It was a chilly night for August and the morning wasn't much warmer. I had a warm sleeping bag so I had slept good.  The sky was grey and cloudy and the lake looked grey and cold too. It was 8:30 in the morning and the wind was pretty strong coming off the lake. 

A loon was calling me; telling me to get up. The loons are very vocal here. It's beautiful to hear. 

The Hooded Merganser ducks that were out on the lake didn't seem to mind the chilly wind. 

My dog, Sylvie, is used to me taking her for a walk each morning before breakfast. So, we headed out to explore the path behind my site.  We went down the stairs and followed a trail through the woods. According to the map, this trail should hook up to the Waterline Trail and go to Phipps Point beach. 
It wasn't autumn quite yet, but in some places the leaves didn't seem to know that. 

Some of the berries were changing colour too and they matched the colour of the changing maple leaves. It  felt like a painting come to life. 

The Red Baneberries retained their red colour though. A striking reminder that even as the world around us begins to dull, some things retain their brilliance.

The Fireweed flowers were popping with vibrant shades of purple. Each flower stood tall and proud, their colors a striking contrast against the green backdrop of the trees and leaves.

I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful yet bittersweet transformation that autumn brings. At this time of year you get a mix of vibrant colours with the dull browns of the flowers that are slowly dying off for the winter. I spotted a Common Selfheal flower. Once a radiant purple, it was now brown and just a shadow of its former self.

Along the side of the trail were the tall stalks of Broad-leaved Helleborine. It used to have a vibrant display of delicate bloom. But now, it stands there, stripped of its flowers, its once colourful petals replaced by empty leaves that seem to whisper tales of lost beauty. And yet it seemed to have a new beauty of it's own. Maybe not a flashy kind of beauty, but more of a quiet beauty. 

Clusters of purple Asters blooming along the path caught my eye.

A little slug was slowly making his way through the wet moss. ​I thought about how we often rush through our days, chasing after goals and deadlines, forgetting to appreciate the little things. This slug, with its unhurried pace, was a gentle reminder to savor each moment.

Contrasting to the colours along the trail were the clusters of white Yarrow flowers. 

Bunches of Pearly Everlasting flowers were also growing there, subtle and unassuming. I have always thought that their name suits them very well. Many people dry these flowers and use them in flower arrangements. So, they are like little pearls that last forever. 

But this park is just full of birds. If you want a good park for birding, Rene Brunelle is a great place to go. In less than 3 minutes, another bird came on scene. This one was a  Magnolia Warbler. 

We had been walking for a bit and I was thinking that we should be getting to the beach soon. So I was a bit surprised and confused when we came out onto the road.  Somehow I must have made a wrong turn where the trails intersect and I had gone in the complete opposite direction of where I thought I was going.  I still don't know how that happened.  The road would lead to the beach too. So I debated about whether to keep going or turn around and walk the road back to camp. I was starting to get hungry because I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so I decided on the latter.  I figured I would just drive down to the beach a little later..

On the walk back I saw a lot of crows. This park definitely has its fair share of them. 

It's a good thig that I decided to go back when I did. While we were gone, the wind had really picked up. That was another downfall of my nearly perfect site. I had a great view but there were not a many trees to break the wind. Unfortunately the wind was so strong that it broke my dining tent and it was blowing away. If I hadn't of come back when I did, it would have blown into my car and damaged it.  So I had to take it down, and now I had no dining tent for the rest of this trip. I guess I will have to buy a new one.  Or maybe this one can be fixed. 

The wind was blowing enough to make my hair look a little wild too. 

​I ate breakfast at the picnic table and then loaded Sylvie into the car to drive to the Phipps Point beach. The Vigilance Trailhead is right across the road from this beach so I figured it would be good to visit both at the same time. 

Dogs aren't allowed on this beach so I left Sylvie in the car for about 5 minutes while I explored the beach area real quick. It's a beautiful beach. It reminded me of Bonnechere Park a little bit. 

There was no one there while I was there. Too cold for most people. But the beach area was quite nice. Plenty of picnic tables, and a nice, clean, sandy beach with buoy lines.  

