Pelee Island

Last weekend, Jhoan and I went to Pelee Island with friends. It was the first time we’d ever gone. What is Pelee Island? Well, it is the southernmost point in Canada, an extremely nature-related place, with less than 300 people living there the entire year. Business is based solely on tourism, and kids have to be flown to the mainland daily for school (high school) in the winter. It holds the crumbling ruins of the first ever winery in Ontario. It’s behind a big iron gate, and off limits. Pelee Island is such a unique place, I don’t even know how to explain.

You see, when I travel, I notice the “feel” of a place. I have no choice. It’s like a vibration is being shuddered out ethereally, and I am at the mercy of that sensation. The feeling of New Orleans is nothing compared to the feeling of Boston, say, but Pelee Island was so natural, felt so remote, that it was more akin to my trip to El Salvador. The rural towns of Las Vueltas and Agua Caliente were so rural, with what seemed like no rules, I was reminded of that feeling on Pelee Island. Why? Well, being on the beachfront of the cottage, you see nothing but Lake Erie and the beach extending in both directions until the curvature of the island tapers it off. That limitlessness, the ability to jump in the warm lake and listen to the quiet at nine in the morning felt like some of my time in Central America. Freeing. A far cry from the yokel-nutty-partying idea I had of Pelee Island originally.

Having said that, the ferry ride took off from Leamington Dock at 9am, and we were in the liquor store of the island at 10:45am.

We got there in an hour, went to the cottage we were renting on the other side of the island, and after dropping off our gear, decided to load up on libations. Having a drinky-poo is a nice way to settle down, especially for urban dweller like us. Our friends, who I fear I annoyed endlessly during the trip (with my ability to be where the least amount of work/cooking was being done and being a ball of distracting energy) are from Toronto. All of us are not capable of “just relaxing”. When spending my summers up north in Algonquin-country as a teen, it was common knowledge to the permanent residents that all visitors take at LEAST 3 days to decompress, and turn their vocal volume down. On Pelee, with 3 days and two night at our disposal, a nice beverage was a way of taking days off of that decompression.

The driving and biking we did was always in a sober-yet-altered state of mind. I seemed to be expecting this little island to be barren for some reason. I looked around at the trees (Carolinian Forest) and farming (soy and grapes, etc.) and the tree-laden front lawns of the few homes inhabited year-’round and thought, “How did this all get here? How did this island become such a place?”

I mean, the streets (what few there are) looked like what I imagine the streets in the rural southern United States, such as Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, etc. Insects buzzed loudly in the heavily treed-lots (some tourists buy land and clear-cut for big resort-like cottages in some areas though) and the lawns are large and shady, inviting you to play under the trees and discover the Pelee Island fairies hiding in the tall grasses at the edges of the property.

Going to Pelee Island is one of the best experiences of travel I’ve ever had. Simple. Being so close to Windsor (geographically, not mentally) was shocking to me. This paradise is so unknown largely to the city-folk, and it’s likely the better for it. A week-long excursion would be a better length of time to spend there, and Jhoan and I would ultimately find ourselves so unwound, we might actually reach Nirvana while reading on the hot August sand of the last bit of southern-Canadian soil.

You can visit the Pelee Island Winery (where they don’t technically make the wine) and buy any assortment of wine and raw meat, which is then cooked and consumed in the park/picnic area in the back of the winery headquarters where the barbecues and tables are strewn about. You can visit the local bakery (unreal!). Circumnavigate the island on your bike (rent or bring with). Jhoan and I did, and it was magnificent. You can (we didn’t) eat at the local restaurant(s) or bar (only one). Really, you can do whatever you want, keeping in mind that you most likely have to bring anything needing props or devices will need to be brought by you.

When she reads this, she might be surprised, but I could easily see her and I living there, all year, at some point. With the internet, there are many options to connect, but I don’t think it would be a smart move until we’re both closer to retirement age. What a stunning place. Really. If I could find no other reason to be drawn there other than the night sky, that’s plenty. The light pollution is nil, which causes the sky to resemble a northern Ontario sky…where Orion and The Big Dipper and Hercules can easily be lost in the galaxy of other visible stars. I love it so much I can barely relate the feeling of a sky that free of urban haze.

