Oastler Lake was my first stop on a 4 park trip. I reserved my sites a few months in advance for this one week long trip. With so much going on in my life this year, I was looking forward to getting in this trip before the camping season was over. The plan is to go to Oastler Lake for one night, then Point Farms for one night, then Pinery for 3 nights and visit my father's cousin who lives near there, and finally Bronte Creek for one night on the way back home.  I was supposed to bring a friend with me but she got pulled away and couldn't make it. I wasn't bringing my dog with me this time. So, this was a solo trip and I was excited about it. 

I arrived to the park at about 4:45 pm. I had checked the weather before I left and had expected it to be raining when I got here. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the rain had passed and it was now just grey and over cast. The drive here was simple and straight forward and the GPS worked great. 

When I got to the office I found that it was closed. It's one of the drawbacks of camping later in the season. There was a sign in the window that said "proceed directly to your campsite".  The problem with that is I didn't know what campsite was mine. I had booked months in advance and I had 4 different parks I was going to so I hadn't memorized them all. I was in a rush to get out the door so I never wrote them down. And I wondered, "What about those who didn't reserve a site in advance?"  I shrugged. Free camping for them I guess.  

I pulled my car up to a parking spot near the wood and ice shed. (That' another problem with no one at the office.... you can't buy wood or ice). Luckily I had enough of both for the night so I was set. 
I then called home and got my site number. Luckily I had written it on the calendar on the fridge. 

The next problem was to figure out where my site was locate.  The park employees had the foresight to set up a mailbox for just such an occasion.  Right in front of the wood shed was a white plastic mailbox that said "Maps" on it. 

Sure enough, there were a number of park maps located inside.  I took one and was now set to find my way. 

I had chosen site 145 because on the reservation site, it looked like it was close to the water as well as the amenities. 

As I drove down the road, I saw one of the best signs you can ever hope to see in a provincial park.  The "No excessive noise at anytime" sign.  There were not a whole lot of people here since it was not only later in the season but it was also a Monday. 

It didn't take long to find site 145.  As I got out of the car, you could see that everything was still damp from the rain and you can smell the mix of cedar and rain in the air. It smelled heavenly! 

I was very happy with my online reservation pick. It was a beautiful little site.  There as plenty of space for a couple of tents. 

It's only drawback was that there was not enough privacy between my site and the one to my right. From the road it looks completely private but once you got closer to the picnic tables there were no trees between me and the lady and her dog next door. So I tried to just not look in that direction most of the time. They really need to plant a few trees between the 2 sites. 

Oh but the view out across the lake was stunning!  The water was like glass and the clouds were reflecting on the surface.  This site is actually on top of a hill, so you could see out across the lake. 

I noticed a steep trail from my site to the lake below. So before I even began to put up tents or unload the car, I went down the path to explore. 

At the bottom of the trail was a picnic table beside the shore. 

Sitting at the picnic table you get a beautiful view of the lake, and a sloping rock embankment.  There is a majestic oak tree, with branches over laden with acorns that hang over the water.

Every couple minutes some acorns fall and you her them tumbling through the branches until you hear a "plop" as they hit the water.  At first, from the top of the hill,  I had thought it was an animal or fish swimming.  But then I realized that the sound was too consistent, and sitting here now I could see them falling into the water. 

The water was crystal clear. If it were a hot summer day instead of the beginning of fall I might have been inclined to go for a swim here. 

Looking over to my right I could see the park's boat launch across the lake.  As I stood there, the beautiful sound of silence was broken by another sound. Regrettably, there is a very loud train that goes by every once in awhile. (As time went on, I discovered that he train goes by every few hours).  That's when I noticed that I can also hear the nearby highway.  Once you get used to these noises though, they were hardly noticeable. Definitely not anything to ruin my stay, that's for sure. 

After a few minutes I figured I had better get back up the hill and start putting up the tents before it got too late in the day.  I began with my sleeping tent first and I got that up in about 3 minutes. 

On my last camping trip, to Rene Brunelle, I had my dining tent blown down and broken by the wind.  So, I had gone to Canadian Tire and purchased a different one for  this trip.  I purposely bought one that was lighter weight and was hoping it would be easier to put up. It wasn't. 

Not only did it take me about an hour to get the dining tent put up but one of the poles started cracking down the length of it this very first time I set it up. The instructions are wrong in my opinion. It says to put all the poles in at once and then put it up. But after fighting with it I found it was easier to put the red ones up first and then the others. It is definitely designed to be put up by 2 people, not one person. 

