JONES FALLS IN THE RIDEAU LAKES DISTRICT

Travelers must be alert to serendipity on the road. It happened to me when our lunch plans failed in Gananoque on the St. Lawrence River in the heart of the Thousand Islands. The restaurant we had chosen was closed for a private function and the only alternative was pub food, which we'd eaten too much in previous days on our vacation.

Upper lock and turning basin
from Kenney's Hotel

Nothing for it but drive about 50 kms north to Jones Falls, a place I'd never been to on the Rideau Lakes. Parks Canada operates this long canal/river linking lakes and locks that was designated a "Canadian Heritage River" in 2000 and a UN Heritage site in 2007. (More info here.)

The waterway runs from Ottawa to Kingston and visitors can take a choice of cruises of several days to enjoy the whole waterway. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but this time had to visit by road. I'm now determined to book two or three cruises back to back next year.

Jones Falls's locks, a staircase of four, were built in 1830 during the canal's construction and soon a hotel was built close by. The locks proved to be one of the greatest challenges for the builders who had to deal with a drop of 60 feet in the river. They have the second highest lock gates in the world and are still operated manually. Beside them, sits an old storehouse of local stone (now an interpretive centre open in the summer) and the lockmaster's house and a smithy further up river. It is picturesque and considered one of the most beautiful in the system.


Hotel Kenney followed soon after the locks were completed and it was here we headed for lunch.  It first opened in 1849, burned down, was rebuilt in 1877, and added to in 1888. Today it hasn't changed much since the later date, except for A/C throughout and modern bathrooms. The floors slope a bit and the boards creak as you walk through the public rooms into the restaurant. The smell is one of old wood.

Sitting at a window table watching the pleasure craft and kayaks sailing in and out of the lowest lock, I could easily imagine the older, gentler time. Ladies in long summer dresses, big hats, and carrying parasols would walk the lawns on the river's edge and enjoy afternoon tea at tables under the trees. US presidents have stayed here and Princess Juliana used to visit when she was living in Ottawa during WW2. The bar looks original, all wood, and offers a good choice of ale.

The three-course, prix fixe lunch in Hotel Kenney's restaurant overlooking the locks was all home-cooked and delicious. The menu is not haute cuisine, but reminiscent of earlier country-style dishes. It's hearty, tasty, and very reasonably priced. I had a bowl of turkey stew and my husband, fish and chips with all the trimmings that he devoured. Breakfast and dinner are also available for hotel guests and visitors.

We walked across Long Bridge to the locks to shake down our meal as the sky was darkening and warning us of a stormy late afternoon. So we drove back to Ottawa to continue our visits with family, well satisfied with the exploration and our future plan to cruise the whole system with Ontario Waterway Cruises.

Looking downriver from the locks

ALL IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2013. All rights reserved

A BUMPER CROP OF TRAVEL ARTICLES

Rowena's Inn at
Pretty Estates Resort

June 2013 brought me a bumper crop of articles published in print and online. Most flowed from travel in 2012, so long is the lead time with magazines these days. Today I'm finding that the time from pitch to publication is often 12-14 months.

I don't mind this, but my clients (hotels, tour companies and tourist boards) sometimes get impatient. All I can do is try to encourage the market to publish at a time that tourists are planning their vacations, rather than arriving at destinations.

Here are some of that harvest from 2012 :

A Convocation of Eagles: Bald Eagles Gather for a Salmon Feast on the West Coast of  British Columbia, online at Travel with a Challenge.

Extraordinary Encounters: Why I Travel, online at Europe Up Close and Business Travel Commentary, Reuters UK.

History Lives Here: Kilby Historic Site, print only in British Columbia History, Summer issue, available at http://bchistory.ca/publications/journal/index.html. (View the video here)

The Best Kept Secret in the Fraser Valley (Pretty Estates Resort— Rowena's Inn and Sandpiper Golf Course, etc), in print and online in Senior Living. (The video is below the article)

Exploring a Vancouver 'Hood, online at Day Trips Travel Guide.

Harrison River: Unknown and Unspoiled online at Travel Writers’ Tales, an independent travel writers syndicate, and in print and online in BC newspapers. (View the video here)

All images:  Photos by Pharos 2012-13

PREHISTORIC HOT SPRINGS IN SOUTHERN FRANCE? MAIS OUI!

I went in search of the source of the hot springs in Aix en Provence in August 2011. It turned into a journey through history with some surprises that ended with a delicious lunch in a hotel garden overlooking the remnants of a medieval tower and a Roman wall.

My quest led me through the best of Old Aix, the beginnings of which are lost in antiquity.

You can read my story at Travel Writers Tales here and in several British Columbia newspapers. Hope you like it.

