We woke up at about 9 a.m.  It was a beautiful morning and the birds were singing everywhere. 
A female Red Winged Blackbird was perched in a tree watching us pack up.  

The Mourning Dove was still in her nest above the bathroom. 

But this morning she had a little Barn Swallow friend beside her. 

As I got into my car, I noticed a Red Admiral butterfly flying around the parking lot. 

Since the next park that we were heading to was only 20 minutes away, and we didn't have to be there until 2 pm, we took the opportunity to explore Point Pelee. 

We headed to the Visitor Center to see if we could catch a shuttle (which is free to ride) up to the point. As we pulled into the parking lot for the Visitor Center we saw a large group of school kids boarding the shuttle. Not only did we not want to rush, but we also didn't want to be immersed in the noise that many children can create, so we decided to wait for the next shuttle inside the Visitor Center.

As soon as you open the inner doors of the Visitor Center you are greeted by the cute face of a critter. The sign at its feet asks "Do you think this is a Red Fox or a young Coyote?" My bet is that it is a coyote. 

In front of the entrance is a large map of Canada. 

And beside it is a Legend to help the viewer locate where all the National Parks in Canada are located.

Rounding the corner, my eye was caught by the sight of a beautiful, colourful tapestry. It was created by the artist Teresa Altiman.

Along another wall, was an informational placard describing the history and restoration process of Point Pelee Park. 

First, about 300 private cottages, homes and businesses were bought up and removed from the park. 
Then, the shuttle was implemented in order to reduce the impact of vehicle parking.
Then, in 1971, individual campsites were closed down in order to protect the birds, animals and environment from the destructiveness of campers. Instead, a supervised group camp was established. Today, the only camping available in the park is the Henry campground which is the location of the Otentiks we had stayed in the night before. 

Inside the Visitor Center is a little shop filled with T-shirts and souvenirs. Penny and I looked for the hoodie that we had seen in Port Burwell, hoping that if we did find it here, that it might be less expensive. However, we did not find it here.

​ Instead, we bought a couple of other T-shirts and some trinkets. 

We figured enough time had passed that the shuttle should be coming any minute. So we decided to go back outside to wait for it. As we passed by the entrance I noticed a photo booth that I had been too busy to notice on the way in. It might have been fun to get our pictures done here, but I didn't want to be late for the shuttle. 

We waited on the benches under the canopy. We could hear a number of birds singing all around us. I figured that this would be the perfect time to play with an app on my phone called Merlin Bird ID. It's a free app and we have found it to be pretty useful. In particular, Penny and I like using the Sound ID. You record the birds that are singing all around you and it will list each bird, complete with a photo of it. And as each one sings, the photo will light up to let you know which bird you are hearing.  It keeps your recordings so that you can go back and look at it later. 

Some of the birds that I heard were a Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow Warbler, American Robin, and American Redstart. 

But the only bird that wanted to be seen was a Brown-Headed Cowbird who was strutting their stuff all over the grassy area. 

We had been waiting for quite some time and we started to wonder if something had happened to the shuttle. I went inside to ask if they knew when the next shuttle would arrive. The shuttle should arrive every 15 to 20 minutes but it had been almost an hour by this point.  When I mentioned this to the people at the desk they became a bit concerned too. So, they got on the walkie talkie and asked the driver where they were. The reply was that they were almost at the Visitor Center. So, I guess we had unknowingly just missed one when we had come out to wait under the canopy. I had to hurry out the door or I would miss it again. 

I got out to the waiting area just as the shuttle was pulling in. We hopped into the very back seat of the last shuttle car and sat back and relaxed as the shuttle took us to our destination. We passed by the occasional cyclist as well as a few people who were going to the point on foot. 

As the shuttle pulled up to the last stop on its route before heading back to pick up another load of people, we could see the big metal lookout tower looming in the distance. 

We stepped off the shuttle bus just as the group of school kids we had seen earlier, boarded it to go back to the Visitor Center.  Once off the shuttle, we didn't really know where to go first. So, we took a moment to look around the bus shelter.  On the walls were various large informational posters. The one that intersted me most was the one that showed the migration patterns of various birds, butterflies, and insects. 

On the roof and all over the place were large numbers of Barn Swallows. I was amused by the thought that  where I live you would be lucky to see even one. These birds are considered a Threatened Species in Canada. But here, they were so plentiful. There were dozens on the roof tops and multiple nests in the rafters. 

We saw a trail with some directional signs on it. We figured maybe we could figure out what direction to take from there. However, every sign on the post pointed in the direction of where a National Park in Canada or some other interesting place was located. For example, Canada's most Northern Point was 4600 km from this sign post. 

A large red and white sign in the shape of a 42  marked where the 42nd parallel is. It stated that we were as far south as Rome and Barcelona. 

The most important sign we saw though was the one warning us of the Dangerous Currents at the tip of the point. Even just wading into the water could be deadly. It is so dangerous, that you can actually be fined $10,000 just for wading in the water. 

We could go any one of three ways to get to the tip. We could go towards the tower and follow a trail in that direction. Or we could follow a trail through the woods.

Or we could follow the shoreline. We decided to take the shoreline and search for sea glass as we walked. 
Penny was excited to find a few pieces of both white as well as green sea glass to add to her collection. 

As we walked, I noticed that the beach had a layer of red sand up near the tree line. 

Looking down at our feet, I could see where the waves had come up and dragged some of that red sand back towards the lake, making pretty designs in the sand. It looked almost like the pebbles had been crawling forward and the red sand was the trail they left behind. 

The various boulders and large pieces of driftwood embedded into the ground created an interesting and serene scene.

Much like Pinery Provincial Park, this park has a place to take a photo of the environment and then send it in to help with research studies. 

This is the photo I took and submitted to the Coastie website. 

A Ring Billed Gull strutted boldly down the beach, oblivious to the waves crashing around him. 

The closer we got to the point, the smaller the mainland looked behind us. 

When we turned back around we were greeted by a group of sea birds. The very same birds that had been scared away from the point. They were now behind us and I had a second opportunity to get photos of them. 

I recognized a couple of Ring Billed Gulls in the group. But many of them were a smaller bird. Their colouring was similar to the Ring Billed Gulls but the markings were different. Not knowing any better, I still believed that these might be Terns. 

However, once I got home and did a bit of research, I found out that these were not Terns at all but were, in fact, Bonaparte's Gulls. 

Another interesting sign was the one with information about Middle Island. The tip of the point of Point Pelee is the most southernly spot  of the mainland of Canada, However, the absolute most southern piece of land in Canada is actually Middle Island. It is a tiny 22 hectare island that is situated only a few metres from the Canada - US border. 

Upon reaching the top we were impressed at how the tower offered breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding landscapes, including the lush greenery of the park and the waters of Lake Erie.​

Far below we could see Penny looking up at us, with camera in hand. We waved to her and she waved back. 

In behind Penny, at the base of a bench over looking the lake, someone had drawn a large cross in the sand with a stick. 

Spread across the top of the tower were various informational signs telling us a bit about the local birds, as well as highlighting some information about Point Pelee and Middle Island. 

I took my time going back down the stairs of the tower at Pont Pelee. As I descended the staircase of the imposing tower, I allowed myself to fully absorb the breathtaking surroundings that stretched out before me. I was up above the tree tops and now some of the birds were at eye level. 

A vibrant yellow bird played hide and seek among the branches of the trees. I could not make out what type of bird it was. 

Once we reached the ground, we had some time to wait before the next shuttle would arrive. I spent that time watching a Barn Swallow forage for ants and other insects on the ground. 

The Barn Swallow seemed to be the mascot bird of the day here at the point.  

Barn Swallows have faced significant population declines due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and changing agricultural practices. So, it was nice to see so many here. ​

Interestingly, in North America at least, Barn Swallows frequently engage in a mutualist relationship with ospreys. Barn swallows will build their nest below an osprey nest, receiving protection from other birds of prey that are repelled by the exclusively fish-eating ospreys. The ospreys are alerted to the presence of these predators by the alarm calls of the swallows

Another visitor that waited for the shuttle with us was an Eastern Yellow-backed Laphria which is a type of mimic Robber Fly that resembles a Bumble Bee.  

We caught the shuttle back to the Visitor Center and made a plan to drive to the White Pine beach to have lunch. 

The White Pine beach had a lovely little picnic shelter where we could have our lunch. 

Inside the picnic shelter was a large wood stove. 

And for $16 you could purchase an entire bin of firewood. 

While we were eating our lunch, the Barn Swallows were eating theirs. 

And momma Barn Swallow was making sure that her babies were eating their lunch too. 

The picnic shelter was conveniently close to a bathroom. It was running on solar power. 

There were two things we wanted to do before leaving the park. One was to visit the historic cemetery that is located in the park and the other was to walk the Cactus Field foot trail.  Both of these things were conveniently located just across the road from where we were eating lunch.  So, we left our cars in the parking lot and began to walk towards the road. 

In the back corner of the parking lot, we spotted a Baltimore Oriole. 

It had expertly captured a caterpillar and flew off with it to enjoy its meal in the treetops, or perhaps to bring to its young waiting in a nest somewhere. 

Growing along the side of the trail were Scaly Inkcap mushrooms. 

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak watched us from the gnarled branches of the twisted trees.

An informational plaque was situated just inside and told of the former owners of the land, brothers Philip and Oliver DeLaurier.

This stone monument was placed in the cemetary in 2020 to commemorate the First Nations people who have walked these lands and are buried here and elsewhere in  Point Pelee. 

Ten known individuals were buried here between 1883 and 1948, along with more than 30 unknown individuals. 

The white crosses denote traditional Euro-Canadian buriels. 

A white picket fence surrounds a single white cross. 

It is unknown who's grave this is. There are no names. 

Some of the trees here are gnarled and twisted. I imagine they are probably creepy looking at night. 

As we leave the cemetery, we spot a Traveling Cherry Millipede making its way through the sand. 

Some Dame's Rocket flowers add a bit of colour to the cemetery.

Back out on the main trail I was surprised to find the guy who had taken our photo up at the point. I had thought for sure that I would never see him again and yet, there he was. He was going into the cemetery as we were going out. I did not waste the opportunity to apologize to him for not asking if we could take his picture for him at the point. He seemed to not be troubled by it at all and said that he had plenty of pictures and hadn't needed one. I was happy to hear this.  We said good bye to him and continued on our way. 

I said a quick prayer and thanked God for giving me the second chance to talk to the guy and the opportunity to apologize. The weight had been lifted from my mind. 

We walked a little further down the trail and found the sign showing us the direction to the Cactus Field foot trail. 

Unlike the main trail, this foot path was narrow and made of  sand. The overgrowth was growing quite close to the trail. 

White blooms on the Hoary Alyssum flowers (a perennial belonging to the mustard family) were open and waiting in welcome for pollinators to come and land on them. 

The trees here, in this part of the woods, looked amazing with their trunks all dressed up in clinging ivy. 

It's beautiful, bright yellow flowers are what drew our attention to them "There they are! " I shouted. We felt lucky not only to see them, but to get to see them while they were flowering. 

We progressed along the foot path until we eventually came to the end of the trail. As we stepped out onto the main trail we looked at each other and started laughing. All three of us were covered head to toe in shadflies!  There must have been 30 or 40 on each of us!  We looked behind us and realized that there were a huge number of them on the underside of the leaves on the trees we had just brushed past. So they had gone from the trees onto us. We took a couple of minutes and helped each other to gently remove them from ourselves, laughing the whole time. 

Back at the parking lot, a Brown-headed Cowbird was foraging for insects in the grass and dirt. 

We had read on the map that there was a sanctuary in the park. We were curious about this and wondered what sort of birds or animals were in this sanctury. So we drove over to the location where it was supposed to be. I had imagined a building of some sort  or perhaps a barn or fenced in area or something.  Instead when we arrived, we only found a sign indicating a beach and picnic area.  Then it dawned on me that Sanctuary was the name of the beach and not a building at all.  Upon closer look at the map I noted that it was probably called Sanctuary beach because it was close to the body of water called Sanctuary Pond. 

Well, since we were already here, we took a couple minutes to look around real quick. It had a typical picnic shelter situated by the parking lot. 

A short path led to a sandy beach. 

The beach was empty except for us. 

There wasn't much else to see at the beach so instead, we got back in our cars and headed to the look out on Sanctuary Pond which was just a little further down the road. 

The first to greet us was a Red-Winged Blackbird, perched on the rail of the platform. 

Shortly after that, a Barn Swallow landed on the stalk of a Cattail. 

It seemed to be as curious about us as we were of him. 

Further off in the shallow waters was a Blue Heron fishing for his dinner. 

Every once in awhile he would stretch his neck up and scan his surroundings. Perhaps he was keeping an eye out for predators, or perhaps he was looking for a good fishing spot.  

Perched on some reeds near the shore, a female Red Winged Blackbird had caught a shadfly. 

It's only an hours drive from Rondeau to Point Pelee Provincial Park. You aren't allowed to check in at the Henry campground until 3 pm so we had time to stop for gas before arriving. 

There is not a lot of signage to direct you to Point Pelee, but once you enter the park there is a large sign that looks almost like a sculpture of birds. 

Upon arriving at the park, I was greeted by a friendly attendant at the gatehouse who provided us with a detailed map of the area. She informed me that the Henry campground, our destination for the night, was located approximately 5 kilometers further down the road.. While her warm demeanor was appreciated, I was somewhat taken aback to discover an additional entrance fee was required, despite having already paid for our overnight camping reservation online. 