It wasn't broken so bad that I couldn't use it, I would just have to be careful with it. I will just have to get some duct tape to hopefully fix it later on.  

I set up the dining tent in a way that it would act somewhat like a privacy barrier between my site and the lady next door. But as you can imagine, tent screening is not the greatest privacy barrier. But it was better than nothing. That's ok. I planned not to be on the site much anyway. I had a lot of exploring to do. 

I stood back and surveyed my domain. I was pretty happy. I would definitely camp here again. And when I do, I will try to get this site again. It is a great site. 

Directly across the road from my site is a little red brick bathroom. 

It's a little run down looking and the faucet drips. Well, actually it runs more than drips, and you can't get it to stop. But it has a flush toilet so you can't complain about that. 

It also has automatic motion sensor lights. As well, the door has a window in it which lets in extra light. 

There was a poster on the wall reminding people not to feed the wildlife.  It talks about the damage the animals can do to people's vehicles, but it didn't mention that it is actually damaging to the animals themselves.   By feeding them you are teaching the animals to come to the campsites for food which means that they will stop foraging for what they would eat naturally. Then, when all the campers are gone for the season, they are no longer able to fend for themselves and could, in fact, starve to death later on down the road. Besides, you may be feeding them something that is not good for them. For example, so many people want to feed bread to birds. But bread is not good for birds. And peanuts are actually too fatty for squirrels and chipmunks (or people feed them salted peanuts which is also bad). 

A water tap was also close by to my site. So everything is a stone's throw away. 

Now that my site was set up, I was ready to explore. I grabbed the map and decided to head towards the point and the walk-in sites. Oastler Lake is a small park. Everything is within walking distance. 

​There are a lot of cute sites that overlook the lake down this road. 

The squirrels and the chipmunks were very plentiful here. You walk 5 feet and one will bound out in front of you only about a foot away. They were all busy getting ready for the winter. There is ots of food for them here. Acorns littered the forest floor everywhere. 

There was a little bathroom nestled in among the trees just before the walk-in sites. This bathroom sems to be shared by the walk-ins as well as some of the regular sites. 

This bathroom was much nicer than the one near my site. Cleaner, larger, newer, and no dripping faucet. 

The walk-in sites are nice and large, but there is literally no privacy.  If you stand at one end of this section, you can pretty much see almost every walk-in site while you are standing in that one spot.

They are situated in a cedar forest so, everything is wide open. Cedar forests are often like that.  It was still very peaceful walking here though. 

I walked through the sites, as far as you can go, and over to the end of the point where the rock slopes down to the water's edge. 

The rock itself was fascinating. It was full of naturally made dark lines and squiggles. 

The stone was like walking through a natural art gallery. 

A White-throated sparrow watched me from a nearby branch as I left the area. 

Next I walked down to the beach.  Apparently the water is somewhat shallow here. 

The long sandy beach was mostly empty except for an older couple who were sitting at a picnic table waiting for the sun to set.  I stopped to talk to the for a bit and found out that they were from Germany. 

There was a long blue mat to allow for wheelchair accessibility to the beach. 

The sun was not quite ready to set yet. It was still shining gold above the tree line and reflecting off the water where the buoy lines floated motionless on the surface of the lake. 

I noticed the sign of beach rules that said No Boats Allowed. 

The sign was interesting considering that the boat rental shed was at the far end of the beach. 

The sign on the boat shed gave directions on how to return your boats. 

They had plenty of canoes and kayaks in racks waiting to be rented out.  

A pricing sign was posted near the boats. You could tell that the prices have gone up in the lst couple years by the new number stickers stuck over top of the old pricing on the sign. 

As I walked back up the road I passed by the bridge that leads to the boat launch at the other side of the park.  Although it was going to get dark soon, I figured I had time to make a quick detour to go and see it. So, I changed course and headed that way. 

The road runs along side a creek filled with brown tannin stained water. 

Both the road and the creek joined up with the lake at the docks.  The docks were not big, but big enough to get a canoe or small boat into the water.  Standing on the end of the dock, I was able to see the bottom of my campsite from here. 

On the other side of the creek was the dog beach. It looked just as nice as the human beach did.  Sylvie would have loved it there if I had brought her on this trip. 

