City of Hamilton and Bronte Creek Provincial Park

Thanks Strewn Winery for a Harvest Host stay - 1night for a bottle of wine :)

We leave our Harvest Host location and head to a nearby park for a morning walk. 

Tanker heading into Lock 1 of the Welland Canal

It turns out the park Chris picked is right along the Welland Canal so our walk takes us by a huge ship about to enter Lock 1 on the canal. Lake Ontario is just to the left but it isn't accessible to walk to. 

A friendly local :)

Everyone has been so welcoming to us on this trip and this lovely lady keeps the warmth coming. She just begins to talk to us along the path and before we know it we are talking about the Blue Jays and her favorite winery called 'Inniskillin'.  She has lived in the area all her life and walks the trails daily to keep her going. We tell her we'll buy a bottle from Inniskillin Winery and think of her when we drink it :)

City of Burlington across Lake Ontario

We head west along the north coast of The Niagara Peninsula on our way to Hamilton.  We are getting into serious traffic in this part of the world...ugh. We stop along the way and unload the bikes for a ride along the Waterfront Trail. Lake Ontario has some pretty big waves crashing in today. 

Factory of some sort :)

As we approach Hamilton, the factories I always imagined would be here begin to appear. There is a very diverse infrastructure of industries in the part of the world including steel production, automotive, aerospace and food processing. Apparently there are over 120 food companies with giants like Tim Hortons and Maple Leaf calling Hamilton home. 

Hamilton Harbor Waterfront

We head to the waterfront and again unload the bikes to continue the Waterfront Trail and see some sites. Hamilton Harbor is very nice

Hamilton Harbor coffee shop

Chris had read about Williams coffee shop so we take a break and enjoy a coffee and a tea with nice views.  

HMCS Haida proudly resting in Hamilton Harbor

One of the big reasons we stop here in Hamilton is to see the 'HMCS Haida', a National Historic Site and museum ship. The Haida is a preserved British-designed, fast and heavily armed destroyer that served in WW 2, the Korean Conflict and the Cold War. Powered by steam turbines it was unique for its era and it became the flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy.

We were wanting to tour it, but sadly it just closed for the season last week.  

Took this picture in the morning :) Dark arrival last night

For supper we pick a Vietnamese restaurant on Hamilton's well known James Street. 

Our day is getting away on us and we don't have tonight's accommodation figured out yet. We decide to do the drive over to Oakville in the dark where we have reservations tomorrow night at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Traffic is nerve wracking even at this time of night. We pull into the campground for the night even though the front entrance is closed. We survived the traffic...whew