Stratford Central Secondary School - Collegian Yearbook (Stratford, Ontario Canada)

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COLLEQGIAN, l930 we were able to see range after range of long brown hills, some of which were partially covered with trees, making a dark spot in the oth- erwise brown landscape. The road wound in and out and around the hills revealing at every turn newer and more beautiful sights than be- fore. After a short journey through this land of romance, we turned off the main highway, and after dis- embarking from our charos, we walked up a tree-covered pathway to the little town of Luss. This is a peaceful little hamlet on the shores of Loch Lomond. We quickly tra- versed the street fthere only is one street in Luss which leads down to the lakel wth its vine-covered cot- tages and going down a small in- cline, went out on a small landing stage built out into the water. Be- fore us lay the calm and peaceful expanse of Loch Lomond! My first sight of this famous lake was indeed an impressive one. All was still a- round us and not a ripple disturbed the clear surface of the water. To right and left stretched its silvery waters, disappearing round a bend to the left, and converging into a group of tree-clad islets to the right. Before us on the other side of the Loch rose the ever-present masses of brown hills, which were reflected on the perfect mirror of the lake. To the left in the distance rose the stately heights of Ben Lomond, reaching up to the sky, a landmark standing out among the brown tipped crests of its fellows. Looking down the lake to the right again. the low-lying islets lent a feeling of peace and security from the outside world. l-lere was nature, calm and unruffled, far from the hurry and bustle of modern life. Every one of the party felt this spirit within him and when one of them broke the in- tense silence and began the open- ing bars of that famous song: On The Bonny Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond, with one accord the whole party joined in and soon the echoes were sending back to us our own quiet strains. The singing grad- ually rose in volume until it sounded like an anthem, as tho' everyone were giving forth a prayer to God to thank Him for this perfect work. At that moment l felt a surge within myself which l have seldom if ever felt. Then as the song ended and we were reluctantly turning away to resume our journey, the reverent silence was rudely shattered by a truly plebeian sound. On looking round to see, we were astonished to see a sea-flea! Nothing else but a sea-flea speeding over the silent surface of the Loch at break-neck speed towards the opposite shore The spell was broken and after one lingering glance behind us, we slow- ly trailed up the path towards our waiting charas and soon were on our way once more. From Luss we followed the road, which led us along the peb- bled shores, past Ben Lomond until the lake petered out into a shallow little bay with trees stretching down to the edge of the water. We turned southward then and came upon the little village of Arrochar at the head of Loch Long. After a few minutes rest here we continued our journey down Loch Long until we came to the stopping place for teag the Shandon Hotel, This was a huge building of stone, which we were given to understand had formerly been the estate of some Scottish Laird. The place was magnificent and its velvet-grassed greens over- looked the still waters of Loch Long. At the time we were there, The Royal Yacht Club of Glasgow was holding its alnnual races and the Loch was dotted with numerous craft, from luxurious cruisers down to the frailest of sea-fleas. The sun was just setting over the opposite hills and the small boats flitting a- bout below us in the twilight were the only moving things to be seen. When finally, the sun had sunk from sight into the hills, we turned back -29-

