Thursday, September 27, 2012

Niagara Fall! Ottawa!

Hey, what can I say, we made it to Niagara Falls, and got our pictures, had a nice walk along the river and fought the Labor Day crowds.  On our way, we drove through Port Dover and a few other lovely areas.  It is very pretty all along the route.  We had a bit of trouble finding a spot to park but really not bad.  Glad to make it here and see this Wonder of the World. 
 Because it was mid afternoon, Labor Day, and a holiday was a good time to get our drive through Toronto over with.  It went amazing and we were through the area in now time.  Took a side road and drove through many small towns and communties.  Camped at Port Hope in the Zellers parking lot.  In the morning, Jim needed to find a shop that could supply him with a piece of metal for a bit of work he had to do on the hitch for the car.  Found the spot in Cobourg and of course it started to rain so he had to do the work under the awning of the motorhome.  All done, lunch over and we were on our way. Unfortunately, in our travels we had a bit of a mishap.  Going out of the Zellers parking lot, it was extremely bumpy and uneven, don't know if the cupboard door was not shut  or what exactly properly or what happened but all of our plates fell out and crashed on the floor. All smashed except one so we threw it out as well. Looking for new plates. Our next evening stop after taking more side roads and going along the river was Trenton at the Walmart.  it was a quiet nite and we were on the road fairly early next day.   
When we stopped for lunch, Jim discovered that the water pump was not working.  What next!  Drove along for awhile and then found a great spot to stop so he could check things out.  I went for a walk in this little town by the name of Bath and took a few pictures etc.  Jim was able to fix the pump, by passing the relay switch. We bought a couple of books for 50 cents each and headed down the road. Drove along the coast to the intersection just before Kingston and headed north on Hwy 15 towards Ottawa.  The landscape changes here again and the roads are not as good.  Enjoyed the drive through the area, got through Smiths Falls,(took a wrong turn) and back enroute arrived at Merrickville.  This turned out to be one of our favorite places in Ontario.
It is right on the Rideau Canal and there are locks there for the boats to go through.  Very interesting!  We parked and walked around the main street and area.  Had a beer in one of the many quaint and unique pubs and decided to check out the campground which was right in town.
Our campsite, right beside the canal.
 
We even had a fire and sat out til after 9:00 pm.  Next day, washed some clothes, took another walk, I spent some money and bought a nice little black dress, and had lunch in the Mainstreet Cafe before we hit the road.  We filled up with diesel and propane in Kemptville and proceeded to follow the directions on my phone to the Walmart in Barrhaven to park the rig so we can tour the Parliament Buildings etc.  Arrived there after a bit of confusion and got parked.  Went into Walmart for a few things and I went looking for a pedicure. Didn't have to go far and got what I wanted done.  An hour and a half later I was back in the motorhome. Took a drive around the area and went for a short walk. After a pleasant evening, we were up early, ready to tackle the tour.
 

 
  As we approached the Parliament Buildings.  Beautiful!  So much to see!
                              Hmmm,  Princess Auto,  let me see?
Jim picked up a flyer while we were waiting for the tour to start.  We really enjoyed it and were very glad we took the time.  Did lots of walking around.  Went to the Byward Market and had lunch.  Walked along the canal and just had a great day in our Nations Capital!  Were very tired after all the walking so had an early night.  We could have stayed another day, but so many place, things to see and do that we got up early and in the pouring rain were on the way to Old Quebec City.  Can't wait to see this amazing city!