Toronto Islands

 Toronto is the biggest city in Canada, and now has the tallest residential building in the country which is surrounded by other towering condos, apartments and office towers. The CN Tower dominates the view from all over the city. So as you wander the city, you can’t help but look up at some of these massive structures. 

But, a fifteen minute ferry ride and you can escape the ‘Concrete Jungle’ for Toronto Islands where the few buildings there are only no more than a few stories high. 

On the ferry

The islands are ‘relatively’ car-free. There is one car ferry bringing deliveries and essential services, but the only ‘community’ is basically connected by walking/biking trails. This community is really a collection of little cottages that have been turned into houses and sometimes they have been referred to as “squatters” because they lease the land their houses sit on from the Government for minimal rent. 

There are actually three ferries servicing the island, one going to Ward Island, one to Centre Island and one to Hanlan’s point (the car ferry). In the summer these ferries are packed with people going over to enjoy a day away from the city. 

The CN Tower is never is far away

There is a school and a fire station. There is an artist’s retreat, one church, and an old lighthouse as well as a water treatment plant. The only real busy section of the island is the central section where there is an amusement park, bike rentals, restaurants, and a yacht club. 

The island is very flat, and completely walkable, but the best way to get around is by bike. Tangerine Bike Rentals has locations all over the island and there are places that rent regular bikes, or tandem or quad bikes for family outings. The nice thing about exploring the island is the lack of cars and you can walk or bike without worrying about cars which is the exact opposite of Toronto downtown which is a traffic nightmare. 

Nice walking trails

At one end of the island is Billy Bishop Airport and it is always interesting to watch the tourists on the ferries suddenly realize that the airplane just over their head is landing on the island airport bringing more people to the biggest city in Canada. 

The side of the island facing away from the city features many beaches which are popular during the heat of the summer and the ferries are usually full of people pulling wagons and carts of essentials for a day at the beach. You can visit Ward Island Beach at one end, Centre Island Beach and Gibraltar Point beach on the central part of the island or if you are adventurous you can go the Hanlan’s Point beach which is one of only two “officially sanctioned” Clothing Optional beaches in Canada.

A beach far away from that distant city

When you Iive in a city like Toronto it is nice to have a place like Toronto Island where you can get away from the traffic, the congestion, and the high-rises and enjoy green open spaces, no traffic and time to just chill on the beach. However on one of my trips to the island I had a chat with a couple who, having lived in Toronto for over 20  years were making their first visit to this wonderful park like retreat minutes from the city. Don’t make their mistake, if you visit Toronto, take time to go explore Toronto Island.

Winter In Toronto

This is my third winter in Toronto and 2023, 2024 were not really that wintery, in 2023 there was hardly any snow at all and last year we got only one bad snowfall. But it appears that Toronto was just lulling me into a false sense of calm, because this year the city really got a winter! The snowstorm on January 25th dumped enough snow to break records for not only the single day’s snowfall but also for the entire winter. And we still have a few days left in the season. 

Now I am not new to winter; I grew up in Moncton New Brunswick and we regularly got snowdrifts of over 6 feet, and I recall digging snow tunnels through them that lasted for weeks. One year when we lived on a farm outside of Moncton we got so much snow in one storm that they were unable to plow our long driveway with a regular truck, and we had to wait days until a farmer down the road came with a new-fangled thing called a snow-blower on the front of his large tractor, and even with this he had to dig into the drift, back out and let the snow collapse and run at it again. So although I did know how to deal with lots of snow, years living in Nova Scotia I got used to snow that fell, froze, melted and then repeated, never really amounting to much. 

But as I get older, I have discovered that I do not really like winter; I have definitely become a summer, hot weather person, so the move to a 9th floor Toronto condo where snow became someone else’s problem, and, I could just ignore it and stay inside while I waited for spring to arrive once more. I do not own a snow shovel, all 10 of them in various sizes and configurations were left behind in Nova Scotia. My car does not have snow tires, because it is a little convertible that sleeps all winter in the warm underground garage and does not emerge from hibernation until all traces of salt are washed away by spring rain. 

But of course I can’t completely ignore winter, as I do have to go out for groceries and wine, so I have winter boots and warm clothes, and if you dress appropriately winter can be weathered.