The only over night camping that Point Pelee provides is in something called an Otentik. It is a cross between a tent and an A-frame cabin, with raised floors, beds and furniture. Tonight we were excited to be staying in one of these because it meant we didn't have to spend the time setting up a tent or taking it down the next day. 

We pulled into the parking lot of Henry campground and made our way to the registration office, which was charmingly situated beneath a canopy of towering trees

As we got out of our cars, one of the first things we noticed were the amount of birds around the buildings. Most of them were Barn Swallows. 

We had site number 6 which was a little further away from the bathrooms than we would have liked. I had tried to get a closer one, but this was one of the only sites left when I had gone to reserve it 5 months earlier. 

And our Otentik came complete with our very own wild rabbit visitor. 

​There is a small living area with a table, chairs, overhead light, and 15 amp electrical outlets for everyday low-power use.

​It was a pretty hot day and they already had the fan running for us. 

Opposite the table is a little kitchenette complete with things like dishes, utensils, pots and pans, and water jugs. On top of the counter was a book that outlined the prices of each individual item if you lost them, stole them, or broke them.

​What it didn't tell you is what to do if you arrived to find that one of these items was already missing. We noticed that we were missing a utensil. We didn't do or say anything about it and no one ever came to ask us about it after the fact. 

Next to the door was a little wood stove. The Henry campground is open year round so, this would be an important thing to have come winter time. 

We decided to explore the campground a little bit.  We were hoping that there was a shortcut through to the bathroom from our site. It looked like there used to be, but a fallen tree now blocked the way. 

The Otentiks are situated all along a looped trail.  Our Otentik seemed to be located almost halfway away from the bathroom no matter which direction we took. 

We determined that it was just slightly shorter to get to the bathroom by going left and past the field. At least, it felt that way. 

Here too there were various birds (mostly Barn Swallows) nesting under the awnings of the building. 

It was obvious why this would be a great place for them to be nesting. All around us were the Shadflies that are plentiful in June.  This was an bundant source of food for both themselves and their fledglings. More than once I saw a bird swoop down, grab a Shadfly and bring it to the nest. They didn't have to go very far or search very hard to find food. 

I parked my car and locked it up. I figured that since I was already at the beach, I may as well take a quick look around.  I followed the little boardwalk from the parking lot to the beach. 

The sandy beach was empty of people and the waves were rolling up to the shore in the wind. 

A female Red Winged Blackbird sitting in the safety of the tree tops, watched me walk down the road towards camp. 

Back at camp, the next thing on the agenda was to take a shower.  The shower and the bathroom are together in the same building. 

The Barn Swallow was still sitting in its nest under the rafters. 

Inside the building, the bathroom stalls were all lined up on the right and the shower stalls were on the left. 

There were stainless steel sinks, large mirrors, a baby changing station, and a machine that dispensed free sanitary napkins. 

The toilets were flush toilets and everything was very clean. 

The showers were a bit on the small side. There was a fold down bench you could use to sit on while getting dressed. It was fold down because a regular seat would not have fit in there. 

The water was dispensed by pushing a green button on a box on the wall. Adjusting the water temperature was a little tricky to figure out, but once you did, it came out warm and there was good water pressure. 
The only thing that I think that needed improvement was the lighting. It was pretty dark in the showers, once the doors were closed, compared to the rest of the bathroom. At least on the girls side anyways. Carsten said that on the boys side, the lighting was just fine. 

Walking back to the Otentik and past the little field we saw the little bunny again. It hadn't left its spot in the grass the whole time, so we knew that it felt safe and comfortable there. 

We stood and watched it for a minute or two as it stood up on its hind legs to reach for the leaves on the lower branches of the nearby bushes. I guess he preferred those over the grass at his feet. 

At about 6 pm we decided to drive down to the point to climb the look out tower that is there. But as we got closer to the Visitor Center, it became clear that we would not be able to go there today. The road was gated off. Apparently you can't drive to the point. You can only go to the point by walking or by shuttle which only runs from 10 am to 5 pm. We had missed it by an hour. 

We saw the shuttle parked by the side of the road. It was all painted up with pictures of birds and marsh scenes.  We didn't feel like walking to the point even though it was only a 2 km walk. ​It was getting too late in the day and we hadn't eaten supper yet. We decided that we would come back tomorrow to take the shuttle instead.

But since we were already here, we figured we may as well check out the outside of the Visitor Center and explore a little. 

When we pulled into the parking lot there was only one other person there.  A gentleman with a professional looking camera was taking photos of some Marsh Flies on some flowers. I stopped to chat with him for awhile while Cartsen and Penny went up ahead to the Visitor Center. 

A few minutes later I went to catch up with Carsten and Penny at the Visitor Center. Outside the building was an area where people could sit on benches to wait for the shuttle. It was coverd with a large canopy to help protect from rain and to provide some shade. 

Outside the front door of the Visitor Center is a sandwhich board sign encouraging people to submit their sightings of birds and nature to both inaturalist.ca  and ebird.ca of which I am currently a member of both. I find inaturalist to be very helpful in identifying species that I am not familiar with. 

Out front they have built a Miniature Marsh where you might find all sorts of wildlife to take pictures of. 

You might not recognize it as a miniature marsh because it looks like an ordinary pond or feature fountain. 

At first we thought there were no fish in it, but then we spotted a little Sunfish swimming beneath the lily pads. 

The walls of the building were covered in Shadflies. It reminded me of home because every June we see literally millions of these come up from the lake and cover our streets and buildings. They are highly attracted to light and they make their way in swarms to the city's streetlights and settle on storefronts, lamp posts, houses and well, basically everything. ​Shadflies do not bite. They don’t sting. They don’t damage property. They don’t even have functional mouths as adults.

Shadfly larvae live underwater and cannot tolerate high levels of metals or pollution. That means a large hatch is actually a powerful indicator of a clean, healthy lake or river ecosystem. When you see shadflies, you’re witnessing proof that the water system is thriving. Their presence is environmental reassurance – nature’s way of saying things are in balance. In other words: the bigger the hatch, the better the health of the lake.

The adult Shadfly lives for only about 24 hours after hatching. They emerge, swarm, mate, lay eggs, and complete their life cycle in a single day. Shadflies are an incredibly important food source for fish, birds, and other wildlife. In fact, their emergence provides a seasonal buffet for the entire ecosystem.

Amazingly, in some areas, shadfly swarms are so massive that weather satellites have mistaken them for storm clouds. 

Although there were an impressive amount of them here, they were not even close to the numbers of them we see in the city I live in. 

Eventually it began to rain so we made our way back towards the parking lot. We passed a Canadian flag along the way. 

What drew my attention to this flag in particular was the engraved maple leaf in the cement at the bottom of the pole. I thought this was a nice touch. 

There were Broad Leaved Sweet Peas growing in both a dark pink and a light pink along the walk ways towards the parking lot. 

As we were getting into our cars to drive back to our campsite, a Red Winged Blackbird watched us from the tree top. 

It had stopped raining by the time we got back to camp. So, Carsten began to cook us dinner on the BBQ that is provided with the Otentiks. While we waited for supper to cook, Penny made a trip to the park store and brought me back a present.  It was the cutest little green Hummingbird stuffie. 

After supper we gathered up our dirty dishes and carried them over to the designated dishwashing station that is provided to the campers of Henry campground. This dishwashing station is in the same building as the bathrooms and showers. The entrance is a different entrance and in a different section of the building though. As we entered, we looked up to find a Mourning Dove nesting in the rafters in the awning of the roof. 

Inside, we found 2 sets of stainless steel sinks. Also, a jug of dish soap was provided. 

Between the 2 sets of sinks was another very tall  wash tub where you could wash large pots and big things that would not fit in the sinks. 

We brought our now clean dishes back to camp and prepared to get cleaned up and ready for the night  We  figured we would put our food in the bear bins provided outside.  

However, when we opened it, we found it to be full of many different kinds of insects. Plus it didn't seem all that clean.  So, instead we opted to carry all of our food back to Carsten's car to be stored in his cooler for the night. 

It was getting dark by the time we got back. We went inside and played board games until about 10:30 pm. 
The only downfall about the Otentiks is that the light attracts all the insects to the doors and windows. So the minute you go out to use the bathroom the bugs come in. This happens both when you leave and when you come back. 

As a result, we ended up with a June Bug flying around the inside our Otentik. I tried to catch him to put him outside, however he flew quite far in under the bed where I couldn't reach him. And I wasn't about to crawl under the bed to get him. So, we let him stay the night in the Otentik with us. 

It was very windy out on this particular evening and from the comfort of the bed I could hear the sound of the waves crashing on the shore of the lake. It was a lulling and soothing sound.  By 5:30 in the morning I woke up and opened a sleepy eye and took note that the sound had changed to the chorus of a multitude of birds singing in the forest around us.  I smiled to myself and happily went back to sleep. Five thirty might be a good time for birds to wake up but it is much too early for me.  I would rather be refreshed and have a good night sleep before exploring the rest of what Point Pelee has to offer. 

It's only a 20 minute drive from Port Burwell to Port Bruce Provincial Park. Our intention was to have lunch here and then continue on to John E. Pearce Provincial Park. 

We parked our cars over by the dock and got out to look around. 

The waters of Lake Erie were muddy and murky looking. It was almost hard to imagine that there were even any fish in there. And yet, we saw a large one jump right in front of us. So we knew that the fishermen still had a chance to catch something. 

We placed our orders at the take out window and then waited while they cooked our food. As we waited, I wandered to the side of the building to survey the outdoor seating options. There were 4 or 5 sets of metal tables and chairs, all of which were empty, so we had our pick.  Each set was perfectly arranged, and the absence of other diners allowed us the luxury of choice. I scanned the area, contemplating which spot would offer the best view while maintaining a cozy atmosphere. One table, caught my eye; it was nestled under a leafy tree that promised a bit of shade. I returned to Carsten and Penny, eager to share my find, confident that our meal would be even more enjoyable in that perfect little nook.

I couldn't go too far because I didn't want to keep Carsten and Penny waiting for me for too long. I turned around and headed back down the shore the way I had come, leaving the fishing couple behind me. 

There is no park store at Port Bruce, but we had already purchased our Port Bruce sticker for our park passport book when we were at Port Burwell. 

After lunch, we drove another 45 mninutes to John E. Pearce Provincial Park which is another Day Use only park. There were no direcrtion signs to help us find it and we had to rely on the GPS. This was a bit tricky because the signal was not great in this rea. 

When you enter the park you must drive down a long, narrow,  winding, road.  Its a bit unnerving because you don't know where it is going to lead and you don't know if there is any place to turn around. 

Eventually the road began to loop back around and we came to a place where you could park your car and get out. It was a small parking lot. It could only hold about 3 cars. 

We got out of the car and started to look around. Beside the parking lot was a large circular sculpture that was inscribed with the words "John E Pearce Provincial Park. This forested land represents a most gracious gift from John Edward Pearce to the people of the province of Ontario for their inspiration and enjoyment. It is dedicated to the memory of his ancestors who settled this area in 1809 and who were mainly responsible for the founding in 1827 of St. Peters Anglican Church."

Just on the other side of the small parking lot was a single picnic table along side a double fence.  As we approached the table, we were surprised and delighted to see an eagle take off from a nearby tree. We hadn't noticed it until it had already taken flight. 

Between the two fences was a warning sign that sid "Danger! Unstable cliff erosion occuring. Keep back."
Behind the furthest fence we could see another warning sign that also said "Danger".  Carsten and I figure that at one point there was probably only one fence but that the cliff erosion was getting so bad that they had to eventually erect a second fence to keep people safe. 

We walked down the road a bit in hopes of finding the elusive trail head. However, all we found was a bathroom. 

Not surprisingly, it was just a typical vault style toilet. 

Despite my initial disappointment in not locating the Wetland 'Storey' Trail, the journey along the road was still beautiful. 

We too had decided it was time to go and we got back into our cars and continued down the road and out of the park. 

Clearly there is no park store at John E. Pearce either, but once again, we had already purchased our park sticker ahead of time for our passport book when we were at Port Burwell. 

It started coming directly towards us. 

It was almost 5 pm when we finally arrived at Rondeau Provincial Park. 

When I pulled up to the gatehouse of Rondeau Park, I had to get out of the car and walk up to the window to pay for n additional vehicle pass. As I stood there wwaiting for the debit machine to do its thing, I happened to look up and see a Barn Swallow in its nest under the awning. 

The girls at the gatehouse were wonderful and helpful. They gave us a map and we continued on to look for our site. 

Finding your way around this park is not difficult at all. Except for this one spot, and only if you have never been here before.  At the very first cross roads you have the option to go in 3 different directions. When you are sitting at the stop sign you can see signs for all the campsites, except the group that we were trying to get to. We sat for a moment or two trying to figure it out.

Finally I just decided to pick a direction and cross my fingers and hope I chose right. So I chose to go down the road that is just to the left of the Blue Bins.  Turns out that I had chosen correctly.  The signs for the group of sites that we were looking for was hidden by the trees a little further up the road. 

We had reserved site 157 using the online reservation system. 

The sites were fairly large and well laid out.  But I wasn't paying too much attention to the site because I realized that I couldn't find my debit card anywhere. I had misplaced it somewhere after I had taken it out to pay for the additional vehicle. I didn't panic at first, but I did start to pull everything apart in the car, thinking that it just slid down in betweent he seats or something. 

