It rained during the night. My tent was muggy but still dry. It wasn't raining anymore but the sky was still grey. We had set an alarm and got up early in order to get to the boat before all the tickets were sold out.

We arrived at the store at 9:30 but it doesn't open until 10 so we had some time to wait. We were the first ones there and we were first in line. A staff member, named Chris, arrived to open the door at 9:50. By this time there was a line up gathering behind us. As we waited in line, Chris explained that this past winter had been particularly harsh and the ice had damaged 2 docks as well as the larger of the 2 boats (called the Wanderer) which holds 27 people. There was about $20, 000 worth of damage done. 

They are in the process of fixing everything and had already rebuilt a section of the dock. Before they can get the larger boat up and running, the Ministry Of Transportation has to come in to inspect it. So, in the meantime, they are only running the smaller boat (named the Mugwump) that only holds 11 passengers (not including the driver(s) and the tour guide). They were using only one small  boat  to make both the Cliff Top Trail ferry run as well as the Pictograph tours. That is why the tickets were all sold out so fast. However, the larger boat should be back in service later this summer. 

We got our tickets for the first Pictograph boat tour which didn't leave the dock until 11 a.m. Since we had about an hour or so to kill while we waited, we did a little more exploring. We noticed a set of stairs going down to the waterfront so we went down them to see where they led to. 

At the bottom of the stairs was a trail that was a bit overgrown but still usable. It followed the shore line and I eventually popped out at the North Beach. The North Beach is just a tiny little beach tucked away in a quite little corner of the park. I didn't stay to investigate it much though because it looked like it might start raining and we were supposed to be at the dock 15 minutes early before the tour began and I didn't want to be late. So, I turned around and headed back. 

When we got to the dock the little Mugwump had just returned from dropping off a load of people at the Cliff Top Trail across the lake. 

The tour boat guide was a a girl named Katie  and there were 2 drivers piloting the boat (One named Karen and I didn't quite catch the name of the other gentleman. 

There are over 263 pictographs on Mazinaw Rock. Many of them are hard to see unless you get up fairly close to them. 

The creature depicted on the right of this pictograph is a lake monster called Mishipizheu (an Ojibway word meaning "Great Lynx") who is known as "god of the waters". This creature is thought to guard sacred rock art sites, such as this one.  This pictograph symbol is seen only in areas where there is deep water. Mazinaw Lake is a pretty deep lake. The deepest part of Mazinaw Lake is 145 m (476 ft), making it the seventh-deepest lake in Ontario, including the Great Lakes. Mishipizheu can use his power to create storms on the lake by thrashing his tail in order to over turn the canoes of disrespectful travelers. Beneath the lake monster is the symbol for a canoe full of people. 

Tally marks are one of the most common symbols found on Mazinaw Rock. It is believed they were put there as counters, but it is not clear what exactly was being counted. They could represent the number of days of fasting on a vision quest or how many times a person went on a vision quest. 

The symbol on the far right with what looks like bunny ears is Nanabush. Nanabush was sent to earth by Kitchie Manitou to teach all living things to cooperate and live in peace and harmony. He is a shapeshifter and has the power to change into things like trees, rocks, beavers, birds, etc. 

This symbol represents a turtle with a message for the sky spirit. 

Of course when we saw the symbol of the turtle with a message for the sky spirit, you have a natural inclination to look up. 

It was about this time that the driver of the boat pointed up to an old dead tree way up at the top of the rock. He told us that in the tree were two peregrine falcons perched among the branches. They were difficult to make out from such a distance but when we looked real close we could see them.

This symbol, that looks rather like a picket fence with rays of sun coming from it, has not been seen at any other pictograph site in the world. It is believed to be the the symbol of Mazinaw Rock itself. 

One of my favourite symbols is that of the Thunder Bird. It is thought that every time lightning strikes, it leaves a streak of quartz running through the rock. That is why the Thunder Bird is painted with the line of quartz in the grip of one of its talons. 

Another one of my favourite symbols is that of Maymaygwayshi. It is represented by what looks like a pair of crossed hockey sticks with a head on top. Maymaygwayshi is a hairy-faced man that stands about 3 feet tall. They feel that they are ugly looking and are ashamed of the way they look. So, they keep themselves hidden and are only seen if they want to be seen. But even then, they will lower their heads and keep their faces hidden. 

Maymaygwayshi live in the cracks and the shallow caves of the cliff. 

Some of the pictographs were old and fading with newer ones painted on top. So sometimes you didn't know for sure what was painted there. Sometimes there was a repeat of a symbol we had seen previously. I don't know what this one is about in particular but I do recognize the canoe of people. 

Katie pointed out a rock formation that juts off the main part of the cliff. This rock is called Turtle Rock because it looks to have the shape of  a turtle. 

They stopped the boat in front of one of the cliff faces and talked about how Bon Echo Park got its name. Katie asked us to pick a one syllable word and had us all shout it at the same time so that we could hear the echo bounce off the wall of rock. No one made any suggestion at first. They were all too shy. I wanted to choose the word "Vinegar!" thinking that it would be funny to have 11 or so people yelling that after hearing it so many times the previous day. However, it was too many syllables so I suggested the word "Dog" instead and that is what we all yelled.  

It is amazing just how hardy plant life can be. Out on the rocks with no real soil there were plants, grasses, flowers and even trees growing, and surviving. 

Katie pointed out a particular tree to us that was growing from the side of the cliff. This tree is over 1000 years old and has been named "The Silent Watcher". She explained that usually, old trees will get very thick and have many rings inside. However, since this tree lives in such harsh conditions and does not have the same root system and does not get the same nutrients as other trees, it never gets very big. 

One of the last pictographs we were shown was on what is commonly known as "Pizza Rock" (because it is shaped like a slice of pizza). The symbol on this rock is that which represents a medicine man. 

At about this point a bird swooped down and circled above us. I was hoping it was one of the pregrine falcons, but it was only a turkey vulture. 

One of the last legs of the trip was to get a closer look at the "Old Walt" carving in the stone face. There were many more words carved into the stone than just the words "Old Walt" but they were smaller and harder to see. At one time they were much clearer and painted white. The white paint has since faded away. It only goes to show just how durable the pigment of the pictographs is compared to paint used in the early 1900s. 

In the Visitor Center there is a picture of the original Old Walt engraving that was taken at the time it was originally engraved and you can read the words in their entirety. 

They are considering repainting the letters of the Old Walt engraving but before they make a concrete decision about it, they are testing some of the various paints that might be used so that they can find one that will stand the test of time and weather. In order to test the paints they have painted stripes of different colours and brands on the rock cliff and have been monitoring which ones are lasting the best over the years. 

So why is Walt Whitman's name carved on the rock anyways? Seems like a strange place to find a dedication to the poet. Apparently one of the original owners of Bon Echo (before it became a provincial park), Flora Macdonald Denison, was a huge fan of Walt Whitman, his poetry and his ideals. 

The boat tour concluded with Katie pointing out where the old Bon Echo Inn used to stand before it was destroyed by fire. 

At the end of the tour the sky was darkening even more, but the rain had held off. But it wasn't going to hold off indefinitely. We were glad that we had been on one of the first boat tours of the day and not the last. 

We got back to camp and had lunch. As the clouds rolled in and the rain drops started falling, we grabbed our umbrellas and threw a tarp over the fire pit in an effort to keep it dry so that when it stopped raining later on we wouldn't have too difficult of a time getting a fire started. 

At about 3 p.m. a thunderstorm descended upon us and it just started pouring down rain. There was so much rain that the ground under our picnic table inside the dining tent was flooded. The firewood that had been piled up under the picnic table had to be rescued and we picked it up and put it on the bench of the picnic table instead. 

We waited out the storm by propping up our feet on a plastic tote to keep them from getting wet and playing a game or two of Qwirkle in the dining tent.