Now with the heavy snowfall of the latest winter storm, I watched from the comfortable warmth of my condo as the roof next door got piled with snow and even my balcony developed drifts of the white stuff. Of course the newscasts were making a big thing of how bad the conditions were, so when the snowstorm stopped the next morning and the city’s crews had started cleaning up, I found I wanted to go out and see just what Toronto was like after a serious hit of Winter, so I dressed warmly, put on my L.L. Bean Slush boots and decided to go for a short walk to have a look about. 

Well, that short walk turned into a long 8 km hike through the city. I found I was really enjoying walking and experiencing the city as it dug itself out from the 60 Cm of snow. As I walked the streets I glanced around and saw things differently covered in snow. Long Icicles hung from building, and everything looked cleaner covered in a blanket of white.  I ended up walking not only my neighbourhood, but right down to the Waterfront. 

I discovered some streets were cleared nicely but others were a complete mess and had not been plowed yet, and sidewalks were every possible configuration. If there was a responsible business on the sidewalk it was likely shovelled, and sprinkled with ice-melt so was completely clear, Neighbourhood sidewalks in front of ordinary houses were a mix of careful cleaning to minimal pathways and on occasion when I came upon deserted or abandoned building I was required to walk through deep snow, actually breaking ground to create a new pathway for others to follow. 

Back in Nova Scotia if it snows, all vehicles have to be removed from the streets to allow cleaning, but here in Toronto, they sell street parking passes and some cars sit incased in ice and snow until everything melts in the spring. I saw whole streets solidly lined with snow covered cars. Their owners must have decided that Public transit was a better option than digging their own cars out. 

When I got to the waterfront I discovered that the lake was completely frozen over and looking from Sugar Beach I wondered what those folks who actually live on the island do when this happens, but a walk down to the ferry terminal showed that somehow they had broken a pathway through the ice and the ferry with struggling through heavy packed ice towards the island probably delivering those needed groceries and wine. Even the subway ride home was different with warnings about sections where trains had been cancelled because in places the subway was not submerged the snow buildup had not been cleared yet so buses were the only option. 

So I did have an interesting walk through Toronto’s  winter, but seriously . . . bring on spring!

Fishing

Kejick Island Ferry

-->

When I was four or five my father took me fishing. We lived in a fishing community, so he took me out in a boat and we fished . . . . After a while he asked me how I liked fishing? I replied “Dad to be serious, it's boring . . . .”. “Oh, good, I'm not real fond of it either, but I thought I should at least introduce you to it”, he replied. We never fished again. Like my dad, I felt it was my fatherly duty to at least introduce my son to fishing, so I took him out once – I don't think I succeeded in turning him into an angler. . .

Fishing from the Ferry

Years later my good friend Jim asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him. Jim always asks me to do stuff with him and I appreciate it, so I said I'd go. I discovered that fishing was still boring. I didn't catch anything; didn't even get a nibble. I am told it is not about catching fish, it's about being out in a boat, being on a lake, being with nature, relaxing . . . . . some sort of fishing zen, philosophy thing. I guess I just do not get it . . .

Well, here in Kejick, fishing is big. The lake is huge and complicated, and there are lots of fish, even big fish. On the drive here we frequently saw fishing resorts and lodges, so the fishing must be good. Derek threatened to take me fishing and finally I agreed.

Someone was catching fish

On the way into Kekick there is a deserted ferry that once was used to ferry workers machinery and materials to and from a mine. I thought it had been the ferry to Kejick Island, but Alisha tells me that when Kejick Bay became an island, the only way back and forth was by boat in the summer or snowmobile in winter and occasionally an ice road. the deserted ferry has become a convenient place to fish. It's a boat, and it is out in the water, but you can walk onto it and easily get to deep enough water to fish, so we went there one afternoon to fish. A couple of people did catch fish but not me. I got bored and went to take photos of and old boat washed up on the shore down the lake.

Determined to convert me, Derek insisted we would have better luck at his favourite spot. Plus here we would really be out in a boat. Fishing poles, life jackets, tackle box, minnow bucket, net, gas can, we headed out. Under the causeway bridge to a spot that “We were guaranteed to catch our limit in 20 minutes”.

A rare photo . . . me with fish

Well, we were out for more than 20 minutes, but I can report that I actually did pull out four fish, and a couple were good sized, but I threw three back and Derek promised to cook our catch up so I can sample the Kejick Bay fish. And really, it almost wasn't boring.

I'd rather go take photos of this cool old boat

Fishing . . . . it's a zen thing . . . . .

