Exploring Campbellford

This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's)

cruising adventures on the Great Loop!

DAY 98 - July 7, 2017

Not clown bikes!

Today was a full free day in Campbellford, and it was a very full day from the time we got up until we went to bed! 

I took the bikes down and got them ready to go. We used them a bit in Trenton, and will use them a lot here. We will probably put them on the bow rails for the rest of the Trent-Severn Canal, since it is fresh water, there are no big waves, and the best towns are still ahead of us. We no longer think of them as clown bikes, either!  We are glad we have them! 

We knew where we wanted to go from looking at all the Chamber of Commerce literature in the Visitor Center here in Old Mill Park. All the stuff we wanted to see is on the east side of the Trent-Severn Canal across the bridge, so we pedaled over.

World's Finest Chocolates store

Bulk candy

We passed Dooher's Bakery, but decided to hit that on the way back. Our first stop was The World's Finest Chocolates retail outlet. We spent some time looking at pretty much everything in the store, and settled on some chocolate covered pecans, some bulk candy (Mint Meltaways and Caramel Swirls), and some Rice Crispy bars from the "seconds" table at a reduced price (note use of "Oxford comma," which makes clear that only the Rice Crispy bars were seconds!).  We later decided perhaps we should have made the chocolate store our last stop, since it was a warm day. Fortunately, nothing melted!

The Beer Store

The next stop was The Beer Store. This is a concept unknown in the U.S. Of course we have bottle shops, but we can also buy beer in supermarkets and convenience stores. Not so in Canada. The LCBO (liquor store) carries a limited selection of industrial beers, but if you want the full selection of craft beers, you must go to The Beer Store. Beers are not displayed in coolers. There is a counter where you place your order and the staff sends it out down a roller to the cash register. 

The Beer Store computer for Ontario craft beers

There is a computer so you can see what is available. You tap the screen to start, and drill down through choices like "Craft beer" -> "Ontario Craft Beer." The screen then shows all the flavors they have matching your selection, you click on a selection, and another screen then tells you how much they have in inventory. Finally, you go to the counter and place your order, they send it out from the back down the rollers, and you pay for it. Not a very efficient system compared to simply picking a sixer or a half-rack out of a supermarket cooler!

Dooher's Bakery

Dooher's Butter Tarts

Our last stop of the morning was at Dooher's Bakery.  There was a sign telling customers to "Line up at cash register to place order," and there were lines spilling out onto the sidewalk from both doors! It took awhile to work our way up, but we knew what we wanted - Butter Tarts and croissants. Butter Tarts are an Ontario specialty, which are little pies with a flaky crust and a gooey inside like a pecan pie minus the pecans, and a bit runnier! They are very sweet, which leads to the question why are they called "tarts"? But we enjoyed them! 

Baxter before grooming...

Baxter after grooming!

We got back in time to meet a wonderful dog groomer, Darlene Neville of "Muttley's Makeover," who not only was able to work Baxter into her schedule, but also came down to Old Mill Park to pick him up and then deliver him back. She only charged $35, which we thought was not adequate for the service, so she got a very healthy tip! Baxter looks so much better now, and will be a lot more comfortable! He is one handsome dude when he comes back from the groomer!

I wanted some bike chain lube and a siphon hose to get water from our Aquatainer into the boat's water tank, so later in the afternoon I pedaled over to Canadian Tire. A Les Schwabs this isn't!  It is a big box store like Home Depot or Lowe's. I found what I wanted, bought it, and pedaled back to the boat! When I got back from Canadian Tire, I walked back across the bridge just looking for some interesting shots, and I found a few!  While I was on the bridge, I was watching some boys doing back-flips into the Canal. I called down and asked if they would do back-flips together for me. The shot I got was totally lucky, because I heard them counting, and I pressed the shutter on "two" - I knew if I waited to "three," I would just get a picture of holes in the water where they went in!  As it turned out, I think I got the "critical moment" - that split second where the picture is just right!

Back-flips into the Trent-Severn Canal!

Here are a couple more. One is just a flower pot on the street, and the other is (I think), the old Campbellford City Hall.

Flower pot on Bridge Street

Probably Campbellford Old City Hall

Reg Corey

We capped the night off with a great dinner out at Capers Taproom, which is a few blocks away on Bridge Street. We were out in their outside courtyard, with very good live music by Reg Corey, who was very good on the guitar and completely adequate on vocals. Reg did a great selection of tunes from the 60s and 70s. I had prime rib (with horseradish of course) and a mountain of garlic mashed potatoes, and Patty had a Caesar salad and coconut shrimp - we both thought the place was excellent!

Pat and Patt at Caper's Tap House

We have another full free day tomorrow with a couple of major events - Chome on the Canal (antique motorcycles and cars) and Incredible Edibles (a sampling of Campbellford's best food, with live entertainment). Should be fun!