After looking for quite some time, I figured that maybe I had left it at the gate house. So, I left Carsten and Penny to put up the tents and I got in my car and drove back to the gate house. 

I pulled into the parking lot nearest the gate house and got out to walk over. As I did, I noticed a dark blob in a small patch of grass at the side of the road. It looked like a turtle.  

As I got closer I could see that it was a Northern Map Turtle. You bnever see these where I am from and this species is an At Risk species. So, I felt pretty lucky to see one up close in the wild. 

Then I noticed that she was attempting to dig a hole to lay her eggs. And that is even more rare to see. 

I began to worry about her beause she ws literally inches away from the road. Every time a car drove by she would lift her head in a bit of a panic. 

I went over to the gate house and pointed her out to the girls at the gate. They said that they were aware of her presence and had been keeping n eye on her. They didn't know that she was trying to lay eggs until I told them though. So, they went over to take a look for themselves. Now they would keep an even closer eye on her. 

In the meantime, I asked if anyone had turned in a lost debit card or if i had left it there. They said no one had found it. So, they were kind enough to help me to fill out some paperwork so they would know who it belonged to if it did get turned in. 

I walked back over to the parking lot, and spotted a female Red Winged Blackbird picking up some green leaves off of the pavement. I watched her for a moment from my car. 

I was disappointed that my card wasn't at the gatehouse and a bit concerned that I wasn't going to find it. I had only taken it out once between the gatehouse and the campsite. It couldn't have gone far. I figured I would do a more thorough check of the car once I got back to the site. 

Once I got back to the site, Carsten and Penny had almost finished putting up the tents. We didn't have to worry about how many vehicles were allowed to be on the site at one time because we were literally right across the road from the parking lot. So, we parked both vehicles in the lot. 

 Tan Jumping Spider was already making itself at home on the dining tent. 

And so was a little firefly. I was hoping this meant that we would get to see the flicker of firefly lights later on that night. 

Our site was conveniently situated right across the road from the comfort station. 

The bathroom was clean and well kept. 

Something I had not seen in any other park before was the park name and Ontario Parks logo etched into the backsplash of the bathroom sink. 

Behind the comfort station was a boardwalk bridge that led to the beach.  On it was posted a large blue and white sign warning of the presence of ticks in the area that had the potential to be carrying Lyme disease. 

I had been seeing a whole lot of chatter on social media lately about the increase of tick populations. I had heeded these warnings and had gone out of my way to purchse a can of Cedarwood oil from Amazon because it is said to kill them. You make a spray out of it and spray it on your clothes. 

Here is the link if anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkOII2KKcPw       

As luck would have it, when I called home I was told that my Amazon package had arrived.... 3 hours after I had already left for this trip. Sigh. Oh well, I guess it will still be good for the next trip. 

One thing we did notice about this park though, was thaat there seemed to be no mosquitoes. Well, next to none anyways. That was a blessing. 

In the parking lot outside the comfort station, a fair sized puddle had formed from the rains the park had experienced the day before. The birds were just loving this puddle and were taking advantge of the opportunity to bathe in it. 

A female Red Winged Blackbird was the first one for a bath. 

Next came a Baltimore Oriole. 

Followed by a Grackle. 

And where there is one Grackle, there are generally more. 

And last but not least was the Robin. 

After the tents were set up, we decided to take a drive to the Park Store. 

After eating our icecream, we wandered around for a bit.  I noticed some strange looking fixtures in behind the park store and went to take a closer look. 

They were bird houses. Well, more like bird apartment buildings. They were on a pulley system at the top of a pole. I guess the pulley is so that they can be brought down for easy repair and maintenance, or perhaps for research purposes. 

Looking around, I noticed a yellow sign indicating that this is a Purple Martin Sanctuary. 

And the word had gotten out to all the Purple Martins in the area because there were so many of them. 

According to the information sign, the Purple Martin population has declined by 37 % since 1966 due to habitat loss.  

Our attention moved from the skies to the ground momentarily as we spotted another Northern Map turtle making its way to the lake. 

We came across another informatin sign. This time it was about the Barn Swallows that have a population decline of 25% since 1966. 

As if on cue, a Barn Swallow made an appearance. 

But I would have to say that my favourite of the swallows were the Tree Swallows with their white bellies and their shiny blue heads and backs. 

From the Park Store, we got into the car and made the longh drive down towards the Visitor Center. 

We had a chuckle at the staff parking signs in the Visitor Center parking lot. 

Unfortunately the Visitor Center had closed at 4 pm and it was well after 7 pm by that point.  We made  note of the times and decided to come back again the next day. 

But while we were there, we had a bit of fun with the "Face In A Hole" signs outside the building. 

Since the Visitor Center was closed, we decided to drive to the Dog Beach instead. 

Looking out across the lake we saw a gaggle of geese.

As the sun sank lower in the sky, we headed back to the car. Peering out at us through the tall grass was an Eastern Cottontail rabbit. It stood perfectly still hoping that we hadn't seen him. 

There are a number of cottages within the park and especially along the road to the Visitor Center. Some of these cottages had little book lending libraries out front. We had to stop and take a second look at this one though, because instead of having books inside, it had local crafts inside. The sign below it said "The smallest community art gallery. Take a piece, make a piece, leave a piece."

When we got back to our campsite we realized that we had forgotten to buy wood for the fire at the park store. The store closed at seven and it was now nine. So, we ended up cooking our supper on a camp stove instead. 

After supper we went to the comfort station and 2 young women were in there washing their dishes in the bathroom sink. We didn't say anything to them about how they should not be doing that. 

Instead, we just minded our own business and went to our dining tent to play some board games by the lamp light. 

Despite being in a screened in tent, we still had a few insects that managed to get in nd join us. One such insect was a Common Square-Gills. It was tiny and looked like a cross between a shadfly and a dragonfly.  It is actually a type of Mayfly. It's completely harmless. 

We played board games until about 11 pm and then headed off to bed. It was quiet and you could hear the wind in the leaves and the crickets chirping.  Quiet that is until about 1:15 a.m.  That is when we were awakened by the sound of the neighbouring campers pumping up their air matress using their car motor and a very loud air pump. And guess who these neighbouring campers were. They were the same two girls who were washing their dishes in the bathroom sink earlier that evening. 

Fortunately it didn't take them too long to blow up their air matress and they were quiet for the rest of the night. 

The next morning we woke up at about 8:45 a.m. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining and a Mourning Dove flew in for a visit. 

After breakfast Carsten and I wanted to go for a hike. Penny wanted to stay behind to relax and have some time to herself. So, Carsten and I hopped in the car and drove down to the Tulip Tree Trail. 

When we pulled into the parking lot we saw a school bus and a large group of kids wandering around by the Visitor Center. They must have been on a class trip. We were worried that we would have to hike with noisy children all around us. But fortunately, they were occupied with activities at the Visitor Center and we were free to hike the trail in peace and quiet. 

The Tulip Tree Trail is not an overly long trail. The path is wide and flat and there are a number of board walks and foot bridges. 

Most of what you see over the railings of the bridges are shallow swampy areas. But it waspretty just the same. 

Occasionally one of these bridges would have a bench to sit on. 

And as quickly as it has appeared, it flew off again into the tree tops and out of sight. 

We came to another boardwalk with a bench. We spent some time peering over the edge of the railing to see what was below. 

Below us was an odd shaped mound of moss. Off to thge right of this mound of moss was a large hole. The whole thing looked like a place where a gnome might live. So, Carsten and I have dubbed this mound of moss "The Gnome Home". 

The Gnome Home was only one of the interesting things we saw there. We also noticed a very large round ball of moss about the size of a soccer ball. It looked like something from an alien planet. 

Near the base of this moss ball sat a beautiful Emerald Spreadwing damselfly.

Adding to the alien feel were some strange shaped trees. 

A little black squirrel was watching us from the tree above. He looked at us as though we were tresspassing in his little kingdom. Which, I suppose,  we were. 

Aswe rounded a bend, I spotted a single orange flower all by itself in the middle of the woods. It was a Wood Lily. It was growing in the only patch of sunlight in the entire shady woods. It was as though someone were shining a spot light on it. That made it even more beautiful. 

We were getting nearer to the end of th trail and by now Carsten and I realized that we had not seen any Tulip Trees. We were beginning to get disappointed.  A sign at the beginning of the trail had said that they bloom in June. Since it was mid-June, we were fully expecting to see them. But we hadn't seen a single one. 

Then, Carsten noticed some petals on the ground. They looked like they had been there awhile but they were orange and yellow and could very well be the petals from a Tulip Tree. So we started to look with new eyes. 

We looked up. We looked way up. Sure enough, if you squinted and were standing at just the right angle under the tree, you could see the Tulip Tree blooms way up in the canopy of the trees. 

This whole time we had been looking for something a kin to a flowering shrub when, in fact, the blooms were at the tops of the trees. We had been walking past many small Tulip Trees. Their leaves looked like deformed shamrocks. But the small ones did not have any blooms on them. Only the very tall ones did. 

Now that we were really looking, we started to notice other leaves as well. These ones were similar to the Tulip Tree leaves, but rounder. These were Sassafrass trees, 

We passed by some white Canada Anemone flowers as we left the trail and we headed back to the Visitor Center. 

Back at the Visitor Center we decided to go inside and take a look around. Most of the children had left and there were only a handful of kids with a tour guide now.  

The Visitor Center had all sorts of things like furs, and horns, and turtle shells on a table readily available to pick up and examine. 

Behind the glass of various terrariums and aquariums were some live critters for people to see. 

A Garter Snake came out to take a look at all the people going by. 

There were a number of different kinds of turtles. 

There was also an impressive resin diarama of a large fish swimming up under a stuffed duck, ready to make a meal out of it. 

There was a large collection of butterflies and moths. 

There was a store in the Visitor Center, but it wasn't open. However, peeking through the glass you could see some of the things that they had for sale. One of which was the ugliest stuffy I have ever seen. It is supposed to be a moisquito I think. I wonder if they ever sell any of these. 

It was about 12:30 pm by now and time to get back to camp. So, we drove back and met up with Penny.

I was helping Penny open the screen door on the dining tent.  I bent down to get the zipper when I noticed something in my hair. I could not tell what it was and I coudmnot get it out of my hair. I said to Penny "What is it?" to which she replied "Oh, that's not good". She started to back away but she didn't tell me what it was. 

I asked Carsten to get whatever it was out of my hair. It was a tick! An American Dog Tick. It hadn't bitten me but needless to say, I had the heebie jeebies for hours after that.  (**As an aside and an addition to this story.... I didn't get another tick on me for the rest of the trip. However, the day after I got home from this trip I was doing yardwork in my own yard and I did get bit by a tick that day. Figures! I promptly took myself to the local pharmacy where I got some antibiotics to prevent Lyme disease**). 

We began to take down the tents and pack up. We were getting ready to go to the next park, Point Peelee,  which was only an hour away. 

As we were taking down the tents we saw a couple of White-marked Tussock caterpillars. I removed them with  stick because you don't want to touch them. Their hairs can cause skin irritation and a burning sensation. 

I wanted to do one last visit to the beach before we left. So I headed to the one that was walking distance from our campsite. 

The sand on the path to the beach beckoned to me. 

I stood for a few minutes on the sandy shore, listening to the waves and feeling the cool breeze coming off the lake.  It was so peaceful. 

It was such a gorgeous day and I didn't want to leave. But at the same time, I was really looking forward to camping at Point Peelee. So, I headed back to the car where Carsten and Penny were waiting for me. 

Just before getitng into the car, a Red Spotted Purple butterfly (yes, that's its name) stopped in to say good bye.

​I am going to miss this park and all the beautiful things that are here. What a wonderful trip this has been so far. 

   First camping trip of the year!  Heading south with Point Peelee being the ultimate destination.  This trip is going to be all about the birds. First stop is Port Burwell.

   The start of this journey had us wondering if this was going to go badly. It was rainy all day and the weather forecast was even calling for rain squalls.  We left at 10 a.m. and should have arrived by 3 p.m. however, the traffic was pretty bad.  There were at least 2 car accidents.We didn't get to Port Burwell Provincial Park until about 5:30 pm.

A noticible feature at the gatehouse of Port Burwell, is the miniature replica of a lighthouse.

Instead of the typical bulletin board, they had one in the shape of a ship's wheel. It told how the campgrounds in the park were named after the early schooners of Port Burwell. There was also a notice saying that Discovery Kits were available for rent. at the store. 

There isn't a park store at the gatehouse, but there are stickers and candy that you can purchase there. 

Penny and I got our Port Burwell stickers for our Ontario Parks Passpert books.

I also bought a packge of Twizzlers. They were a limted edition Wildberry flavour.  They tasted ok but I like the orignal flavour the best.

We had reserved site 28.

The site was fairly large. Large enough for two vehicles, but we were only allowed to park one there and the other had to be parked down the road and around the corner at an additional parking spot.  We left the second vehicle there just long enough to unpack our stuff before moving it to the parking lot. It was a bit inconvenient, but I wasn't mad about it. 

We got the tents up fairly quickly. The rain had stopped just before we arrived which made it easier to put them up. There were plenty of mosquitoes around but only one or two of them were trying to bite. They were barely noticable. 

We hadn't been at the camp for even 2 hours before an orbweaver spider was already trying to make my car it's home. 

Our site was just across the road from the comfort station. 

Inside it was spotless and everything was in good repair except for one of the hand dryers. 

