Point Pelee National Park

Monday - our friend Virginia suggested that we check out this park. So this was our adventure of the day. It was a beautiful sunny day of about 22 or 23 degrees Celsius. The three of us set out in the late morning. Our route took us on the back roads through small towns and eventually we drove along a road beside Lake Erie. We saw a lot of wind turbines along the way. Our drive was over 2 hours. Our destination city was Leamington, a lovely place indeed!

Before we headed to the park, we decided to have a bite of lunch. I spotted a Lebanese restaurant in a strip mall so we decided to give it a try since we have had that type of food often at home. It was so nice inside and the people very friendly and welcoming. We had a lunch special that included rice, salad and choice of any number of items. Hannes and I had chicken Schwarma and Virginia had falafels. All excellent!!! We were too full for dessert...then our waitress brought us over some small pastries "on the house", as well as a cup of Turkish coffee.

The park was beautiful. It is prime bird migration time right now so there are so many birds. People are here from all over the world. The birders seem to be a serious lot! We walked along paths, enjoying the flora and fauna along the way. You were always just a few steps away from Lake Erie so every now and then we would step out on the sand and check the water temperature. At the very end of the route is a small spit of sand where the migrating birds will rest before continuing on their journey. This point is the most southern point in all of Canada, as far south as Rome and Barcelona. Virginia and I walked out as far as we dared and took some pics. No wading in the water though as the undercurrents are extremely strong and you could be washed out to sea. We saw cactus plants along our walk, which is something I did not expect to see. We also came across a tiny salamander.

We were tired on our walk back. It had been quite a busy day! We stopped for some ice cream before heading back to London. Took the 402 back to make the trip faster. Had a sandwich and salad at Virginia's before calling it a day. I could tell that my cold was getting worse and said I might loose my voice tomorrow, which proved to be true. The adventure will continue!