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.

End of an Era

Carolyn and I didn't get to the cottage this weekend, but Whitney Brice sent me these pictures. On Sept. 13, the remains of the Rec Hall were demolished. In her email, Whitney tells me that while the bulldozer operator was willing to try and save some of the perimeter, the mortar was too fragile and so sadly there is nothing left.

Salvage from the Rec Hall

Several leaseholders worked during the day to salvage what they could as the Rec Hall was demolished. Whitney and Tom rescued the tribute to the Yaskovitch's that used to be on the wall

Seasons Come and Seasons Go

Summer has almost left us and Fall is peaking through as the first colors start to show on the lake. For the most part they are soft pastels in oranges and yellows. Here are a few locations already beginning their display. You'll need to click on them to blow them up in order to really see the color. Clockwise from top left - between Bartlett Lodge and Pigeon's, looking back from Skymount Bay, behind Burnett's cottage and behind Pendleton's.

A Splash of Red

Although most of the color showing now is soft and mostly in the yellows and oranges, there is the odd bright splash of red showing through. This is shot at the beginning of the trail along the railroad bed on Cache Lake.

Highland Hiking Trail

We stopped on the way out of the Park to walk part of the Highland Hiking trail. The part we walked is mostly uphill - and steep too. However, the trail is beautiful, the path is wide and the views are wonderful.

View from the Top

Here is just one of the views along the way on the Highland Hiking trail. You can see more of the soft color all across the vista.

Fairyland

If you were a fairy, wouldn't you want to live here? When I see scenes like this I don't wonder that people believe fairies and leprachauns exist - after all, this miniature scene is pretty magical.

The Best Vacation Ever!

Blue Skies - that's how we would describe this year's vacation. Wonderful weather, new and familiar activities, great meals, rest and relaxation, impromptu cocktail parties, catching up with old friends, making new ones, exploring new places, cosy times alone, laughter shared with others - that was vacation 2006. Check out the photos below to see what "the best vacation ever" looked like!

Blown Over

This vacation we walked several of the trails in the Park, and we were surprised to see how many trees had been knocked over by the storms that have gone through this summer. This tree wasn't particularly large, but it's root system brought up a huge chunk of earth on the Hemlock Bluff trail.

Trip to Galeairy

On a beautful and virtually windless day, Barb and Rick put their boat on a trailer and took us off to spend the day on Galeairy Lake. The Lake is accessible from Whitney on the East side of the Park, and though you start from public land, partway down the lake you'll find signs indicating which parts of the lake lie within Algonquin. It is a large and beautiful lake with few cottages, several islands and lots of beautiful points. We picnicked on the point in the bottom right.

Picnic on a Point

We broke out tuna fish sandwiches and salads while we sat on this site high on a point and enjoyed the views.

There Must be a Way to Get That Down!

What is everyone looking so longingly at in the trees - a rare bird up there or a wild animal??? It's better than that - the perfect fungus (perfect for recording your trip on,) and nobody is better at finding them than Barb. Here she's spotted a fungus that seems just out of reach. I tried boosting Carolyn on my leg but couldn't get her high enough so we finally settled for two slightly smaller ones just a little lower down. You can see one of them further down on the blog.

Breakfast on the Dock

The weather was wonderful on our vacation and we had most of our breakfasts on the dock. What a great way to start the day!

Composting for Success

This year the Ministry ran a pilot composting project for the 10 days at the end of August and over the Labor Day weekend. Rick, Barb, Carolyn and I delivered these neat composting bags to all the cottages on the lake where we thought someone might be around during that period. The bags are made of corn starch and vegetable oil and decompose so that they can be tossed directly into a composting heap without any separation. The hope is that in the future we will be able to compost 60% of our waste, recyle 30% and have only 10% go to actual landfill. The Minsitry chose Cache Lake cottagers to start off the initial pilot and a quick peak at the garbage hut on our way out showed a pretty good pile of bags so hopefully we started off with a healthy participation and this project will be considered a success!

