Guelph

• Taking leave of Stratford and not ready to tackle big cities, we circled Waterloo and Kitchener to their north. This was a day for small towns and rural sights. In very flat terrain, we drove past acres and acres of soybeans, some fields of corn, apple orchards, bales of hay, big farms, granaries and abandoned farm buildings --- not too different from parts of the midwest. The small towns, though, were named St. Clements, St. Jacobs, West Montrose, Elmira and Conestogo. We made stops in a few, rubbing shoulders with some of the Mennonite inhabitants.
  
  In West Montrose we found Ontario’s only remaining covered bridge. Two hundred feet long, it was built in 1881:
  

  

  Its popular name is the “Kissing Bridge” because its enclosed interior and soft light are appealing for romantic couples. The toll for crossing the bridge was said to be exactly one kiss. Tips accepted.
  

  

  
  We chose Guelph for our overnight accommodations primarily because of an evening dance at the local Royal Canadian Legion. For the afternoon, we ignored the drippy weather and explored Guelph’s downtown. Easily the most imposing structure we glimpsed was the Church of Our Lady Immaculate with a commanding view down one of the main streets:
  

  

  
  The evening dance --- our first of the trip --- had an unusual beginning: a fashion show! It featured men in drag and went into overtime. Judging from the laughter it was very funny, but you probably needed to know the “starlets” to understand the humor.