On my walk back to camp I discovered the comfort station. I hadn't realized that it was so close to my camp site. (Another perk of my site). It was only about 3 or 4 sites away in the opposite direction from which I had originally started my walk, which was why I hadn't seen it until now. 

​From here I noticed that it was way up on top of a hill with steps leading up. I wondered how wheelchairs were supposed to get up there. 

But then once I climber the steps I saw that on the other side of the building there was a paved pathway from the road to the comfort station that wheelchairs could easily be maneuvered through. 

Inside, the comfort station was spic and span.  It was clean and well maintained. 

There was a warning sign on one of the mirrors from the Health Unit though.  Those who have to watch their sodium levels, will need to use an alternate drinking water source. 

When I got back to my campsite it was almost dark.  I could hear splashing down at the bottom of my site again. But this splashing did not sound like the acorns falling into the water that I was becoming accustomed to. This was a bigger splashing. 

I quickly made my way down the steep path, being careful not to fall, to try to see what was making the noise. Through the dim light of dusk I could barely make out the shape of a beaver. I might not have been able to see him very well, but he saw me and with a slap of it's tail, it quickly swam away towards the docks. 

I carefully made my way back up the hill and proceeded to get a fire started.  It took me a minute since I was fumbling with the matches in the dark. But I got it going.  At least with the darkness around us, I didn't feel like I was intruding on the neighbours privacy anymore. The lady was joined by her husband now and I could hear them talking softly around their fire. But they were so quiet that I could still hear the crickets and the sound of the acorns plopping into the water. 

Supper was simple. Just some bagels and cream cheese along with some nice hot tomato soup. I just sat by the fire, eating my supper and looking at the stars. This evening isn't too cold so I sat until the fire burnt right down. 

I was happy to her the call of a loon out on the lake as I crawled into bed for the night. 

The next morning I woke up at 8 a.m. to a misty, fog over the lake. I could hear the mewling calls of the beaver out on the lake but I couldn't see them. 

​It wasn't raining yet, but it could start at any minute so I took down the tents fairly quickly.

I had a little chipmunk visitor watch me while I was doing this. 

Today I am on my way to Point Farms Provincial Park. But first I made a pit stop at the office to get some ice for the cooler.  I was happy to find that it was open this morning. 

No only was I able to get my ice but I was able to get my Oastler Lake sticker for my book too. 

By 10 a.m. I was on the road for a 3 and a half hour drive.  What adventures will Point Farms bring me? 
​I can't wait to get there! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phipps Point Beach has a large covered picnic area structure. 

And it has a volley ball net. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even the trail signs were covered in moss and lichen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The bathroom looked like a brand new build. 

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

There was  large volleyball net over in one area. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The cabin appeared to be run on propane. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nothing quite like having your own private little beach area. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It overlooks Remi Lake on one side. 

An a marshy creek on the other side. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am hoping that sunset will be beautiful from here. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another year has rolled by and it is July again. Time for camping! Time for the annual gathering of the Chicks In The Stix. New location this year though. Since Samuel De Champlain is shut down and we were too late to get into Driftwood, we had to make alternate arrangements. This year we were staying at Marten River Provincial Park. 

There are quite a few of us in this group so we booked two sites; number 59 and 60 in the Chicot section of the park. 

Site sixty is pretty big and spacious. However, the fire pit is in a terrible place. It is directly in front of the trail to the bathroom (which is up on top of a hill). You don't exactly want to be tripping over a fire pit when you wake up in the middle of the night and have to climb a hill in the dark to go pee. 

Like previous trips to Marten River, I chose the site because it was directly across the road from the beach. On a map it looks great.  However, unlike the other site I have chosen in years past, you can't actually see the beach from this site.  There is a wall of trees and you have to go down a short path to get there. Not the worst thing, just unexpected. 

The beach itself was large, clean, and pretty nice. 

Most of our time would be spent on site 59. Half of the girls had their sleeping tents here and this is where we would cook our meals and sit around the fire. 

The first night I made "Walking Tacos".  You brown some ground beef (or ground turkey if you prefer) and add a pouch of taco seasoning. Then you take a snack sized bag of Doritos and crush it up. You open the bag of chips and add some of the cooked taco meat to the bag. Then add whatever taco toppings you want (grated cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc) to the bag. Top it off with some sour cream and you are ready to eat.  Just grab a spoon and eat from the bag. Since it is in a bag you can walk around and carry it with you as you eat (hence the name "walking tacos").  Tastes so good!  And it is quick and easy.