Related post:  Stamp #8: Aix en Provence 

IMAGES: Photos by Pharos (Julie H. Ferguson) 2011

STAMP #4: Around Harrison Hot Springs

Before I checked out of Harrison Resort, I enjoyed the breakfast buffet in the Lakeside Café with a view up the lake. Not that you can see the northern end - it's 75 kms (43 miles) north! The buffet was sumptuous with a chef preparing fresh farm eggs to order. I had eaten too much the night before to partake in eggs benedict however much I wanted to!

Harrison's 9-hole golf course

The wind was still creating whitecaps and those out walking the beach were bundled up as I loaded the car. My first stop was at the local golf course, owned by the Harrison Resort. It's a full length, nine hole course that was built decades ago. Donna in the pro shop took me on a whirlwind tour in a golf cart. We both nearly froze. The fairways are flat and straight, with many mature trees. It was in good condition, if a bit wet in spots. They have a resident bobcat who kept out of sight. I wished I had time to play here.

On into the countryside just outside HHS that is farm country, mostly dairy, and very photogenic. The Farmhouse Natural Cheeses is a family business producing artisan goat and cow cheeses. All tasted magnificent and I bought $50 worth of French-style goat cheeses and a lovely sharp cheddar. I was allowed into the goat barn which also had a resident family of fearless barn cats, most of whom climbed up my pant legs. Outside in a paddock a donkey grazed and beside the shop were sheep and lambs. Visitors can see the cheese-making process through a window in the shop.

This is the area of the Agassiz-Harrison Mills Circle Farm Tour that takes visitors to ten venues (not all are open all year). Sadly The Back Porch was closed - I would have liked to visit here and bought a cup of coffee. It is a pottery, a coffee roastery, an antique shop, and more. They also grow Red Russian Garlic for sale. Also I was too late by a week or so to take in the Tulip Festival, and the farmers' market was yet to start this year.

Kilby's gift shop and café

However, Kilby Historic Site staff were expecting me and I absorbed the history of the region and how the Kilby family helped maintain the area from the 1920s to 1977 through my guide's excellent commentary. The Kilbys ran a general store, a farm, a gas station, the railway station, a hotel, and the post office here and when they were no longer needed, they donated everything to the province of BC. It is an astonishing living record and museum. The general store is exactly as it was. In season, costumed guides show visitors how life was lived in pioneering days and later. Children are not forgotten and can meet cows, turkeys, chickens, and goats close up. The gift shop is huge and interesting and the cafe serves good, plain fare typical of the 1920s.The site also includes a small provincial park on the shores of the Harrison River that has a sandy beach and a few camp sites. It's nice and quiet!

Fritz, the winemaker

My last stop was just east of Mission at Kermode Wildberry Wines. This was a new experience for me, having never really enjoyed any fruit wines I'd tasted before. I was pleasantly surprised. The winemaker explained the difference between his wine and that made from grapes. He uses mostly wild BC berries from all over the province. I tasted about ten (spitting as I was driving) - some I liked, all were interesting, some were wildly unusual like Sitka Mountain Ash wine. I needed an open mind. The port I tried was so good, I bought a bottle to pair with gorgonzola or chocolate.

Then it was home in the sunshine to process all my adventures.

Images:  © Photos by Pharos (Julie H. Ferguson) 2012

• Stamp #1: Harrison Hot Springs, Bc 
• STAMP #2 Harrison Mills 
• STAMP #3 Harrison Hot Springs 

STAMP #1: HARRISON HOT SPRINGS, BC

Next week I'm spending three days in Harrison Hot Springs and the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, thanks to Spectacular Ink and Harrison Tourism. Between them, they have arranged a spectacular itinerary for me. It includes:

• A round of golf at the valley's best kept secret - Sandpiper Golf Club - and lunch with the owner of the land.

  

  Harrison Hot Springs,BC, Canada
  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
• Visits to museums and historic sites - they know I love to write books and articles on Canadian history.
• I'm staying at the famous Harrison Hot Springs Resort and look forward to the hot springs and spa.
• A floating eco-tour on the Harrison River where, hopefully, I'll see some wildlife.
• A meeting with Sasquatch researchers.
• Visits to an artisan cheese producer, a winery, a coffee roastery, and more.

Harrison Hot Springs is an easy two hour drive from Vancouver. It's the perfect spot for a relaxing get-away in a stunning mountain and lakeside spot with something for everyone - from toddlers to octogenarians.

I'm praying for good weather as spring 2012 in the Pacific Northwest has been mostly grey, wet, and cool. Look for my impressions and photos here next week.

A GLIMPSE INTO BRITTANY'S MEDIEVAL TIMES

© Julie H. Ferguson 2011

Brittany, located in northwestern France, stole my heart a decade ago and I’m still returning to discover more of its coastline and countryside. Visitors tend to start and stop with St-Malo, which admittedly is a must-see, but there is more to explore and enjoy.

