We are not fans of camping in the summer here in Ontario…there are just too many people. But this year has not been normal. We had the itch and hooked up.
We met up with Diane and Kim for a ten day trip through some parks. The first park on the list was Bonnechere Provincial Park and once there we wished we had either brought life jackets or a boat. Due to Covid they were not lending out life jackets so we could not rent canoes or kayaks.
The Bonnechere River is very pretty and we did ok with our first campsite as there was enough sun to not be plugged in. We had extended our stay and had to change campsites as the one we had originally booked wasn’t available for the whole time we would be there.
We also stopped in Killaloe to get some beavertails this trip as it is down the road a little way from Bonnechere Provincial Park.
We met up with Eleasa and Jim at the campground as they were staying nearby.
We had a great time and managed to make it to the Wilno Tavern restaurant for some excellent Polish food.
At this point in the year we were allowed to have a small group on a patio and we did. The food was terrific.
It’s very nice to have a dining tent to prevent the evil mosquito from ruining dinner.
I think the park folk wanted to ensure the tree didn’t block the road when it was felled so they helped the beaver. It seems though the beaver lost interest.
We walked on trails and came upon this cabin. I think due to Covid, all activities were cancelled and the historic aspect of it all was lost for the year.
Back at camp there were some visitors to an empty campsite.
We had booked a night at this site without electricity then as our plans changed we added a few nights before the lakefront site. We weren’t able to keep either one due to crowding at the provincial parks this year.
It was nice to be able to ride around exploring the park.
As most know, I don’t often get into lakes of my own free will. The weather was hot and the water was warm. The beach is quite sandy so I was easily able to go for a swim and enjoy the beach.
We should remember that if we return to this park a canoe or kayak is a must. The river looks wonderful to paddle.
We left for Restoule passing though Mattawa and had to have a photo of Big Joe Mufferaw
It’s always nice to stop and see this statue.
At Restoule Provincial Park we hiked the fire tower trail to the above tower. I am certain that these have all become redundant with the proliferation of satellite imagery.
Restoule was another place where a boat would have come in handy.
So much logging had been done and after the logging there was planting. The above is a nice example of a planted forest.
The reason for this trip was supposed to be a marathon run at Massey, ON and that is a Boston Marathon Qualifier. Linda had trained but by now Covid had cancelled so much we had abandoned the idea of running a marathon up there. We did ride our bicycles along most of the marathon route.
I want to become a better fisher so I keep trying but only catch these little guys. I need to study more.
Good times with friends are wonderful ways to spend time. Killbear was next.
We’d never been to Killbear Provincial Park and didn’t know that it was a busy and large park.
As we try to find unserviced sites with sun, the corner spot looked good on the map. We found the park to be very crowded and busy. We managed to make the most of it. Diane and Kim had a site nearby that was cancelled due to tree issued and they were given an ugly site then moved up beside us and were even refunded for one day.
The moths were everywhere. I wanted to make sure that they didn’t end up coming home with us and that took some careful looking around.
As I was going through the photos – the Killbear lookout photo looked surprisingly like the Restoule lookout photo. Luckily there is geo-tagging.
After Killbear home was the next stop. Hector likes the cool of the floor and we’d hoped he would happily sit in his pool. This is going to take some time.
We have awesome neighbours who look after our home and garden when we are away. Often the garden looks better if have gone away.
Hector didn’t join us this trip and spent ten days at the spa. He had his nails clipped and they sent us photos of him playing with other dogs. That’s all terrific but we miss him and he’ll come along on our next trip.
Hi Folks!
Thanks for all of the wonderful photos. I envy the way you all get around. The wilno Tavern serves wonderful food & I think I shall go there next summer in the Citroen and enjoy the drive. It is the oldest Polish settlement in Canada from 1858, pre-Confederation! I remember my Russian professor at York University telling us that the people in Wilno & Barry’s Bay speak Kashubian dialect, almost extinct in Poland.
I’m glad Hector was in a good kennel with people you can trust. I applied last year for an Irish Setter pup & it is possible that I may get a puppy by January. I have decided that I need a dog in my life. All the best, Doug
Thanks Doug. There are always more photos than should be posted. I always think I post too many photos…but part of it is for me to be able to remember. Someone once mentioned that there should be more of how we feel about the photos we post; we will have better recall of how we felt when we took them and what inspired us to take them in the first place.
Your memory of the places you’ve been and the discussions you’ve had is rare and wonderful. I don’t think I have that ability and the blog helps me when I wonder what I was doing and where we were.
Interesting that what has remained in Canada are dialects of languages from a couple of centuries back. The French in rural parts, the English is some parts is unchanged from the continental version which saw so many changes.
I think you will be an awesome pup dad and it’s quite rewarding to have a furry companion.
All the best and hope to see you soon. Pierre
Nice to see and read about Provincial Parks we have not been to. What did Hector do when he saw you ? He’d be sooo happy.
Thanks Kelly – we’ve done more parks that we had not been to as well – soon to be blogged too. Hector was thrilled to see us and we missed him and the stinky dog smell. I see from The Bayfield Bunch blog that you guys are out as well. You and Al are visiting some terrific places. We love your new RV – is it big and comfy enough? Hoping to see you out there.
We really like the new RV. 24.5 ft. . we changed out the flooring and replaced the dinette with 2 comfy chairs. So far we are impressed with the Winnebago quality and glad we kept looking .
That’s terrific to hear. It looks good in the photos and Linda and I are happy that you guys are back on the road.
Alberta had about 127 active fire lookouts (both towers and mountain top lookouts), till this year, when they were down to around 100, due to budget cuts. Technology only goes so far, if you want real-time detection. Check out this link for my recent experiences in lookouts! https://roadtrip-06.blogspot.com/2017/09/
Beautiful photos on the blog Ivan. I agree that real time detection by people is still better. Great that you are able to go out there and explore the lookouts. Are you still doing the fire tower visits? I see by your blog that you are now heading to the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island…
I haven’t worked a lookout for a couple of years now, but I still keep in touch with them – and every spring I tell them that I’m likely available – but only for short term postings if they get short handed. My blog is way behind, but I’m slowly getting it caught up!
I think that’s a good way to be available. I keep trying to get caught up with the blog, but it’s challenging. I don’t know how Al of the Bayfield bunch does it.
Great Blog guys 😎
Thanks Nick, I still hope that I can be a little more regular.