Daytripping Summer 2022

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The Daytripper Need to Know WHAT: A fabulous, casual beach community on Lake Huron with great food and amazing sunsets. WHERE: 70 kms northwest of London, 213 kms north of Windsor and 220 kms west of Toronto. GOOGLE MAP COORDINATES: 868P+76 Grand Bend, Lambton Shores, ON I’ve spent many a day kicking down the streets of Lahaina on Maui. I’ve paraded down Duval Street in Key West and strolled the piers of California from San Diego to Santa Cruz. I’ve been lucky enough to hit the beaches of Thailand and Sardinia, of St. Lucia and Senegal. Yet somehow, despite some three decades living in Toronto, I’d missed spending any time in Grand Bend. It won’t happen again. Because there are few things I love more than a good beach town. And because Grand Bend might be the best beach town in Canada. It took me all of about two minutes to fall in love with this place. I pulled off Highway 21 and cruised under the giant “Grand Bend” sign, with its brilliant yellow sun, and spotted a great mix of options: sushi restaurants, t-shirt shops, a small mini-golf course and, the sure Lots to explore in GRAND BEND, ZURICH, HENSALL & EXETER Jim Byers Canada’s Travel Guy Excerpt From: Jim Byers. “Ontario Escapes.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/ca/book/ontario-escapes/id1523750857 Grand Bend and Lake Huron Beaches sign of a great beach town, casual spots selling the kind of French fries that smell like summer. The first store I walked into was Archies Surf Shop, which sells high-quality tees and sweats with simple, classic design. Some guys love a crisp Armani suit, but I love nothing more than a $25 tee shirt with a bold logo of a great beach destination. And I found lots to love at Archies. I had a kiddie-sized vanilla-chocolate cone at Dairy Dip; the perfect snack on a summer’s day, and took pictures of brilliant white straw hats that were calling my name, despite my having two or three of them at home already that get little use. The beach has a series of volleyball courts and makes for a great family destination. There’s also a pretty river, the Ausable, that feeds into Lake Huron and a small, attractive lighthouse. Be sure to take a stroll past the pink, soft green and baby blue Muskoka chairs in front of the Bonnie Doone Manor, the only motel that fronts on the beach. Just a few minutes away is The Pinery Provincial Park, where you can rent a jet ski or, more to my liking, dip a canoe paddle in a small lake while gazing at brilliant white flowers on a deep green lily pad. The 10-km-long beach has massive sand dunes fronting Lake Huron, and the area features thick forests of Oak Savannah. The Pine Dale Inn is a charming place to bed down for the night in Grand Bend. The Inn has been a family-run place for some 40 years and has an indoor pool and whirlpool, as well as quiet gardens and a small, covered gazebo that’s perfect for reading or a mid-day snooze. The Inn backs onto the Ausable River, so it’s a great spot to watch turtles sun themselves on a rock or dip your line or just relax by the water’s edge. They also have a small pond out front with red and white Muskoka chairs. Other amenities include meeting rooms, a pool table, video games and gas barbecues; making it ideal for families who don’t want the expense of eating out all the time. “Jim’s Tips” Located on the main street in town, which, oddly enough, is called Main Street, Midori Sushi serves up fabulous sushi and other Japanese treats. Check out the Sunset Arts Gallery, which has lovely photos of old barns in deeply emotional and almost ancient-looking browns, paintings of white sailboats on a neon blue lake, polished wooden bowls and sparkling beach glass jewellery. Speaking of sunsets, various groups have rated the sunsets along the coast of Lake Huron as some of the best in the world. I agree. Grand Bend Parasailing does single, double and triple parasail trips on Lake Huron. Formerly Smackwater Jacks, 71 Italian Grille is right on the Ausable River in downtown Grand Bend, next to the Sunset Arts Gallery. A little further north, Kincardine is a wonderful town on the shores of Lake Huron. Every Saturday night at 8 p.m. in summer, Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band marches down the main street, followed by throngs of locals and tourists alike, then heads off to perform at Victoria Park. It’s a marvellous slice of Canadiana. North of Kincardine you’ll find Sauble Beach, another outstanding Ontario beach town with large sand dunes and a great California beach vibe. If only Brian Wilson had been here, he surely would’ve included it in a Beach Boys song. • Home • Cottage • Indoor & Outdoor Seasonal Decor SHOP LOCAL •Liquid•Creamed•Comb We Have More Than Just Honey! • BBQ Sauce & Mustard • Honey Butter •Honey Spreads • Bee Pollen • Bees for your own hive! OPEN Thurs., Fri. &Sat. 9-5 39006 Zurich-Hensall Rd., East of Zurich • 519-236-4979 www.fergusonapiaries.on.ca If you are Daytripping through Grand Bend this summer... Why not join us! FRESH CUT FRIES Burgers • Foot Longs Poutine • Fish & Chips Shakes • Soft Serve Ice Cream Patio Dining or Take-Out - OPEN 7 Days A Week - June 24th to Labour Day Summer Hours: 11:30am to 9:00pm Debit, Visa & Mastercard Accepted 86 Ontario Street South Grand Bend The Good Old Days We grumble and we find much fault with today's things and ways, But when they pass, They somehow change, Into the "good old days." Seasonal Store Open 7 Days a Week 10am to 5pm 10005 Lakeshore Rd, Grand Bend Be sure to visit GREEN BUCKS DOLLAR DISCOUNT STORE: 99 Ontario Street South • Grand Bend Page 38 “Please store in the cold section of the refrigerator” (label on bag of grapes) Summer 2022