There is a water tap onsite, however, there was a "Boil Water Advisory" sign right beside it. 

Phipps Point Beach has a large covered picnic area structure. 

And it has a volley ball net. 

Not to mention a jungle gym with a climbing structure, swings, and slides for the kids to play on. 

I let the dog out of the car and we started our hike of the Vigilance Trail. 

It's not a very long trail and it is pretty wide and open. It's a very enjoyable walk along the edge of Remi Lake.

I am not sure who was enjoying it more, me or Sylvie.

Along the trail were information signs that told about the history of northern aviation and the history of Remi Lake as a base for floatplanes in the 1920s. The remains of a plane known as "The Vigilance" that crashed nearby are now on display in the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa. 

The lima bean green moss draped the branches of some of the pine trees. It was like a natural tinsel for an outdoor Christmas tree. 

These moss covered pines lined both sides of the trail and gave it a tunnel like feel. 

The next information sign was a tribute to the airplane hangers that no longer stand on an island directly across from this spot. From 1922 to 1944 Remi Lake was an important link in the Ontario Provincial Air Service. From here bush planes flew over the northern areas checking for fires and bringing aid to the distressed.

"Airplane Island can be seen between the two smaller islands directly in front of you". 

We crossed a wooden bridge that was still holding up well, even though it looked a little old. 

The view from the bridge was a bit obstructed by tree branches, but that is what gave it some character. 

Even the trail signs were covered in moss and lichen.

There was a sweet little bench nestled into a corner by the lake. As we approached the bench we walked right under a hawk in a tree. But I didn't see it right away so it flew off before I barely even realized it was there.

 I was hoping that if I sat on the bench really still that it might fly back. Of course I knew that the likelihood of that was next to zero. But it was a good excuse to sit down for a moment and look out across the lake. 

I didn't sit for too long though. It was too cold and damp for that.  This trail loops back around and then you head back the way you came. As we got to the furthest point of the trail, I looked out across the lake and noticed great big areas of grass with signs at the end of them. ​It looked almost like a golf course or something. 

I zoomed in a little with my camera and I could see a picnic table near the water. I took a look at my map to see if this was part of the park or not. As far as I could tell it looked like it might be the Group Site. 

Naturally this had me curious, so I decided that I would go check it out when I was done hiking this trail. It is pretty late in the season and it looked pretty empty. So, I figured, why not take a chance that no one was there and go take a peek.  I headed back, enjoying even more of the lovely Remi Lake as I went. 

I got the dog into the car and we drove off down the road to the other side of the lake. It didn't take long and soon I saw the sign for the Anse Crawfish Cove group site.  And directly under it was a sign saying "Private Area". I hesitated. Do I dare go in to explore? What if there are people there? I don't want to intrude. 

After debating with myself for a half a minute, I finally decide to just do it. Worst thing to happen is there would be people there and I would not get out of the car, turn around and go back.  I drove down the long open lane way to the site. 

There was no one there. Empty and quiet. Perfect for exploring. I was still a bit nervous about intruding though so I decided to make it quick. I didn't even take Sylvie out of the car. She sat in the back seat and waited while I got out. 

I must say this is probably one of the best group sites I have seen in a Provincial Park so far, hands down. It was so big and so spacious and clean. 

The bathroom looked like a brand new build. 

There were large grassy areas where you could put up tents., play sports, sun tan; whatever you wanted to do. 

There was  large volleyball net over in one area. 

I didn't have to walk far to get to the areas that I had seen from the trail across the lake.  Swaths of green grass with a picnic table down by the water. 

I walked to the farthest point first. There were some weeds growing in the water to the side of the lake. A great place for some kids to go look for frogs. 

And then when you reach the water's edge and look towards the picnic table you can see that it is a lovely little beach with lots of grass and just enough sand. It looked like a fabulous place to swim. 

As I made my way back up the hill I noticed a couple of crows had gotten into a bag of garbage that the previous campers had left behind beside the garbage can instead of in it.  Garbage was strewn every where and the crows were happily picking through it.  

