It Was a Dark and Stormy Night - Our Last Weekend

We drove through lots of rain on our way up to the Park, but as we got to the East Gate the sky was crystal clear with thousands of stars. We thought we were in for a beautiful night, but by the time we had loaded up the boat, the wind had risen to gale force and clouds scudded in to cover all the stars. We bounced across the waves, through the whitecaps to the island. When we got there the thermometer read 0 degrees, and my trusty wind chill chart told us it felt like -15. That felt right to me, but we lit a fire and soon had the cabin up to a toasty temperature.

Let it Snow....

We woke up to a series of mini blizzards in the morning. After a while snow began to stick to the dock and the trees and it looked distinctly wintery out there. We enjoyed this little taste of the season to come, but by 11 a.m. all traces were gone and the rest of the day was a weird mixture of sun, black clouds, rain and wind. We went for a short walk at the end of the day as the wind died, but mostly we stayed cozy inside.

Things are Really Simple in Winter

Since it was a cold weekend, we opted for winter operations. That means simple meals cooked in the living room instead of in the kitchen cabin. In this case chili on potatoes - the chili heated up on the wood stove while the potatoes boiled on the Coleman.

Winter Configuration

So here's how we're set up for cottaging in the winter. First (and most importantly), the bed moves into the living room right beside the fire. We live in this room, cooking on the wood stove and on a Coleman, we put food in a cooler in the back hall and then close the door so it's not heated. We actually put the food in the cooler to keep it from freezing in this instance. You can see an ice auger in the rafters and we use that to drill a hole and get water through the ice. There are plastic storm windows on the side and back and plastic over the screen on the outer door. All in all it's pretty cozy - even in the -30's.

A Final View Before the Freeze

A final view of Hepburn's Island before we leave the lake. Someone once told me this was the most photographed island in the Park. With an evening light like this, it's easy to believe. Anyway - we're gone now until the lake freezes, so unlike most people - we hope that winter comes fast and furious. We like a very cold snap with no snow, because that's the surest and quickest way to good solid ice. Cross your fingers for us and come back for some winter pics once the lake is frozen.

Thanksgiving in the Park

The weather was fabulous and people flocked into the Park even though the colors were mostly gone. All the trail parking lots were as packed as this lot here at the Track and Tower trail.

Things to be Thankful For

This Thanksgiving I was thankful for spectacular weather, great food and my incredible good fortune to spend the holiday in Algonquin Park with my wonderful wife, kids to play with and good friends to celebrate with.

Fall Scene

This marsh view along the side of the highway shows all that is beautiful about soft Fall browns and dark greens. I loved the textures and the colors in this scene.

Fall Along the Highway

By this Thanksgiving weekend, the color was mostly gone. A few Birch and Aspen showed some yellow along the road, but most of the leaves had fallen already.

Gobble., Gobble

We had a traditional Turkey dinner to cap off our Thanksgiving weekend. It was so warm we had the kitchen windows open while we ate dinner.

A Different View

This part of the shoreline sure looks different now that the Rec Hall is completely down. These piles of rubble will be shipped away at a later date.

Piles of Rubble

Piles of rubble are all that's left of the Rec Hall now. The bulldozer operater did manage to leave a two foot high piece of the back wall and one side, as well as the fireplace, so when all the rock and lumber is cleared, there will be something to mark the spot.

Thanks for the Memories

What's left of the old piano stands next to the remains of the fireplace.