Sunny skies and 20 degree Celsius weather provided the perfect day for our Citroën Autoclub Canada outing to Port Hope Ontario on Saturday September 26 to take in one of nature’s wonders; the fall migration of salmon and trout up the the Ganaraska river.
We met at 10:30 am at the McDonalds restaurant on HWY 7 at Valleymede Dr. in Richmond Hill. After a bit of socializing we took Valleymede Dr. north through a lovely residential section of Richmond Hill. As we were in the northern suburb of the city we were able to make our way to 19th Ave. where we headed east across HWY 404 and immediately into the countryside.
Proceeding east we stopped briefly in Claremont for gas and then continued through the rolling hills of the Oak Ridges moraine taking back roads all the way to Port Hope. In all we had 10 Citroëns participate in the outing.
Our destination was the Ganaraska Fish Ladder, located off Cavan St. just north of downtown Port Hope and immediately south of HWY 401.
We made quite an impact as we pulled up. The fish ladder is a mecca for Asian Canadians, while most of whom have a fascination for live fish, have never seen a classic Citroën!
There must have been over a thousand fish in the swirling pool at the bottom on the fish ladder as we watched a few at a time make an attempt to jump into a rushing water chute and swim to the upper section of the river. This spectacle is repeated day after day from mid-September to early November. [You can download a few movies we took of the fish jumping here.]
We also rendezvoused with club members Claude Bertrand and Andrew Mason at the fish ladder, two club members who traveled west from Brighton also anxious to see a few 2CVs as they are awaiting the imminent delivery of theirs!
From the Fish Ladder we drove a sort distance into downtown Port Hope and had a late lunch at the Trattoria Gusto, a gem of a restaurant with lovely ambiance located in the historic Waddell Hotel.
After lunch those that didn’t need to rush home took another country route with rural charm that reminds one of the coast of Northern France. It went along the north shore of Lake Ontario from Port Hope to Newcastle.
At Newcastle we took HWY 401 back to Toronto, where a few of us still wanting some libation, decided to stop at the Bier Market in The Shops at Don Mills. As we watched the day turn to dusk, we reflected on how perfect a day it had been and how nice it is to get together on outings and enjoy the privilege of driving our Citroëns.