Dinan, thirteen miles from St-Malo, is one of the best preserved medieval towns in France with two miles of ramparts, a castle, and its own river port. Visitors from St-Malo and Dinard can take a cruise all the way up the Rance River and spend the day prowling around Dinan. There's much to enjoy here as I discovered last August ...

Read the story of my first visit to Dinan here: http://www.europeupclose.com/article/dinan-france-a-brittany-must-see/#.T2qdZtkWd7K or at Reuters UK

© Julie H. Ferguson 2011

Related post with more images:

Dinan, Brittany (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)

A NEW TRAVEL VIDEO

None of the markets that published my articles about the hot springs in Aix en Provence wanted a video. So I thought I would publish it here.

My quest for the hot springs in Aix en Provence takes me from prehistory, into the Roman Occupation, early Christianity and onward to the present. I'm led through the markets, into the cathedral, along the Roman wall, and into the garden of the Aqua Bella Hotel in August 2011.

The article should be read first here: http://www.travellady.com 



I hope you enjoy the short clip as much as I did creating it.

Video and images © Julie H. Ferguson 2011-12

Related articles

• STAMP #8: Aix en Provence, France (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)

REVIEW OF VICTORIA'S HISTORIC INNS

My review of Victoria's seven Historic Inns can be seen at IntheKnowHotels.com. The inns are a group of independently-owned heritage mansions on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I stayed in three, had a tour of another, and visited the rest. A marvellous experience!
Also on www.tripadvisor.com. 

Related articles (details of my visit)

• STAMP #1: Victoria, BC (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)
• STAMP #2: Victoria (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)
• STAMP #3: Victoria, BC (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)

IMAGE: Abbeymoore Manor, © Julie H. Ferguson 2011

ENJOY TWO MORE ARTICLES ABOUT FRANCE

St-Malo: Then and Now, 1944 and 2011 tells the story of the remarkable restoration of the town after its destruction in WWII. Enjoy the article and images at Europe Up Close.

Prowling Around Provence describes one of my many day trips from Marseille to three very different but Provencal villages. Find the story and images at Europe Up Close.

IMAGES: (c) Julie H. Ferguson 2011

Reuters UK also published both articles. 

  Related articles:

• STAMP: Evenos, France

• STAMP #1: Dinard and St-Malo, Brittany (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)

VICTORIA'S HISTORIC INNS

Albion Manor

I push open the door and the scent of beeswax and fresh flowers transports me to an era when the pace was slower and life more gracious. The innkeeper welcomes me with a pot of tea and freshly baked scones, while explaining that the resident ghost is friendly.

I spent four days in early September enjoying three of the seven historic inns, the slow food scene, and food and wine producers in and around Victoria, British Columbia. The first article about my experiences is published at The Travel Lady at http://www.travellady.com /Issues/Sep2011/victoria.htm.

This is a good opportunity for me to thank the innkeepers and staff at Abbeymoore Manor, the Beaconsfield Inn, Albion Manor, and Prior House Inn for their hospitality and assistance, as well as Peter Hunt of Victoria Spirits, Kristen Jordan of Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse, and Geoff Parker and Anna Hunt of Paprika Bistro for giving their time, expertise, and products. I appreciated all of you.

A flight of dry ciders at Sea Cider

IMAGES: (c) Julie H. Ferguson 2011

 Related articles

• STAMP #1: Victoria, BC (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)
• STAMP #2: Victoria (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)
• STAMP #3: Victoria, BC (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)

PART TWO OF MY CEZANNE AND PICASSO ARTICLE FROM PROVENCE

Picasso's Chateau de Vauvenargues

Happy to include the link to Europe Up Close where part two of my Provence article, "My Date with Picasso in Vauvenargues" is posted. Have a read here: http://www.europeupclose.com/article/date-picasso-vauvenargues-provence/#comment-50822.

IMAGE: (c) Julie H. Ferguson 2011

NEW ARTICLE ABOUT AIX'S HOT SPRINGS

TravelLady.com has published my article, "In Search of the Hot Springs in Aix en Provence."  You can read it at www.travellady.com/.




PHOTO:  Cours Mirabeau fountain fed by the ancient springs
                 (c) Julie H. Ferguson 2011

FIRST ARTICLE PUBBED ABOUT PROVENCE

My first of a two part article about Provence was published by www.europeupclose.com on September 15. "Cézanne's Mont Ste-Victoire" can be read here: http://www.europeupclose.com/article/cezannes-mont-sainte-victoire-provence/.

I hope you enjoy it. Three more articles about France are finished and I will post the URLs when they are available.

Image via Wikipedia

I know exactly the spot Cézanne painted this view of Mont Ste-Victoire.