Way up high above the sinks, Penny and I spotted one of the most beautiful spiders I had ever seen. It was an Orchard Orbweaver. It had blue-green legs and intricate markings. 

Depending on what angle you stood under it, it seemed to change colour. Sometimes it seemed to have a silvery sheen to it and looked almost jewel-like. 

Out behind the comfort station is a huge sports field, complete with horse shoe pits, volley ball nets, frisbee football goal posts, and a basket ball hoop. 

Multiflora Rose was growing in large bunches all along the border of the field.  

It was only 7:45 pm and there was plenty of daylight left. Since the Ravine trail begins right next to the comfort station, we figured we would pass some time walking that trail. 

There was a wooden box full of information sheets about the trail. But the box was also full of ants.  We took one anyways. 

We begin the hike by going down some wooden stairs down into the ravine. 

At the bottom of the stairs is a wooden boardwalk bridge that crosses over a little stream. 

Growing near the stream were stalks of Rough Horsetail.

The recent rain had brought out some creatures that thrive in the dampness. A Dusky Slug slowly made it's way across the moist bark of a tree. 

While a snail tried to hide itself among the wet leaves on the forest floor. 

A patch of Umbrella Polypore were also in favour of the wet leaves and soil that the rains had left behind. 

The brochure that we carried taught us about the phenomenon called "Self Pruning" This is where trees will purposely stop growing lower branches because the branches at the top of the canopy are already using up all the sunlight. There is no point for the tree to grow lower branches that they would have to struggle to take care of. 

We crossed some more foot bridges over the stream. 

A Brown-lipped Snail was also crossing the footbridge. We were just a little bit faster. 

We made our way back out of the ravine by climbing up another set of stairs. 

We exited the trail fairly close to the children's playground  which was situated at the end of the sports field. 
This playground had some interesting structures that you don't always see in other parks such as swinging hoops, pretend phones, and raised circular stepping stones.

But what we found most interesting in this playground was a climbing rope structure in a pyramid or star like shape. It looked like something from out of a sci-fi movie. 

It was starting to get dark so we made our way back to camp.  Just as we were passing the comfort station, a dark mass ran in front of Carsten and scarmbled up a tree.  Carsten was able to zoom in with his camera and get a picture of it. It was a young raccoon. 

Since our site is directly across the road from the tree that this raccoon was in, we had fully expected to have a visitor later on in the evening. However, I guess it hadn't become used to people yet (which is a good thing) and it never did come to our site that night. 

Instead, we had a quick and quiet supper of bagels and cream cheese and then walked to the sports field to see the fireflies that were out in full force. It had been a long day and we were tired so we were in bed by 10:30 pm. The park is exceptionally quiet. It was almost as quiet as it is when you are backpacking. And just like backpacking, you sometimes hear animals crying out in the distance. On this night we herd a pack of coyotes in the distance. Not as close as the ones that I heard last year, but still fairly close.  A 1:15 am we could hear the coyotes again, this time a bit closer.  But we weren't concerned and we fell back to sleep easily enough. 

The next morning I woke up at about 7:30 a.m.  But it was too cold to get up so I went back to sleep until 9. Penny had gotten up before Carsten and I,  and she had already seen a deer and an eagle. 

I was rewarded with sightings of a vibrant Northern Cardinal, its red plumage a stark contrast against the green and brown backdrop of the forest. ​

After a quick breakfast we got to work at tearing down camp and packing up. We had another busy day ahead of us. We intended to visit 3 more parks today.  And we wanted to check out Port Burwell's beach before we left. 

As we started packing up we had a number of insect visitors.  Sitting on my camp chair was a teeny tiny bright green bush cricket (also known as a Katydid). It was so cute! 

On the dining tent there was a pretty little caterpillar. This one is a member of the cutworms and dart mouth moth family.

And an Asian Lady Beetle landed on the sleeve of my sweater. 

After we were all packed up we headed over to the Day Use beach area where the Park Store was. You have to drive out of the park and down the road to get to this Day Use area. 

Inside were all sorts of things to buy including T-shirts and hoodies. I loved this T-shirt but it only came in children's sizes. All the good ones only come in children's sizes. 

There was a hoodie that both Penny and I really liked a lot. However, it cost a bit much so neither of us bought it. 

I did buy a loon stuffie though. I thought it would look cute at the cottage.

I also invested in a re-chargeable LED flashlight. You recharge it using a USB cord.  So I can have it charging in my car while I drive from park to park on my trip. How handy is that? 

We all bought an ice cream cone at the store and we headed towards the picnic area to eat them. 

The bathrooms here were your typical vault style bathrooms. However, they smelled worse than most and they were not very clean. 

Port Burwell has multiple accesses from the parking lot by the store, to the beach in the Day Use area.

However, every last one of them were flooded due to the rain the day before. 

It was so flooded that a Killdeer was hanging out in the parking lot catching worms. 

Despite the flooded areas, we were able to find a hand made bridge that someone before us had made using some logs that they had dragged over.  The water wasn't very deep and we could have crossed over by just wading through. But at least this way we didn't have to get our feet wet. 

In a drier section of the parking lot, a Northern Dustywing butterfly was taking a rest in the gravel. 

To get to the beach, you have to make a little climb up a sandy hill. 

As we were climbing, Carsten pointed out the tiniest toad we had ever seen. It was so adorably cute!  As we bent down to see it, we noticed a couple more. Now that we were aware that they were there, we were much more cautious going up the hill. 

We had seen tiny toads before on backpacking trails but these were even tinier than any of those. If they hadn't hopped, we would have just thought it was a bit of dirt. 

At the top of the sandy hill, there was still a little bit more of a path that you had to walk down before you reached the beach. 

Eventually the lake was in view and the expanse of the beach opened up before us. The sky was blue, the sun was out; it was a beautiful day for being at the beach. 

I don't know if it was because of the flooded parking lot, or if the wind coming off of the lake was a bit too chilly, but the beach was practically empty. 

We took a stroll along the water's edge and looked for sea glass.  Most of the beach was sandy and beautiful. 

There may not have been many people around, but that meant that the seagulls had the beach all to themselves. 

A Variegated Lady Beetle was also enjoying some quiet time on the beach. 

At the farthest end of the Day Use beach there is a dog beach. It's really just an extention of the human beach with no real dividing line. The only indication that there is a separate area for the dogs is the sign at the far end of the parking lot. 

The dog beach was a bit more rough than the main beach, with low growing scrub brush making an effort to grow through the sand as well as driftwood littering the shore.

There were more people at the dog beach section than there were in all of the rest of the beach. 

​We would have loved to have stayed for awhile longer but we still had some traveling to do. So we left the soothing sounds of the waves behind us and headed back towards the cars. 

We didn't have too far to drive today, but we had a number of stops to make along the way.  Our final destination today is Rondeau Provincial Park. But we planned to stop at both Port Bruce and John E. Pearce Provincial Parks first.  We were excited to see what these parks would have in store for us. 

On the wall of the comfort station I found a QR code that allowed for campers to leave feedback about their experience in the park. I have not seen this in any of the other provincial parks before.  Great idea! 

The quiet of the morning was briefly interrupted by the calls of 2 Canada Geese flying over head that were beginning their migratory flight south.  

The entire trail was wide, lightly covered in fine gravel, and very easy to travel on. 

I made note that it was best to stay on the trail because there was a risk of both ticks and poison ivy if I were to wander into the wrong areas. 

The tree branches were filled with the flutter of American Redstarts going from tree to tree. 

Here and there along the edge of the field the park rangers had erected a number of wooden bird houses, their rustic charm harmonizing with the natural landscape. Each one was numbered, presumably for research purposes.  

Both the flower of the Chicory plant and I were hoping that the sun would just come out and stay out. 

The trail made a loop and I found myself coming out of the field and heading back into the forest once more. 

I was almost at my campsite when the sun decided to finally come out to stay, casting away the dreary clouds that had hung like heavy curtains over the forest. However, the morning dew still clung tenaciously to the grass and my tent.​

I woke up before 8 am, not because I wanted to, but because the kids in across the road from me were fairly noisy in their early morning play and excitement, and I couldn't go back to sleep. I would have gotten up, but the sun wasn't up yet and it was still a bit chilly so I stayed all cozy in my sleeping bag for awhile listening to the kids, the wind, and the waves. 
​

When I did finally get up and out of bed, I had to focus on packing up my stuff because today I am off to a new park. I am headed to the last park on my trip which is Bronte Creek Provincial Park. 

As I packed up, I had a Pine Tree Spur-throat Grasshopper watching my every move from the top of one of my tent poles. I had to eventually shoo him away. 

I was not overly excited to go to Bronte Creek because I had been to this park about 25 years ago and I remember distinctly not being happy with it because it had been like camping in the middle of a field with next to no trees. There had been zero privacy. But I was willing to give it another go. I was only going to be there for one night. So, if I didn't like it, it wasn't the end of the world. 

I was on the road by 10:15 am. Driving was pretty straight forward but the traffic was bad around Hamilton and Oakville and at times I came to almost a complete stop. 

Now Bronte Creek Park is split into two sections that do not directly join up with each other. You have to drive down the highway to get from the side where the camp sites are, to the side where the Day Use section is. Of course, as luck would have it,  the GPS sent me to the Day Use section. 

At the gate, the girl gave me the address for the camp ground so that I could plug it into my GPS (they probably get that a lot, I bet).  I had to get back onto the highway to the next exit to get to where I needed to go. I hated it. It was so stressful driving down the over crowded highway in a big city. I was so thankful to be able to get off the highway and onto the quieter road that led to the campground. 

I got to the campground 40 minutes early (check in time is at 2 pm) but the girl at the office said that if no one was on the site, that I could go ahead and set up. 

I drove down the dirt road to my site # 416. I was happy to see that no one was on it. 

I got out of the car and looked around. I was very happy to find that over the past 25 years, the park had changed quite a bit and for the better. There were plenty of large healthy trees all around me. The privacy had improved dramatically. This park was no longer an open field. It was cute and cozy and I liked it. 

It was very clean and spacious, with green grass growing on the site. 

Despite my orange tent being impossible to put up at Pinery Park, I decided to try to put it up again. This time it went up with no issues. Probably because it wasn't pouring down rain today. 

I opted not to bother with the dining tent since it is a lot of extra work and I am only camping for one more night. Besides, the weather is supposed to be good. 

I was all set up and eating lunch by 2 pm. As I sat eating I noticed how quiet and peaceful it is here. The campers are all quiet and respectful. 

​I had a couple little visitors at my campsite already. A little spider was camping out. 

The bathroom was close to my site. It is pretty small and the lock doesn't work great so I almost got locked in. 

It had a "sanitary door opener" mechanism at the base of the door which I had never seen in a provincial park before. 

The bathrooms were not very clean, but they did have flush toilets so that was a bonus. 

It's a gorgeous day. The sun is shining and it is hot like summer even though it is September. 
I was torn between driving back to the Day Use area or walking the trails here in the campground. 

I wondered if I had to pay extra to get into the Day Use area. I wish they had a walking bridge over the ravine that separates the two parts of the park. I had zero desire to get back on that highway again. I wondered if there was a different way to get there. Maybe down some back roads?  

I pulled up Google Maps and took a closer look. There seemed to be a different route. However, it would take me 24 minutes to get there down the back roads where it would only be 8 minutes if I went back down the highway. 

I decided that it was worth the extra time to go down the back roads. I was in no hurry. I was on vacation! 
And my nerves that were already shot would thank me for it. 

It worked great! And I arrived at the Day Use section relatively stress free. 

At the Day Use gate I asked if I had to pay to get in if I was already registered as a camper. She just asked for my name and was able to look me up in the system. Then she printed me up a permit for the  dashboard of my car. 

I wanted to go to the Park Store first but the road and the parking lot (Lot D) for the store was closed. That meant no park sticker for my passport book. I guess I will have to order it online instead. 

So I kept driving to Lot F where the Heritage House was located. 

I couldn't have picked a better day to come here. Not only was the weather fantastic, but they were hosting a Harvest Festival here.  I had no idea that this event was taking place. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. 

I parked my car and looked around to see where I should begin.  I saw the sign for the Spruce Lane Farmhouse and decided that would be a good place to start. 

I love old houses with a lot of character. This one definitely had character.  

The Spruce Lane house was pretty busy and at times crowded with all the festival goers coming in and out. Everyone was having a great time. 

As I stepped through the door I felt like I was transported to a different time. The sitting room was decorated with a deep, rich, red colour.. 

There was a gramophone in one corner, but you weren't allowed to touch it and there was no music playing on it. 

There was another one in the kitchen by the sink. It encouraged you to try pumping water into the sink. 

Upstairs were multiple bedrooms. Each one was decorated to represent a member of the family (children, parents, grandparents). 

The bathroom was also upstairs and boasted a large tub with a wooden edge. I had never seen one quite like it before. 

At the bottom of the steps was a closed door. What would be behind it? Did it lead to a cellar? 

Nope! It lead back down stairs to the main floor close to where the dumbwaiter was situated. 
I am guessing the secret stairs were once used by the servants and staff of the house. But perhaps I am wrong.

There were a number of park staff members (or maybe volunteers) that were dressed in old timey attire. I could have asked one of them but  I didn't get a chance to ask them because they were so busy speaking with other people.

​ I decided that I didn't need to know and instead I went outside to see what else there was taking place at the Harvest Festival. 