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COLLEGIAN, 1930 A DAY IN SCOTLAND After an all-night journey, rush- ing along at the break-neck speed on which the English railways seem to thrive, we arrived just before dawn at the little station of Craigen- doron, near Dumbarton, on the Clyde. Here we embarked on a small steamer for the trip to Rothesay. The thick white, Scottish mist lay like a blanket over the water, swirl- ing and rising above us in little spi- rals, as we swept down the river. The very silence of the cold black water was oppressive, as we stood on the deck waiting for the dawn. lust when we least expected it, the sun burst with dazzling brilliance over the rim of the surrounding hills to dispel the mist which obscured everything from sight. And in the warmth of the hrst light of day, what a magnificent view met our eyes! On both sides of the inlet rose great masses of dark-brown hills, outlined against a pale-blue sky, cast- ing their sombre shadows on the still waters of the Clyde. Straight ahead, in the distance, were more ranges of low-lying hills, hazy and indistinct in the half-light and partly obscured by the fast disappearing mist. A typical Scottish sunrise, one never to be forgotten as a thing of beauty! As the sun rose higher and higher in the heavens, we steadily pushed onward into the ever-widening mouth of the Clyde. Small towns and villages could be vaguely seen on the edge of the shore, outlined against the ever-present background of hills. About half-way to Rothesay on the right shore, we saw the home of Sir Harry Lauder, hidden away among the trees but easily discern- able through Held-glasses. After weaving our way for some time through the numerous fishing vessels, yachts and steamers riding at anchor in the mouth of the Clyde, We soon came in sight of Rothesay and slow- ly steamed up to the dock. Rothe- say is a delightful little summer re- sort which was and still is to some extent, a fishing port. ln the numer- ous basins about the docks we saw many of the sturdy little fishing smacks with their crews overhauling their gear. Rothesay, itself, spreads out along the coast on the eastern slope of a small range of low-lying hills which form the back-bone of the lsle of Bute. The main street runs along the water front and its entire length is interspersed with shops. displaying souvenirs of Rothesay chiefly Rock Candy put up in small boxes covered with vari-coloured Scotch plaid paper. After exploring the numerous narrow streets branch- ing off the main thoroughfare, which seemed to run hither and thither without any apparent sense of direc- tion, we got on board our little steamer again for the return journey. The one thing l remember most dis- tinctly about Rothesay was the coal- peddlers. These worthy gentlemen perched on heavy two-wheeled carts full of little bags of coal, kept go- ing up and down the streets at a steady pace, without guiding their horses, shouting at the tops of their voices all the while without any ap- parent effort: Coal! Any coal wanted today? The return journey to Craigen- doron was accomplished in about two hours' time and when we arrived there we were met by a fleet of cha- rabancs, which after absorbing all the excursionists, set off along the Clyde, through Dumbarton and up the Clare Loch. It was about eleven o'clock in the morning with not a cloud in the sky, and as we swept through the arch of trees covering the highway, we could catch glimp- ses of silvery waters of Loch Gare peeping through the leaves. How- ever we soon left the highway along the Loch and branched off to the right into the hill district. Here, the trees did not crowd the highway and -23.-

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COLLEGIAN, l930 to the Hotel for tea. After tea, we explored the magnificent grounds of the hotel until darkness set in and then embarking in our charas, set off once again, this time homewards towards Glasgow, where we caught the train for home. Thus ended one of the most wonderful days I have ever spent and one to be long re- membered. -john A. Whittaker, SA. TORONTO TO QUEBEC BY BOAT Last summer it was my pleasure to take a boat-ride from Toronto to Quebec. l had never been on a voyage of any great length before and l looked forward with great in- terest to my journey down part of the world's greatest inland system of waterways. We left Toronto in the afternoon and headed across the lake for Ro- chester. Although a strong wind was blowing, the lake was not very rough and the boat made good time, arriving at Rochester nearly on sche- dule. We stopped only for about an hour and then started back a- cross the lake for Kingston. It was then about midnight. Let me slip in a word of advice here, to all prospective travellers: Be sure to reserve a berth. Sleep- ing on chairs or improvised cots is the bunk , l speak from experi- ence, our sum total hours of sleep was three and one-half. Early the next morning we ar- rived at Kingston. This city, as you know, is just at the head of Lake Ontario. Soon after we left King- ston we came to the first of the Thousand Islands. This renowned group of islands looked especially beautiful in the ruddy glow of the morning sun. The islands are scat- tered for several miles along the river. There are big islands, small islands. medium-sized islands, and then more islands. Some are mere- ly rocks jutting out of the water, others are several acres in areag al- most all are thickly wooded. Many of the islands are owned by Ame- ricans who have their summer re- sidences situated on them. These homes too, are very beautiful. Gradually the islands became scarcer and you see before you the broad rolling St. Lawrence. For se- veral miles the land on each side is fairly flat and almost bare of woods. Then as you go on, the banks become rockier and more steep, and also more thickly wooded. The couri- try is very peaceful, there are few houses, only an occasional summer home. These are built, like old cha- teaus and make the country very picturesque. You pass an occasional busy little town but soon are in the open again. ln the forenoon we arrived at Cornwall where we had to change to a smaller boat which was to take us through the rapids. The river beyond Cornwall widens out in some places and becomes quite shallow so that channels have been dug to get around them. One particular chan- nel, about a mile and a half long by some four hundred feet wide, has been cut through solid rock. However, the most interesting part of the trip was yet to come, namely, shooting the rapids. We were informed that there were four main groups of rapids and were told at approximately what time we would reach each one. The first was the Long Sault Group. Everyone crowded to the front and sides of the boat in or- der to see the rapids. As we ap- proached them they became more and more formidable in appearance. The water was white with foam, the waves were high, the boat was caught in the swift current and we were in the midst of the turbulent water. The engines were shut off and the boat was allowed to drift with -30-