One of our new favourite traditions now is to make a Candy Salad. Everyone brings a bag or two of their favourite candy and we dump it into a large Rubbermaid container and shake it all up. 

Then everyone grabs a ladle and scoops some of the candy into a bowl.  The container is pretty heavy with all that candy in it!  

This year we added a new tradition. It is similar to Candy Salad except it involves booze. It is called a Fuckit Bucket.  We were sent the following instructions:

Fuckit Bucket
**Ingredients:**
*(Feel free to customize — it’s chaos in a bucket!)*
* 2 cups vodka (any flavor you love)
* 1 cup coconut rum
* 1 cup peach schnapps
* 1 cup blue curaçao
* 1 can (12 oz) lemon-lime soda
* 1 can (12 oz) pineapple juice
* 1 cup fruit punch or orange juice
* Swedish Fish, gummy worms, or sour candies
* Orange and lime slices
* Maraschino cherries
* Ice (a lot!)
* Mini straws and crazy straws
* 1 clean plastic bucket (1-gallon beach pail works great!)
**Instructions:**
1. **Fill the Bucket:**
Load your bucket halfway with ice and toss in some candy and fruit slices.
2. **Pour It All In:**
Add all the liquors, juices, and soda. Stir gently to combine.
3. **Top It Off:**
Add more candy, fruit, and a handful of cherries. Stick in a bunch of fun straws.
4. **Go Wild:**
Serve immediately and *don’t ask questions*. It's meant to be sipped with friends and zero regrets.. 

Needless to say, we had a fun night sitting around the campfire with a whole lot of sugar and booze coursing through our veins. 

The next day we spent the morning relaxing and trying to identify the various birds that we saw around the camp. This Veery didn't mind having it's photo taken. 

Some of us played board games, and some of us went on a hike.  The hiking trails consist of three loops all attached to one another.  The largest loop is the best one. 

I have been on this trail before but sometimes notice things that you didn't notice before. The big burls on some of the pine trees are something that I never paid attention to before. But one of the other girls noticed them and pointed them out. 

There are some pretty big old growth trees on this trail. Not as big as some of the ones I have seen in British Columbia or some of the other parks. But still pretty big none the less.

It was a bit of an over cast day and not much sunshine, but it was good to just get out and enjoy nature with some friends. 

The best part of the trail is the farthest point where it opens up onto some marsh land. On the map it is labeled as a "look out", although it is not really what most would consider to be the traditional lookout with the high up spot over looking the landscape below. 

We sat on a rock and just soaked up the serenity and beauty of the place.  It was not long after, that three  of girls came to the spot we were at. We could hear one of them say. "This is it? This is the lookout? It's just ugly sewer water. "  Then they quickly kept going down the trail. 

We were surprised by the negative attitude from them.  All around us were beautiful white water lilies, dragonflies, birds and a rolling marsh landscape.  They hadn't even barely stopped to look. They were immediately dismissive of the place. It was sad and I felt sorry that they couldn't see the beauty here. 

When you sit and really look, there is so much to see. Like the frog, hiding in the reeds. 

When we got back to camp we found the girls trying to identify another bird. This time it was a woodpecker. This one had been hanging out around our site quite a bit. They were trying to figure out if it was a Downy Woodpecker or a Hairy Woodpecker. The are both extremely similar in looks. I think when all was said and done, they concluded that it was a Downy Woodpecker. 

We never did get much sunshine all day. But that didn't stop some of the girls from going swimming in the evening just the same. 

But the rain clods were coming in so they didn't go swimming for long. 

We only had one dining tent to keep about 12 of us out of the rain. We came up with the idea of bringing it closer to the fire and draping an extra tarp over one of the cars and stringing it to the dining tent. This worked out quite well and we were able to have everyone sheltered from the rain. 

At about 9 pm the rain stopped and some of us went up to the bathroom while we had a chance before it started raining again.  While we were up there, one of the girls was telling us how she saw on TikTok how to make your shadow into a frog by pulling your shirt up over your head. Intrigued by this, we decided to give it a try.  It wasn't the best rendition of a frog, but it certainly had some resemblance to one.  All of a sudden she yelled  "I'm a F*cking Frog!"  The rest of us just burst out laughing at that. 

When we got back to the campsite we found out that while we were gone, the rangers had come by to say there were complaints that they had been laughing too loud.  We found this a bit odd considering we couldn't hear them laughing from the bathroom and we were probably noisier up there than they had been down here.  But we realize that sound can carry so we tried to be quieter after that. 