We watched as the water streamed down the sides of the screen netting on the dining tent. After about an hour the storm finally passed. 

As the rain ebbed, the birds and animals came back out of their shelters, including a raccoon. I am pretty sure this was one of the raccoons I had heard the night before. The raccoon crossed the road and a guy in a truck stopped and waited for it to go by. He told us that some baby coons in a tree nearby. We went out to see if we could see them, but we never did. 

The ground outside our dining tent was so wet that a frog was hanging out when we emerged! 

Large puddles were also left behind on the road. A Robin too the opportunity to take a bath in one of these puddles. 

The Robin looked to be having a fabulous time in the puddle. It was like watching a little kid play at the beach. Water was being splashed everywhere! 

When the rain left, the foggy mist arrived. It was on the roads and through the trees. We heard from neighbouring campers that the storm had brought down a tree branch onto the roof of one of the campers down the road. Luckily the campers were not there at the time and the Park Staff were already there removing it. But in the meantime, the power was off at that end of the park where the comfort station is located. 

In a short while the sun emerged from behind the clouds and made its grand entrance. It wasn't going anywhere for the rest of the afternoon. It was here to stay. 

A woodpecker came by to enjoy the sunshine. 

We had dinner and then cleaned up the dishes. We lit a fire in our dry fire pit (thanks to the tarp) and with dry fire wood (thanks to the rescuing of the wood from the flooded ground). We didn't have a long stick to poke the fire with when the fire was getting low (we call that our "Pokey Stick"). But some previous camper had left a pair of metal tongs behind so we used those as a pokey stick instead. 

We sat around the fire until it burned down to coals. 

The moon started to rise and it was turning into a beautiful night. We went to bed around 12:30 a.m. Thankfully, it did not rain all night. Tomorrow we would be packing up to leave. 

The next morning I woke up to the sounds of Carsten trying to shoo out a bird that had managed to get stuck inside the dining tent. We figure it may have gone in there to eat some of the bugs that were caught inside and then when Carsten came out of his tent the bird panicked and couldn't get out again. At least not quickly. The bird did eventually find it's way back out of the tent on it's own accord. I am guessing it will think twice before going into a dining tent again. 

​Today is the day we leave Bon Echo. Even though we had to work around some kinks in our plans while we were here, we all had a really good time. It's a great park with lots to see  and I would like to come back here again one day. 

There was a gathering of moths during the night and some of them were quite pretty. I guess that is why they are the "butterflies of the night".

We didn't get too fancy with breakfast. I just had some cereal. I remember, as a kid, getting mini boxes of cereal that had perforated lines in on one side that you could pop open to get at the cereal inside. Then you would pour the milk into the box and grab a spoon and presto-change-o you would have a built-in bowl of cereal. I was happy to find these "Fun Packs" of cereal on the shelf of my local grocery store. But I was disappointed to find out that they no longer have the perforated lines in the cardboard. Well, I was not going to be bested by a box with no perforations.I grabbed a pair of scissors and I cut my own door into the box and so it was that I ate my cereal in my make shift bowl as I traveled down memory lane. 

We had another visitor this morning too. A Long Horn Pine Beetle made an appearance. Since these little guys bite, I kept my distance. 

Before heading over to the boat tour we made a quick bathroom stop.  The odd thing about the bathrooms here are that the doors are at the back of the building, not the front. But the bathrooms are not smelly like most. In fact, they had a bit of a perfume smell. And they were pretty clean too. 

By 11:30 a.m. we arrived at the Greystones store to buy our tickets for the boat tour to see the pictographs. 

We were very surprised to find out when we got there that both the boat tour and the Cliff Top ferry were all sold out for the entire day! We couldn't believe it! The store had only been open for maybe an hour or so. 

We weighed our options and decided that we would get up extra early the next morning and try to be first in line for tickets. And if that didn't work, we would try renting a canoe and go see the pictographs by ourselves. Now that we had all this unexpected time on our hands for the next while, we decided to explore the campgrounds a bit, starting with the store itself. 

The Greystones store used to be a little school-house in 1921.

Inside the store you can find your usual camping fare such as hats and T-shirts and compasses and maps and things like that. But what I like about this store is the little room at the back that houses a mini art gallery.  

You can buy the paintings that are hanging on the wall or, if you only want something smaller, you can buy prints, cards, or notepaper instead. 

After looking around the store, we went next door to the Visitor Center. They have all sorts of educational displays there. My favourite  is one where you have to guess what bird, animal or insect made the different holes in the pieces of wood. 

I discovered the "Dollywood" that was carved into the wall in one of the rooms that one of the staff had mentioned when I was there last year. 

Another display showed some taxidermy lizards called "Five-Lined Skinks". They are Ontario's only lizard.  I hadn't known they existed until I saw this display.  

After seeing all the displays inside the Visitor Center we set out to explore more of the park outside the Visitor Center. We headed towards the lagoon where the boat rentals were. We passed by the amphitheatre on the way there. 

The lagoon had quite a few people milling around. Many were there to rent canoes and kayaks. 

I went over to see what the prices were in case we needed to rent one the next day if we couldn't get on the boat tour. That was when I discovered that they also rent pedal boats! So we added that to our list of options for the next day. 

We sat on a bench for awhile watching the people and the boats go by. On the other side of the lagoon we could see a picnic shelter. 

We even saw a dog with his very own life jacket. I am not sure if that is something they have for rent a the park or if his owners brought it for him. I forgot to ask. 

After sitting for a bit we continued our walk and ended up at the main beach. This is the largest of the beaches and is the busiest of the beaches. It was a hot day and there were people everywhere. 

At the beach there was also a little hut on wheels. 

Apparently it is what they use when they are hosting their charity BBQ down at the beach. 

We headed back to the car and drove back to camp. Next on our list of plans was to hike the Bon Echo Creek Trail. The trail head wasn't very far from our campsite. All we had to do was take a short cut through the maintenance yard to get to it. There were workers in the maintenance yard as we passed through but they didn't seem to mind us cutting through. 

The flowers that were growing along the path to the trail were pretty pinks and purples, There were some purple Asters. 

And some Viper's Bugloss flowers.

It didn't take us long to arrive at the trail head. 

Only to find out that the trail was closed! Once again our plans for the day were derailed. 

So we turned around and went back the way we came. As we cut through the maintenance yard again, we saw a ground hog hanging out in the grass. 

And a robin was looking for a meal in the grass too. 

Since we couldn't hike the Bon Echo Creek Trail, we decided to hop in the car and drive to the trail head of the High Pines Trail and try our luck there instead. 

This time the trail was open and we were able to go on a hike. It was a pretty little trail too. 

It's too bad that the mosquitoes on this trail were pretty bad. But Carsten had some bug spray with him so we used that and we were good to go again. The kind of bug spray that Carsten had was Off Familycare. It was Summer Splash scented and it smelled really nice. Not like the smell of regular fly dope. It smelled more like fruits and berries. I am gonna have to get me some of that. 

At one point the trail splits off and goes off to the right. It goes from grassy and open to....

shady and woodsy. It was peaceful and enjoyable. 

On the way out of the trail we spotted some vibrant pink Sweet-William flowers. So beautiful! There are quite a few different flowers in this park. 

After the High Pines Trail we weren't quite ready to go back to camp yet. So, we drove back down to the main beach and took a walk across the foot bridge to the Pet beach. 

We stood on the bridge for awhile and took in the view. We were in no hurry to get anywhere. That's the great part about the lazy days of summer vacation... you can take your time and just relax.

On the other side of the bridge was a warning sign.  Can't say we weren't warned (not that we needed warning... we are good with dogs being off leash).

Once you pass the pet beach, you are headed towards South Beach. Along the way we passed by a basketball net and an old BBQ.

Another little foot bridge to cross and we were at South Beach.

