our Replacement Adventure Vehicle / the Neutrals / the Southern-most Point / the Invasion
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| Wellington > London > Leamington > Windsor > Wellington |
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Meet RAV
... LOAF's 'backup' ... Replacement Adventure Vehicle ... RAV
We are currently awaiting the delivery and installation of several camper 'parts under warranty' ... Carefree side awning end caps, a Dometic refrigerator door handle and a refrigerator primary control board. We can travel without the first two, but (for longer off-grid travel) a functioning refrigerator is mandatory. We're hoping for some TC travel in October; wish us luck!
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the NEUTRALS
Fingal, Ontario
Wikipedia ... Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site
Walk where Canada’s earliest inhabitants did and imagine the Attiwandaron longhouses and palisade walls that once stood proudly at Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site. Close your eyes and imagine a rare fortified village of 800 - 900 Attiwandaron, also known as the Neutral Iroquois, who inhabited Southwold from 1500 to 1650 AD. (Source: Parks Canada)
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Zoom in on the plaques below for additional information. |
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| Beech |
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the SOUTHERN - MOST Point on Mainland CANADA
Point Pelee National Park, Ontario
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| Stock Photo |
The Park ... Point Pelee National Park
The traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, comprised of Ojibwa, the Odawa and the Potawatomi. Specifically, this is the home of Caldwell First Nation and part of the house of Walpole Island First Nation. Point Pelee National Park is one of the best inland locations to observe bird migration. Its location on major migratory flyways and on the north shore of Lake Erie makes it a migrant trap – a place that attracts a wide diversity of species in a very small area. (Source: Parks Canada)
The Trails ... We hiked all the trails and parts of the footpaths and beach walks; Chinquapin Oak, Marsh Boardwalk, The Tip, DeLaurier Homestead, Anders, Shuster, Tilden Woods and Woodland Nature trails; a little more than 20 kms in total. Hiking is very easy here; the maximum grade might be 2%, trails are crusher dust / pea gravel covered, any bridges are in decent condition, signage is mostly adequate. Some of the footpaths are quite overgrown and are being restored with native species.
What We Saw ...
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| Lake Erie on the left. Southwest shoreline of Point Pelee NP, 1.5 kms north of 'The Tip' |
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| Lake Erie on the right. |
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| Symbiosis |
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| Algae bloom |
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| Common Jewelweed |
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| Coreopsis |
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| The Monarchs are heading south towards MEXICO now; but we did see a few. |
Later ... in MEXICO
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| Stock photo |
The Mexican holiday Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) occurs when the monarchs appear. According to traditional belief, the monarchs are the souls of ancestors who are returning to Earth for their annual visit.
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| Aster |
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| Sycamore |
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| Resourceful pioneers would cut a door into a Sycamore's cut stump, put a roof on top and have a smokehouse, pigeon coop, tool shed or bunkhouse. (Photo: Fort Malden NHS) |
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| Northern Hackberry |
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| Helen is 5'2" |
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| Formwork: Old methods |
Another day, more trails ...
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| Horsetail Grass |
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| Mega symbiosis ... |
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| Find the hiker ... |
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| Chinquapin Oak. A rarity in Canada; only found in the Carolinian Forest. |
The most southerly mainland location in Canada ...
We've both been to 3 of the 4 now; the most westerly, southerly and easterly Canadian communities ... Beaver Creek YT, Cape Spear NL and now Point Pelee ON.
Alert NU is the 4th. Of Interest ... Alert, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada, is the northernmost 'continuously inhabited place in the world', on Ellesmere Island (Queen Elizabeth Islands) at latitude 82°30'05" north, 817 kilometres (508 mi) from the North Pole.
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| Middle Island is the most southern piece of land in Canada ... it's an island and difficult to get to. But we did get to The Tip of mainland Canada.   |
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| 80 feet high |
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| View from the tower looking out to The Tip. HURRY UP! Take the picture ... 80', weak knees, a forced smile, right hand clenching the guard rail. |
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| From the tower. |
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| From ... END of LAND. |
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the INVASION
Amherstburg, Ontario
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Wikipedia ... Fort Malden National Historic Site
The location of an historic meeting between Major General Sir Isaac Brock and Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, the British stronghold on the Detroit frontier during the War of 1812 and the Rebellions of 1837-38, and the site of the longest American occupation on Canadian soil, Fort Malden National Historic Site, in Amherstburg, Ontario opens a fascinating doorway into Canada’s early military history. (Source: Parks Canada)
On July 1, 1812, American General William Hull issued the following proclamation -
To the INHABITANTS of CANADA!
"After thirty years of PEACE & prosperity, the UNITED STATES have been driven to Arms. The injuries & aggressions, the insults & indignities of Great Britain have once more left them no alternative but manly resistance or unconditional submission. The ARMY under my command has invaded your country, & the Standard of the UNION now waves over the Territory of CANADA. To the peaceable unoffending inhabitant, it brings neither danger nor difficulty. I come to find enemies, not to snake them. I come to protect, not to injure you.
If the barbarous & savage policy of Great Britain be pursued, and the savages are let loose to murder our citizens, & butcher our women and children, the war, will be a war of extermination. The first stroke of the Tomahawk, the first attempt with the scalping knife, will be the signal for one indiscriminate scene of desolation. No white man found fighting by the side of an Indian, will be taken prisoner. Instant destruction will be his lot.
The UNITED STATES offer you peace, liberty and security. Your choice lies between these & WAR, slavery, and destruction. Choose then, but choose wisely; and may he who knows the justice of our cause; and who holds in his hand the fate of NATIONS, guide you to a result the most compatible with your rights and interest, your PEACE and prosperity."
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| Schooner Anne |
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| Pensioners cottage |
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| Sycamore stump 'smokehouse' |