It was at just this moment that the park rangers arrived in their white truck. They were a clean-up crew here to clean the bathroom and empty the garbage and what-not.  I held my breath for a moment, expecting them to give me a reprimand about this being a private area.  But it didn't come. They didn't seem to care that I was there. 

So, I told one of the crew that the crows h gotten into the garbage around the corner (they probably wouldn't have noticed it because it was a bit out of sight from where they were working).  They thanked me and then I hurried back to my car and drove off to explore more of the park. 

Next stop was Campers Beach which was way down the opposite side of the park from the group site.  No one here.  Not all that surprising though. On a cold over cast day with lots of wind and not a lot of people in the park to begin with, it only makes sense. 

This beach is not a Day Use beach so it is small, but cute. It is right beside the entrance to the walk-in sites and shares a bathroom with the walk-in sites. 

The bathroom was clean and had a step pedal flush system. So, it didn't smell bad in there. 
​
​There was a sign by the sink that invited all the kids in the park to an early Halloween event.  it took place the day before so I guess I had just missed it by a hair. It would have been cute to see the kids going from lot to lot saying trick-or-treat. However, I didn't have any candy with me so I would have disappointed them if they had come to my site. I suppose I could have driven up to the park store to buy  some treats for the kids if I needed to though.  At any rate, I thought it was a cute idea. 

To one side of the beach there were motor boats, kayaks and canoes that you could rent. 

On the other side of the beach there was a little swing set for the kids to play on. 

The beach was tiny. Only room for 3 picnic tables. But there were buoy lines marking off a safe swim area and there was a small sandy area where the kids could make sand castles. 

Since I had my car with me, I had all my food with me. I tied Sylvie to the picnic table and while she dug a hole and made herself a sun/sand bath, I got out all the fixin's for a sandwich and some lunch. It was at about this time that the sun started to peep out from behind the clouds for just a short little while. 

After refueling with a good lunch, I was ready to do more exploring. I wanted to check out the walk-in sits before I left. But first, I noticed a newer looking building over on the other side of the beach.  It seemed to be a fancy looking outhouse. It has solar, motion sensor lights. All the hinges and hardware looked brand new. But it was locked so I couldn't look inside. 

Behind the fancy out house was a wide path that led to the parks cabin. It looked a bit smaller than the one at Kettle Lakes or Aiguebelle. 

At first I thought someone was renting out the cabin because there was a dining tent set up off to the side of it. But after looking around I could see that the cabin was all locked up and no one was renting it. So, that makes me wonder.... does the dining tent come with it when you rent the cabin? If so, then that is a nice perk. 

There were a set of stairs leading down to the lake.  The sun was gone again by this point and the sky was singing grey again. 

A couple of  Hooded Merganser ducks were swimming by. I wondered if it was the same two that I had seen this morning. 

There were a couple of wide trails that led away from the cabin. But I didn't follow them to see where thy lead. 

Instead I wanted to peek in the windows to see what the inside of the cabin looked like. So I climbed the stairs up to the deck. 

On one side of the deck was a picnic table with an umbrella.

And the other side had a BBQ and two red chairs. 

Peeking through the window, I could see 4 wooden chairs and a wooden table all stacked up and put away for the season. 

It was hard to see much of the inside of the cabin but through the screened window I cold make out a fridge, a mirror, and the end of one bed. 

The cabin appeared to be run on propane. 

Next, we walked over to the Walk-In sites.

Just like at Opemican, there were little wagons provided so that campers could bring their camping gear from their vehicle to their site. 

I chuckled at the sign for the walk-in sites. It looked to me like a guy who was skiing with really long skis on his feet. 

The paths to the walk-in sites were wide and covered in  gravel and pine needles.. 

There was a shared water tap. But this also had a Boil Water advisory sign on it. 

It looked like there were campers on one of the sites further in so I opted to look at the first site, number 92, that was empty. 

It was a very nice walk-in site. It was large and spacious. It was very private. I would be happy to camp at this walk-in site. 

