The Trip Home

After that little break (previous post) for Thanksgiving photos, I return to our recent country holiday — specifically the trip home.

Although we were bound to take the backroads, the trip home from the cottage was still much quicker than the trip there. But there were still some stops and detours.

Our first stop was also a detour as we went a bit out of our way to visit The Old Hastings Gallery in Ormsby: about 20 minutes from the cottage.

The Entrance

Just Inside the Door

An Outbuilding

After a half hour or so, we retraced the last 10 minutes or so and turned toward Bancroft from Cow Hill on Lower Faraday Road. This road is quite delightful in autumn although we avoid it in winter. I made a few quick stops to snap a few photos.

Lower Faraday Road

Lower Faraday Road

we later made an unscheduled stop on the Matawatchan Road near Camel Chute. We passed small lakes on the Madawaska River. The foliage was nice and the water was so calm that we couldn't pass the scene by.

The Madawaska River from Matawatchan Road

The Madawaska River from Matawatchan Road

The Madawaska River from Matawatchan Road

That's about it although we did see much more autumn colour on the route. We also made a quick stop in Burnstown, but we didn't find what we wanted in the store there, so we soon pushed on since time was getting on, and we had visited Burnstown several times in the past.

I didn't really time this trip, but it was more like 4.5 hours as opposed to the 7.5 hours of our trip to the cottage. Both trips were nice, however, and I would do something like them again — probably not the 7.5 hour trip, because I saw what I wanted to see and don't really need to do it again.

Thanksgiving Sunday

Of course, Thanksgiving is officially on the Monday, but when Sunday dawned with mild, sunny weather (for a change), the family decided to make the best of it and head up to the Mill of Kintail for a woodsy walk.

You are welcome to come along.

The beginning of our stroll near the museum.

It is always fun to stumble upon the three bears house. It's a good spot for pictures: inside and out.

It was a fine day for tossing leaves and jumping about.

Back where we started.

I had to get a shot upriver of the museum before giving the kids time to play on the new equipment.

Then, it was back home for the feast.

Stop 4 and Beyond: Letterkenny Road, Quadeville and so on ...

I hope you have been enjoying our 7.5 hour journey to the cottage to some degree at least. What I am calling stop 4 wasn't so much a stop, but it was a bit of a detour, so I am sharing it regardless.

Shortly after departing Brudenell, we found Letterkenny Road and followed it to Quadeville. This is a scene from the early part of that section. I couldn't resist stopping the car to grab this shot, which shows the geography of much of this section of Ontario.

I had been keeping my eye out for the Letterkenny Evangelical United Brethren Church and Cemetery, so when I glimpsed it off to the left, I pulled over.

We then continued on our way to the hamlet of Quadeville, the reason being that it was reputed to contain a hideaway of Al Capone's although it is not known if he ever actually got there. There is some documentation for this, and the locals certainly believe it or at least promote it.

I doubted that we would find it, and I was right. We did go back one day with our relatives, but we didn't find it then either. Actually, I think we were in the right place, but we decided not to ignore the No Trespassing sign. We chickened out, and, in retrospect, I am disappointed in us.

This is the general store in Quadeville. Inside is a corner devoted to Al's cabin, and they did give us directions, but that No Trespassing sign .... Argh!

This is another shot that I took in Quadville on that second day.

From there, we had about another hour to drive to Bancroft where we would stop and grab a bite. This is Schutt, taken from the moving car. If memory serves, that white church was Lutheran.

We did eventually arrive in Bancroft where we did a bit of grocery shopping and a bit of munching in the park with the York River in the background. I guess that qualified as stop 5, but I also guess that it doesn't qualify for a separate blog post.

After the long but extremely pleasant trip, the cottage barn was there to greet us ... as always. And I suppose that was stop 6, but aren't you glad that I am showing some restraint?

Stop 3: Brudenell

Brudenell wasn't new to us, but I couldn't resist in stopping. I had been here and taken photos twice, the last time being 4 or 5 years ago.

The main remaining feature [that I know of] is the building in most of the photos, below. It was once the Costello Hotel, one of three hotels which once existed. It's a place with a reputation.

Brudenell was on the stage line to nearby Eganville, Rockingham and Combermere, and had plenty of offerings for travellers stopping along the way. Its main industries seem to have been gambling, drinking, and sex - not necessarily in that order.

The arrival of Jim and Mike Costello from Ireland in the early 1870s did absolutely nothing to enhance Brudenell's unsavoury reputation. It was under their watch that Brudenell became known as the most notorious 'sin-bucket' along the Opeongo. (http://www.ghosttownpix.com/ontario/intros/brudenel.html)  

The Opeongo Line was seen as a colonization road, but it didn't work out too well as you might have guessed from seeing the recent photos of the terrain around Newfoundout.

Brudenell's population reached about 200 in the 1880s, and in addition to its three hotels, the community "two blacksmiths, a race track, church, meeting hall and school. It was also thought to have a daily stage service to Eganville, Rockingham and Combermere." (http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/so05/indepth/soc_brudenell.asp)

When the Canada Atlantic Railway was laid in 1893 to the lumbering camps, it went through Killaloe rather than the Opeongo Line, and that just about sealed the community's fate.

