Well, we made it to Canada and we decided to settle down for our first full day. I promised the family I’d take it easier and try to avoid over-scheduling them for once. But I’m not someone who can ever stop moving entirely so “easier” meant no activities further away than an hour. Plus, anyone along for the ride could skip an event with no hard feelings, and often they did. My younger kid in particular reserved entire days at home lounging whenever the planned activity didn’t sound appealing.
So I designed the first day with minimal lift, just twenty minutes down the road in Thornbury. Everyone was happy and we all agreed to venture into Ontario’s apple country.
The Train Trail
Actually the day started before we drove to Thornbury but I went solo. Everyone else slept in.
We had great access to Collingwood’s extensive trail network from our temporary home. Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever visited a place with such a density of trails per capita, some 60 kilometres of pathways according to the town. I completely believe it. Two of the trails even followed old railroad rights-of-way and extended way beyond the town’s borders.
So I began the morning with a walk along the Clearview Train Trail (the other being the Georgian Trail that I would see later), and I followed it a couple kilometres until I turned around. If I had a bicycle I would have pedaled all 12k because a flat path through bucolic countryside on crushed gravel sounded like fun (map). I do enjoy trails like this.
This was once part of the Ontario Simcoe and Huron Railway (OSHR) system, connecting the upper Great Lakes to Toronto. However, trains stopped running here decades ago. I noticed sections of abandoned track preserved along the trail so that was a nice nod to history.
The rest of the family relaxed until lunchtime and then we headed out for our first adventure.
Thornbury Area
The southern shore of Georgian Bay is a premier apple growing region as are other areas immediately within or adjacent to Carolinian Canada. The moderating temperature of the Great Lakes and the favorable positioning of the Niagara Escarpment create a microclimate particularly well suited for orchards. And where there are apples there are often cider mills, like those found near Thornbury and Clarksburg.
This sounds like a great time to mention the disclaimer and reference drinking responsibly.
Actually, cider isn’t my thing. I appreciate the craft and all the skill that goes into it, but I’m not a particular fan of the product. So I was perfectly happy to serve as our designated driver for the majority of the afternoon.
Brewery #2: Thornbury Craft Co.
We stopped in the community of Thornbury initially, within the greater town of The Blue Mountains. Here, Thornbury Craft Co. looms large and is hard to miss while entering from the east. Cider remained its primary focus but it also made beer so this became the second brewery of the trip. I sampled my little taster flight and let the rest of the family concentrate on the ciders.
Grey & Gold Cider
Next we headed into the countryside, which didn’t take long because this was a pretty rural area. We stopped at a much smaller operation called Grey & Gold Cider. The “grey” probably referenced the name of the surrounding area; Grey County. I guess “gold” came from the color of the apples? I don’t know. It was a beautiful day and I didn’t ponder it any further. I probably could have relaxed in the shade a bit longer but the family was ready to move on to the next spot.
Spy Cider House and Distillery
So we moved onto another nearby farmstead operation, the Spy Cider House and Distillery just down the road. Spy (or Northern Spy) is a type of apple “commonly used for desserts and pies, as well as juice and cider” and that explained the name. But the cidery also liked to play up the larger theme, for instance with a cider called Golden Eye like the James Bond movie. They also ran a distillery where they made gin, vodka, and apple brandy. Anyway, they had a nice patio and live music so I went with the vibe.
I did take a very small sip of their Whisky Tango Bourbon Barrel Aged Apple Cider mainly because I enjoy a good bourbon. But again, not a big cider fan, so I didn’t need any more than a single sip. I agreed with the name though, since Whiskey Tango forms the first two letters of WTF in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. It definitely left me with a “What The…” feeling because it was rather unique.
The Caesar
Safely back in Collingwood and later in the afternoon, we had one more stop during our indulgent day. This was within walking distance so I could participate too. Canada has this sort-of unofficial cocktail called the Caesar. It sounded something like a Bloody Mary except with Clamato instead of normal tomato juice (Canadian readers — really? Can this possibly be true?)
A Caesar cocktail: “typically contains vodka, Clamato, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and is served with ice in a large, celery salt-rimmed glass, typically garnished with a stalk of celery and wedge of lime“. It probably dates to the 1940’s or 1950’s but the Canadian version didn’t take off until the 1960’s in Calgary.
So, Clamato is tomato juice flavored with clams. Yes, the actual mollusk taken from the sea and pulled from the shell. Truthfully, it didn’t sound very appealing but I thought I should at least try it.
In Collingwood there’s a place called the 1858 Caesar Bar. I understood the Caesar part but struggled to find the significance of 1858. It didn’t seem like a particularly eventful year in Canadian history (“The Province of Canada releases its first decimal coinage“?). But I think I finally figure it out: Collingwood incorporated as a town in 1858.
I ordered a flight with four different variations; the toppings included butter chicken, cheese, and a prawn. They were all interesting but I think they’d work better at a weekend brunch or a football tailgate party.
I stuck with breweries for the rest of the trip.
Articles in the Ontario Series
- Choices
- Downtime
- Lake and Mountain
- Penetanguishene and Beyond
- Lake and Caves
- Owen Sound
- Toronto Orientation
- Toronto Tourist
- Bonus Days
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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