A Visit to the Bonds

People from Cache Lake will remember the Bonds from the cottage between the Turners and the Browns. David and I have kept in touch on and off over the years since the Bonds left Cache, and this summer Barb, Rick, Carolyn and I were invited to visit David and his wife Louise, at his family cottage now on Aylen Lake. David and Louise toured us around the large and beautiful lake which borders Algonquin, served us a lovely dinner and we all shared both memories and new stories during our visit. We're looking forward to more visits in both directions!

Cocktails on the Deck

The cottage has a wonderful deck that goes all across the front and it was great place to sit and sip our wine and nibble on veggies while we watched David grill the chicken for dinner. It was a great day with the Bonds, and it was then capped off by an very rare and close up sighting of a wolf on the road right beside us as we approached the Cache Lake entrance.

Fall is on it's Way

Here's a blaze of yellow shot along the Canisbay Lake Road. Spots of color appeared early during our vacation and by the time we left, there was color starting to appear all along the highway.

A New Activity

This vacation we tried a brand new activity. Several years ago the Ministry opened a bike trail that runs from Two Rivers to Mew Lake, to Whitefish and Rock Lake across the old Railway bed. Barb, Rick, Heather, Carolyn and I rented bikes and gave it a try. The trip was 25k, a lot of fun and the trail was quite beautiful. Despite some "saddle soreness", the ride was a success. In these shots you can see one of the information boards posted along the way describing the areas you ride through; Carolyn after her bike got away from her, an old trestle crossing a pond and the gravel road into Rock Lake

The Finish Line

The Rigbys cross the finish line - Heather in fine form, Richard doing his best imitation of Lance Armstrong, and Barb - cheerful to the end even as she was forced to finish on foot thanks to a flat tire near the end.

How I Spent my Summer Vacation - In Pictures

Here's my attempt at a pictorial souvenir of our vacation this summer. The first picture (top left) represents the Wolf Howl that Carolyn and I went to during the first week of our vacation. The Park has been holding public wolf howls since 1963 and people come from around the world to hear it. In a nutshell, it starts with a short slide show on wolves in an outdoor theatre. Then Park Naturalists take up to 2000 people in approximately 500 cars to a spot on the highway where if everyone is very quiet, they will hear a pack of wolves howl in response to the naturalist's howl. This year, for only the third time in the history of the event, the wolves were so close to the outdoor theatre that we all walked down the highway and up into the forest. It was surreal walking with about 1800 people up a path lit with glow sticks until we reached a clearing in the woods. The naturalists howled and a pack howled back - adults and pups - while we all stood in silent awe. It was an amazing experience - both the howling of the wolves, and the co-operation of so many people in making a magical experience. Other images on the fungus represent (clockwise from wolf) paddling, walking through the woods, exploring new lakes with Barb and Rick, biking and swimming. That's just in case you can't tell from the pictures:)

Mushroom Gallery

And here are other "fungal souvenirs" of our 2006 vacation - clockwise from top left - a walk on the Hemlock Bluff trail, our visit to Galeiry Lake and two from our bike ride - a map of the trail and a poem from Carolyn.

Heading Home in the Rain

When I saw this boat coming across the lake, I ran to get my camera. How many times have I crossed the lake on a rainy day and never thought to use an umbrella???

Misty Afternoon

Even gloomy weather can be beautiful. I shot this coming back from mainland at about 5 in the afternoon the day before our vacation ended.

A Ride on the River

Whenever we have first time guests, one of the things we love to do is take them for a ride around the whole lake, often starting with a trip up the Madawaska. Here the weather co-operated as we took our friends Eric and Pascale for a late afternoon cruise up the river and into White's Lake.