We had seen a couple of bus loads of people leaving this beach as we were leaving High Pines Trail. But now the beach stood empty with the exception of us. It was a really nice grassy area with plenty of picnic tables. If I had wanted to swim I probably would have chosen this beach over the crowded main beach. 

We also saw some White Admiral butterflies. 

At the end of South Beach is the Pet Exercise Trail. 

But we didn't walk that trail. There were some tree branches that were coming down over head and we had already done enough walking by this time. So we turned around and headed back the way we came. 

Since the beach was practically empty the animals and birds felt a little more comfortable to make an appearance. We saw a black squirrel...and he saw us. 

There were a good many Robins hanging around. 

Along with the White Admiral butterflies, there were also Red Admiral butterflies. 

The Blue Jays were a little more shy, but they sat still long enough for a quick photo before flying into the denser part of the woods to hide. 

There were damsel flies and Chalk-fronted Corporal dragonflies chasing down mosquitoes and other pesky insects. 

We went back to camp and made a fire to cook hot dogs on. We had been traveling from park to park for a few days so we needed to do a bit of laundry and get a shower. We decided to do a rotation to get things done. We each took a turn staying at the campsite to look after the fire while the other ones either did laundry or took a shower. 

The rest of the evening was spent sitting and relaxing in front of the fire and playing board games in the screened dining tent. We didn't stay up too late because we wanted to get a jump on the line up for the boat tour the next day. We didn't want to miss out on it for a second time. 

One of Bon Echo's unforgettable features is the rock cliff with it's pictographs painted on it. I had been here last year to do some backpacking on  the Abes and Essens Trail but we did not stay in the main campground that time. This year I was spending some time right in the heart of the park. This year I was looking forward to seeing the pictographs. 

We arrived at Bon Echo at about 4:30 and set up camp on site 273 that I had reserved online ahead of time. 

We were quite happy with the site considering it was "site unseen" (don't mind the pun!) It was large and private and had plenty of trees all around us. The only downfall to the site was that we were a little close to the maintenance buildings, which made for some excess noise from time to time, but it wasn't too bad. 

There were a couple of Tent Caterpillars  hanging out but not en-mass like you get every 7 years or so. 

And of course, no matter where you go, there are always deer flies flying around you waiting for the right moment to catch you off guard to try to take a bite out of you. It's too bad that they have to be biters because they really do have pretty eyes and wings. 

After setting up and eating supper we decided we would take a quick drive down to the Park Store and  the Visitor Center (they are not within walking distance of our site). However, when we got there, both were closed. 

So we wandered around the outside of the buildings for awhile. There was a schedule posted for the ferry that takes you to the Cliff Top Trail and for the Boat Tour to see the Pictographs. We made note of the times and decided that we would come for the Boat Tour at 11 a.m. the next morning. And if we felt up to it we might just do the Cliff Top Trail too. 

We also saw a posting for a Discovery Program on the Five-Lined Skink on Thursday they we thought we might be interested in. 

Outside the Visitor center we noticed a View Finder. It was free to look through it so we spent a few minutes toying around with that and looking across the lake at Bon Echo Rock. 

Instead of heading back to camp right away, we found a path and decided to follow it. We didn't know where it would lead us but it was going in the direction of Bon Echo Rock and it followed the shoreline. 

As we passed by the docked ferry boats we heard a couple of guys yelling "Vinegar!" "Vinegar!" over and over again, as though they were calling their dog or something. We thought that Vinegar was a strange name for a dog. We passed by what appeared to be beach and some people were swimming in the water. 

But then we noticed the rather large sign stating that it was, in fact, not a beach and that you probably shouldn't be swimming there. I gave a nod to the somewhat smaller sign under it that told you where the pay phones are located. You know... in case you have to call 911 to send someone out to rescue those people who were not supposed to be swimming there. Clearly this has happened in the past or the smaller sign wouldn't be needed. 

​We also saw a number of people fishing from the beach. I believe that was allowed. It would be another reason not to swim there though. Who wants to accidentally get caught with a hook while they are swimming? 

As we walked past the beach-like area the path became a little more wooded and we started to see a number of little Song Sparrows and other birds hopping from branch to branch. In the distance we could still hear the occasional "Vinegar!" being called out. 

And out on the lake a loon watched us guardedly. 

The path led us to The Point where the land juts out into the water and almost reaches Bon Echo Rock. There was a bridge that crossed here at one time but it has long since fallen down and was never replaced. 

It was here that Carsten pointed out that he could make out some words carved into the side of the rock. It seemed to say "Old Walt". 

On the Point was a well worn and weathered plaque describing the heritage of Bon Echo Rock. 

There was also a bench so I sat and watched as canoers and kayakers made their way back to shore before the sun went down.

Even the old cedar trees had a lot of character. And in the distance we still heard the occasional "Vinegar!" Although the calls were becoming fewer and fewer, this had been going on for over an hour now. We laughed to each other and debated shouting out "Salt!" or "Pepper!" just to be funny. But we didn't. 

I told Carsten and Penny that I would like to stay to watch the sunset. They agreed and so we all sat on a bench and watched as the sky turned colours. 

The sun gave us a pillared dance of light over the tree tops through the peaches and cream coloured sky. And as we walked back towards the car and headed back to our campsite, we heard one last call of "Vinegar!" 

Back at camp we played board games in the dining tent as we listened to a family of young raccoons make their way from campsite to campsite, snarling at each other and wanting to have what the other had found. At 11:30 p.m. we called it a night. It was a warm night and a big, bright, moon was shining through the trees and a barred owl hooted in the distance. 

You expect to see a lot of wild things when you are camping, but when my cousin mentioned that Voyageur Park had wild boars roaming within it's boundaries that was some place I wanted to go. 

At first I thought maybe she was pulling my leg and that it was all just a joke. But, sure enough, when I opened this year's issue of the park's newspaper and saw the "Notice To Park Visitors" warning about the boars written in black and white I knew that she wasn't joking. So from that moment on, I was hoping to spot one. Not up close of course. Maybe just on the road from the safety of my car or something. We were only going to be here for one night as a stop over on our way to Bon Echo Park. Not a lot of time to see a wild boar. But we were hopeful. Click here for more on Wild Boars in Canada.

The staff at the office were not very helpful. Normally at an Ontario provincial park they give you a map and circle where your site is and give you directions on how to get there. The staff here did none of that. We had to pick up our own map and navigate our way to our site on our own.  I did manage to get the last sticker that they had for the park passport books though. 

After registering at the office we pulled into our site; number 95. I had reserved the site online and had never been here before so I was pleased to find that the site I had picked was quite nice. 

It was a very large site with plenty of room for cars and tents. We probably could have had a large group on this site if we had wanted to. 

Our site backed onto the water and we had a private path right down to the water's edge. 

I had chosen a site right beside the boat launch because I had learned from past experience that those sites are usually pretty nice and fairly quiet. Our site had a little extra driveway between us and the boat launch where I suppose campers with boats could park their boat if they chose. We didn't have a boat so despite all the space we had in the middle of the site we chose instead to use the little extra driveway as a place to set up the dining tent.

With the dining tent way over to one side and our sleeping tents way over to the other side, we had a huge amount of open space in the middle around the fire pit. It was a nice little set up. 

Our site was not only near the boat launch, but was also near one of the beaches. So,after setting up the tents we decided to explore a little and we headed off towards the beach.

We passed by the boat launch which had a dock nestled on the water's edge. 

The trail brought us over a little wooden bridge and connected up to another trail. 

It was not far at all to the beach. Since it wasn't the main beach it was pretty quiet and no one else was there at the moment. It was a decently large, sandy, beach.

There was a sign prominently posted  in the middle of the beach warning of the spread of Water Chestnut which is an invasive species of plant.

They provided a bucket in hopes that people will pull the water chestnut plants and put them in the bucket. 

We looked inside the bucket and saw that someone had done just that. 

Bladder Campion flowers were growing in the tall grass between the beach and the woods. 