Wineing on Waiheke

A fast ferry ride.

Our apartment here in Auckland is right on Princes Wharf on the waterfront. It is named Shed 19 after the freight shed that used to occupy the site. Out on the balcony we overlook the main ferry terminal for the city and there is a constant swarm of catamaran ferries coming and going until late at night. They seem to head out in all directions, and you cannot help but wonder where they all go.

A view from the top of the island

On the recommendation of my cousin who lives here, we took a ferry to one of the popular destinations, Waiheke Island. This island, 40 minutes away by ferry is about 90 square Kilometers and has approx. 8000 inhabitants. It is nick-named “The island of wine” for the 17 vineyards scattered around the island. That seemed a good reason to choose this island over the many scattered throughout the area.

We booked a return ferry ride on a “Fuller Fastcat”, a guided bus tour when we arrived and then an all-day pass on the local bus system. The ferry ride over was a comfortable, fast trip out the harbour past many of the sites we had visited with my cousin days before. There was a bus waiting for us and our German tour guide had lived on the island for 10 years and gave excellent friendly advice and information so that by the time we got to the farthest end of the tour we had a good idea of what we wanted to do. We hopped off the bus at a stop conveniently close to a good sample of the island’s wineries, and chose one that brewed

Doesn't taste like $200.00

beer as well as making wine.

The “Wild on Waiheke” winery is an ambitious enterprise, having not only wine and beer but also a restaurant. They also have laser skeet shooting and archery. I’m not so sure about the combination of lots of wine and beer with bows and sharp arrows, but the rowdy crowd there when we arrived seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Seriously, helicopters to a wine tasting?

After lunch, we wandered up to the next winery, but the least expensive wine was $90.00 so we decided this was a bit out of our normal range so we walked on. In the next one “Te Motu” we met a friendly Croatian sommelier, who led us in tasting a good variety of wines from $30 to $195. It was an experience to taste the $195.00, 16 year old vintage, but I found I preferred the $39.00 bottle. The final winery in the area was next door behind a high hedge, but the two large helicopters parked out front gave us a pretty good idea that this one was also out of our league, and the $8.00 tasting fee confirmed our initial opinion. That was $8.00 for each taste; not an $8.00 glass.

Then taking the excellent local bus, we got off at a wrong stop, got slightly lost, found a wonderful “track” along the coast, walked to the next town, caught the right bus, and arrived back at the ferry to head home.

On "Track" to get unlost.

Back To Spain

 

Portugal is nice, and we are really enjoying our time here, but it was Spain that really got us into this “Rent an apartment for a month” vacation plan, so since we are only an hour from Spain here in Olhão, we decided that one of the day trips that Regis loves to plan would be to take the train to the end of the line in Vila Real de Santo António, where you can catch a ferry across the river to Spain.

Taking the Train

Having taken the train to Tavira the other day, we knew how it worked and approached it with increased confidence, and were able to relax and watch the countryside go by through the tagged and dusty windows. Being able to watch the various train stations come and go was actually kind of sad. The larger stops such as Olhão, Tavira and Vila Real de Santo António are all tagged and looking a bit tattered, with cracked concrete and rusty iron, but many of the stops are closed completely with boarded up doors and windows, broken glass and terribly vandalized by the persistent taggers. The trains stop there, but there is no office, ticket booth or inside waiting area. The train stops, people get on and buy tickets on the train. The trains breezed right by some completely deserted train stops overgrown and crumbling, doors and windows bricked closed.

The train pulled into the station at Vila Real de Santo António, and we headed through an industrial area into a quite nice pedestrian shopping street, five or six blocks long leading down to a lovely riverfront park and Marina where we found the ferry. Regis and Linda made plans to come back across to Portugal with enough time to do some shopping on the way back to the train.

Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal

It is always nice to try to locate the Tourist Information Centre and get a few maps and information on the town you are visiting. We have not had much luck with this so far here in Portugal. There is a good office here in Olhão, but you can never tell when it is going to be open. The posted hours bear no relation to when the office is actually open – you go down and take your chances. In Tavira we finally found the office on the way home, but it was closed tightly. Even though we followed the signs we could not find any hint of an Tourist information Office in Vila Real de Santo António. One helpful fellow gave us nice explicit directions to a building with no apparent information office and at the municipal office I was told that the closest office was in another town back down the track. Across the river in Spain I had no better luck. I followed the nice big signs with clear arrows to where the office was supposed to be, but again nothing there. Perhaps these offices only open when there are more tourists.