Jack Pine

This Jack Pine towers above the other trees right across the channel from our cottage. It's a beautiful tree that creates a very distinctive skyline. You can see lots of good size trees to the right of it, but when I was little that whole area was a meadow and my sister and I used to go down to the dock after dinner to watch the deer feed there. It is amazing how little time it actually takes for a landscape to change.

On the Way to the Trestle

These are some of the rocks on the way to the first trestle. Carolyn liked the light and the compostion of the standing and fallen logs. The Park is in deep summer now, with lots of dark green in all the trees everywhere - but in a short time we should start to see color appearing as the nights are certainly starting to feel cooler. Carolyn and I start vacation this Friday and so my next posting won't be until after Labor Day. Look for lots of new pictures then!

Barron Canyon Canoe Trip - First Night

On Thursday afternoon, Carolyn and I left on the first leg of the Rigby, Kingsley et al Barron River Canoe Trip. We left Montreal and met up with Barb and Rick in Pembroke, Ontario where we set up our “campsite” at the Best Western Hotel. After a little trail mix in Barb and Rick's room, we set out to catch some fish for our dinner. We hauled in a very good catch at the Saffron Bistro.

The Trippers

Friday morning we met up with Heather and friends Erin and Melissa, who had canoe tripped for real (and over 27km of storm damaged portages) from Opeongo Lake in order to meet us at the top of the Barron River. After leaving a car at the bottom of the river and unloading our lunchbags, we 7 intrepid paddlers set off on our journey.

On Water

We set off in two canoes, Heather and friends in one; Barb, Rick, Carolyn and I in the other. We dined on lobster sandwiches floating through the canyon while a dragonfly hitched a free ride on Barb’s hat.

And on Land

There were a few portages along the way – here I carry the first portage, Heather and Rick set off on the second – and Carolyn carries the paddles and the grub in between taking many of the photos of this trip.

The Canyon

Sheer cliffs towered on either side as we paddled through the highest part of the canyon. Both lichen and tiny little fish that date from prehistoric times have survived here and the trees have found ways to cling precariously to bare rock faces.

The Journey Continues

After completing the river part of our trip, Rick and Heather loaded up the canoes and we all drove off to see the river from a new angle. We walked the Barron Canyon trail that took us up to the highest point and allowed us to view the river from a different perspective. After everyone had signed the visitor’s book at the end of the trail, Barb,Rick and Carolyn and I continued on to Grand Lake where we gazed at the exact same landscape that Tom Thompson painted in “The Jack Pine”. Finally we headed for home, stopping for an authentic Polish dinner of cabbage rolls, perogi and sausages at the Wilno Tavern outside of Barry’s Bay. If you want to see a slideshow of all the pictures from our trip, click here.

Cache Lake Leaseholders

The leaseholders association met in front of what’s left of the Rec Hall to discuss the many things that concern us as a group. There was a good turnout of members, several with good suggestions for the future of this Rec Hall site.

Family and Friends

More than anything, the cottage is a wonderful place to spend quality time with family and friends. We shared this weekend with my parents and their Austrian friends Heiner and Lisa.

Cache Lake Regatta

And of course Civic Holiday weekend means it’s time for the the annual Cache Lake Regatta. There is swimming in the morning and canoeing in the afternoon and the Guide’s Race during lunch. It was a warm and sunny day with just enough breeze to make managing the start lines for the canoeing interesting! Lots of leaseholders turned up to race, judge and/or cheer their family and friends across the finish line.

A Fun Filled Weekend...

Some heavy rainfall on Saturday afternoon didn't prevent our guests from swimming, fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking or slime collecting (you had to be there!) Heavy rain during the week brought the lake up at least six inches, but the water is still plenty warm.

Fish Galore!

The fish were really biting on this short fishing trip to White’s Rock in Tanamakoon Lake. A total of 7 bass were landed in addition to the several others who bit but got away. Here Mathew, Molly and Derek pose with some of their catch. All the fish were safely returned to the water after a brief Kodak moment since this family practices catch and release.