And there were wild strawberries here and there hidden in the grass. 

A Common Yellowthroat Warbler was up in a pine tree and had a newly caught shadfly in his beak. I thought to myself that I would like to try to come down to the beach in the morning by myself  to see what other birds I might find. 

The mosquitoes were getting pretty bad so we headed back to camp. As we were leaving the beach we noticed two boats out in the water. They looked like they were moored there for the night. I thought about how nice it would be to spend the night out on a boat in the park. I may have to try that sometime. 

Then was setting over the boat launch dock with a pretty pink and purple hue. 

So we started a fire and settled in for the evening. We noticed that the mosquitoes were significantly less at the campsite compared to the beach. 

We cooked hot dogs and marshmallows. When the fire had burned down we moved into the dining tent to play board games. 

Just before bed we walked to the comfort station which was only a short distance away. I saw a raccoon in the bushes and a toad along the road side. No wild boars though. Maybe tomorrow. 

 As I had planned, I got up early the next morning and went to the beach to do some bird watching. And I wasn't disappointed. 

​The shadflies must be plentiful in this area because I spotted a Song Sparrow with a shadfly in it's beak like the Yellowthroat Warbler from the day before.

I saw a Brewer's Blackbird up in the branches of a leafless tree. 

There were quite a number of Red-winged Blackbirds in the area. 

Some birds were hard to see and identify through all the foliage. 

I did see another Common Yellowthroat Warbler.

Despite the fact that he didn't really want to show his face. 

There was even a woodpecker hiding in the branches. 

Birds weren't the only things flying around this morning. There were Widow Skimmer dragonflies too. 

A Banded Hairstreak butterfly was sitting at a peculiar angle on a leaf. 

Water bugs were swimming around in strange spiral patterns in the water. 

There were some over grown paths that led through the tall grass and down to the water. I thought about following some of these to see if maybe I could spot a heron or something. But then it occurred to me that these trails may actually be animal trails. And the next thing that occurred to me was that they could be used by wild boars. Now, I know I said that I wanted to see the wild boars, however, it's one thing to want to see them from the safety of a car and it's c completely different thing to come across them when you are blocking their path between the water and the wide open space.

​ So I figured it was best to play it safe and not venture down those paths. Instead I opted to enjoy the white and pink Bindweed growing at the beginning of the paths.

After about an hour I went back to the campsite. Carsten and Penny were awake and were starting breakfast. We ate and then packed up our tents. But before leaving the park we decided to go and get some ice at the Park Store which was located down by the main beach. 

The store had Moose Ears for sale. 

Carsten was done in the store first so he went to wait for me and Penny at the picnic area down by the main beach. 

The main beach was pretty quiet at that time of the morning. But I could see that there was plenty of room to hold a large number of people once peak time came around. On a hot summer day I could see this beach being quite a popular place to be. 

It was popular with the Canada Geese too. 

Both old and young. 

As we passed by the Voyageur Park sign we looked up and spotted a hawk flying above. So we stopped the cars and took the opportunity to get a picture. 

We are pretty sure it was a Sharp-shinned Hawk. 

It was a pleasure to visit this park. The park newspaper describes how they have been working on making improvements to the park. I think they have done a good job so far and this park is going to get even better and better as time goes on. So if you are an avid bird watcher or if you want to go searching for wild boar in a pretty nice park.... this is the place to do it! 

It was Monday morning and we had to pack up our site. After rolling up the tents we noticed some Lemon Slugs hanging out in the under brush. 

I took one last walk down to the water and saw a school of minnows swimming around. 

The people who had been on sites A1, A2, and A3 had already left. When I was booking the sites for this trip I had almost booked two of these sites instead of the ones we had. I didn't though because it appeared on the map that there might not have been any trees here. 

However, now that I was looking at them up close and in person, it looked like there would have been enough trees and these sites would be great for groups of people that are camping together. If we come back again we will have to remember these sites for next time. 

​The park was so lovely and we didn't really want to leave yet. We decided to make one last stop at the other end of the park to see Margaret's Farm. 

We pulled up outside a small barn and got out of the cars to look around. 

At first it didn't look like there were any animals here. But then we saw a sign with a picture of a goat named Huguette. 

And then we saw Huguette napping in the shade.  She looked like she had a happy little smile on her face. 

Next we saw some photos of 3 ponies, Cannelle, Mocha, and Peek-A-Boo. But we didn't see the ponies themselves right away. 

Then we noticed Peek-A-Boo's butt sticking out from beneath a small grove of pine trees. Peek-A-Boo! I see you! 

All three ponies were huddled together under the trees in order to stay out of the hot sun and in an effort to stay cool in what little shade the trees were providing them. They had no interest in coming over to say hello to us. So. we didn't bother them and we moved on over to the barn.

The barn was clean and open and airy. All the stalls and pens looked relatively new. 

In the corner of one of the pens was a furry little bunny. 

There was a photo of a couple of peacocks, so we looked around to see if we could spot them. 

The male peacock was perched up on a railing.

And the female was enjoying a dust bath near the fence in the sun. She had a number of little black chicks nearby.

In the same pen were a couple of chickens and some Banty roosters.

The next photo was of a donkey named Bourriquet.

Bourriquet was grazing on some grass by the fence. 

Next was Serge the Llama, and Centaure and Avril the Alpacas.

Serge and Avril were just standing around grazing. 

But not Centaure. He had better things to do. 

​Centaure was rolling around on the ground and having a grand ole time in a dust bath. Dust was flying everywhere! He looked very happy.

Other than a sheep who appeared to be ill and segregated from the public, that was about all the animals there were to see in Margaret's Farm.  However, up in the rafters of the barn some wild birds had made a series of nests. 

All the nests except one were empty. It was too high up to see what kind of bird was in the nest though. 

We went back to our cars and said good bye. We were going in separate directions. Most of our group was headed to Ottawa but Carsten, Penny and I were headed to a new campground. Next on our itinerary was Voyageur Provincial Park back in Ontario. We were off to our next adventure! 

We had been looking forward to this for weeks and now the evening finally arrived. We were ready to go to Foresta Lumina! 

For Anika's birthday we had brought a bag full of glow in the dark stones. Our plan was to leave them in the sun all day and bring them with us and leave them everywhere at Foresta Lumina. We forgot to leave them in the sun, but we filled our pockets and brought them with us anyway.

We went to the Welcome Center and waited for the shuttle. As the sun went down the lights on the covered bridge came on and glowed a cheery red. 

We had bought tickets for 9 p.m. and the shuttle starts at 8:30 and runs every 15 minutes. We didn't have long to wait and soon we saw the shuttle bus. It is just a small shuttle bus and there were 9 of us in our group alone, not to mention all the other people who were lined up as well. But we had arrived first and were first in line so we managed to get our whole group on board. 

The shuttle trip was less than 5 minutes. We stepped off the bus and walked towards the entrance which was a large arch of sticks all lit up in orange lights. 

We were ushered into a large waiting area full of picnic tables. There were already quite a few people there, waiting at the tables. 

At the far end was a long fence with a chalk board that covered it's expanse. It was lit up under black lights so that the chalk would glow when you drew on it. People were up there drawing things and writing things. 

We went up and drew on the board too. It was a good way to kill some time while we waited. 

They were running about 15 minutes behind schedule, but we didn't mind because that meant it would be darker when we started. Besides, there was a snack truck in the corner so you could get a drink and something to eat while you waited. 

Each of the tables had a lantern in the middle of it. The lights inside were actually hardwired to a network of cables under the table so you didn't have to worry about candles going out or starting a fire. 

In the middle of the waiting area was an amazing clock! It had beautiful silhouettes that were constantly moving and changing. Clouds would roll in, stars would move and then the branches of the trees would close in making the scene completely dark. Then it would all light up again. The hands of the clock were in the center of the moon. It was a fantastic clock and I wish I could have one of my own. I am sure they must have had this one custom made for them. 