People were everywhere, enjoying the sunshine and the festivities. There were a whole bunch of booths and demonstrations going on.  There was apple tasting, hands on learning of things like grinding grain, carding wool, making music, tours of the barn, etc.  The kids just loved it. And the adults were having a great time too!

​Some were taking a break from all this activity and were sitting on a wooden bench with beautifully carved maple leaves. 

A popular spot at the harvest festival was the pumpkin patch. With a donation, people were allowed to go into the field and choose their own pumpkin. 

A green tractor came and went across the grounds carrying wagon loads of people on a hay ride. 

Rows of sunflowers grew taller than some of the adults.

For those that were hungry or thirsty, there were various food stalls situated throughout the festival grounds. There was everything from Kettle Corn, to Hot Dogs, and Corn and even Cotton Candy.

It was past lunch time and I was a getting hungry, so I wandered over to the hot dog stand.  The prices were a bit steep but the money went towards improving and maintaining the park. So I just thought of it more of a donation than a purchase and that way it didn't seem as bad. 

I wasn't the only one eating. The sheep were in their stall eating hay. 

And the pigs were in their pen rooting around for food too. 

Even a little House Sparrow had found some seeds to eat. 

There was a small group of cows seeking shade under the trees. They seemed happy to be away from all the people and the noise and the din of the festival. 

I was torn between going to look for the cotton candy stall and going on a hike on the Half Moon Valley Trail. 
The trail won out. I figured I would look for the cotton candy when I got back. 

On this trip, my dad and mom have not been far from my mind. We have always been a camping family so it is only natural that I would think of them when I am out in the parks. So it was fitting to find this bench with the sign on it that talked about scattering cremated remains of loved ones in the park. We intend to spread my dad and mom's ashes in one of the provincial parks in the future. Most likely we will do so on a conoeing trip. 

There were a few other people on the trail. But the further I walked the fewer people I saw until finally I was alone in the peacefulness of the trees for a short while. 

Depending on which part of the trail you took, you sometimes went down some stairs. 

Or you sometimes went uphill and walked along the edge of a steep ravine. 

From some spots at the top of the ravine you could see the flowing water of the creek below. 

A Blue Jay was watching me as I walked along the trail. 

There was a part of the trail that was closed off to visitors in order to help to regrow the vegetation that had been damaged and trampled over the years by so many people walking there. 

During certain times in the season you are allowed to go fishing for certain species of fish. I passed by a handful of visitors with fishing rods in their hands heading for the creek. 

Eventually I made it down to the creek.  There were quite a few people here.  Some were fishing, and some were watching their kids play by the water's edge.  I noticed a group of parents and kids gathered around a log looking at something. The kids seemed excited by whatever it was they were looking at. 

Out of curiosity, I wandered over closer to take a look for myself. It was a large Praying Mantis sitting on a log. Now I was excited too! I had never seen one in the wild because we don't tend to have many of them up north where I am from. 

I was impressed by how respectful the kids were being. No one was poking it or trying to pick it up. I asked if I could take a photo of it and everyone politely and graciously stepped back so I could do so. 

I left the group and continued down the trail that followed the shoreline for a bit. The water seemed pretty shallow, but considering there were people fishing, it must have been deep enough. 

Along the banks of the creek flowers were growing. There was the yellow of the Jerusalem Artichoke. 

The pink of the Himalayan Balsam

And the white of the Asters.

By the time I had finished walking the trail, the Harvest Festival was over and the stalls were packing up. There were still plenty of people around and kids were playing on the swings. But I never did get the chance to find the cotton candy stand. 

As I made my way back to the parking lot to find my car, I noticed a sign that listed the annual events that take place in Bronte Creek Park.  The ones that seemed particularly interesting to me were the Ghostwalks in August and the New Years Eve Coyote Howl. 

I started to drive back towards the entrance. Along the way I noticed the sign for the Dog Park so I stopped to check it out. 

This dog park was an off leash dog park and it was huge. There was so much space for dogs to explore and so many trails to follow.  My dog would love it here. 

Since I didn't have my dog with me I didn't stay at the dog park for too long.  Instead I hopped back into my car and headed to the picnic area. There was supposed to be a petting zoo somewhere in this area. 

I parked the car and noticed a sign showing where the park store is located. I know that it is closed but I figured  I would go explore the area just the same. 

I followed a small trail towards my destination. There was no one else around. It was just me and it was so peaceful. 

I peered inside one of the windows of the big white building. It definitely looked like it hadn't been used in awhile either. 

The lawns and the picnic areas looked like they were well taken care of though. 

I headed back down the trail with the intentions of trying to find the children's petting zoo. The trail took me past a large hill that is a toboggan hill in the winter time. 

At the moment, the hill was only just growing Milkweed.  There was a trail to the top and some kids were climbing it. I did not feel a need to climb a hill at this point though. I had been hiking all day and I was too tired to climb hills.  Instead I followed the path around the base of the hill. 

I met the parents of the kids that were climbing the hill and I asked them for directions to the petting zoo. One parent told me that it was now closed for the day but that I might enjoy walking the Gnome Road instead. 

A Gnome Road? I would love to walk the Gnome Road! Point me in the right direction!  And so off I went to have an adventure with the gnomes. 

These gnomes were a welcoming bunch.

You never knew what you would find behind doors or inside hollow logs. 

And there were special visitors on the gnome road that day.  Special hand painted squirrels were hidden around the trail and hikers were invited to spot them all. 

I spotted one beneath a hand painted wooden truck. 

Some gnome homes were brightly coloured and obvious, while others were more subtle and blended in with the terrain. 

Along the edge of the gnome road someone had started a rock snake.  People would add hand painted rocks to the end of the snake to see how long it could get. There were some rocks painted by some very talented painters. There was also a rock added by someone who came as far away as Hungary to place it. 
​I didn't have any painted rocks with me to add to it. But now that I know the rock snake is there, I will be sure to add one next time I come to visit. 

The gnome village even had it's very own gnome church called St. Gnomely. 

This gnome house looked like it came straight out of the Beetlejuice movie. 

But the real shock came when I read the name inscribed on the bird feeders.... Brenda. It took my breath away, as that was my mother’s name. In that instant, time seemed to stand still, and I felt an uncanny connection to a stranger’s loss, reminding me that love and memory transcend individual grief, intertwining our lives in unexpected ways.​

By the time I had finished walking the Gnome Road my heart was full and spirits were buoyed.  God works in mysterious ways! 

Although I was told that the petting zoo would be closed, I still felt inclined to go and look around just the same.  Other people passed me by as I walked in that direction, so I knew I was not the only one who thought that way.  In the distance I could see an old brick farmhouse  nestled in beside some pine trees. 

This brought on more nostalgia for me because the house looked similar to my grandmother's little red school house that I had been to so many times as a kid. So many happy memories. 

The red bricks, weathered and worn, seemed to whisper stories of yesteryears, evoking a flood of nostalgia that washed over me like a warm embrace. It reminded me so vividly of my Farmor's (grandmother) little red schoolhouse. I could almost hear her voice,  transporting me back to my childhood days spent playing games, watering the flowers, telling stories and going for long walks. Each glance at that distant home stirred a longing for simpler times, and a connection to my roots. 

When I reached the steps of the red brick house I noticed the sign that indicated that this was the park's Nature Centre. 

I really wanted to go inside, however, it was closed for the season. I guess I will have to come back one day earlier in the season. 

I wandered the grounds exploring the area. There was jungle gym in the back and some kids were playing on it. 

I headed towards the big red barn, hoping that maybe I could stil get a glimpse of any animals that may still be around. 

But the only animals I saw were some birds.  But this bird in particular grabbed my interest pretty quickly. That is because it was a Blue Bird.  Yet another creature I had never seen before today except in picture books.  I had always thought that when I saw a Blue Bird it would be more, well.... blue. However, after doing some research I found out that Blue Birds are not always a vivid blue. And this one is a female so it wouldn't get as bright as the males would.  But if I looked real close and squinted, I could make out a grey-blue patch near the base of its tail.  So, not only did I get to walk the Gnome Road, but I also saw a Blue Bird of Happiness today! 

Way up on the roof top was a Mourning Dove surveying the land below. 

And perched in a tree by the parking lot was a Blue Jay. 
By the time I reached my car in the parking lot it was 6:15 pm and time to go back to camp. 

Back at camp I made a fire with the last of the wood that I had.  I cooked some hotdogs for supper and sat by the fire and just quietly listened the comings and goings of the park. 

​As I settled into my camp chair, the night began to awaken. I closed my eyes for a moment, absorbing the symphony of nature—the chirping crickets, the soft rustling and talking of nearby campers, and the flickering flames.

​It wasn't very dark here and there is no real sunset. There are too many trees to see the sunset. . Yet, amidst the urban brightness, I was delighted to catch glimpses of twinkling stars, small diamonds scattered across the indigo canvas above. Each star seemed to whisper stories of distant worlds, urging me to dream a little longer. A  sense of contentment wash over me, as I reflected on the day’s adventures.

It's surprisingly peaceful here. You hardly notice that there are bustling highways and a sprawling city that lie just beyond this natural sanctuary..

When the fire went out, I headed off to bed  in my cozy little sleeping bag. 
Outside, a symphony of sounds filled the night air, where crickets chirped insistently, their rhythmic melodies competing against the distant roar of airplanes overhead and the sporadic hum of passing vehicles on the road. It was a curious battle, one that seemed to shift with the wind. At times, the crickets would triumph, their chorus rising to a jubilant crescendo that drowned out the mechanical intruders, while other moments saw the planes and cars overpowering the natural serenade with their relentless noise. I closed my eyes, letting the ebb and flow of this nocturnal contest lull me into a peaceful slumber, wondering which side would claim victory by dawn.

I woke up at nine and just lay there in my sleeping bag for about a half an hour, listening to the birds and the squirrels and the sounds of the other campers walking by. 

​It had been another good night and I had slept well. It was a bit cold in the wee hours of the morning but I just put up the hood on the hoodie I was wearing and then I was fine. 

I noticed that there were ants in my tent. I thought there were only 3 of them. However, as I started to remove them from my tent I discovered many more. There were 26 in total by the time I was done clearing them out. I must have set up on top of a nest or something. I wouldn't have known it in the rain. But now that it was sunny and things were much drier, they were making themselves known. 

​I managed to fight with my orange tent and get it set up so that it would dry out before I had to pack everything up the next day. 

Then I turned my attention to the insects that I had to shoo out of the dining tent.  There were a couple of wasps that had gotten stuck and were happy to be released. 

And a number of Hickory Tussock caterpillars that were wandering around on the screen. 

The weather is gorgeous and it feels like a warm day in July instead of a day in September. I decided to take advantage of this beautiful day and go for a hike on the Heritage Trail. 

Nonetheless, I managed to be quiet enough to not scare off a Nuthatch that was looking for a meal in the bark of a nearby tree. 

I wandered across another PhotoMon station.  Number 2. 

This was the photo I took of PhotoMon 2 to send in to the research people. 

I took my time and stopped often to take pictures of birds, trees, and wildlife. 

At the far end of the trail there is a dock that goes out to the Old Ausable Channel. 

From here you can look out across the water and the marsh grasses to see if you can spot anything hiding there. 

Off in the distance, through the jungle of grasses I could just barely make out the shape of a turtle sunning itself on a log. 

A Green Frog was also hiding in the grasses. 

While a Two-Striped Grasshopper was sunning itself right out in the open. 

The bright yellow blooms of the Nodding Beggarticks resembled miniature suns. 

I finished hiking the Heritage trail at about 3 pm but I was still wanting to enjoy more of the beautiful sunshine. Since the Group sites were not far up the road, I figured I would drop by them and check them out. 

The group campsites were lovely. There were plenty of picnic tables and lots of space under the trees. 

There was a fire pit with a number of benches circling it. 

The water faucet seemed a bit low to the ground and there was a sign on it asking people not to wash their dishes here. 

There was a small bathroom with sinks for washing your hands at the side of the building. 

Inside was clean and in good repair. It was complete with a composting toilet. 

There were more little Moth Fly visitors in this bathroom too. 

Nearby was a large sheltered picnic area.

And a BBQ pit next to a picnic table. 

After leaving the Group site I thought I would head down to the Burley campsites to explore. However, that section of the park was closed. 

Since I needed some ice for my cooler, I got into my car and started to drive to the Park Store.  On the way there, I noticed some stairs at the bridge on the side of the road. 

I made a detour and parked my car in the parking lot of the Visitor Centre. 

Then I walked along the walkway at the side of the road back down to where the stairway was. 

As I descended down the stairs I could already see plenty of turtles hanging out on logs in the middle of the channel, sunning themselves. The stairs led down to a large wooden dock. 

There was no one here but me and the turtles. I tried to be as quiet as I could. I tiptoed when I felt I had to move but much of the time I just stood there quietly enjoying the peacefulness.   I was hoping to see some Wood Ducks again but they were no where to be found. 

But there were plenty of turtles. I probably saw a good 7 or 8 of them in all different sizes.  Some of them slipped quickly into the water when they saw me moving. 

​But some were more brave and just sat there, unmoving while I slipped by to a second set of stairs at the other end of the dock. 

At the far end of the dock was a set of white plastic pipes with a recycling symbol on them. It was a place where you could recycle your old fishing tackle so that it won't harm the fish, birds, and turtles. 

There was a warning sign asking people to not go fishing if they see a turtle. Judging by the number of turtles I saw today, I would imagine that would mean it would be a little tricky to go fishing here much of the time. Especially on warm sunny days. 

