Cross Canada and Back, Part 60

Manitoulin Island, Ontario

Thursday 15 September 2011, day 123

We went for a long drive around Manitoulin island. Small villages, small farms, some cottages and a lot of bush land and grass. Manitoulin Island is the largest lake Island in the world.

We drove from Sheguiandah to M'Chigeeng. We dropped into some arts and crafts stores. In one they had all kinds of original native art and handicrafts.

They also had a small museum in the back mostly with porcupine quill baskets and cedar baskets. I

Anders going shopping

just bought some trinkets like all tourists.

Quill baskets with native birds and animals they had behind a glass enclosure were exquisite. I loved one with a Blue Heron on a small box with relief tail feathers. But it was way  over $350.00, so we drove on.

Yesterday we looked at some humorous native paintings at the Ten Mile Point Gallery. We loved one of the paintings, but decided that we do not have the space to display more paintings.

Today we continued our journey through Kagawong to Goore Bay.

This area of the island seams to have more agriculture going. Some of the field are looked after and dairy cows or cattle are grazing.

Getting late in the day. Happy Hour anyone?

We drove back over Honora and Aundeck Omnikaning to Little Current. There we shopped for some food and Anders washed the truck.

I visited Manitoulin Island in 1968 and looked at a very colourful Pow Wow. The dancers were incredible. Anders and I were too late in the season this time to see any special presentations.

Just looking at the 2013 calendar, all the Pow Wows were from June to the 1st of September. Too bad. A good reason to go back.

This was our last evening on this island.  We made supper and prepared sandwiches for the road next day.

The next day we started driving west towards home.

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Cross Canada and Back, Part 59

Manitoulin Island Bound

September 14th 2011, day 122 Wednesday

We are working our way back home, still travelling east bound in Ontario. Yesterday we went to the Tobermory Ferry Terminal on the Bruce Peninsula. Our plan was to take the ferry from Tobermory to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island on the other side of Georgian Bay.

The ferry attendant was very helpful, but warned us that the ferry may not run or be a very rough ride because of the high winds. He even called the captain of the sailing that morning. It did not sound good, the waves were a good 6-8 feet with the wind blowing from the south west, which is the worst for this crossing. The captain warned: "It is not for the faint at heart".

Driving around Georgian Bay

Anders was very nice, I am the faint at heart, I am getting seasick in the shower as he says. So we went for a coffee and made a tough decision. The ferry ride would have cut off about 600 km of driving with our "pull-shack" vs a the 2 hour ferry ride. We did not want to wait for better weather, so we will drive around Georgian Bay.

Late last night we drove back to Owen Sound, Collingwood and all the way to Parry Sound. We arrived late at the Trailside Park RV Park. I think we woke the park attendant up, oh well he get over it. He gave us a spot and took our money. I think this park would be very nice, but we arrived late and left in the early morning fog.

Liz at the wheel

We had a beautiful drive on Hwy 69 through the Ontario forest turning to fall colours, along rivers, and scraggly rocks toward Sudbury. Sudbury itself was kind of ugly, or at lease we did not like it.

It rained like crazy when we drove through. They are still working on the highways. The factory chimneys were spewing out smelly stuff.

We turned west onto Hwy 17 to Espanola and from there south on Hwy 6 to Little Current on Manitoulin Island.  Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world.

We booked into Batman's Cottages and Campground just past Sheguiandah. This is a very nice park .

Wonderful views

We liked our wooded spot on the lake.

After setting up camp, we visited Unceded Wikwemikong Native Reserve. Here live 3 native bands which never signed a treaty. It is an interesting place.

There are signs of started projects. We hoped to find an art or gift shop, but did not find one. Their history is very interesting. "ahnnii" in Odawa-Ojibway, it means" welcome"

We have more pictures from this part of the trip in our Picasa Web Album. Have a look.

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Cross Canada and Back, Part 58

Bruce Peninsula on Georgian Bay

12th and 13th of September 2011, Days 120 and 121

We said good bye to Jeanie and Ed, and we were on our way to the Bruce Peninsula on Georgian Bay.

We decided to take a smaller and less traveled roads first. So we drove past Orillia again, then HWY 22 to Craighrust. It is very pretty around there.

