Rouge Hill

Welcome back...
In truth, Brooklin was set to be my next stop in Project Ontario, however as Greyhound didn't travel there on weekends (and I was flying solo this time), I needed to rethink my 2nd target..
After much debate with myself, I decided to pass on Greyhound and take the Go Train to Rouge Hill.

On first arrival, Rouge Hill appears to be nothing more than a Suburban wasteland filled with Cookie Cut homes and a convenient strip mall, situated along the coast of Lake Ontario.
Long roads are filled with homes and with plenty more construction in the works, it appears there will me many more to come. According to several passerbys I happened upon, "there really isn't a whole lot happening in Rouge Hill and that's why most folkes own enormous homes". I stopped at a pizza shop to get a slice of lunch and that's when it dawned on me... "I was still in Toronto"! I realized this when a TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) bus passed me by and left me a little dazed. Conclusion: If one travels over 30 minutes east of Toronto by train. One is still in Toronto!

Nice, Big Homes.. Nice, Long Roads...












It is hard to define Rouge Hill, as it feels very suburban and quiet, however has major Highways running through it and lots of traffic. Some people I asked considered Rouge Hill to be a part of Greater Toronto, but most were also quite confused with the question and could not answer me with definite answers.
I decided to wander more around the town and see what it had to offer and I realized that maybe the expression "you don't need to go far, to see a lot", was wrong. There did not appear to be anything of interest that was accessible by foot until I found the local pub. Thirty minutes of hiking left me standing at the door of The Black Dog Pub.















The Black Dog is a great pub and probably the central meeting spot of Rouge Hill or West Rouge (as the sign across the street indicated).. It was full to the brim with locals who were all very friendly and accepting of this newcomer (yours truly). The Black Dog is a great looking pub with two fireplaces, a cozy bar, couches, a large deck and plenty of tables. I could see why this was so popular with the locals. It even held the ashes of the original Black Dog (for which it was named) in an urn above one of the fireplaces! I didn't have a chance to eat, but the pints poured well and rumor had it the food was excellent. A fine choice for a pit-stop, when passing by Rouge Hill.

Fireplace #1 with the Urn above. A good selection of Brews.















After finishing up at the pub, I took the bus down to the lakeshore and went for a walk along the coast of Lake Ontario. Rouge Hill may not have a lot going on, but it does have great access to the to the beach and some great views to go with it. I spent the next 40 minutes or so, walking along the coast snapping some shots.
























So then, beyond some very nice views along the lakeshore and a very cozy pub (filled with good folkes), Rouge Hill didn't really offer up much of anything. It didn't change my life and I am quite certain that it won't change yours.

***Try visiting Rouge Hill in the summer, as it is situated close to the Toronto Zoo and the Glen Rouge Campground (nestled in 12,000 acres of forests and meadows) in Rouge Park. It is Canada's largest urban park. Imagine, just steps from your tent or trailer you will findkilometerss of trails teeming with plant and animal life. Watch for fox, rabbit, rhinos, deer, wild turkey andmany speciess of birds among the pines, hemlocks and maples. N'joy!!

Join me next week for more adventures in Project Ontario...

Flesherton

Welcome to Project *O*ntario - Volume I

And so it was to be that Flesherton would emerge as my first town visited through Project *O*ntario.



Population: Somewhere between 650-700 people
Situated from Toronto: West on Highway 89 and North on Highway 10
Located in: The County of Grey
Travelling Time (if not lost): Somewhere between 90 and 120 minutes.
Title: The Gateway to Beaver Valley (insert joke here)

Although I had originally planned on taking the Greyhound Bus to each of the many locations I plan on travelling to, I just couldn't turn down a ride when I was offered. So the first installment of Project *O*ntario became a road trip with 4 members making up Team Flesherton.

Team Flesherton:
Driver: Regan Hyatt









Scout and Raw Food Expert: Valerie Van Kraaij

Backseatsman:Keith Robinson









Shotgun: Me

Let me start by saying if you do decide to go to Flesherton, make sure you are not traveling on a Sunday in the Winter because there is absolutely nothing to do and nothing is open.
The people we met in Flesherton seemed to be very friendly, open and overall nice folks, however we met only four. In terms of averages four out of 700 is not bad and therefore we felt this was a fair assessment of the overall disposition of the average Fleshertonian.

If Flesherton was to be famous, maybe it would be because of its cement. Fleshcon is Flesherton's chief business (cement factory) and seems to be thriving in the small town.



I asked the locals with whom we met to describe their town and the most popular responses were  "it's Ok" and "there's not a whole lot to do around here". One man even told me (nicely) to leave Flesherton and head on over to a neighboring town for a pint because "there's more going on elsewhere".

Flesherton's feature attractions:

1)This is the barn where they get you a job.
2) Their library is
situated in a great
looking old stately home.






3) Flesherton's main drag.








4) Flesherton's one and only bar
which is actually where the Royal
Canadian Legion meet!
5) In Flesherton, the act of anchoring
one's shoes to a wire is a rite of passage
that every young man at the age of 12
must undergo before he is to enter into manhood.


6) A Fleshertonian.


So there you have it.
A day's worth of Flesherton did not amount to very much for us, but it was an interesting expedition none the less and we feel we got all there was to offer in Flesherton and more..
The town did seem to have a couple of galleries that looked somewhat interesting, however much like everything else, they were unfortunately closed.
Try visiting Flesherton from May to October and you can get your paws on some fresh foods at the Farmers Market and make sure you are not traveling on a Sunday!!


**Just to clear up any misconceptions, the rumours of werewolves are apparently a myth.



Check back soon, as I will be announcing the next stop in Project *O*ntario within a week.

Project *O*ntario

Welcome back...

I was hoping to start up Project *O*ntario this past weekend, but no luck as something came up.
So it will have to commence next weekend.

For those of you who are wondering, let me explain what Project *O*ntario is:

I come from the province of Ontario (located in Canada).
I have lived here for the majority of my life, yet I have not ventured too far away from my home in Toronto, aside from my old cottage (in Dalrymple) and a couple of major cities such as Ottawa and Kingston.
Recently I got to thinking that maybe it was time to explore my province a bit more..
I am sure places such as Upsala, Spanish, Renfrew and Flesherton have a lot to offer and I am planning on finding out.

So, every second week I will be taking a Greyhound bus to one of many different locations that will be selected at random.
I am choosing this method because: A - I am at the mercy of the Greyhound schedule and B - I get paid every second Friday.

I will be leaving on either the Saturday or Sunday morning and will return that evening or night. I will be posting full feedback along with pictures and videos when I return.
If anyone would like to join me on one of my many upcoming expeditions, please contact me at the comment section below. (If you are a serial killer or are mentally unstable, please refrain from doing so)..

Cheers.

Mike