Finally it was time to line up and we followed a path through some roped-in area (the kind you see at a bank) to the entrance. When you are in the line up it feels a little more crowded than you would like but once you show them your ticket and are ushered through the gate, the area opens up and you don't feel as crowded anymore. The Lights that looked like bee hives made of sticks during the day, now were glowing a warm orange colour.

The first area you go to is all lit up with stick lanterns above your head and the whole area is bathed in red light. 

The tablets are all lit up on either side of the path and each one has a picture and a story to tell about the fairies and the magical creatures and monsters. 

One of the last tablets explained how if you pull down on the string and speak a wish into the mouth piece then a fairy pebble would come down that you take with you on your journey and then your wish will come true. 

So we each took turns saying our wish into the mouth piece and we each picked up a fairy pebble. However, not only did I pick up a pebble, but I left 3 glow in the dark pebbles in the pile for someone behind me to find and take with them. And so our Foresta Lumina side project had begun! 

It was Carsten's job to light up the glow in the dark pebbles with the flashlight that he had brought along. At first we would take them and leave them in random places for people to find. But later on we found it was more fun to just give them to the kids directly. 

Up ahead was the giant bird, glowing red. There was smoke in the air all around it, giving it a more mysterious feeling. 

When we left the area of the fairy pebbles, things got darker and a bit more quieter. Now you could see an entire hillside covered in small,  twinkling, white, lights. Not just one or two, but hundreds. It looked like a hill of fireflies. That was when you could really start to notice the sounds in the trees. It sounded like fairies laughing and wind chimes dancing in the wind. 

We followed the lanterns up the path and right to the suspension bridge we had been on earlier that day. It was beautiful to see all the coloured lights far below as you crossed the bridge in the dark. 

At the very end of the suspension bridge you passed through a foggy doorway. Once you went through the doorway you could feel a change in the atmosphere. The sound effects playing from the trees had a darker tone to it and the fairy laughter was not as light and happy. It felt as though this next section was more ominous and that goblins could be lurking around the corner. Like you had just stepped through the doorway of fairyland itself.

On the other side of the door way was another hillside (where the cross was when we were here during the day). This hillside had lights on it too. But these lights were moving. 

And then a holographic image of a girl (I believe they call her Margaret), dancing with the fairy lights, came into view. It was impressive. It was like watching a ghost. You could see her, but you could see through her. We all stood and watched this dance for quite some time. 

When we were ready to move on, we followed a trail filled with metal boxes spilling light that looked like flames onto our path.

It led us to a section filled with large pictures in frames. They were done up as though you were looking at them with 3-D glasses. When the light changed colours, the pictures changed too. So, it looked like they were moving. 

The music at this point had become noticeably spookier.   Most of these pictures were of the creature. 

But some were of Margaret. 

​As we left this area we could see red eyes glowing from the dark trees around us. 

As we left the dark woods, we could see a large bright area up ahead with plenty of things going on. It was like a party and everyone was encouraged to join in! 

The ropes on boards that we had seen during the day turned out to be a musical instrument! When ever you pulled on a rope, it would light up and a musical note would come out of it. So, together with everyone tugging at the strings all at the same time, we were all making music. 

A few feet away were some drums. Every time you hit one of the drums it would light up and make a musical tone. 

And a little more further down the way were round discs that you could step on and they would light up and make a musical tone. So we began jumping from disc to disc and we had a great time. We were probably having more fun on these than some of the children were. 

The interesting thing was it seemed that each (or at least some) of these musical instruments were somehow connected to a large tower of light. And the more music that was played the higher the light would travel up the tower.  

High above all this, glowing in blue light was the Foresta Lumina logo made of sticks that we had seen earlier in the day. 

It was in this section that there were benches and the bathroom. So we stopped here for a break and sat in the dark for a bit. 

The next place we came to was the section that looked like a scene from an episode of Survivor. There was a fire going in the fire pit, and tiki torches all lit up. There were benches where people were sitting and watching a silent movie on a decorative screen.  This was one of the places we had the most fun with our glow in the dark pebbles. As each child came and sat down Carsten would light up the pebbles with his flashlight and I would go around and hand them out to the kids. The kids just loved it! Their eyes lit up with joy! Of course we didn't speak French and they didn't speak English so when they wanted to ask us what they were or how they worked, we had a little bit of a communication barrier. But for the most part that didn't matter too much. We had a great time giving away these pebbles!  I wondered if the parents may have thought we worked there or something. It was an amusing thought. 

We watched Margaret and a mysterious man in a suit and top hat on screen for awhile before moving on. 

The next section was one of my favourites. A real tree was illuminated with graphics, made of light, making the tree look like it had a face. And in the background the silhouette of a sinister man was projected ​on the rocks. 

The sinister man set the tree on fire and destroyed it. But then the fairy lights started to encircle the destroyed tree. 

Soon the fairies were working their magic and had restored the tree back to life. 

The next section was like walking through a rainfall of light. The air was foggy and the lights were falling from the tree tops all around you and changing colours. 

From there you go down a flight of stairs to the most beautiful place in all of Foresta Lumina. This place was just gorgeous! When you looked up into the leaves of the trees it looked like thousands of colourful diamonds and gems were shining down on you. Every inch of rocks, trees, gorge were covered in glittering lights. It was like being in the middle of a star cluster. We stayed here in this section for a long time. We wished we could pitch our tents right here and stay for the night. It was truly magical! 

In this same section were all the inukshuks that we had seen earlier in the day. There was a sign that said to leave your wishing pebbles here to make your wishes come true. So we placed our fairy pebbles on the inukshuks. Then we set about to give out more glow in the dark pebbles to more kids. 

We were reluctant to leave the glittery land of inukshuks and fairy pebbles, but there was still a bit more to see.  As we approached the Hydro Plant building, we could see an image projected across the gorge onto the stone cliff.  The cliff looked as though it was opening up with molten lava.

Once it opened up a cave was revealed. Inside was a fairy. The fairy danced around for a bit before the stones closed back up again and the entrance disappeared. 

We were almost at the end now. The pillars of bamboo we had seen during the day were all lit up now. 

They created an interesting pattern at our feet as we walked towards the exit of the park. 

As we walked across the wooden bridge to the other side of the gorge, we looked back and saw that the moon was large and shining brightly in the sky. Under the moonlight we could still see some of the blue lights from the places we had just come. I thought about turning around and running back to where we had just come form so that we could do it all again. But the rest of my group was already up ahead and I didn't think it would be a good idea to get split up from them in the dark. So I continued forward instead of back. 

At the end of the trail is the photo-op place. This time it was all lit up and looked much more impressive than it does during the day. 

We had to wait in line to take our pictures here, so while we waited we decided to give away the last of our glow in the dark pebbles that we had. As we were doing this we were approached by 2 little boys and their parents who we had given glow in the dark rocks to earlier in the evening. By this point their rocks were barely glowing anymore. They didn't speak English but I could still tell that they were trying to ask us how to get them to glow again (or maybe if they could have more since theirs weren't working anymore). I motioned them over to Carsten who pulled out his flashlight and proceeded to re-light their pebbles for them. The looks on the faces of both the boys and their parents was that of amazement and understanding. Up until then, they did not know how the pebbles worked. When they saw how simple it was to re-light them, they were over joyed! Now they could take them home and make them glow whenever they wanted. The parents smiled huge smiles and thanked us. After seeing them all so happy, I think it would be a wonderful idea if the people who run Foresta Lumina would get glowing pebbles for the kids that go there.  I know if I ever go back I will definitely be bringing more glow in the dark stones to give away. It was so much fun! 

It was after 11 p.m. when we were done the Foresta Lumina hike. The trail leads into a stone building where there is a gift shop where you can buy souvenirs. 