The ferry to Spain was a surprise. A few years ago, a beautiful new bridge was built to cross the river so the ferry became a less important way across the river. In North America we are used to modern ferries even on small crossings, but the ferry from Portugal to Spain is a converted wooden freighter. There are metal ramps bolted onto either side and the cargo area has been roofed over providing a spot to park cars. The ferry pulls up alongside the dock, and the ramps allow cars to come and go. Not a lot of cars use the ferry; there was one on the way to Spain and two on the way back. The ferry may be an old converted vessel, but it works well, taking 15 minutes to cross the river, and like most european transportation we have used runs perfectly on time.

Spain

 

We enjoyed going back to Spain, and Ayamonte was a pleasant town with a maze of little streets filled with interesting shops and restaurants. As you wandered through these narrow tiled streets you came to beautiful squares with churches and tiled benches and children running and playing. We knew we were in Spain as all the shops started closing soon after we arrived; displays were moved inside, shutters were lowered, and lights turned off. Fortunate for us, most of the restaurants remained open and we found a place were Regis could get her Paella and tapas.

As we walked back to the ferry, the squares were silent, surrounding shops locked up tight, and the children gone home for a meal and a nap. Ah yes, I had almost forgot about living on Spanish time . . . .

Back To PEI

Restored Tractor

P.E.I. and I do not have the best of relationships. I know the "Island" is a popular tourist destination, but every time I try to play tourist there, I get rain, fog or man-eating mosquitoes. One year we planned a week long family "Island" vacation in a rental cottage. It rained for the first three days, and when the sun finally came out on the forth , we sent the children out to play only to have them forced back in by giant mosquitoes. Then it rained for three more days. PEI retained the "Worst Vacation Ever" honor for years.

Now we did give The Island chances to redeem itself. after all it’s always sunny on any of the "Anne Of Green Gables" TV shows, but even on three subsequent trips over we were assaulted with wet weather and mosquitoes. As a result, I wrote Prince Edward Island off as a place to avoid unless absolutely necessary.

Amongst the stack of mail waiting us upon our return from the RV trip was a letter from a delightful lady we had met in Japan. She was our daughter’s Japanese teacher in Japan, and after meeting her there, we maintained contact through letter writing - remember those; envelopes, stamps, and words on thin crinkly “air mail” paper? She said she was coming to Canada on a “study tour” of P.E.I.and she would love to see Alisha and us if we were available.

Alisha was unable to come down from Ottawa, but we decided to make a trip of it, find a nice place to stay, and perhaps look for some interesting things to do on the Island. Our Japanese friend had only a short window when she could meet us, so that left us plenty of time to explore.

Saturday did not bode well, with rain and so much fog that we drove across the bridge without even being able to see the water under us, but at least the fog lifted a bit, and we managed to meet up with Alisha’s teacher, and spent a pleasant afternoon with her, her husband and three other Japanese tourists here “studying” Anne of Green Gables and Prince Edward Island.

Sunday we were on our own to enjoy Prince Edward Island, and it actually dawned with blue sky and sunshine - we thought we were back in Nova Scotia.

The Dawson House

We were staying in a wonderful B & B within walking distance of downtown Charlottetown called The Dawson House. Wonderful old house, very friendly hosts, comfortable room, and delicious breakfast. We will definitely stay here again when in P.E.I.

It was “Farm Day” in Charlottetown, and the main street was turned into a pedestrian only street for Sunday, and filled with farm market booths. At one end there was a really interesting display of restored stationary engines and farm machinery. The men who had restored these old engines showed so much pride in their work as they fired up the old workhorses and demonstrated them for us.

Another nice local beer

I was pleased to find that I could continue my quest for sampling good local beer in P.E.I. We discovered a really great local brew pub called Gahan Brewery, right off the main street in Charlottetown. They not only served their own beer; brewed on site - I had one called “Island Red”, that was great - but the food was also excellent. I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich served with barbecue sauce made with their own beer, and some of the best French fries I’ve had.

On the way home we decided to take the ferry to Pictou, because there was a 70 mile yard sale throughout the area, and a P.E.I. Winery we could visit.

We had a good time in our neighboring province, and it managed to go a long way in restoring it’s damaged reputation as a “vacation location”. We look forward to crossing the famous bridge again.