The previous times that we stopped at Brudenell, there was a For Sale sign out front. This time, there was a house trailer parked to the side, and there appeared to be some sign of activity. If anyone plans on restoring the place, they have a major job ahead of them.

Apparently, an abandoned store still stands, and I presume that this building ↓ next to the Costello Hotel is it — judging by the style of the frontage.

The Catholic Church, minus a steeple, is still active. The sign out front proclaimed Saturday morning Masses.

Stop 2: Newfoundout

Stop 2 on our marathon drive was the ghost town of Newfoundout, just off the Opeongo Line between Dacre and Foymount. We have driven the Opeongo a few times, but I was unaware of Newfoundout until I came across a recent reference on Facebook. In point of fact, the whole route was purposed around visiting Newfoundout.

By the way, 7.5 hours isn't so bad as it seems when you're stopping somewhat frequently: as we were. Just thought I would get that in there. Especially when you're retired and not punching a clock, ya gotta stop and smell the roses as it were.

It's not much: just a few tumbled down structures in a cow field, but I commiserated deeply with the poor sods who ended up on this barren piece of rocky land.

Before I get to the photos, following are a few extracts from two websites: here and here.

Six kilometres up a trail off of Opeongo Road, across from Davidson’s Corners, are the skeletal remains of Newfoundout, Ontario. Victims of the government’s infamous “Public Land Act” of 1853, 13 families wound their way up the mountainside and for 30 years attempted to eke a living out of the mostly barren, rocky soil. Never able to attract more settlement or institutions, such as schools, the town died, becoming completely abandoned by 1948.

Take the Opeongo Road west from highway 41 for about 5 km to Newfoundout Road and turn left. The Newfoundout Road is NW of the ghost town of Esmonde. Drive up the hill from 1.5 km- 6.5 km to see all the buildings. 

Much like the Nipissing Colonization Road, the Opeongo Road was another of the government's road colonization attempts. As people would immigrate to Canada and settle along these roads, they'd clear the land to build a home and farm. However the land proved to be poor for growing and many of these settlers left with broken dreams.

The settlers to the Opeongo Road were given 100 acres of land. The Public Land Act (1853) proclaimed, "One hundred acres will be given free to any settlers, 18 years of age, who shall take possession of the Lot within one month from the date of his application, erect on it a house, 18 by 20 feet, put in a state of cultivation at least 12 acres in the course of four years, and live on the Lot during the period.

Between 1860 and 1890 these families lived in the back part of the colonization road, trying to make a living on their farms. By 1948, the area was completely abandoned.

Onto the photos.

Looking back at a bit of the road that we drove in on. It was not a welcoming road.

Beyond the gate is a cow pasture and woodlot. We trespassed, but I think it was expected and not forbidden.

There is not much point in captioning the next bunch of photos which depict the state of the old cabins. But notice the surrounding rock in so many of the photos as well as the hilliness. What a place to try to wrest a living from the land! Being the wimp that I am, I never would have made it. (In two of the shots, you can see a cement foundation.)

I found the next two photos somewhat poignant: one remaining post and a few old implements on a rock. I am not sure if the implements date back to the settlers, but I think they speak regardless.

I had wandered around a bit while Sue stayed closer to the car (I don't think her footwear was appropriate for traversing the hilly cow pasture, and btw the evidence for cows was there if you know what I mean).

Anyway, it was pleasant to see milady, and we were soon off to the next stop.

The First Stop

We are back in civilization, or so it is called, but this post is about our going forth almost two weeks ago.

Whenever possible, we take the long route to the cottage. While we can get here in 2.5 hours following the most direct route with no stops, this trip took us 7.5 hours. It was partly due to the backroads route but mostly due to our various stops.

The very first stop occurred about 45 minutes into the trip. You might recall our recent tour of the Tatlock Quarry. Well, we decided to return and view it from the observation area off Tatlock Road.

We picked up Tatlock Road off highway 7 and followed it until it neared 511. However, we didn't drive all of the way to 511; keeping our eyes open, we spotted the sign to the quarry to our left, and proceeded to the observation area.

We had tried to get there in the spring, but the gates weren't open then. They only open them when the road in is quite passable.

The observation area is fenced in, but you can still get a good view, and if you focus your camera right, you can pretty well bypass the fence in your pictures.

Okay then: that was the first hour and a half of our trip and, indeed, of our 12 days away. Stay tuned for more gripping installments of what AC did on his fall vacation.

Leftovers and See You Later

Since we are off to the cottage, I thought I would post some pics of our last, brief stay there. You might recall the Dragon Ball weekend. Well, here are a few more shots from back then.

Everybody loves Mary: my niece in law. She's a gem.

This old trailer has been parked out back for ever so long, and I finally got a decent but well cropped picture.

Lumber in the barn ... waiting .... waiting ...

I'm not sure what JJ thought when his cousin climbed up beside him to watch a movie, but he adapted.

I took a picture of some faint and distant lightning.

My very tall nephew found a unique way to wash the dishes in a slightly low sink.

My BIL takes an indoor shot.

The Dragon Ball venue was nicely decorated.

I am going into radio silence. See you in a few weeks.