Nothing quite like having your own private little beach area. 

As I walked back to the car, I spotted some Common Selfheal flowers. This time they were adorned in their purple attire instead of the dull browns of the dying flowers that I saw earlier.

It hadn't started to rain yet, but there was still a great possibility that it would at some point. So I decided to squeeze in another hike while the weather was kind of co-operating. So I put Sylvie in the car once more, and drove over to the trail head of the Spruce Lowland Trail. 

The trail map mentioned that there was an old bear's den on the trail somewhere. I was very interested to see that. Yesterday, the lady at the gatehouse had told me that this trail was great for bird watching. Plus, according to the map, there was a bog in here too. So I was excited for all these things. 

The trail starts off woodsy, ​offering a generously wide and well-trodden route for trekkers.

I am sure many people walk by moss without even looking twice at it. Sometimes I do too. But for some reason, today the moss was calling attention to itself.  I found myself admiring moss yet again. A patch of feathery moss beside the rounder leaves of another ground cover plant. The two growing beside each other, for some reason,  made me think that this combination would look great as a center  piece for a table. I had an urge to want to paint it. But I didn't have any paint supplies with me. So, a photograph would have to do in the moment. 

There were a number of board walk bridges on this trail. 

We came to the side trail that the map said lead to the old bear den. 

I was disappointed to find just 2 posts and some rope at a dead end. I thought perhaps the old den was on the other side and that if I looked closely through the branches and under growth that I might see it.  However, there was nothing to be seen. Luckily the side trail was short, so it wasn't like I had traveled a long way to see the 2 posts and some rope. 

I turned around and went back onto the main trail. A splash of red caught my eye and I looked down to find a waxcap mushroom. 

A little brown slug was enjoying the damp moss and the mushrooms even more than I was. 

I came to the section on the map where there was supposed to be a bog. I suppose you could call it one. However, the bog wasn't very boggy at this time of year. It's probably more boggy in the springtime. 

A bench had been built at this part of the trail. I sat for a few minutes in the quiet and listened for the birds. 

I was beginning to think that I had been lied to about being able to see a bunch of birds on this trail. But then, near the end of the trail, they began to appear.  The first one I saw was a Golden-crowned Kinglet.  I stood and watched it for a few moments and then it flew away. 

But then, on the exact same branch, another one landed to take it's place. ​At first I thought it was the same kind of bird, but then I noticed that this one was a brighter yellow on the belly and had more stripes on it's wings, as well as whiter circles around it's eyes. This one was a Magnolia Warbler. 

I saw a grouse walking through the under brush on the forest floor. However, the battery on my camera chose that very minute to die on me. Isn't that just the way? By the time I had got a new battery in it, the grouse had disappeared. 

I saw some Daisies growing along the trail. They were my mom's favourite flower and every time I see them I am reminded of her.  Today I was reminded of all the hikes we had gone on together over the years. I felt her there with me today. 

When I had finished hiking the Spruce Lowland Trail, I hopped into the car and headed back to camp.  But I made a detour first.  I saw the sign for the Fish Cleaning Table and figured I would check it out.  Exploring was better than sitting around the campsite in the cold. At least this way I was moving and keeping warm. 

However, the Fish Cleaning shack was Out Of Order. But that didn't deter me from looking around. 

There was a dock near by and I took Sylvie down to the lake. 

The dock was extremely rickety and moved a lot when you walked across it. It didn't help that the wind was making waves and rocking the dock even more. It was hard to keep balance. I was sure that Sylvie was going to refuse to go out onto it. She was definitely nervous about it, but she was brave and went all the way out to the end. I was very proud of her. 

I only stayed for a brief moment. Just enough to notice the rain clouds coming in. So we turned around nd headed back to shore. ​Sylvie was glad to get her 4 paws back on solid ground again. 

A little bird watched us as we got back to shore. ​

Before heading back to the campsite, I had to use the washroom. luckily the comfort station happened to be near by. 

The children's playground is located right beside it . Very convenient for parents and kids to have the bathroom right there. 