Inside the gift shop is a big tree made of sticks with glass balls that look like bubbles hanging from it. There was a T-shirt that I had very much wanted to buy but they were all sold out. So I bought a different one instead. (Just a note on that: When I got it home I found that it was too small. So if you buy a shirt there remember to buy a size bigger than what you normally would).

We left the gift shop just in time to catch the shuttle back without even having to wait.  We  got to our campsite tired but happy and delighted to have had the wonderful experience. It will be something that we will always remember! I may even go again sometime! 

It was going to be a busy day. We planned to hike the Gorge Trail during the day and then hike it again at night for Foresta Lumina. 

We were up by 9, had a nice breakfast, did some puttering around, and then off we went to the Welcome Center. You have to get your hand stamped before you go on the hikes in the park so that  they know that you are a camper there and not just someone who snuck in. I guess this is because the trail seems to be shared with other near by venues. (Although you would never really know it to look at it.)

This trail is jam packed with so many things to see on it! It was full of history and mystery!  The first stop was the old knitting factory and where the old Penman's was. Apparently they made ladies "bloomers"  (undergarments) there way back in the day. 

The majority of the trail was made up of boardwalks and bridges. Every inch of it was clean and well taken care of. It was a real pleasure to walk here. 

To our right was the gorge and to our left was a cliff of rock with trees growing on the sides. All the rocks sloped down on an angle towards us. I noticed that my brother and Penny had stopped to look at something in the rocks up ahead. 

They pointed out that some of the rocks were being held in place and supported by some steel rods. It was kind of a scary thought to think that this cliff side could come sliding down at any time. But it was also reassuring that someone had thought about this and had taken measures to try to prevent a possibility of that occurring. 

We passed a gate that apparently closes at 5:30 PM. We assume this is so that they can set up for Foresta Lumina without having campers come walking through during the set-up procedures. 

Looking up ahead we could see a wooden bridge that crosses the gorge. We could also see a building in behind that. We had read on one of the sign posts that the building is a hydro plant. 

Once we got to that wooden bridge we turned around and we could see where we had been. From here we could see just how slanted the rock face really is. The rocks looked like something from out of a painting. 

Down by the hydro plant there were pillars of bamboo. 

We didn't go to the Hydro Plant building (at least not yet). But we could see that there were picnic tables over there and it looked like a pretty spot to sit if you are so inclined. 

Instead we continued across the wooden bridge until we came to the Foresta Lumina photo-op site. We all took turns taking pictures of each other under the sign. 

From here on out we started seeing strange and mysterious things. We wondered how different it was going to be at night. We saw lamps covered in strange woven sticks, like large bee hives hanging from posts. 

Then we came to a valley with more of these stick-woven, bee hive like things hanging everywhere above our heads. 

The valley had pillars or tablets  bordering each side. Each tablet had pictures, symbols and words cut into them.  

At the end of the valley was a giant bird made of sticks, suspended above a building. 

Some of the trees were painted with the Foresta Lumina logo on them. 

After the valley the path went upward. There were sets of stairs in three different directions. We decided to go up to the the top of one of the sets of stairs. From there you could look down and see the roof of the Hydro Plant far below. 

Then we came to a part of the path that was narrow and had a bamboo fence along the border. You could see that on the other side of the fence was actually a street of the town of Coaticook. It was a little disappointing to feel as though you had left the park and entered the town but at least they had made some effort to try to make it so that you didn't see the street directly. 

And on the left side some wild roses were growing to help distract your attention. 

The path didn't run very far and it was definitely worth the effort to get to the end of it because at the end we came to a huge suspension bridge. 

The view from up here was wonderful. You could see the rocks of the gorge far below, and the trees went on and on into the horizon. 

This was a fairly long bridge too. If you bounce up and down the whole bridge bounces so if you are afraid of heights then it might make your stomach queasy. However, as far as suspension bridges go, this one felt pretty safe. If you walk slowly the bridge doesn't bounce ... but you can't account for other people on the bridge; they might bounce. 

On the left side of the bridge I could see the Hydro Plant and the wooden bridge looking very small in the distance. And down below I could make out a person scrambling around on the rocks. I didn't know what they were doing so I zoomed in my camera to see if I could see clearer. 

It was a lady and she seemed to be building an inukshuk. Then I noticed that there were other inukshuks all around her. 

We spent quite a bit of time on the suspension bridge, but eventually we had to move on and see what was next. 

Next we came to a giant cross on a hill. I am sure there is a sign or information post somewhere telling what this cross is all about, however, I didn't see it and so I don't really know the purpose of the cross. 

Next we came to an area that looked like it was straight out of an episode of Survivor. At any minute I half expected someone to come out and get voted off the island. 

It was here that we discovered the Wishing Rock. 

The sign said that when a child a child places there hand on the rock and makes a wish, their wish will come true. 

This whole area was a bit of a mystery. There were things that looked like drums and there was a structure with ropes hanging from them. It was roped off because they didn't want people to touch them. There purpose of this section eluded us. 

Hanging above our heads was a stick formation of the Foresta Lumina logo. It looked like something from out of the Blair Witch project. 

And all along the ground were metal boxes with flame designs carves into them.

We had been walking for awhile by this point. There was a bathroom here and some benches and a water fountain. So we stopped for a rest and refilled our water bottles before continuing on. 

Next we came to a sign that told us about the Hemlock forest. Apparently mosquitoes are repelled by Hemlock! That is why there are no mosquitoes in Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook! I never knew this. Now I want to go and plant Hemlock trees everywhere! 

We went down a long flight of stairs until we got to the bottom of the gorge again. This is where the cave is located. We all decided to go spelunking.

On the walls were the original lamps that they used to build the tunnel, circa 1923. 

And where did this tunnel lead to? Nowhere. Just to a brick wall. The cave wasn't very big at all really. According to the sign at the mouth of the cave, there is actually another tunnel on the other side of the wall. This cave was only used to build that tunnel and had no other purpose. 

Also on the sign at the mouth of the cave is a warning that the roof is low and to be careful not to bang your head. Despite this warning and despite the fact that they even painted it orange so that you can see it, both Tessa and I still managed to bump our heads on the rock. 

After the cave, the trail started back in an upwards direction again. None of these ups or downs were strenuous. You hardly noticed it really. What I did notice though was some parts of the board walk were covered in wire mesh instead of boards so you could see right down to the gorge below. 

And in some places there were no boards at all; only wire mesh for a floor. 

If you looked way up you could see how high the trail was going to take you. 

We came to a place where there was a dam in the river. 

The dam looked like it had an interesting little fortress dungeon on the other side. But there didn't seem to be an easy access to get to it so we didn't go and check it out. It would have been fun if we could though. 

Instead we had to make do with exploring a giant wooden tower. 

The higher up the tower you went, the smaller the platforms got. There were benches on some levels so you could sit and take a break if you needed to. The very top platform could only hold about 3 people or so and there was no room for a bench up there. 

Oh but the view was spectacular. Way down below we could see the suspension bridge that we had been on earlier. And we thought we were high up then. This was much higher! 

Looking over the edge of the tower you could see the tree tops below us. 

After the tower we crossed a paved walkway to be able to continue on the path. We all had fun and mimicked the painted cross walk guy on the pavement as we walked. We got a bit of a laugh out of that. 

We went down another flight of stairs and discovered what can only be described as the land of inukshuks. There was a section roped off with inukshuks and signs saying to place your fairy pebbles there. We figured it had something to do with the Foresta Lumina festivities that night. 

On the other side of the path there were inukshuks everywhere in the gorge. I didn't see just how many at first because they all blended in with the colour of the stones in the gorge. But once I notice done or two I began to see more and more. I realized that this was the place I had seen the lady from way up on top of the suspension bridge. 

The next place to go to on the trail was the Hydro Plant. We had come full circle. We approached the Hydro Plant from the back of the building. 