Lake Huron MI ONTARIO NY You can be a part of the Daytripper. Send us an article, photo, advice, etc. The Great White Squirrel Hunt We love your travel magazine and would like to share a funny story about when we were Daytripping. You guys always have fantastic suggestions about where to go in S.W. Ontario... keep up the great work! It was a sweltering July afternoon when my family, ever the intrepid adventurers, descended on the lovely town of Exeter, Ontario, for the first time. While my grandma and cousin were interested in shopping and my dad only wanted to pursue something from the ice cream parlour, my mum knew the real motivation of this trip: to catch a glimpse of the mysterious, elusive white squirrel. So, we set out together into one of the parks, hoping to spy the cryptic, nearlegendary creature. Sadly, this turned out nothing like the imaginary, BBCnature-show-like sequence of events that we tourists had predicted. First, there was all this trudging about in the forest. For almost an hour, all we could see were tree trunks. The air around us was green from the vibrant light filtering in from the canopy, which was admittedly gorgeous, but it had nothing to do with the squirrel pictures we so feverishly desired. Over a bridge we went, but… where were we? More forest stretched before us, as unending as one of our vacationing family arguments. Briefly, a female cardinal flitted across the boardwalk in front of us. “What was that?” my mum hissed, hyperalert. “It’s just a bird,” offered my dad, who’d turned his vigilance from By Bea Hanson, London Photo credit: Ronny D’Haene squirrels onto his unsuspecting prey: an after-dinner mint he’d found in his fanny pack. Meanwhile, the cardinal rapidly vanished, like a mirage. So, onwards we marched in our fearless expedition. Well, nearly fearless —my dad had now become increasingly fearful he’d have to hit the bathroom. “There are public washrooms at the park entrance,” murmured my mum, focused intently on the surrounding nature. “Come back quick,” whispered my cousin. “We might see the squirrel!” As my dad turned on his heel and sauntered off through the humid forest, his form growing more and more distant, I began to wonder if this squirrel was an unknowable myth, like a smaller, cuter version of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. But then, suddenly, a telltale flash of white made itself known in my periphery. I slowly, silently swivelled to face it. There it was! On an old stump, under an unbroken ray of sun that shot in through a gap in the trees, sat the famously pale, enigmatic rodent. My mum and cousin crouched, cameras poised, ready to take in this striking phenomenon. My grandma, too, trundled up, but then hesitated. She gazed plaintively after my dad, who was about to round a bend in the path. Then, she began gesticulating wildly. “COME BACK!” she boomed, waving her hands. “LOOK! IT’S A WHIIITE SQUUUIIIIIRRRRELL!” Alas, all this excitement proved too much for our nervous, creamcoloured little friend. Terrified, he bolted away. My mum returned from the edge of the boardwalk, disappointedly showing us her not-so-prized pics of an indistinguishable white blur. Hours later, as we left Exeter with ice cream treats but no decent squirrel photos, my dad pointed calmly out the window at one of the houses in a nearby subdivision. “Hey, guys, look at their birdfeeder!” he chuckled. Clustered on the house’s front lawn, nibbling at seeds from a birdfeeder, were three white squirrels! My grandma, my cousin and I smiled with glee. My mum nearly veered the car off the road into a garden gnome. At last, this was the photo opportunity she’d been waiting for—and these squirrels were much hungrier for attention! Six years later, this trip is still vividly emblazoned in our minds. It taught us all a very important lesson: when travelling, don’t look too hard for things, because they’ll find you! (Oh, and also, know where the ice cream parlour is.) BISBACK FAMILY ANTIQUES ALWAYS BUYING GOOD QUALITY ITEMS 72040 London Rd HENSALL Huron County By chance or appt. janisbisback@tcc.on.ca • 519.263.3505 Our Readers Are Our Writers! WRITERS WANTED (well, readers are wanted too!) Send us your stories & recipes! Daytripping, P.O. Box 430, Bright’s Grove, ON N0N 1C0 • info@daytripping.ca You don’t have to be in Southwestern Ontario to read... The “Biggest Little Paper in Canada” Subscribe for FREE on our homepage, and we’ll email you a link to each new issue. The online version may not be as “Priceless”... but it’s just as FREE! www.daytripping.ca Summer 2022 “Warning: Knives are sharp!” (label on packaging for sharpening stone) Page 39
Page 1 and 2: This issue has Sections in Southwes
Page 3 and 4: DESTINATIONS TO EXPLORE The Summer
Page 5 and 6: ...and then wanders town by town, t
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Page 9 and 10: TOWN NAME, TOWN NAME and another aw
Page 13 and 14: Welcome to Blenheim • Joseph Ribk
Page 15 and 16: - Southwestern Ontario Map - Unique
Page 17 and 18: River Grand Willow R. 8 9 6 28 R. 9
Page 19 and 20: T RRY Shop Locally, enjoy dinner an
Page 21 and 22: CHATHAM, KENT BRIDGE, BOTHWELL, THA
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Page 25 and 26: Further north now to SARNIA, POINT
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Page 29 and 30: Lake Huron MI ONTARIO NY Be sure to
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Page 37: Lake Huron MI ONTARIO NY Enter our
Page 41 and 42: Get every issue just as free (but n
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Page 45 and 46: Organic & Specialty Farms for food
Page 47 and 48: FARM MARKETS! TOWN NAME, TOWN NAME
Page 49 and 50: Lake Huron MI ONTARIO NY Exploring
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Page 69 and 70: Lake Huron MI ONTARIO NY Exploring
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Page 73 and 74: Turn the page for more shops & a ha
Page 75 and 76: CARESA 30+ Years! CARESA 19 6 km We
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Page 79 and 80: Again, you can take whatever route
Page 81 and 82: EON: ELGIN-OXFORD Network of MUSEUM
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Page 85 and 86: Summer 2022 Page 85 Cruise the Gran

Daytripping Summer 2022

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