As expected in a comfort station, the toilets were flush toilets. Everything was spotless. 

I was impressed that they even had a sharps box on the wall by the sinks for people who are diabetic or have other illnesses that require needles. It's the little things that make the difference sometimes. 

On the walls were a number of posters showing some of the different flowers, birds, insects, and animals that could be found in the park. 

And another sign about Halloween. Looks like I missed a movie and popcorn yesterday too. 

By the time we got back to camp it was about 2:30 pm and we had done so much walking that we were exhausted. Plus it was just about to rain. So, it was the perfect time to take a nap. 

Sylvie an I slept for 2 hours.  It had been raining and the temperature had dropped. When I wake up, I have a headache so I take an Advil and just lay there for an additional hour listening to the family next door. It made me miss my mom and dad. 
I still remember and can hear my mom puttering around, making a coffee. And she asks dad if he wants anything to eat; always making sure that he is ok. I can still picture dad sitting, reading a book and smoking his cigar. I think how lucky the family next door is to be able to share great moments of laughter. I am willing to bet they don't even realize in this moment that they are making memories that they will cherish later on in life. 

When it stops raining I get out of the tent and take Sylvie for a walk down the Waterline Trail. This time i pay closer attention and I don't go the wrong way.  We come to an old wooden bridge.

It overlooks Remi Lake on one side. 

An a marshy creek on the other side. 

The creek water is very brown with tannins. Unsightly for humans, but good for the fish. 

At first I had thought the trail was called "Waterline Trail" because it ran along the water line of Lake Remi. But then I discovered the real reason for its name.  There were literally water lines running through and poking up all over the place along the length of the trail. 

Time and time again I would see these black hoses coming up out of the ground. I am guessing these hoses feed the water through for the whole park. 

Not the whole trail had the black hoses though. There were some sections that were free of hoses. 

The trail led all the way to Phipps Point beach. Since dogs weren't allowed on Phipps Point beach, we turned around and went back the way we came. 

On the way back we saw a Mallard duck swimming in the creek. 

When we get back to camp it starts to rain again. I debate just packing everything up and going back to see my sister. I could use the comfort of family right about now.  But it is going to be dark soon and there is only one more night here. So, I decide to tough it out. 

Since I no longer have a dining tent, and I can't eat in the sleeping tent, Sylvie and I get into the car to eat supper and watch the rain through fogging windows. . 

It's too wet to have a fire to cook anything, so I just make myself a peanut butter sandwich for supper. 

When it stops raining, I get out of the car and see some Merganser ducks and some Mallards out on the lake.

I can see a long rock out in the middle of the lake that is just full of birds. They are too far away to make out what kind. My guess is sea gulls or cormorants.  I can hear the cry of the loons. 

There is an ever so slight sunset tonight. Nothing big an fancy. Just a subtle glow of yellow breaking through the grey rain clouds.  Sylvie becomes playful and dances all round. She makes me smile and I become happy again. I am good to stay for the rest of the night. 

I will go to bed and read for awhile. Then I will let the sound of the waves lapping against the shore, lull me to sleep.

I woke up at 4 in the morning to the sound of something mechanical sounding flying overhead around the roof of the tent. The best word I can use to describe it is "whirly-gig". To this day I do not know what it was. It definitely sounded mechanical and not like something from nature.  It was too dark and too cold for me to want to go out and check to see what it was. I decided to ignore it. What ever it was, it didn't last long. It would have been gone by the time I had gotten my shoes and jacket on to o check, so I am glad I didn't bother. I went back to sleep and didn't hear it again.

When I woke up again it was 9:30. It was cold and starting to drizzle rain again. I packed up to leave fairly quickly before  I got caught in a down pour. 

Tenacious Little Sparrow was back. It looked even more wet and cold than yesterday. But once I started packing up the tent it seemed pretty happy. It was literally getting in under my tent to find all the bugs that were hiding under there from the rain. So, it was a smart tenacious bird, getting an easy breakfast. It was so busy with finding things under my tent that I was worried I was going to step on him once or twice.