There was a little door at the back where you could go through and actually see the inside. 

You can't go very far inside. But you can get to a spot where there is a window looking out onto the floor below and you can see the giant generator inside. 

That completed our hike of the Gorge Trail. It had been a long walk and we realized that we had to do almost the same amount of walking again that night when we do the Forest Lumina hike.  We decided we had better go back and get some rest if we were going to do all that walking again in the same day. 

So, back at the camp, some of us went for a nap while others of us went for a swim in the pool. I did neither.  I just relaxed and sat and did some bird watching. 

I saw a beautiful black , white and orange bird I had never seen before. It was a Towhee. 

After resting up and having a good supper, we were all prepared to go on our next adventure.....Foresta Lumina! 

  For my sister's birthday, she wanted to go to Foresta Lumina in Coaticook, Quebec. I had never been to Quebec before (aside from Gatineau) so I was excited to be able to go with her.  We bought tickets online and we made reservations online for two campsites at Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook. We packed up the cars and headed to my cousin's house in Ottawa where we stayed the night before getting an early start the next morning.

  We had 4 cars in all. My sister, Anika, and her husband, Dean, in one car, myself in another, my brother, Carsten with his girlfriend, Penny, in another car and my cousin Shelli, her husband, Jeff, and their two girls, Tessa and Delaney in the fourth car. We decided ahead of time that we would take the toll route to get there because it would be faster. Taking the toll route was also another first for me. We also decided that since it was a 4 hour trip from Ottawa that we would stop at the first rest stop we could find just after the toll booth. 

  With the plan in motion, we set off on our way. It was a hot day and, unfortunately, my car has no working air conditioner. So I drove with the windows rolled down pretty much the whole way. Being in a car by myself, I had no passenger to text back and forth with the other cars in our convoy so I was not able to communicate with anyone until I could stop somewhere. I was a little nervous about that, but I didn't fret over it too much. All went well at the toll booth (aside from a car not wanting to let me into the line... but I managed to squeeze in front of  him all the same).

After the toll booth I started looking for a place to stop. We were travelling down highway 10 and this highway was in dreadful condition. The streets of North Bay in pothole season are better than highway 10 was. I kept thinking it would get better but it never did. It is in desperate need of resurfacing. 

​  At this point I didn't know if I was behind or in front of everyone else. I passed exit sign after exit sign with inviting signs that said "Mc Donald's" or "Esso" , etc. However, unlike Ontario's "En-Route" rest stops, none of Quebec's rest stops are directly on the highway. You have no choice but to take an exit and go into the edge of a town somewhere. I hate doing that at the best of times, let alone in a place I have never been before and a place where I don't really know the language at that. I didn't want to drive into a town and then get lost and have to find my way back onto the highway I had come from. I drove and I drove and finally my arm and knee was getting numb so I knew that I had to stop. I finally chose an exit and went towards an Esso with an A&W. Sure enough, the moment I got off the exit I made a wrong turn and was headed away from the Esso. Luckily I caught my mistake right away and was able to turn around within a minute or two. 

  I pulled into the parking lot of the Esso and was greeted by a "Horse of a Different Colour". It was a lot of different colours actually.  I filled up my car with gas and then began texting the passengers of the other cars. I found out that everyone else had already stopped for a break long before I had at various other exits. Turns out I was ahead of everyone else. That was fine though because the reservations for the park were in my name so it was probably best that I got there first anyway.  So I hopped back in the car and continued on my way. It was only about an hour or less from this point. 

It had been sunny and hot for most of the drive. But when I was just about 20 minutes away from the park the skies darkened, the clouds rolled in and the rain started pouring. The down pour was so heavy at times that on more than one occasion I was hydro planing with my car. I had to roll up my windows and the glass started to fog up. So then I had to turn on the defrost in the car. I am sure the town I was driving through was quite pretty, but I was having a hard time seeing any of it.  Finally I was happy to see the sign for Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook up ahead of me. 

To get to the park you have to drive through the covered bridge. It was quite picturesque. I loved it, 

 The other side of the covered bridge opens up into a large parking lot with arrows pointing in different directions painted all over it. I was not sure exactly where to go so I chose to follow the arrows on the far left that went towards a little building that looked to me like it was probably the main office. 

I parked my car and got out and went to speak tot he gentleman who was sitting on a chair just outside the door. I was hesitant to talk to him because I was not sure if he knew English at all. I was wondering if maybe I should be waiting for my sister's husband Dean to arrive because he is fluent in french. But I decided to be brave and so I went over to speak to him. Turns out that he knew enough English that we could communicate just fine. He explained that the little building was not the main office, it was just where the sell firewood and he pointed me in the direction of a much larger, round building that was the main office or the "Welcome Center". 

I went inside the Welcome Center and asked one of the girls at the desk if she spoke English. She did not but she got a lady named Manon who did speak English pretty well. I explained that I had reservations and that the rest of my group were still a few minutes away but would arrive soon. 

Manon started processing my reservation and she gave me a green, paper 8 to hang in my car window to indicate that we belonged in the park. The 8 had how many adults and how many children were on the site, as well as the date of arrival and the date of departure. We wondered if they used the shape of the 8 because it was a reminder that you could only drive 8 kilometers in the park or if it was because we were leaving on the 8th. We forgot to ask and we never did find out, but I think it was probably a reminder to drive only 8 kilometers an hour because I didn't see any other numbers hanging from other people's car windows and I figured it would be tricky to get some for departure dates that were double digits, like 22 or something. 

I was dismayed to find out that we were only allowed to have one car per site and that the other cars had to stay in the parking lot at the front gate. It's a little inconvenient but not something I hadn't encountered before at a couple of the Ontario parks. Once we got to the sites we could easily see why this rule was in place. Many of the sites are somewhat small and there really isn't room for multiple vehicles on a site. 

  It wasn't long before everyone else in our group arrived and checked in. Manon told us how there was going to be live music on the patio of the Welcome Center that night (every Saturday evening) and that there would be a movie playing in the upstairs part of the Welcome Center that evening as well (Spiderman, in French). 

​ It was still raining and everyone said that they didn't really want to set up in the rain. However, we did want to see the camp sites. So we took two cars and half of us drove up to the sites while the other half stayed behind at the Welcome Center.

  The sites we had reserved were A8 and A9. We were very surprised to find that another group of campers were already sitting on A8. They had put the backs of 2 hatch backs together with the hatches open and put a tarp over them with a picnic table underneath to form a make shift tent to shield them from the rain that was coming down as they prepared their lunch. I went up to them and tried talking to them but they did not speak English very well. I told them that they were on our site and they said that they were not. I asked them if they had site A8 and they said that they did. So we were confused at this point. 

However, as time went on we doubted that they were ever told that. After about an hour, it stopped raining so we were able to put up the tents on the site that we did have while we waited. 

Since it had been raining, the ground was fairly muddy. There were ferns and undergrowth everywhere and all I could think of was "we are going to be eaten alive by mosquitoes". The amount of ferns made it look like we were camping in a jungle. As it turns out though, the Bracken Ferns along with a forest of Hemlocks, acts as a natural mosquito repellent! We were mosquito free the entire time we were there! It was so wonderful! 

Unfortunately, you couldn't go exploring through the underbrush though because there was a risk of encountering poison ivy. 

We waited for close to the 2 hour mark and as time went by we realized that the people on our site were not even trying to get off it. They were in no hurry at all. They weren't packing up and there had been plenty of time for them to eat and get on their way. So when Dean went down to switch our cars around he went and spoke to Manon about it. In no time at all Manon arrived again. This time she had a security guard with her.  She spoke to the squatters again and told them in no uncertain terms that they had to pack up and leave and they had 5 minutes to do it in. Manon and the security guard stood by and did not leave until the squatters were gone. We were grateful to Manon and the security guard for handling the situation for us in a professional manner. We did not have to deal with the squatters ourselves at all and Manon took care of it all for us. With the squatters gone, we were finally able to put up the other tents. 