Beautiful Drive along Blue Mountain.

From there we went on Hwy 26 along Georgian Bay, Lake Huron over Collingwood. The beaches and towns between Collingwood, Meaford and the Blue Mountain areas are beautiful. Toronto money must vacation here and or retire in one of the pretty places. Blue Mountain has a ski hill.

Around Meaford we see a lot of fruit trees, mostly apple orchards.

Owen Sound right on Georgian Bay is a nice town.  The Niagara Escarpment passes through Owen Sound on its way to the Bruce Peninsula.

Cattle grazing.

Here we took Hwy 6 north all the way to the end of the Bruce peninsula to Tobermory. The peninsula is very flat. The soil seams to be not very fertile. specially further north it was mostly pasture land. Cattle were grazing.

We stayed in Tobermory Village Campground. This is a well run family place, organized, quiet, and friendly. It is also convenient to the parks and the town.

We may have been on Lake Huron, but it looked like weather on the west coast. The winds were howling and the lake was churning.

Fathom Five National Marine Park

We wanted to go with the glass bottom boat to Flowerpot Island in Fathom Five National Marine Park. But the boats did not run, it was too rough. So we visited the part of this park on the very northern tip of the peninsula.

We climbed the view tower. Talk about windy. We had to hold on to the railings. Nice views though out to the islands of the park. We took the short 1 km walk to the rocky shores.

Bruce Peninsula National Park

From Tobermory about 12km south is the entrance of the Bruce Peninsula National Park at Cyprus Lake Road. We drove along, past the park's campground, and then walked to the Indian Head Cove and the Grotto.

It was a glorious autumn day. The water sparkled in deep blue, cyan, and green.  The waves were hitting the rocky shores. The stunted and bonsai-ed shrubs and trees were defying the weather as they did since many years.

Liz and Anders on the rocky coast line

We climbed the cliffs and rocks, it was beautiful and exhilarating.

The Grotto is a huge rock being slowly eaten away by the water and wave actions.

For some more great pictures from this part of the trip, check out our Picasa Web Albums from Fathom Five National Marine Park and pictures from Bruce Peninsula National Park.

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Cross Canada and Back, Part 57

Kawartha Lakes District

9th to 11th of September 2011, days 117,118 119

Visiting Jeanie and Ed in the Kawartha Lakes District, Ontario

We were visiting our good friends Jeanie and Ed Thomson on Crystal Lake in the Kawartha Lakes District, Ontario. Ed had made us a map to their place, and it was pretty exact.

Some of the smallest roads we have been on with the trailer

Olga (our GPS) is pretty good, she took us to the Marina on Crystal Lake. Ed was waiting at the last gravel road intersection. Talking about the boonies!

Wow, we barely made it through the narrow country road with our 5th wheel dragging behind.

The most challenging were the steep up and down hills and valleys for our hitch and truck. We had one cm to spare, hum................

But the drive was well worth it. Jeanie and Ed's cottage is on a beautiful spot right on Crystal Lake.

Jeanie and Ed in their wonderful cottage.

The two of them are wonderful hosts, and we had a great relaxing time with them.

Anders and I took out their two kayaks and paddled around the lake. that is so much easier then on the ocean, no tides to worry about (except the odd wake from boats going by).

One day we visited Bobcaygeon, a village about 30 minutes away. It is a beautiful spot on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

With interesting Lock # 32 right in the middle of the village. Bigley's Shoe and Clothing store and many other places are enticing to browse and shop. We could not resist. Anders says, Liz's motto when it comes to shopping is "Resistance is futile".

Ed, Liz and Jeanie at lock 32

Jason and Arlene, Jeanie and Ed's son and daughter-in-law have a cottage right besides them. They visited with their children and dog Einstein.

They have a speed boat. With Arlene at the helm, Jason was zooming on his board all over the lake. Everybody had fun.

Jeanie, Ed, Anders and I spent some calm times on the balcony watching the world going by.

Wonderful Evening. Really don't want to leave tomorrow!

Anders and I liked the Kawartha Lake area better than the Muskokas. It seams to be more relaxed and friendlier.

Thank you Jeanie and Ed, you showed us cottage country Ontario at its best!