I peered into the water over the edge of the dock to see if I could even see any fish.  I did see a fair number of little Blue Gill Sunfish. 

But they weren't really the kind of fish that a fisherman would be after. Besides, most of them were pretty small. 

I climbed back up the stairs and crossed the road to the other side of the bridge over the Old Ausable Channel.  On the other side was the canoe rental place and another little dock where some kids were fishing. (No turtles were spotted on this side of the bridge). 

This is also where I found PhotoMon station 4. 

This is the photo I took at PhotoMon 4. 

​After getting some ice for my cooler at the park store, I drove back to camp and took down the orange tent that I had drying out. It was completely covered in ants. I had to shake it out and pick them all off. 

It was getting close to dinner time so I contacted Bende and Allan and we arranged to have dinner at the Big Kahuna Riverbar and Grill in the nearby town of Grand Bend. It is a cozy little Hawaiian restaurant & bar with a bunch of vintage toys and posters on display.  It has a really fun atmosphere to it. It wasn't long before we were eating good food, chatting with interesting people and just generally having a great time. 

​As we walked to the parking lot to say good bye, there was a beautiful big orange moon hanging in the clear night sky.  It was such a beautiful night for my last night at Pinery.  I had really enjoyed my time with Bende and Allan and I felt blessed to have been able to spend some time with them. 

It was only about a ten minute drive back to Pinery. As I pulled into my campsite, I saw the little raccoon again in the headlights of my car. It didn't like to be in the spot light so it quickly took off into the safety of the darkness of the woods. 

When I got out of the car I realized that our once quiet little campground with only about 3 campers had now come alive with a myriad of people.  It was Friday night. The beginning of the weekend.  The place was no longer quiet. But this didn't bother me at all. Quite the contrary. The gentle rustling of leaves and distant chirping of crickets had been replaced by a symphony of joyful chaos. Families arrived, their laughter mingling with the sweet sounds of guitar strumming and impromptu sing-alongs. Children darted between tents, their voices bubbling with excitement as they shared stories and roasted marshmallows over flickering flames. The air was thick with the rich aroma of grilled food, laughter, and camaraderie, creating an atmosphere of unrestrained joy. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the newfound bustle, I felt a sense of belonging and warmth, as if the campground had transformed into a vibrant community, inviting all to revel in the magic of the weekend.

I decided to go for a walk in the dark to the beach and just envelope myself in the happiness that I could hear all around me.  I set off down the road with a flashlight in my pocket just in case. But for most of the time I didn't even turn it on.  This walk was nostalgic for me in that it reminded me of the times I used to walk with my Farmor (grandmother) down her old gravel road at night with no flashlight on. I miss those days. 

At first I thought I must be crazy walking in the dark to the beach by myself. But then I crossed paths with a family on their way back up from the beach.  So I felt better knowing I wasn't the only one with a walk in the dark in mind.  

I had my flashlight turned off as much as possible but I made sure to turn it on when I got to the stairs. I could just picture myself breaking a leg or something and having to spend a cold night at the bottom of the stairs or something.  

Once I reached the beach though, the light was turned back off.  Across the water I could see the red and white  glowing and ebbing lights along the coastline.  Most likely they were form the town of Grand Bend. 

The beach was beautiful. The waves were lapping against the pebbles on the shore. There was a slight wind coming in off the lake. I stayed for awhile until I noticed that it looked like some rain clouds may be rolling in.  So I figured it was time to head back. 

As I reached the top of the stairs and continued down the boardwalk, I crossed paths with a group of 4 young guys who were on their way to the beach. They were having a great time and one of them was carrying a plate of Doritos.  As they passed by he stopped and asked me if I wanted one. I chuckled and politely declined. 

I smiled in the darkness as I walked back to my campsite past all the other campsites. The gentle whisper of the night enveloped me, punctuated by the crackling sounds of nearby campfires. The rich aroma of burning wood and toasted marshmallows wafted through the cool evening air. I did not intend to make a fire of my own tonight. I was tired and I wanted to save the last of my wood for tomorrow night. 

I had a great night at Bende and Allan's house. I woke up at about 8:30 and went downstairs to a lovely breakfast. While we were eating, Allan pointed out a Grey Comma butterfly that was sitting on the porch outside. It's amazing how much these butterflies look like the bark from a tree. 

At about 11:30 I headed back to the park. I was anxious to walk the dunes and explore this very large park. I began my exploration by walking the boardwalks of the Cedar Trail. 

You have to stay on the paths and the boardwalks so as not to do any damage to the fragile ecosystem of the Sand Dunes. The Sand Dunes are one of the rarest ecosystems in Ontario. 

I found myself walking on the weathered wooden bridge that spanned the crest of the sand dunes near the beach. ​

I noticed a solitary wasp darting energetically among the grains of sand. ​

This is where I discovered the first of the PhotoMon stations that are spread throughout the park. 

It is a place where everyone can place their camera or phone and take a picture of the landscape in front of them. Then you submit your pictures to the email address provided on the sign.  They collect the pictures sent in to them and they monitor the changes in the landscape throughout the year. 

This is the picture that I took at PhotoMon 16. 

Very close by was another PhotoMon station.  PhotoMon 15. 

This is the picture that I took at PhotoMon 15. 

​You can see all the PhotoMon  photos at this website:
​  www.pinerypark.on.ca/research-projects/photomontage

The beach was so expansive that it felt as though I had the entire coastline to myself. Yet, in the distance, I spotted a trio of figures, reminding me that I wasn't entirely alone.  Scattered along the beach were remnants of previous wanderers—little teepees constructed from weathered logs and driftwood. They looked like someone was prepping for a giant bonfire. 

With this in mind I decided to head back the way I had come. I wanted to explore more of the park before I got rained out. 

Back at the road I found the sign for the Cedar Trail Extension Trailhead. It had a little map on it to show where I was and where it led. I noticed that the park Visitor Centre was at the end of this trail. So, I decided to make it my destination. 

Across the road I came to a set of stairs which were part of the Cedar Trail Extension. 

It was here that I saw the first of the Tussock caterpillars.  A yellow Banded Tussock caterpillar came meandering up the wooden railing of the stairs that I was going down. 

As I watched the one Banded Tussock caterpillar, along came a second one from the opposite direction. 

One of the things that surprised me about this park was that here we were in the middle of September when all the the leaves should be turning bright red, yellow and orange and all the leaves here were green. The only thing that came even remotely close to leaves changing colours was the deep purple red of the  Maple leaf Viburnum. 

At one point on the trail, I came to a spot that forked into two different directions. I was unclear whether I was supposed to go to the right which was up a hill, or to the left which remained on the flat terrain. 

I began to climb the rather steep hill. But it wasn't long before I realized that this was probably the wrong direction. 

The trail seemed to disappear at the top. Everywhere I looked there were vines and overgrowth. 

I got back down the hill and followed the rest of the trail on flat, solid ground. 

From time to time they supplied us with a bench to sit on so that we could enjoy the sights and sounds. 

There were a few interesting informational signs scattered throughout the trail.  This one told of how they have an ongoing project to pull out stands of pine trees that were mistakenly planted in the 1950's so that the original Oak Savannas can grow without being crowded out. 

And there were signs about the projects for controlled burns to keep the forest healthy and prevent wild fires. 

I could see the holes in the trees long before I spotted the bird that made them. 

The winding board walk took me to the edges of the Old Ausable Channel. I would have liked to have stayed here longer, but there was a guy sitting on a bench reading a book. I felt like an intruder just hovering around. 

So, I only stayed for a moment or two to look out across the channel. 

I was able to catch a quick glance at a couple of Wood Ducks. 

They were pretty far off and they blended very well with the ripples in the water and the lily pads.  I almost didn't see them at all. 

I also almost didn't see the turtle sunning itself on a log in the middle of the channel. 

It was on this boardwalk that I saw yet another Tussock Caterpillar. This time it was a Hickory Tussock caterpillar. 

The Hickory Tussock is white compared to the yellow of the Banded Tussock. 

Soon I realized that I was seeing Tussock caterpillars everywhere.  I even saw 5 in a single bush. I had never seen so many of these caterpillars in such a short amount of time. They were all over the park. They were on people's tents, on cars, on trees, on everything.   They were not as populated as the tent caterpillars are during the years that they become over populated. But they were definitely very numerous. 

I came upon a cage on the top of a post. I do not know what it is for. I never did find out. 

I saw another one of the Scavenger Hunt lock boxes attched to a fence. 

As I got closer to it, I read the sign on the other side of the fence. It described another scientific research project that they are running in the park. They have 6 enclosures where deer are not allowed in to graze and they are comparing them to 6 other areas where deer are allowed to graze. This way they can see what kind of impact the deer have on the plant life in those areas. 

I finally came to the end of the Cedar Trail and then to the parking lot of the Visitor Centre. 

This is where I found another one of those shoe brushes, This time it had a sign on it saying "Poison Ivy".  So, now I finally understood what the shoe brushes were for.  Apparently the park has just as much poison ivy as it does Tussock caterpillars. You have to be very careful about where you step. 

I walked up to the Visitor Centre. It was a large building with a green roof and big glass windows. 

Inside were all sorts of displays and things to read about. 

I found the fossil display particularly interesting because it reminded me of my childhood when my siblings and I would go out fossil hunting with our Farmor (grandmother). 

Hiding away in a large aquarium was a turtle trying to disguise himself as a rock. 

In the display about forest fires hung a familiar face from my childhood. It was Smokey the Bear! 

There were also displays of taxidermy animals. 

I had no idea that there were so any different types of Oak trees.  I figured maybe 2 or 3. I would never have guessed eleven! 

Turtles was a big theme at the Visitor Centre. There was a sculpture with handmade turtles climbing all over it. I liked it a lot. 

There were other live turtles as well, including a Spotted Turtle. 

As well as a Painted Turtle. 

Outside was a bird feeder station. 

And a Monarch Butterfly Waystation. 

From the Visitor Centre I decided to take the Savanna Trail back to my campsite. 

This trail was wide and well maintained with small gravel. It is used by both bikers and hikers. 

And it is also used by squirrels.

The park's amphitheater is along this trail. 

I noticed that there were a couple different bat houses here. 

Interestingly, one was near a solar panel. I wasn't sure if the solar panel had anything to do with the bats or if it was just to power the amphitheater.  It was right beside the biggest bat house I had ever seen. 

A near by sign explained that this was more than just a regular bat house. It was a bat condominium.  A lot of work went into building this project. 

An Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly landed on the sign beside me as I read all about the bats. 
Bats and dragonflies; I love things that eat the mosquitoes! 

A cluster of Hairy White Oldfield Asters decorated the side of the trail. 

And once again, I saw bunches of Hickory Tussock caterpillars. 

I arrived back to camp with the plan of driving over to the  Park Store to see if they had anything interesting there for lunch. 

As I was about to get into my car I noticed a stick on my front light. Upon a closer look I realized that the stick was not attached to anything, but was still managing to stay on the light. What kind of wizardry is this I wondered? 

Then it dawned on me that this stick is alive!  This was a Walking Stick Insect. The only time I had ever seen one was at The Sudbury Science Center many years ago. I had never seen one out in the wild. I was fascinated.

I knew that I couldn't leave it on my car or it would run the risk of dying if it fell off while I drove around. So, I took a napkin in order to transport it and to try to get a better photo against a white back ground. 

I carefully placed it on the branches of a near by tree. 

And just like that, within seconds of taking the napkin away, I could no longer see him. It blended in with the branches extremely well. It was amazing! 

I was worried that it might rain while I was gone so before I hopped into the car, I covered the fire pit with a tarp so that it would still be dry when I went to make a fire for supper later on in the evening.  I hadn't had a fire in the fire pit the whole time I had been here yet so I knew there was no fear of the tarp melting or catching on fire or anything like that. 

I drove over to the park store and bought some bread to go with supper later, and some candy for a snack. By this point it was about 4 pm.  There were still a few more hours of daylight left. So, I  decided to see if I could get a couple more hiking trails done before sunset. 

​I hopped in the car and drove over to the Riverside Trail. 

On the edge of  the parking lot a Mourning Dove was looking for insects in the grass. 

There were not many people on this trail. I could hear one young couple up ahead and that was it. i walked slow to let them get far ahead of me so that I could listen and watch for the birds uninterrupted. 

The first little bit of the riverside Trail was in the woods. But then the trail came out onto a deck that over looked the channel. 

That deck was attached to a long boardwalk that ran directly beside the water. It was so peaceful here and it is a great place to look for birds. 

Standing there in the quiet, I could hear one really distinctive sound. It sounded like a cat meowing. First it came from one tree. Then I saw a flash of wings and then I heard it from another tree. I never did see the bird that was making the sound very clearly, but I assume it was a catbird. 

There was a wee bit of sun trying to peek through the clouds now. Not enough for me, but enough to make the turtles in the channel want to come out and sunbathe. This log was a popular spot apparently, because it held 3 turtles at the same time. 

On the ground at th end of the trail was a wooden box with some fencing over top of it. 

The sign on it indicated that it was a turtle nest protector. 

I also came across a log on a post. At first I thought it may be a bird house of some sort. 

It was about 5 pm now and there was still time to squeeze in one more trail. I got in the car and drove down the one-way gravel road to the next one on the map. As I slowly drove, looking for the trail head,  a number of cyclists passed by. This is a popular road for the cyclists and the park has taken steps to make it a great place for cyclists. Near the next trail I spotted a bicycle repair station. It had tools like wrenches and screwdrivers hanging from chains that people can use to fix their bike if they run into any issues. 