Once everything was all set up we were able to relax and explore the park. The sun was shining again and the temperature was getting hot again. Shelli and the girls got their swimsuits on and headed on down to the pool. 

The girls had a water fight at the Splash Pad. 

Penny and I took a walk back down towards the Welcome Center. I marveled at the beautiful Smoke Tree growing on the side of the path. I was particularly interested in this tree because we had just planted a tiny one in my front yard at home and now I could see what it will eventually look like. 

Near the smoke tree is a little pond with a couple of chairs next to it so that you can sit and read a book in the shade. 

The back of the Welcome Center has a huge ramp leading up to a huge open doorway. It kind of reminded me of a barn. 

I was surprised to find that not only was there a large makeshift screen for the movie that would play later that evening, but there were also tables with a bunch of board games for kids to play. There was also a bean bag toss game and a pool table (but Dean told us later that the pool table was small and not the best ... but I was impressed they had one at all). 

Penny and I continued our exploration of the main park grounds. They have a large jungle gym, some swings and slides. They have a picnic area near by too. 

Right above the playground was a large flock of birds (the following days this flock got even larger. I think someone said there were about 70 of them one day. It was amazing!) At first we thought they were turkey vultures, but then we saw some a little closer up as they swooped down and around and we realized that they were not. 

They seemed to be some sort of hawk. Carsten, Penny and I looked them up in Penny's bird book later on. 

As far as we could tell they were Broad-winged Hawks. They migrate in large flocks called "kettles".

The bathroom near our site was not your usual vault toilet. Instead it was a port-a-potty. Normally I am not fond of port-a-pottys but this was was very clean. So clean, in fact, that I didn't even see any insects in it and it didn't smell bad. Unfortunately there was only one to share for everyone on all the surrounding campsites. But it never seemed to be much of a problem. 

We saw some Ragged Robbin flowers on our walk back to the campsite. 

Back at the campsite Penny made a little friend. This little chipmunk would come by every day and seemed to like Penny a lot. Perhaps it was the smell of her shoes.  

We got a fire going for supper. The interesting thing about the fire pit was that it wasn't secured to the ground. It was the bottom of a metal barrel and it still had the bottom in it. So we could drag it around to where ever we wanted to. The down side was that it had no grill so it was hard to cook on. 

And one side had a tall back on it so if you were sitting in a circle around it someone was always looking at the back of the barrel instead of at the flames. 

After supper, Dean took Anika for a walk. Little did she know that it was so that she was distracted and wouldn't see us setting up for her birthday. Since this trip was the Foresta Lumina theme we brought a bunch of things that glowed in the dark. We had balloons that glowed (they were supposed to glow for 15 hours...they glowed for days!! Best birthday balloon purchase ever!). We had glow sticks and glow in the dark rocks and cotton candy and presents.

And there were cupcakes decorated like fairy houses with paper fairies on top. 

The darker it got the better the lights glowed. Anika came back from her walk and was surprised to find the place decorated and presents ready to be opened. 

We wound down the evening with a marshmallow roast over an open fire. 

Aside from the little hic-up when we first arrived with the squatters on our site, we were really enjoying this park so far. And we hadn't even gotten to the best part yet. Tomorrow we were going to see Foresta Lumina! 

Chutes park has a high concentration of a variety birds all in one small area.  This is plainly evident when you are lying in your sleeping bag and listening to them in the morning. I tried to identify each bird by it's sound. I have come to the conclusion that I don't know my bird calls all that well. Nonetheless, this little Chipping Sparrow was singing a sweet song, loudly and proudly. 

I emerged from my tent and found this tiny little honey bee visitor sitting on my roof. 

 One of the first things most people have to do when they get up in the morning is to go to the bathroom. I was dismayed to find that every one of the bathrooms were being cleaned at exactly the same time that morning. I tried 3  including the comfort station (they are all within walking distance of each other)  and each time I arrived I was greeted with a "Could you come back in a little bit?" . I am sure if it were an emergency they would have let me in but I figured that I could hold it so I waited.  At least they were doing a good job in cleaning the washrooms inside and out. 

Since I had to wait for the bathrooms to be free I decided to take that moment to fill in the feedback survey that you get when you register at the gate. I mentioned in the feedback that they might consider staggering the bathroom cleaning times so that they aren't all being cleaned at once. 

I finally was able to get to a bathroom. I noticed a little Mud Dauber Wasp on my way back to the site. I was stung by one of these when I was a kid so I know how painful they can be. I definitely did not want to disturb it, so I stayed clear of it. 

Since I was going home today I wanted to explore the beach area before I had to pack up.  The covered picnic area down by the beach is fairly large. 

And then right beside it was a single small picnic table with it's own tiny roof over it. I am not clear on the purpose of this one. Perhaps it is the kids table? Perhaps it is for someone with a dog? 

On the way to the beach I passed by the pet exercise area. They have a wonderful set up here. There is a nice, large shady, fenced in area with a picnic table or two.  There is plenty of space for dogs to run around in. 

And there is even a bench if you want to just sit an watch your dog run around. 

The dog beach is not within the confines of the fence. You have to leave the fenced area and walk to the back section of the human's beach area. There are no dogs allowed on the side where people swim, but the dog swim area is far enough away from the people side. 

The dog swim area is shallow enough for the dogs to safely play in. Since the body of water is a moving river, it is wise not to let your dog go too far out. 

Between the dog beach and the people beach I spotted a White Admiral Butterfly on the ground. The under part of it's wings are a rusty brown colour. 

But when it opens it's wings the top is black and white. 

The White Admiral butterfly was enjoying all the White  Meadowsweet flowers that dotted the shoreline.

The beach is a decent size but the shore is mainly pebbles instead of sand. 

You can see  the falls from the beach.

Swimmers can enjoy the water at the sandy beach located below the falls. There are no lifeguards, and water safety is your responsibility. They do have a Life Jacket Lending Program available to visitors.

There are also no buoy lines at this beach so you have to be careful not to go out too far or you could get pulled in by the moving water. There is plenty of space to swim safely before you have to worry about that. 

They do provide a life ring and rescue equipment located on the beach. 
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I noticed a large number of what looked like nests in the trees. They seemed to be made of mainly pine needles and twigs. It almost looked like a bunch of debris had gotten caught in the branches during a wind storm or something. There were no birds in them. I imagine they are left over from a spring breeding session.  I wonder what kind of bird they belong to. 

Perhaps they belonged to  the Yellow Rumped Warbler that I spotted near by. It had something in it's beak. It was probably having a shadfly for breakfast. 

A River Jewelwing Damselfly was hanging out on a leaf and enjoying the morning sun. 

I could hear the Blue Jays taunting me from the trees. They seem to know always know that I am trying to get a picture of them and they always make it difficult to do so. 

But the little Red Squirrel didn't seem to mind being on camera. 

After exploring the beach I had to go back to my site to take down the tent. It was almost time to go home. 
I made a last stop at the park office to see if they had any souvenirs that I might like. I was thrilled to find out that they were selling Ontario Park Passports.  I picked this one up for $10.98 (I have later found out that they sell as much as $16.98 in other parks!)  

Inside the  passport book there is a place to put a sticker (which you can buy at the park stores for $1.25 each) for each of the parks that you visit. This is so much easier than trying to buy a T-shirt from each of the parks.  Not only can you buy the sticker, but if you want, you can buy a matching crest (which I did)  for about $3.98.  I read that eventually they will be selling the stickers online, which I am happy for because going back to get the stickers for each of the almost 30 parks I have been to already could be a little problematic. 

After packing up I went to say my good byes to Jayson and Cindy and the family. I had a fabulous time at Chutes Park and I will not hesitate to come back to camp here again. I adore this park and the next time I go to Canuckapalooza, I will be sure to come back.