Here I stopped in at my apartment, and scavenged every last trace of food that existed in the constantly rumbling, middle of the night waking up, beast of a mini fridge. Empty of sustenance, I was glad to leave it all behind me.

My first crisis arose in the parking lot of the building as I was about to tear away. I hooked up my MP3 player and started to listen to Pearl Jam [[PLAY BACK ERROR]]. Huh. I tried to play O.K. Go [[PLAY BACK ERROR]]. Right well that's alright, I don't need music for the next forty days as I traverse the country. No, that's cool. I only spent a week planning what music and audio books I'd take with me. This was fine. This was great this was - Oh thank god taking out the battery and putting it back in allowed the library to rebuild, and everything was fixed. Crisis one averted.

From Canada's former Capital I was headed to Canada's current Capital, Ottawa. About three stops East of Kingston the highway became a beautiful nature loves paradise. I couldn't believe that in all my time living there I'd never explored that far (though I did find a great cliff overlooking the highway, from which I would watch the world go by.)

What better place to start my adventure across the country, than from its very capital? Ottawa is host to so much that I would never have expected.

There is, of course, the Parliament buildings, which I can only assume are far more beautiful in the sun than they are in the middle of a downpour. It would also help if I stopped by to see them out of a personal desire. Instead, I was here on a walk from the Royal Mint to the War Museum. Like a fool, I was following an old Guide Book. While the Museum used to be beside the mint, it was now located three kilometers away.

The War Museum was worth the trip though. It housed items such as Hitler’s personal car, and a great number of vehicles that had a lot of action. The piece I found to be most profound was a U.N. Peacekeeping vehicle riddled with bullet holes. Surprisingly both passenger and driver were completely unscathed.

Ottawa also finds home to a number of smaller museums, such as the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, which is definitely worth a look, if you’re into that. As well, the city is home to the Canadian Aviation Museum where you can see large pieces of the Avro Arrow, and the casing for a Canadian Nuclear Missile.

Despite all of these wonders, I was most impressed with Jadeland Restaurant. Located at

625 Somerset Street West

, it offered the best hot and spicy soup, as well as the best Lemon Chicken I have ever had.

With memories of full stomachs and culture galore, I knew it was time for me to leave Ottawa behind. I was off to a cottage in Huntsville.

Huntsville Ontario has never disappointed me.

This trip was no exception. I took my time and visited High Falls on the way into town, walking around the base of the waterfall where people often cliff jump, and swim in the

lake below.

I made sure to visit the Lion's Lookout and survey the town, viewing both adjoining lakes.

This stop also allowed me to reconsider what I would need for my travels. A stop at Wal-Mart allowed me some hair ties, Febreeze, and a bag of Lassy Mogs. This would prove to be a crucial part of my sustenance.

A morning spent canoing the lake, as the mist rose off the waters surface was all I needed to convince me that I should bring a Kayak along with me. This would prove to be both and excellent, and terrible choice. But all that was still to come. Nearly a week in, and I was still in Southern Ontario. I still had the north to get through.