Last Saturday, I woke and wondered what to do to fill the day. It’s that time of year when winter has just begun to sleep and spring is awakening, and the world outdoors is somewhere in between.
While pondering, I walked past my kitchen counter, covered in travel brochures and cut-out clippings of adventures yet to come and decided that, on this fine Saturday of the in-between, my family and I should run the roads of Lanark County. Many of the roads we had done before, and although we’d travelled route #511 up and down before, we had not ventured off of it or stopped much along the way in over thirty years.
We decided to start our day in Balderson at the “Cheese Store”, which to my surprise had so much more than cheese. Yummy fudge, hot sauces, unique gifts and many delicious goodies were available. There were too many great things for just one visit, and with several types of ice cream calling us, we’ll have to return another time.
Next stop, the village of Lanark! Not to date myself, but the last time I had stopped in Lanark I was in high school, visiting the woolen mills with my parents. As soon as we turned around the bend and started over the bridge, I knew we’d stop. We saw a shop we were familiar with (from its previous location) and so we parked. As my daughter and I walked down the sidewalk we saw a small sign advertising a thrift store, and so made a brief detour before heading across the street to the other store. The door, located at the back of a house, had nothing overly “store looking” to it, but as thrift lovers it beckoned us, so I pushed it open and a thrifting feast for the eyes appeared.
Down some steps, into a semi-basement, was a legit search-and-ye-shall-find-treasures thrift store. My daughter and I spent an hour searching the racks for vintage and new finds. During our searching for that one, two or, OK, eight great things, the ladies working and one gentleman shopper happily contributed their suggestions and positive thoughts. What a great place! While foraging, I noticed a sign that the store also is the Lanark Food Cupboard. With food insecurity rising and people needing support, and this store providing help and great thrift items, we will be back!
We hadn’t made it across the street yet to our planned destination, our detour being a little longer than we thought, and so we crossed and entered. A beautiful store awaited, with colourful scarves, mystical gems, artsy clothes and interesting books of all types. My daughter decided on a pair of what I call “Jackie O” sunglasses, on sale for just $5, a great price and useful given that the gorgeous sun was shining high in the sky.
Back on the road again. We decided to turn onto route 16. We drove through Middleville, spotting the Middleville and District Museum, and we decided we’ll come back in summer, giving us another excuse to return. We continued on to Clayton, where we’d only been back in 1989, so it had been a while to say the least. We parked at the iconic General Store and went in to buy some snacks and a drink. What a terrific surprise when we entered the store and found a tiny, historic postal office at the back. So cool! We exited the store, the door still looking like it had its original hardware, and were greeted by a local older gentleman, with his furry companion sticking its head out their truck’s window. The gentleman reminded his dog not to bark while he was in the store, and then complimented my daughter on her (leopard print!) coat. A little bit of chatting ensued, some picture taking of the river and store, and then we continued to on to Almonte.
We have visited Almonte well over twenty times in our adult lives, usually walking the paths or Riverwalk, or window shopping. On this day, we decided we were going to visit like never before and go in and out of every store and bakery until our feet could take no more. We had pledged a day of adventuring and we were going to wrap up this day with gusto! My husband overheard our plan and opted to remain in the car, and save his feet, relaxing, listening to hockey.
We began at the Almonte Town Hall and interestingly found a basketball from a tournament in Manila and the Filipino Basketball Association. My daughter and I had a good laugh at the “degrees of separation” moment as her grandfather, from just outside of Manila, was formerly part of the Filipino Basketball Association. We were aware of Almonte’s basketball history, but this was unexpected to see; another cool find on our adventure!
Onwards from there, we headed to the shops, entering every single one along our path. From vintage to baked goods to incense to antiques, there was no end to all the oddities, unique items and beautiful things. We spent three hours poking our noses in. Along the way, we chatted with people about crepes (if you know, you know), tried on some timeless fashion pieces, awed at the historic architecture, sat with James Naismith (statue of course!), and looked at nostalgic items from my youth that are now deemed antiques. Finally, with sore feet and the sun setting, we walked back to the car, my husband greeting us that he was just beginning to wonder what had happened to us, but not worried (this may be a regular thing with us, lol). The proof of our lengthy adventure — we were the only car left in the library’s parking lot!
Crossing the mighty Mississippi River, we turned right as I had spotted a church on the banks of the river. Across from the church were some original buildings of Almonte, dating back to times long ago. I am a sucker for architecture and historical places, so I had to get out and wander some more. While photographing, I noticed a labyrinth and a bench with a beautiful view that we shall return to in summer. A great place to sit and rest and ponder life.
Onwards again towards our home with one final stop. For over twenty years, we’d passed a small, log homestead, sitting out in a field; a timepiece from long ago. Imagine the stories those walls could tell. I had always said I would get a picture of it, and on this day of the in-between, the time had come. Standing along the roadside, finally stopping to capture the tiny house, it brought home what a terrific day we’d had running the roads around the Ottawa Valley. A terrific place. A place of history, a place of interesting towns, of friendly people, and meandering roads calling to us. We need no excuse to come back. Lanark never disappoints. Until next time, Ottawa Valley!
