November 18, 1999

1999 International Plowing Match & Farm Machinery Tour - Part 1, “Getting There”

After our first International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show last year in Kingston, we decided to make it an annual event. If you haven’t been to one of these...DO IT!!!! This year’s match took us to the eastern shore of Lake Huron to the town of Dashwood.. Having only ever traveled to Sarnia and on into Michigan, this presented the perfect opportunity to expand “Tom & Huck’s” horizons and see some of the Lake Huron coast and surrounding area.

Waking up to gloomy skies in Sodus, it would have been an outstanding morning to sleep in on a vacation day...not today! We had the truck all packed the night before, hauled out of bed earlier than we usually do to go to work, kissed the cats goodbye, and hit the road. This time we left Cuddles in charge (each cat gets her chance to be “in charge” of the house when we’re out of town). Our little buddy Lucas Hennessy, son of friends and neighbors Colleen and Matt, takes wonderful care of our “family” when we’re away....we always know that the cats and fish are well tended to!

It’s difficult to pick the path of least resistance through Rochester and on West at the height of commuter hour. We decided the only reasonable course of action was to stop at the “Original Candy Kitchen” in Williamson for some breakfast and wait for the traffic to subside. Breakfast was outstanding, as always; the only problem was that when I saw what was on the lunch special board I wanted to stay. If you haven’t been there lately, you are really missing something special…ask them about their mixed baby greens with marinated chicken and almonds in a pita or Cajun grilled haddock with rice pilaf!

Our route took us out the Lake Ontario Parkway, which has been smoothly repaved. From Lakeside Beach heading west on Route 18 it always seems like it takes forever to get to the Robert Moses Parkway, just “this side” of Youngstown, even though it’s only about 35 miles. This route provides some really nice views along Lake Ontario’s shore, and there are a number of farm markets and greenhouses to stop at. We typically stop in Lewiston to gas up, get last minute “supplies”; despite our extensive lists, there’s always something that we forget and the Topps store is easily accessible.

Crossing at Lewiston, we headed up the QEW to (1) the Currency Exchange and Tourist Info Centre for some new maps, then (2) the Beer Store (Oh, Canada!). I was in my usual “white-knuckled” stance over the Garden City and Burlington Bay Skyway; the view from the bridges is great, but I have this “thing” about heights. Our original route was going to take us south on Route 403 then north on 6 toward Guelph. Running into a massive construction project, we took advantage of the truck’s incredibly short turning radius, did a “U-ie” and decided to find ANY route west that didn’t involve construction. A quick look at the map put us on Route 5, a more direct route with less traffic over to the shore. By this time, our tummies informed us that it was 2:00 and we hadn’t had lunch yet. Magically, “The Quarry Diner” appears! It looked just like our kind of place...small, local, and lots of pickups out front. We sure can pick ‘em! We both ordered the souvlaki plate...it was huge and delicious, with homemade pita bread and fresh fries with gravy. And yes, it was just across the street from an enormous stone quarry!

We picked up Route 8 at Peters Corners heading toward Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo, with intent to follow 8 all the way to Goderich, then tour down the shore to St. Josephs. I assumed my usual “be-a-passenger-after-lunch” mode, and promptly went to sleep. Ethan woke me in time to see some of Stratford; what a beautiful town! Old,old buildings, lovely landscaping along a tranquil riverfront park, and too many shops that we need to go back and revisit. By this time it was approaching late afternoon, and we decided that we’d check out the coast on another day; it was probably more prudent to find our accommodations rather than head north to Goderich. We zig-zagged through thousands and thousands of acres of meticulously maintained farms, from Route 8 at Mitchell, south to Exeter, north to Hensall, and then west on Route 84 to St.Josephs. Our destination was “Brentwood on the Beach Bed and Breakfast”, at St.Josephs Shores (check them out at http://www.brentwoodbnb.com). We turned into what looked like an **exclusive** lakeside community....it was. Brentwood B&B is located on a cliff right on Huron’s shore, with a sandy beach below that runs for miles. Their deck affords a great view of the brilliant Lake Huron sunsets. Joan & Peter Karstens, our hosts and new friends, purchased the property about 10 years ago. It was formerly a dream retirement home of a local person...10,000 square feet!!! They have transformed it into a luxury B&B, as well as small conference center/retreat. We found beautifully decorated sitting rooms overlooking the lake, private patios, manicured grounds with chair swings and hammocks, and the MOST comfortable lounges overlooking the lake. Peter’s lighted grapevine tree sculptures twinkle in the yard at night. A sweeping spiral staircase takes you downstairs to a large room with comfy couches, fireplace, meeting room facilities, indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna. They have 10 guestrooms, each appointed with it’s own unique personality. Well-placed stairs provide easy access to the sandy beach, with lawn chairs on landings that invite you to ease your way down the cliff. Breakfast is a leisurely buffet feast, with fresh fruits, juices, pastries, croissants, as well as their hot specialties: raisin stuffed French toast, potato casseroles, Swiss egg bake. Everyone’s so friendly, and there’s quite a mix of people to meet: tourists and business people from Europe, Japan, and Canada. Joan and Peter enjoy spending breakfast with their guests, easily chatting in German and French (they’re learning Japanese). It’s a great way to start the day!

Joan provided us with a great selection of menus from restaurants in the local area. This area is a very popular tourist destination, and you can find everything from pubs to 5-Star fine dining. It was a tough choice, but on our first night we decided on “The Red Pump” in Bayfield, about 10 miles north of our home base. It’s an intimate restaurant with elegant table settings, impeccable service, and gourmet cuisine that is beautifully presented and a treat to savor. The choices are almost too much to make! Appetizers included Spring Roll with Smoked Duck and Mango Salsa; Pepper Penne with Wild Mushroom, Pancetta, and Asiago Cream Sauce; Warm Mushroom Salad with Chevre and Roased Garlic. If that wasn’t difficult enough, on to the entrees: Garlic Chicken Breast with Smoked Bacon and Roasted Garlic Jus, Linguine with King Crab Legs, Shrimp, and Scallops on Tomato Basil Pasta, Fish of the Evening, Seared Pork Tenderloin with Shitake Mushrooms and Citrus Herb Butter..to name a few. We started with the Warm Mushroom Salad; the flavor of the warm mixed mushrooms, herbs, and goat cheese was a combination that was out of this world! We both chose the Fish of the Evening, which was Broiled Lake Huron Pickerel. It was a work of art (almost too pretty to eat!), lightly dusted with herbs and served on roasted baby red potatoes, garnished with a crisp-tender mix of late summer vegetables. The sweet, flaky fish combined with their homemade herbed Hollandaise sauce made an unbeatable combination.

Thankfully, it was only about a 15 minute drive back to our B&B. We were definitely ready for a good night’s sleep, with dreams of horses, antique tractors, farm equipment, livestock…zzzzzzzzz, eagerly anticipating the next day at the International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show!!

Next time...on to the Show!!!!!

Be sure to visit us at http://irwinhome.freeservers.com – you’ll find a link to the Show on our “Favorite Web Sites” page.