At the next trail head I spotted a bathroom and made a quick pit stop before starting off on my nest hike. 

Inside this bathroom were probably about a hundred Bathroom Moth Flies. These little guys are just tiny and like their name implies, they look like teeny weeny little moths. Kind of cute really. They don't bite or anything. They just hang out. 

The next trail I was ready to hike was the Hickory Trail. 

Through the tree branches I glimpsed another Pileated Woodpecker. It clung expertly to the trunk of an old tree, as it searched for hidden insects beneath the bark. 

On this trail I discovered the PhotoMon 1 station. 

This is the picture that I took at PhotoMon 1. 

The Hickory Trail also has a little deck that looks out over the water. 

From here you can see across the channel and occasionally you can see cyclists through the trees on the other side as they travel down the road. 

A big Green Frog was hiding in the grass near the water's edge. 

One of the things that I like about this particular trail is how many of the branches grow and entwine themselves above your head to make something of a canopy. It feels like you are going through tunnels of trees in many places. 

A little red squirrel got curious when he saw me and came a little closer to take a look. But not for long. In short order it yelled at me and took off through the trees. 

By the time I came off the Hickory trail it was about 6 pm. Only another hour or so before sunset. Since I was still on the one-way road, I had no choice but to keep going forward. So I kept going until I reached the Dog Beach. The dog beach is just an extension of the people beach, so it is a wonderful spot for the dogs. I spotted a lady with her 2 dogs playing in the sand where the waves crashed playfully against the shore. 

Further on down the one-way road are a number of people beaches. Each one had it's own parking lot and its own access to the lake. 

Once again, the Turkey Vultures circled above my head in close proximity to the tops of the trees. These birds migrate for the winter so they won't be here for too much longer and will leave before the snow and the cold winds arrive. 

It was only a matter of time now before the sun would set. Such a shame that when the sun did finally decide to show itself today that it was only just fleetingly before it set for the day. But I would take what I could get.  Can't complain really. It may have been overcast all day, but it didn't rain. So I will be grateful for small blessings where ever God chooses to provide them. 

While I waited, I explored and studied the beach. There were fresh footprints from a sea gull or a duck. 

There were interesting lines and patterns that the waves made as the water rushed up onto the sand and then back again. These lines were constantly changing with each new wave that arrived. It was like an ever changing canvas of abstract art. 

I was all alone on this great expanse of a beach and I absolutely loved it. Nothing but the sound of the wind and the waves. Who could ask for anything better? 

Once again I came across man made tee pee like structures. I imagine some kids had a great time constructing these and playing in them. It's something I used to do in my back yard when we were kids. 

Once the sun had completely set, I headed back to camp and made a fire. I kept it simple and cooked hotdogs for supper. 

I sat looking at the stars and watching the fire burn down.  A few hours later, I heard some movement in the bush. I sat still and listened and let my eyes adjust to the darkness as I focused on the dimness just beyond the fire light.  It doesn't get completely dark in this particular site because the light from the comfort station spills in a little bit. But it's not an intrusive light so it doesn't make everything visible.

And then I saw it. A little raccoon climbing down out of the tree that was just on the edge of my campsite. He was just a young thing. Not a baby, but not that old either. Our eyes locked for a moment when he realized that I spotted him. He froze only for a second before deciding that he was already almost to the ground so he may as well make a run for it into the safety of the woods. 

It was a gorgeous night and I reflected on what an amazing day I'd had. It was not too cold and the crickets were singing. I could hear the waves, albeit very faintly,  splashing against the shore. This was because there were hardly any people in this part of the park (The Dunes) at this moment. It was so quiet and peaceful. I got ready for bed and fell asleep happy and ready to have more adventures tomorrow. 

I drove an hour in the rain to get to Pinery Provincial Park.  I had heard good things about this park and I was excited and curious to see if it would live up to the hype. 

I was excited for this part of the trip not only because I had been wanting to see this park for a number of years, but also because my father's cousin, Bende, lives only ten minutes away.  I hadn't seen her and Allan in over 14 years and I was looking forward to visiting and catching up on all the missed years.

Pinery is one of the larger parks so it is a busy place. It's wasn't even the weekend yet so I was imagining it getting even busier later on. There was too much traffic behind me to stop and get a picture of the park sign. I would have to go back and get one later. 

I pulled up to the gate to register at about 2 pm. I am used to getting out of the car and going into an office and having a friendly chat with the staff as I register. But here, you stay in your car and the guy I was speaking to was rather impersonal. Not a bad experience or anything, just not warm and welcoming. He gave me a map but did not give me any directions. There was a line up of cars behind me and no real good place to park to study it. So I just drove, not knowing where I was going. 

To the right of the gate house was a mini gate house but there was no one manning the station. The line up behind me would have been shorter if someone was there too.. 

I decided to just drive until I came to the first place where I could stop and look at the map. That first place was the entrance to the Children's Centre. 

I parked my car in the large parking lot and took a look at the map. I decided that I may as well walk back to the gatehouse and the park sign so that I could get my picture of it. It may be too difficult to get the photo later because my site was quite a distance away from where I was at this point. It was a bit of a walk but I got my photo and got back. . 

​Trying to find my site was a bit tricky because I couldn't read the map and drive at the same time. And there was always traffic behind me. The pressure was on. 

I am used to seeing forest fire meter signs in the park, but I was pleased to see that Pinery has one for wildlife on roadways. The sign warned that the risk level was extreme right now.  

Which is understandable when all the squirrels and chipmunks are out and about looking for food to store for the winter at this time of year.

​The first time driving through here, everything was confusing and I wasn't always sure where I was.  There is a round-about in the middle of the park so I learned to use this as a landmark for future navigation which made things easier the more I learned my way around the park. Eventually, I found it easy to make my way around the park. 

I made one wrong turn but I finally got to my site. Site 208 in the Dune campground. 

My site was a corner site at the intersection of 2 roads. I was worried that this meant I would have to put up with a lot of foot traffic. However, most of the time it was actually pretty quiet here and I was pretty happy with the site. I am sure this is due to the the time of year as well as it being the middle of the week and not a weekend. 

It was still raining and I could see on the ground the places where the pine needles had floated away into little piles. So, I was able to judge where it would be best to set up the tents in order to avoid the floor of my tent getting too wet. 

The dining tent went up pretty easy. Especially since I remembered to fix the broken pole with the duct tape that I had bought at Point Farms. It didn't look pretty but it held. 

The dining tent might have gone up pretty easy, but I wish I could have said the same for the orange sleeping tent.  That was another story entirely. My old faithful orange tent was nothing but trouble. The poles were slippery in the rain and I was already soaked through and getting cold. The poles were contorting and bending in ways that should not be physically possible to do and I just could not get that tent to go up for me. This was the first time, in all the years I had owned it, that  this tent had ever given me any grief. 

After about an hour of fighting with the orange tent and getting nowhere with it, I got fed up and threw it aside in disgust. I started cursing at the orange tent and talking to it as though it were a human. Saying things like "What is wrong with you? Why are you betraying me like this?". 

I brought out my larger red tent that I still had in the car. I had originally planned to have a friend with me on this trip and thought that the bigger red tent would give us some more space. But she was not able to join me and I hadn't taken the red one out of the car. So, I was thankful for that. 

The red tent was a wee bit troublesome too, but at least I managed to get it set up. 

The nice thing about site 208 is that it is right across from the comfort station and not too far away from the water pump and the garbage bins. Everything was a hop skip and a jump away.

The comfort station was very clean and I was impressed by this because it was late in the day on a rainy, muddy day. Despite the mud and dirt outside,  everything inside was immaculately clean. 

Outside the comfort station was a place to put used cigarette butts.

And for those who like to bike around the park, there is a bike rack right outside the comfort station too. 

I decided that the next thing on my list of things to do was to go and check out the park store.  I got into my car and drove down to see it because it was not within walking distance of my site.  The park store is a nice looking building with a restaurant inside. However, the restaurant was closed for the season. There were plenty of picnic tables outside to eat any treats that you might buy at the store though. 

There is also a picnic shelter here. And across the yard I could see an ice cream sign in the distance. 

When I got inside the store I discovered that there was only 10 minutes until it closed (at 4 pm) so I felt a little bit rushed as I tried to browse all the souvenirs and food items that they had.  

I quickly bought the Pinery Park sticker for my parks passport book and left the shop so that the staff could close up. 

As I sat in the parking lot of the park store, the rain drumming softly on my car roof, I picked up my phone to call Bende. The familiar warmth in her voice as we chatted made me feel right at home, and before long, we decided  that it would be nice to get together for dinner. 

I drove over to their house where Bende made a home cooked meal for us.  We shared stories and laughter, flipping through old photographs that sparked cherished memories. Time slipped away unnoticed until the clock reminded us how late it had grown. With the rain intensifying, I opted to stay the night rather than brave the dark, damp road back to my campsite. The thought of a warm bed was irresistible, and I welcomed the chance to recharge. Besides, after a day of wrestling and fighting with stubborn tents, I think my tents and I needed some time apart.  

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be much nicer and I am looking forward to exploring all the dunes and the trails that Pinery has to offer. 

It only rained once on the way to Point Farms Provincial Park. Then it was sunny with clouds for the rest of the day. I stopped for gas and something to eat along the way. So I arrived at Point Farms at about 2:30 p.m.
There were no signs for directions the entire time until you have arrived so, it's a good thing that the GPS works well here. 

The lady at the gate house was nice and told me that the rangers are only in the park until 4 today but that she would be here until 6 pm if I needed anything. 

The gate house doubles as the park store so, I took a look around. 

The Sitting Gnome Doorstops caught my eye but I didn't buy one. 

At the check out, the lady at the desk gave me a map of the park and showed me the route to my site with a pink highlighter. 

I had reserved the site online in the Huron section of the park. It wasn't right on the lake but access to the lake was nearby. 

As I drove to my site I was happy to remember that I had chosen a radio free section. 

I had chosen site 77 for my campsite.  There are no places to put registration papers on the posts anymore. Just a simple number plaque. 

For a site not directly on the lake, I would have to say that this site is as perfect as they come. It is quite large and is flat and fairly private. 

It even has the water tap right on site.   Once again I fought with the dining tent to get it up. It didn't take me quite as long this time since I had the practice of putting it up once already at the last park. However, I realized that I had forgotten to buy duct tape at the park store to fix the broken pole. But I managed to make it work again.  

And of course my faithful ole orange tent went up within 3 minutes without any issues. 

The other nice thing about this site is that it is pretty close to the comfort station. It was maybe 2 or 3 sites away from me. 

The comfort station was perfectly clean and in great shape. They even provided a sharps box for campers that were diabetic or had to use needles for other medical ailments.  It's pretty rare to see that in Ontario comfort stations. 

The children's play structure was situated right outside the comfort station. Now someone was using their thinking cap when they designed that.  Perfect for parents to sit on a bench and watch their kids play. Then if the kids have to go to the bathroom or get washed up, the bathroom is right there. 

I couldn't help but admire a very tall, gorgeous weeping willow tree in one of the nearby sites. I have always had a fondness for weeping willows. 

By 4 pm my site was all set up and I was ready to see what this park had to offer.  Where to start? I checked the map and noticed that the stairs to the beach were right across from my site. I decided that would be where I would start. 

I was just crossing the road to get to the stairs when I stopped short. Right in front of me was a little visitor. An Eastern Cottontail rabbit froze in it's tracks and waited for me to make a move.  It didn't flinch and we both just stood there looking at each other neither one of us daring to make the first move.  The stillness of the moment amplified the delicate tension between us in our silent standoff. 

Finally, I decided that I couldn't stay standing there forever and I made the first move. I took a cautious step forward, breaking the spell.  As expected, the rabbit made dash for the tall grasses and underbrush. 

Across the road, the Knapweeds with their spiky purple blooms reminded me of the wildness of a lion's mane. 

While the New England Asters seemed more like little rays of purple sunshine.

The stairs to the beach were steep and went a long way down. It was good that they were there though because climbing down this bluff to get tot he bottom would have been a nightmare otherwise. 

Once in awhile I stopped on the stairs to look at the view over the lake. It was so peaceful. 

There was even a bench you could sit on if the climb up or down got to be too much for you. 

At the bottom of the stairs there was a blue sign indicating that these were the stairs to the Huron campsites. There are a number of beaches and a number of stairs along the coast line.  Each set of stairs has a sign like this because all the stairs looked pretty much the same. This way, if you walked down the beach you would know roughly where you are.  This particular section of the beach is the dog beach. 

​The beach was made up of the same type of stone that I had seen in Misery Bay. It was alien looking and made me feel like I had stumbled upon a forgotten planet. 

I had my map with me and I decided to follow what I thought was "Below The Bluff" trail. The path started out wide, well worn, and lined with cedar trees. 

I came to a dried up creek bed and quickly and easily hopped over it. 

As I continued the path became narrower and the trees grew closer together. I didn't think much of it. I just figured that it was not a well used trail. 

Eventually I came to a spot where I found a piece of material hanging from the branch of a tree. 

When I got up close to it I found that it was actually the remains of a make shift camp. Someone had laid down some flat stones to make a floor between some old cedar trees. They had rolled some logs to either use as a seat or to act as a bit of a wall. I suppose the bit of material hanging from the tree was left over from the canvas or tarp that they had over this little lean-to.  I wondered if this was made by someone hiking during the winter or if someone perhaps canoed here and just spent the night in the woods. Or maybe neither of those scenarios. Whatever the case, this was an old campsite and long ago abandoned. It seemed odd that someone would build a lean-to directly beside the trail. 