The next day, one of the other girls tried the frog thing in the sunlight and it looked so much better. It was definitely more frog like. 

We are always trying new things on our girls weekend camping trips. This time someone decided to try cooking Pilsbury cinnamon rolls over the fire for breakfast. I don't think they cooked all the way through. Probably won't try that one again next year. Unless of course we can find a way to improve upon it. 

After breakfast we started to pack up. Some of us had a long drive home. On site 60, we had pulled a car over from the additional parking area to load our stuff up so that we didn't have to carry it what would have been a pretty long distance. While we were packing up, one of the rangers came by and stopped at our site. He got out of his truck with sun glasses on looking like a cop from an 80's movie. He says to us "you are only allowed to have one vehicle per site". We explained that we were just packing up.  Then he says "this car is not registered to be in this park". The girl that owned it had to go to her front dash and take the registration paper from the front window and show it to him before he was satisfied. Why he couldn't go to the front dash and look for it himself, I don't know.  He was clearly trying to be harassing and difficult. 

Next he went over to site 59 where they were cooking the cinnamon buns over the fire. He says to them " You better make sure that fire is completely out when you are done".  We were baffled by this. It was only 8 in the morning and we had until 2pm before we had to leave. That left hours for the fire to be put out.  We have never been given such a hard time by staff at a park before. There was no reason for it. For some reason he seemed to have taken a disliking to us and was targeting us. Or maybe he acts this way with all the campers.  Regardless, we were less than impressed. 

But we didn't let it deter us from enjoying a few more hours around the fire, before we were finally ready to say our good byes to each other.  It will deter us from coming back here again next year though. 

By early afternoon everyone was all packed up and ready to head home. It will be another whole year before we all get together to do this again.  Most of the girls left, but a couple of us didn't want it to end just yet so we decided to go see the logging museum located in the park at the Day Use area. 

The last time I had visited this logging museum the buildings were closed. Today they were open and you could go inside to really see things. One of the buildings had a staff member there to answer questions and tell you the history of things. 

There were paths that led from the various out-buildings and down to the lake.  The lake was calm and clear and had different purple flowers growing in and around it. There were some Lesser Purple Fringed Orchids.

And there were plenty of Pickerelweed.

But I didn't recognize this plant that was mostly green with just a few red leaves in one spot.

We saw a pretty carpet moth on the wall of one of the buildings. 

Another wonderful weekend with the girls had come and gone. It went by too quick and it feels like forever before we will get together again next year. As Frog said in the Frog and Toad story books "Friends are the family we choose for ourselves".  This little family is looking forward to our next adventures together. 

It's a sad sad day.  Samuel De Champlain Provincial Park is completely and utterly destroyed by a Down Burst that touched down. (Unlike a tornado, which produces a wind funnel from the ground up, a downburst produces strong winds that move downward from a storm.)  The park is not even recognizable anymore. 

The following pictures are not my own. They are just some stories and pictures that I have gathered from all over the internet.  

We had booked our annual girls weekend here this year but as soon as I read this, I had to change our location. 

Thankfully no one was killed, but there were definitely some close calls. 

Even the Ecology Center was hit. 

It wasn't just Samuel De Champlain that was hit. Parts of Algonquin Park were also hit.  One woman and her son were trapped in Algonquin Park. The woman had an emergency phone with her (Not a cell phone. The kind you pay a lot of money for and are designed for just such situations). The son had an injured leg and needed to go to the hospital.  They had to send a rescue party in at night to get them. However, they had to clear a path through fallen trees to do it. 

​Rescue Operation at night. Trying to get to injured people in Algonquin Park (South of Brent area). These are actual pictures (not AI generated). 

Roads and bridges were washed out. 

This is an aerial view of the park after the storm. All roads and campsites are completely gone. The whole place is a disaster area.  There is nothing left of it. 

When will it re-open? Who knows. It will have to be cleared and assessed. Could be years for all anyone knows. For now though, it is closed. 

The next morning was bright and beautiful. We were toasty warm in the cabin that night. Maybe even a bit too warm. I got up a bit earlier than the other girls and decided to go for a walk and spend some quiet time before everyone else got up. It was nice to get out and go down to the lake to do some quiet reflecting. 

A Darner dragonfly joined me on the dock. It's blue and green colouring matched the water and the reeds. 