This area is also one of those special places that will be remembered for a long time. Canada at it's best.


For more pictures of this part of the trip, go to our Picasa Web Album.

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Cross Canada and Back, Part 56

Orillia, Muskoka and Georgian Bay National Park

5th to 8th of September 2011, days 113 to 116

Labour Day Monday

Today we left the Niagara area and traveled north to Orillia on Lake Simcoe in the Lake Country. This is a wonderful part of Ontario. The traffic was heavy, it moved sometimes slow, but we had no problems driving through Hamilton and Toronto.

Leaving Niagara on the Lake

The traffic on the opposite side into Toronto was very slow.

Around Barrie they were crawling along. That would be a long drive back to Toronto.

We went camping at Hammock Harbour in Orillia, Ontario just off Hwy 12 on Lake Simcoe. It is a nice place. Lots of seasonal RV'ers here.

The temperatures are quite low, around 13 degree C. We settled in, and met some neighbours.

Our camp at night

One couple was from Smitters, BC. on a cross-

country tour just like us.

Stephen Leacock

Stephen Leacock

Stephen Leacock Summer Residence

The next day we visit Orillia and the Stephen Leacock Museum (a Canadian author).

His summer home is on a beautiful piece of property in Orillia.

 It could certainly inspire someone to write. Natalie ( Anders' niece)  was shooting a pilot at the same time of Leacock's " Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town". "  One of Leacock's saying:

 "I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work , the more luck I have."  

Stephen Leacock was a writer, an educator, a bon vivant, and he used already recycled materials in 1928 to build his beautiful summer home.

Check out the Stephen Leacock Museum.

More pictures from the Stephen Leacock residence at our web album.

Orillia is a quaint little town. Most schools seam to be private schools.

We wandered around and shopped for some food, went for coffee, looked into the library and the post office.

Muskoka

Lake with cottages

On September 7th we decided to drive up to the Muskoka Lake District. Muskoka is in the Canadian Shield, millions of years old.

It is very rocky and mostly unsuitable for farming, but great for recreation, boating and fishing.

Every inlet, cove, lake and river front is full of cottages ( BIG summer Homes ) and float homes.

It is only about 2 hours drive from Toronto. It is here where the rich and famous and the old money vacations.

When we were there it looked very peaceful and not too busy, but I am sure that in high summer it will be different.

A bit further north on the shores of Lake Rousseau is the little town of Rousseau.

Lake Rousseau

Rousseau General Store

Many other towns and villages we visited in this area are very quaint, but with a stiff Toronto upper lip.

Prices are high and the store owners rather not friendly.

One big exception was the General Store in Rousseau. It is there since 1875.

We visited, it looks , smells and feels like times passed by. It is a living museum.

We bought pasta, olives and bread, what else would one need, well maybe a bottle of wine.

For more pictures from this part of the drive, have a look at our web album.

Georgian Bay Islands National Park of Canada

Georgian Bay Island National Park of Canada

John and Liz. John is a super nice Park Warden

September 8th we drove to Lock 45 to Severn Falls, and continued to Honey Harbour. Our plan was to take to Day-tripper boat out to Georgian Bay Islands National Park.

We met John, the park warden. He was super nice, he was also the captain of the Day-tripper boat.

The only way to access the park is by boat and there are 63 islands as part of the park.

The Georgian Bay is the world’s largest freshwater archipelago with 30,000 islands. Amazing!

John took us to Beausoleil Island. Within 20 minutes we were there, then you are on your own.

Anders and I decided to hike from Chimney Bay the Fairy Trail to Honeymoon Bay.

So nice out here

Baby rattler

Life is good

Liz cooling off her feet

We walked over sheer rock faces of the Canadian Shield, through happy forests, and visited sandy coves, trails native people probably used over 5000 years ago.

It all looked so real and pristine. Until in one bay 2 Honda generators were powering a huge luxury yacht.

On our hike we came across bear scat ( must have been a small one ), and Anders almost stepped on a young Rattlesnake.

Later on John picked us up and took us back. Tired and happy we drove back to Orillia.

This is another one of those special places in our wonderful country, Canada.

For more pictures of Georgian Bay Island National Park, see our web album.

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