Mackinac

 

Macinac Ferry

On our first trip across Canada we decided to be 'Patriotic” Canadians and do the entire trip in our own country. Big mistake; we hated the drive across the top of the Great Lakes. It seemed to be nothing but logging trucks, crummy hotels and road construction. No one argued when I suggested on the return trip that we duck down and come through the US. We found nicer hotels, more interesting scenery, and cheaper gas.

Now the worst place we stopped on the way out was Ignace in Ontario. The hotel was terrible and we are pretty sure that the case of head lice that we picked up was from there. When It appeared that the timing would put us in a place called St. Ignace in Michigan, we were not too keen, but as we pulled into the town it looked like a nice place so we stopped. We were only there overnight, and only had time to explore a bit of the town, but we were intrigued by the waterfront area full of competing ferrys wanting to take you to Mackinak Island. Each company had a gimmick; one was fastest, one was smoothest, one used Hydroplanes, one was jet boats. We picked up some information on the Island and it sounded like an interesting place to visit, and got put on a wish list.

Stately Macinac House

Years later we did the same trip this time in our “Motorhome from Hell”, this time coming across the US on the way out, and the way back. Mackinak was definitely on the list of places we wanted to stop.

This trip we had all our bicycles and the campground had a free shuttle that could transport our bikes to the ferry. We rode all over the island, and took the eight mile perimeter road all the way around.

This year we came back with Dad and Sharon, parking in the same KOA and taking the same convenient shuttle to the ferry. The island hasn't changed much, and this time Regis & I rented a Tandem bicycle (That's another blog).

No Cars or Trucks either

The island is very interesting in that there are almost no motorized vehicles allowed on it. They have a fire department with Trucks, and there are police cars, but they are only used in emergencies. The police patrol on foot or on bicycle. There are no other cars, trucks or even motor-scooters. I notice that they have allowed a few of the motorized chairs used by handicapped folk, but that is the only concession I can see. The many big fancy hotels and resorts pick up their guests in fancy horse drawn wagons, and all the materials and supplies delivered on the island are carried by large utility wagons drawn by big work horses. I saw one woman being chauffeured somewhere in a very fancy horse & buggy, but the main form of transportation is the bicycle. Every house has three or four bicycles parked out front, and hotels have huge bike racks instead of parking lots. There are hundreds of rental bikes from old fashioned looking ones to fancy multi-speed mountain bikes or the “Bicycle built for two”. The bikes owned by the locals are instantly differentiated from the rentals by the handle bar carriers on them. I discovered in China when I relied on a bike for my transport, that a front carrier is much better than a rear one, and the bigger the better. Many of the bicycles on Mackinac have large newspaper carrier sized boxes made of wire attached to the front handlebars, and they were often individualized with flags, or foam padding and bungee cords to protect and hold cargo. I also noticed many Island natives had adapted those nice “Yuppy” baby trailers to cargo trailers outfitted with big Tupperware bins to carry lots of “Stuff”. When a bicycle is your only way to transport things you take it seriously and make it work best for you.

The island itself is beautiful. It was once the vacation playland of the rich and fabulous of the area, and there remain many stately homes and “Summer” residences with big “Private” signs, but many of the old houses have been turned into beautiful Bed & Breakfasts or country inns. There are also numerous big resorts and large hotels, but they are all old styled and there were none of the big chains at all. There was one area of new development where beautiful new houses were being built, but these were being constructed so that once finished you would not realize they was not 200 years old.

The “downtown” is like a 200 year old town with the only traffic jam being three horse & wagons trying to navigate the same corner at once. There are many Fudge shops, something the island is famous for, a number of little pubs and taverns, and many restaurants in the hotels and inns. Of course there are the obligatory souvenir shops with T-Shirts and tacky stuff made in China, but there are also nice places selling local art & crafts or cute shops selling unique products. There was no McDonalds, no KFC, and no Walmart. There was a Starbucks, but it wasn't really a Starbucks, it just advertized they served “Starbucks” coffee with a big round 'Starbucks” sign, but actually had another name. I suspect this will not fit into the revised zoning bylaws after the next council meeting.

There is an airport somewhere on the island, but I never saw an airplane. The most common way to visit the Island is to take one of the ferries. The wild competition I saw the first trip by has gone, and I suspect one company has purchased everything, but it was a comfortable fast trip running every hour.

If you are ever in this area of Michigan, Mackinac is one place I recommend spending a day or two.