After awhile I headed through the pine tree lined trail back up to the cabin to see if they were awake yet. 

Along the way I admired the beauty of an Orange Hawkweed flower. 

And a Calamints flower. 

I was wowed by the bright red of the whirly gig seeds of a Mountain maple tree. I had never seen any that were red before. I had only ever seen green ones. 

A little chipmunk was peeking out at me from behind some foliage. It looked to be eating some seed of some sort for breakfast. 

The only other person who seemed to be awake when I got back to the cabin was Julie, and she seemed to have the same idea as me on this beautiful morning. She was enjoying some quiet time. However, she had chosen to read a book. Since I didn't want to disturb her, and the others still weren't awake yet, I decided to continue my walk. 

I walked past the cabin and up the road that leads to the cabin. 

A little Oven Bird sat in a tree at the side of the road watching me. 

And another Grouse came onto the scene. There are so many Grouse in this park! 

When I got back to the cabin the second time, everyone was up and making breakfast. We spent our morning and early afternoon just hanging out and playing a few board games. By the time late afternoon rolled around, we got restless and decided to go and see the other side of the park. So, we hopped into the car and drove over to the main office at the north end of the park.  In hind sight,  this was probably the gate we should have gone to when we first arrived the day before. We could have driven down a different highway and it would have led to this gate house. It would have been much closer to our camp.  But you don't know what you don't know. 

Inside the north gatehouse, there was a small gift shop. The park employee only spoke French. So, Julie did all the talking for us. We had asked about the trails, and the lady suggested we try the suspension bridge trail. We were surprised by this and told her that we had been told at the other gate that it was shut down. But she insisted that it wasn't. We thought that it was strange that the employees at the north gatehouse had specifically told us we should go and check out that trail but the one at the south gate house said it was shut down. Which one was correct?  We never did find out because we decided that we didn't want to make a long drive (would have been about a half hour drive through the park) only to find out that we couldn't go on the trail.  We figured that we would maybe come back another year and try again then.

It was such a hot day out, that we enjoyed the air conditioned shop as we looked around at all the souvenirs for sale. Then we each bought an ice cream bar and headed outside to eat them.  

There was a large area filled with picnic tables by the lake. 

We chose one that provided a bit of shade and we sat down to eat our ice cream treats. 

Near by there was a jungle gym and sandy play area for kids to play at. 

This north gate house is where all the regular campsites were. I wasn't very impressed by them. They were much too wide open with no privacy. You could easily see the next site because there were no trees between them. This meant that there was also no shade. 

I suppose these sites would be ok if you had an RV. But if you were tenting it, these sites were not great. 

After eating our ice cream we needed to wash our hands and use the rest room.  The comfort station was inside the back of the gate house. The large stainless steel outdoor sink was pretty impressive. 

The washrooms were located through a door at the back. 

Once we were back outside, we headed down to the lake. We had all day and we weren't on a time schedule, so we explored at our leisure. 

Down at the lake there were shacks where you could rent canoes and where they stored gas for motor boats. 

There was a dock and all sorts of red and green canoes as well as blue kayaks. 

People could launch their boats from a large gravel area at the lake. 

We walked back up towards the gate house and noticed that there was another camping section down a little side road. I hadn't noticed it at first because it was tucked away behind a wooden garbage can shelter. 

These appeared to be the "ready to camp" and the walk-in sites.  I explored carefully because I didn't want to disturb anyone if there was someone camping there.  

Just like many of the other walk-in sites that I have seen, these ones were provided with carts that you could use to bring your belongings from your vehicle to your camp site. 

​The first site I came to was site number 5. 

It was a "ready to camp" site with a big canvas tent set up on a wooden platform. No one was there but I still didn't stay long.  You couldn't see inside, but on the outside it had chairs, and a dish rack and you could see that there was a propane tank supplied with it. Presumably for a propane cook stove, I would imagine. 

It also had a fire pit with an interesting looking grill on top. The grill seemed to have handles on either side. 

When we had seen all there was to see, we got back into the car and drove back to camp. We wanted to cook supper at the fire pit tonight so we checked the fire danger levels before we left the gate house. It was a little on the "be careful" side, but there was no fire ban, so we were happy about that. 

Back at camp we got the fire started and did a search for sticks that w could use to cook our hot dogs and marshmallows on. 

We noticed that our fire pit also had an adjustable grill with handles on it. This was the first time we had seen grills quite like them. 