Thank you Jhoan for making the trip blissful, and thank you Dan, Jenna, Tristan, and Hilary for allowing us on the trip with you (as veterans, we wouldn’t have even bothered had you not invited us and championed the possibilty of this trip) and for putting up with me. Honestly…whew…

Winery Tour; By Bike

Jhoan and I went to Kingsville, bikes in tow, my Mom in the front seat, and Jhoan’s sister and brother-in-law following nearby. We were heading out to a Windsor Eats event in the county, where several wineries are located. You see, this area in Ontario is on the same latitude as the major wine producers in California and Europe. I think the one major difference is the fact that we get winter temperatures, making the ice-wine an incredible success in this area.

The windsoreats.com crew are motivated to promote the locally run/produced/staffed/grown food in the region. This bike tour was their baby, and in all honesty, I was skeptical.

A quick rundown of the day’s events.

Beginning at Aleksander Winery, we had some white wine as the Mayor of Kingsville mingled with the crowd, taking pictures under the large willow tree located in the back of the property. Loads of bikes were leaning, layin, or standing, waiting to embark on the 25km bike ride which would bring us to two other wineries before returning for dinner.

Upon arrival, I recognized a local musician, and all-around great guy, Mark Muzzin. He, with his wife (Isabella?) do a heap of work at the winery on a regular basis, feeding tours and giving tours, while tending to winery matters also. He gave me a sneak peek of what we’d be eating when we returned. I was speechless. Locally fed/grown veal with pasta (all sauce made from tomatoes and spices in the area), original seed Peaches and Cream corn on the cob, and a melange mix of salad from local greens. Everything on the menu was from less than 10 kilometers of the winery! Awesome!

As we mingled, Chico the bike tour guide was racing around the parking area to test EVERY BIKE to make sure the tire pressures were up to snuff. He filled loads of tires, including mine. What a supremely great idea and gesture to make sure everyone had the easiest ride possible.

We hit the open road, riding the furthest leg of the ride to Pelee Island Winery. When we arrived, we shopped a little bit, ad then began our tasting/tour of the entire workings of the winery. We must’ve tasted at least 6 wines (1 ounce pours are the norm) while moving from production room to room learning about how they make wine, why wine has numbers associated with it, and what the labelling means when you buy VQA wine.

It was interesting, informative, comfortable, and enjoyable all around.

We moved from Pelee Island Winery, a SLIGHT bit tipsy, to the last stop on the trip before returning. Mastronardi Estate Winery had been blessed by the weather gods, because we were able to get a vineyard tour, seeing the grapes, learning about how they are capable of raising the temperature in the vineyards when a cold snap hits (fascinating and almost unbelievable). We tasted four wines, I believe, and they had a rosee that was maybe the best thing I tasted on the entire tour! Beautiful.

When we returned, tired, hungry, and proud of our investment/purchases, we sat down to the meal which was absolutely everything you would imagine it to be. We ate outdoors, under a large white tent, tasting MORE wine (two reds and two whites) and recounting the nearly perfect day of family, love, exercise, libation, healthful local eats, and new friends. Pina and Adriano of Windsor Eats were untouchable in the vein of hosting an event so well-intentioned with people and companies who were SO WELL PREPARED! It went without a hitch.

My mother kept up with the crowd of cyclists, some racing for some reason, and she was riding a one-speed cruiser bike! I can’t say I would have been as capable without gears. I was lucky enough to coast through the ride with Jhoan most of the time, although I tried to stay behind with my Mom on the last two legs of the ride to create a bit of a draft for her. I don’t think I helped one bit, but I wanted to try.

Now to the finish. Yes I had to leave a tad early to rush to work in Windsor (30 minutes away), but this immaculate event was not a one time thing. They have another in September! It’s located at some other wineries in the area (Viewpointe for sure).

The kicker…the entire thing…the meal, the ride, the tours, the tastings cost each participant only $20. TWENTY BUCKS?! That’s practically FREE for what we got! I cannot say enough about this brilliant event, as it may be the best local outing I’ve ever been on in the region. Period. It was that good.

All that said, there is some video that I shot while on the tour…and you are welcome to watch some. It was windy, so the sound cuts out a bit at times, but you can still learn from what I taped.

And on the tail end of this high, I am off to spend a weekend on Pelee Island! I’m going with Dan and Jenna, and Tristan and Hilary. I will laugh so hard this weekend, I may get sick on myself.

Enjoy the videos.