It was getting harder to make out the trail but I could still see it and I had come this far so I didn't want to turn back. I just kept the lake to my left. 

I came to another dried up creek bed that had an uprooted tree in it. This one took a little more effort to cross. 

An then I came to a second lean-to.  This one was made of sticks and leaves and was quite a bit more sheltered than the last one.  But it lacked the nice stone floor on the bottom.  By now I had all but lost the trail. And I was thinking that I must have missed a turn or a sign or something back a ways.  Or maybe this never was the Below The Bluff Trail in the first place. 

Once I discovered the old carcass of a deer, I knew that I was definitely not on the right trail. 

The bones had been picked clean and were not fresh, but they weren't completely old either. Some parts of the bones were starting to turn green with age. The deer wasn't a big one. The skull was about as big as my hand.  I wondered what the story was here. Was this the work of some wolves? Or had someone been living on this trail at some point and had found themselves a meal? I decided that was unlikely and leaned more towards the predatory animal theory.  

By this time there really was no trail left. But I was too stubborn to turn aro9und and go back. So I just kept pushing through the brush until finally I could see a blue sign up ahead. 

I popped out of the woods and onto a proper trail.  I have no idea where exactly I had been but it was a bit of an adventure. 

​ Before me was the sign for the Below The Bluff  trail as well as for the Colborne campsites. 

Once again the trail was wide, well worn, and lined with cedar trees. And this time it stayed that way. 

I followed the Below The Bluff Trail until I came to a parking lot. This was the parking lot to the next beach. 

I had been walking for awhile so I was happy to see a vault toilet by the parking lot. 

It was your usual vault toilet, not a flush one. It was clean and had a relatively fresh coat of white paint on the inside.  Something I had not seen on a vault toilet before was a place to chain your dog. This would have been very handy if I had my dog with me. Especially for those of us who travel alone with our dog sometimes. It would be good to see more of these installed on park toilets. 

The parking lot was fairly large so you know that this beach must be popular during the heat of mid-summer. 

I was no longer on the pet beach anymore if these signs were any indication. But at least dogs were not banned from this beach altogether. 

At the far end of the beach were the stairs to go up the bluff to the Colborne sites. 

Under it was a "You Are Here" sign. Very convenient. I could have used one of those when I was on my little adventure on the mystery trail. 

I decided not to go up the stairs but instead continue to follow the Below The Bluff Trail to it's end. 
​

Eventually I came to the end of the trail. 

You couldn't go any further without crossing through a murky, creek of cloudy water.  

The cloudy water doesn't even reach the lake. It stops short and just seems to seep through under the sand to finish it's journey. 

The trail led back out onto the empty beach. Now I was at the very other end of the park. 

I had reached the boundary of the park. 

And right on the boundary was a dead Canadian Goose. I am not sure what killed it. There was no sign of it being shot and it was not torn apart by animals. 

So where do you go when you have gone as far as you can go? Back I guess. So, I turned around and headed back up the Below The Bluff Trail. 

I came to an intersection where I had the option to climb a set of stairs to get to he Ravine Trail which also goes towards the Group sites. 

I climbed the stairs and noticed the cautionary sign about Poison Ivy growing at the top of this hill. 

I took this opportunity to familiarize myself with the leaves of the Poison Ivy plant at various stages of its colour change in the fall.  If you were to ask me to point out poison ivy I am not sure I would always be able to do it. I do know the rhyme leaves of 3 let it be. And I know it has red stems and I know that it has kind of a mitten shaped leaf. ​However, I also know that it can vary in shape and colour depending on the time of year.  With this patch I was able to see it in green. 

And yellow in yellow

And in red. 

But I didn't get too close to it and instead walked in the opposite direction down the Ravine Trail. 

The trees down this trail made a canopy over the path so that you feel like you are entering a tunnel or a hobbit door. 

There was a picnic table at a place that I think was intended to be a lookout at one time. However, the trees down the ravine have grown so high that there is nothing to look at at the look out anymore. 

This is your view at the lookout. 

So I didn't stay at the lookout and instead continued down some serene and beautiful trails . 

At one point I looked to my right and through an opening in the trees I saw the ravine. This was probably where the lookout should be now. However, even this spot is not the greatest for a lookout. 

Well the lookout might not be something to behold but the purple Asters are. 

And near the very end of the trail there is and apple tree with plenty of green apples growing on it. 

The end of the Ravine Trail comes out onto the main park road.  It was starting to get late so I figured I would follow the road back to my campsite. 

But as I walked down the road I saw a sign pointing to the Stirling Barn. Since I could actually see the barn I figured I would make a quick detour and check it out. Then I noticed that the sign also said the Colborne sites were in that direction too. So I checked the map and figured out that if I just followed this trail it would eventually lead me back to my own campsite. 

​The old barn stood alone and abandoned, its weathered wooden beams creaking softly in the wind, whispering tales of a vibrant past. Only the birds were frequenting this spot now. 

Once bustling with laughter and the energetic chatter of children and adults alike, it served as the Point Farms Activity Center until 2006; a hub for community gatherings, Heritage Days, movie nights, weddings, workshops, and seasonal festivities. ​

I was immensely enjoying the  peace and solitude. I had taken on the challenge of trying to snap a picture of one of the many Northern Flickers that were flitting about all over the place. But the peace was short lived.  I never did get a picture because along came a guy with his dog.  It was not that they were all that noisy or anything. It's just that as I am trying to stand perfectly still to get a picture, they were walking by and scaring the birds off. So I gave up trying. Besides, it was getting to be close to sunset now. 

So, instead I continued on to the trail. The trail actually splits up into two directions at this juncture. I could go down the slightly longer Tortoise Trail or the quick and shorter Hare Trail.  They both end up at the same spot at the other end so it didn't matter too much which one I chose.   The guy and his dog seemed to be heading towards the Tortoise trail so I chose the Hare Trail. 

It was a nice little walk and I could hear the guy and his dog through the bushes on the other side of me. I took my time so that I wouldn't be bumping into him at the other end. I figured if I went slowly they would get far enough ahead that I could go back to trying to get photos of birds. So, I started to walk at a snail's pace. 

I was getting close to the end of the trail when all of a sudden a hare jumped out in front of me. It was probably spooked by the sound of the dog on the neighbouring trail. It stopped only for a brief moment, saw me and then darted back into the bush on the other side of the trail. 

I thought "How fitting!  A hare on The Hare Trail! I wonder if I had taken the Tortoise Trail if I would have seen  tortoise?" And I chuckled to myself. 

Both trails joined up at the edge of a large sports field. Since I had slowed my pace, I was happy to see that hey guy and his dog were now a good distance ahead of me and were disappearing into the tree line on the far side of the field now. 

I was kind of surprised to find this field tucked away in the middle of the park. I had stumbled upon a hidden gem that seemed almost secretive in its charm. The field, nestled discreetly amid the trees, wasn’t indicated on the park map, which only added to its allure. I was struck by its generous size, boasting a well-maintained baseball diamond that beckoned for a friendly game. Nearby, a couple of picnic tables were scattered, perfect for a relaxing lunch or an afternoon gathering with friends. 

I checked the map once more and noticed that the trail would be swinging close by the beach again before heading back to my campsite. I decided that I would try to make it back to the beach one last time for the day in order to try to see the sunset. 

With the map in hand and the sun beginning its slow descent, I felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of witnessing the sunset over the water. The hopes of vibrant oranges and pinks dancing across the horizon propelled me forward, my footsteps quickening along the winding trail. As I focused on the path ahead, I couldn't help but admire the delicate goldenrod flowers peeking through the underbrush. Their bright yellow blooms stood out against the rich greens of the foliage, a reminder of nature's subtle beauty. Each step brought me closer to the beach. The thought of the serene waves reflecting the twilight sky spurred me on, urging me to reach the shore before the day's light faded completely.

I turned my attention towards the horizon and the impending sunset. The sun was behind a dark cloud and I was not sure if it would make an appearance long enough to paint the sky with its vibrant hues. 

But I didn't need to worry. As the sun sunk lower, the clouds floated higher, separating the two. The vibrant hues of orangs spilled across the sky, casting a warm glow over the landscape. 

Far out on the horizon there was a misty cloud formation. It made for a unique looking sunset. The way the clouds covered the sun in haze, reminded me of the book cover that I had made for my dad for his very first ever published book, The Saga Kings. 

In Norse mythology, the wolf Sköll is the entity prophesied to eat the sun during Ragnarök (a foretold series of catastrophic events in Norse mythology that culminate in a great battle between the gods and giants).  I half expected to see the the clouds take on the shape of Sköll just as it is on my dad's book cover.  

But the clouds of Sköll did not swallow up the sun this evening.  Instead, the sun set silently, and I turned to climb up the long set of stairs back up to my campsite. 

At the top of the stairs I paused for a few moments to admire a very large tree silhouetted against the twilight sky. Now I was reminded of my mother who had always had a connection to trees and rocky landscapes.  She used to say that when you sat under a tree you could feel the energy from it. And every tree had a different energy.

Wistfully, I wished she and my dad were both still here on this trip with me. They both would have loved it here. I know that they are here, but it's different now. 

By the time I got back to camp it as just after 7 pm.  My new friend the rabbit was visiting me at my campsite.
​It stuck around for a good long time, even while I was making a fire for my supper. Eventually it left though, before it got too dark.  

When it got dark, something amazing happened. At first I thought it was a group of foxes. They started yipping and barking. They were close. Very close. It sounded like they were a few campsites over, just past the comfort station.

But a few minutes later The yipping turned into long drawn out howls. I knew by the howls and the fact that it sounded like there were so many of them (maybe 8 - 10 of them) that it couldn't be foxes. Foxes don't howl like that and they don't tend to gather in large groups like that. While foxes are generally solitary hunters, they often form small family groups, particularly during the breeding season and when raising young. But this was not breeding season and the group sounded too big. The chorus was different—powerful, resonant. So I figured that they must be wolves instead.

I sat by the fire eating my supper as I listened intently to the haunting symphony of the calls echoing through the trees, their voices weaving a tapestry of wildness that resonated deep within me. It was as if they were serenading the night, their howls rising in a crescendo that filled the silence. Instead of fear, a rush of exhilaration coursed through me. In that moment, I was not just a spectator but a participant in the raw beauty of the world around me. I whispered a prayer of thanks to God for this opportunity to be here in this place, in this moment; experiencing something that not everyone gets to experience. 

A few things ran through my thoughts. I wondered what the other campers were thinking right about now. There weren't very many of us out here at this time of year. There were a couple people on 78 and a couple people much closer to them somewhere around site 65 or 60ish. Were they afraid? It was only about 8pm so they probably weren't asleep yet. They must hear them. But no one seemed to panic or be concerned at all. 

I was also thinking that the deer carcass I found earlier today makes a lot of sense now. And it also made sense that they would be here because the rabbit population was plentiful. But still, wolves do normally come this close to people. So that confused me.  It was that thought that made me hesitate a bit when it was time to go to the comfort station about an hour later. ​

There were multiple thunder storms all night long. Where I live, we usually only have one. It lasts for about  a half an hour and then it is done and it just rains for the rest of the night.  Not here. I learned that by the shores of Lake Huron, it can be thunder storm after thunderstorm; back to back. At 9 am I was in my tent listening to the second storm of the morning since 8 am. There were at least 4 or  5 storms during the night. The tent was holding up pretty good in the rain though. 

I looked at the weather forecast. Rain for the next 2 days for both here and Pinery Provincial Park (which is where I was headed to next). Looks like I will be tearing down and setting up in the rain. I hoped that I could at least find a lull in the rain at some point. 

I can't be at Pinery Provincial Park until 2 pm and it is only one hour away. So I had had to find things to do for a few hours . I made breakfast and took down the tents in between down pours but everything was still soaking wet when I packed it up. 

I found a little Isabella Moth caterpillar (otherwise known s a Wooly Bear) trying to find shelter from the rain. I remembered that it is thought that the harshness of the upcoming winter can be predicted by the stripes on the back of the Wooly Bear. 

According to this Wooly Bear we are in for a harsh beginning to winter but it will end mild. I will have to keep an eye on that this winter and see if there is any truth to this. 

A sign posted in the comfort station told me that we could now get seasonal Day-Use permits for unlimited entry to all Ontario Parks. This could be a great idea for a birthday present for someone. 

The sign also reminded me that I wanted to go to the park store to get duct tape to fix my dining tent. So I headed over there. 

At the Park Office (which is also the park store) I struck up a conversation with the girl at the desk. I told her about the wolves I had heard last night and that I was surprised at ho close they were. At first she just said. "That is interesting" and she was deep in thought for a moment. Then I went on to explain how at first I had thought they were foxes but changed my mind and why. 

What she said next was a big aha moment for me. She said " Could they have been coyotes?" And I stood there for a second while it registered. "Yes! Yes! You are so right!  Now it all fits! It had to have been coyotes and not foxes or wolves!".

Coyotes yip like foxes do, they howl like wolves do, they are known to gather in packs, and they are much more likely to come closer to humans.  All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.  The predators of Point Farms were coyotes! 

With that nugget of new information, I thanked her and happily got in my car to drive in the rain to the next provincial park on my itinerary. I was on my way to Pinery Provincial Park.