We brought out all the fixin's for home made mini pizzas. All you need is some bread and butter (or garlic butter), some pepperoni's, grated cheese and tomato sauce. 

Layer it all together in a frying pan, throw some tin foil over top, and cook it until the cheese melts and the bread toasts. So simple and so good! 

While we waited for the pizzas to cook, we cooked some hot dogs over the coals. 

After supper we sat around the fire until it had burnt out and until the day turned to evening. 

As the day wound down, we made our way back down to the lake to see if we could see the sunset.  

There wasn't much of a sunset but there was enough to be able to catch a little bit of pinks and purples just above the tree line. 

As darkness settled, we went into our cozy cottage and played board games and drank our drinks and laughed and had a great time. Tomorrow would come all to fast. Tomorrow we had to go home. 

And in no time at all, morning came and it was time to go.  Another year of glamping at the cabin was over. We had barely began packing up when we started talking about what we would do next year. 

As we drove down the road we were greeted with a farewell party of Grouse. 

There were five in all and they were in no hurry to get out of the way. We took our time watching them cross because we were in no hurry to get back to the city and to the daily grind either. 

As we watched the last of them disappear into the bush we felt lucky to have had the opportunity to see them and to have had such a great weekend with wonderful friends. 

We weren't fast enough and we missed our opportunity. Every year we book a cabin at Kettle Lakes Provincial Park in Ontario, but not this year.  So, we had to resort to finding a different one for this year. Finding a cabin is not as easy as you would think though. Too many hurdles. Too expensive, too far away, too much competition for the dates, too far away from a body of water, or too small for 4 people. So, looking beyond the Ontario border was a next step. That is where we happened to find some available cabins in Quebec's Parc National d'Aiguebelle. 

It was the four of us; Anika and Julie in one car and Penny and I in another car. We traveled north and it took some traveling down some gravel back roads to get there. We stopped for supplies in the town of Kirkland Lake. 

As we got closer to the park I noticed that the park signs were easy to find because they were all a bright orange colour.  After a couple hours of driving we arrived at the parking lot of the south gate of the park.  

Much of the signage was in French but most was easy enough to figure out.

The gate house looked like a large log cabin. The lady at the desk only knew  little bit of English, but our friend Julie was with us and she knows French so she did the talking. 

The lady at the desk shoed us on a map all the different things we could see and go to in the park. Unfortunately, the suspension bridge on one of the trails was closed for repairs so we wouldn't be able to go there. 

She got us booked in and gave us a code for the lock on the cabin door. She let us know that it would be about another 20 km or more  to get there.  We realized at that point that it might have been better if we had gone to the northern gate to book in because it would have been closer to the cabin. But you don't know what you don't know, right?  She warned us that the roads were narrow and to be very vigilant and keep a look out for any wildlife such as moose, or grouse or foxes that may pop out onto the road in front us.  

Before we left the gatehouse, we took a quick look around the souvenir shop there. There were plenty of nice T-shirts and things. However, we decided to get going and maybe buy something on our way out when we were set to leave in a couple days. 

We drove along for a little bit when we had our first encounter with wildlife on this trip.. It was a grouse crossing the road. I laughed because it's colouring made it look like it was wearing a little dark brown jacket. 

We arrived at the cabin without seeing any other wildlife along the way.  The cabin was a cute log cabin with a porch out front. 

The name of our cabin was "Le Longicorne" which basically is what they call a long horn pine beetle in French.  I admired the wood carved beetle that they had decorating the outside wall. 

There were board walk like ramps that led up to the door and picnic tables to sit at out front. 

We unlocked the lock on the big wood door using the code that the lady at the gatehouse had given us. Behind it was a screen door so we could keep the big door open and let some air flow through. 

The very first thing e noticed when we got inside was how cold it was. It was like walking into a giant walk-in fridge.  We were happy to see a wood stove off to one side and I knew that in no time we would have the place all warmed up and cozy. 

We looked around the rest of the cabin. There were two sets of bunk beds; one in each corner of the room. 

There were also two storage boxes with flat tops where we could store stuff. These two boxes could easily become two more beds if there were a couple of foam mattresses to put on them. But we didn't need any more beds. The bunk beds were enough for us. Instead we put our coolers full of food and drink on the one closest to the door. 

In the middle of the room was a great big dining table. It was really long. This would be perfect for the board games that we intended to play later in the evening.  There were two great big long benches on either side of it too. Plenty of room and plenty of seating. 