I am gonna miss that little bird. But I won't miss the cold and the rain. It's time for me to go back home and get into some dry clothes and get a hot meal.  Good luck out there little bird! 

It's been a long year and a half. We lost both our parents within 8 months of each other. I was the executor of 2 estates. As anyone who has been an executor before can tell you, it's a lot of work. So, being the executor of two of them, well.... it's exhausting.  Much of my vacation time has been sucked up by appointments with lawyers and banks and accountants and the like.  So, when I finally booked a few days off for myself and some real "me" time, I decided to head for the woods. 

​My parents had always told me how wonderful Rene Brunelle was, so I decided to head there and see it for myself. This trip would be just me and my dog. It would give me some much needed quiet time to rest my heart and mind. 

The turn off to Rene Brunelle is in a little town called Moonbeam. You can't miss it. It's the one with the giant UFO on the side of the road. Most towns have a water tower. But this town has it's very own UFO with it's name on it. 

I pulled up to the gate house and went inside to register. It was a tiny gate house and it doubled as a park store. Outside there were benches and a place to rent bicycles.

With map in hand, I headed towards the Owl's Nest campground. Even the name sounds cozy. 

I had reserved site 88. I chose this site because it was at the very end of the road and I figured it would give me more privacy than other sites might. Plus, I had looked at some of the pictures and it seemed like this one might have a view of the lake. And well... the name. Owl's Nest. Right? 

I was not disappointed with the site. It was quite large and had plenty of privacy. 

And I wasn't wrong about the view of the lake.  It was later in the day when I arrived and I only had about 3 or 4 hours before sunset. 

I am hoping that sunset will be beautiful from here. 

Off to the side of my site was a little set of stairs. It led down to a little platform which then led to a little trail. The trail led to the lake on one side and off into the woods on the other. I didn't have time to explore it right now because I had to get my camp set up.

But the lake was right there, and I did stop for a couple minutes to just enjoy it. 

The next little while  I spent putting up tents. I had my trusty orange tent to sleep in and my big ole dining tent in case of rain. It's nearing the end of August so there are not any bugs. It's one of the things I like most about camping at this time of year. 

As soon as I was all set up, I was able to finally relax a little. It was going to be dark soon, but I could at least take the dog for a walk around the neighbourhood and explore just a tiny bit. 

I headed towards the bathroom. There were only a few other people in the park  and most of them were camping closer to the bathrooms. So, I was able to check out a few of the empty sites along the way. Number 84 seemed to be another good choice for a campsite. 

It was quite large and you would be able to drive an RV right through without having to worry about backing it up. 

The water tap was between my site and the bathroom. There was a "boil water advisory" sign posted beside it. I had brought my water filter system with me. So, I could easily filter some drinking water if I needed it. 

My campsite is almost perfect. The only downside to it, is that it is just a wee bit too far away from the bathrooms if you have to get up and go in the middle of the night.  

But the bathrooms were clean and they had a step peddle flushing system. So, that was a perk. 

Once again there was a boil water advisory at the bathroom sinks. 

There was a bulletin posted at the bathroom telling all about the different events that were going on in the park. Sadly, the two that I would have liked most (Nature In Watercolour and  Wildflower) I missed because I arrived to the park too late to attend them. Perhaps tomorrow I can catch the Gratitude Scavenger Hunt.

These bathrooms were equipped with solar lights so, when it got dark, you didn't have to fumble around with a flashlight while you were trying to wash your hands. 

Back at the campsite I settled into a chair and watched the sun go down. It was so quiet and peaceful. The campers and their kids next to me were quietly talking and enjoying the evening. 

It was wonderful to just sit and listen to the waves lapping up against the shore. It was in harmony with the cricket songs and the sound of the wind in the trees.  At last, I could finally let go of my stresses and troubles and just give my mind a break. 

I stayed by the shore until the sun was gone and it got dark. I didn't make a fire. I was too tired and it was starting to get windy. Instead, I opted to go to bed a bit early and get some rest so that I could get up and explore this beautiful park in the morning.