The only problem we started to realize and hadn't anticipated was that there was no electricity. The other cabin we always rented did have electricity so we hadn't prepared for this. Once the sun went down it was going to get very dark in here. We quickly took stock of all the lights and batteries that we had. Between us we had one battery powered lantern and 6 flashlights with plenty of extra batteries. That should be more than plenty for the 2 nights we would be here.  There was no cell service and no way to charge our phones though. I put mine into Airplane mode so that it didn't drain the battery. We decided that tomorrow we would go check out the north gatehouse to see if there was cell service there to let our families know we had arrived safe. 

Under the window was a little counter with a propane stove that was provided by the park. You are supposed to bring your own propane though, which we didn't know so we couldn't use it. We would just have to cook our meals on top of the wood stove instead.  There was also a tiny little sink under the window.. 

​There was no running water (nor drinkable water) available anywhere though. That was ok though because we had brought some bottles of frozen water that we were using as ice for the coolers, and I had also brought my water filter with me. I am glad we did or we would have had to drive back the 20 km to get water and then 20 km back here again for the return trip.

Beside the door was a little wood box filled with wood!  You didn't have to buy wood here. You get all the wood that you need with the price of the cabin. 

They also provided matches, fire starter and a lighter.  How convenient! 
​I set about getting the fire started and it didn't take long before the cabin started to warm up. 

I went outside to take a look around and to see what the other girls were up to.  They were relaxing at the picnic tables out front. But I couldn't sit still. So I walked around the cabin to explore a little.  To one side was a little wood shed. 

And inside there was a whole bunch of wood.  We were definitely all set for firewood for the duration of our stay. 

On the opposite side of the cabin were the bathrooms. They were like a little log cabin too. It was cute. 

They were not flush toilets. Only regular vault toilets. That of course makes sense considering there was no running water way out here in the bush.  We had brought hand sanitizer and wet wipes so we were all set there. 

The door handle on the bathroom was hand made out of wood. 

Across from the cabin was a firepit with benches and a picnic table. We decided that we would have dinner in the cabin tonight but tomorrow night we would cook hotdogs, s'mores, and other over-the-fire foods for supper right here. 

The firepit has a grill that could be raised or lowered and would be perfect for cooking on. 

The other cabin that we had rented in the years past had a view of the lake right from the window and porch. This one did not. We were very disappointed by this. We knew there was a lake somewhere because the online pictures had shown one. Online it had seemed as though the lake was much closer than it actually was. But all we could see all around us were trees. Nothing but trees. 

So, we went for a walk on a search for the lake. We followed a wide trail leading into the bush in hopes that it would be just right there around the corner. 

It was not. There was a sign for the lake though, letting us know that we were at least headed in the right direction. The lake we were looking for was called Lac Lois.

Instead of opening up into a wide open space with a lake in it, quite the opposite happened.  The trail narrowed significantly and the trees got thicker and closer together.  We had to go through  the forest to get to the lake. 

Not far into the forest, the trail split into 2 different directions. We were not sure which one to take so we split up. Julie and Anika took the left trail and Penny and I took the right trail. 

We could still hear Anika and Julie as we went so we knew we weren't that far away from us.  The trail we were on led us down to the lake and to a dock. 

Off to the side was a green canoe.  The people who had been there before us had not put it away. It was on the ground and not on the storage rack  It looked to be in good condition and maybe we could go for a canoe ride at some point while we were here. 

There was not much wildlife around No major birds or animals. There was some Joe-Pye Weed growing off to the side though. 

The dock was oddly shaped but I liked it that way. We walked to the end of the dock and looked around. 

We could faintly hear other campers in the distance around the bend, singing and having a good time. Not loud enough to be annoying or anything. I suppose there is another cabin over in that direction somewhere.  The lake looked beautiful but there was no beach to swim from. 

It was mostly weeds and tall grass near the shore. The water was much too shallow here for a good swim.  Perhaps where Anika and Julie were, there might be a better swim spot.  We called out to them and they called back. They shouted out "we found a picnic table in the woods!"  And then they shouted "And there is another one!  And another one!" They told us to go down their trail to see what they were talking about. So, Penny and I headed over to meet them. 

Sure enough, as we went down the trail we kept seeing random picnic tables nestled into the woods along both the left and right sides of the trail. There were 5 in all.  It was kind of odd. But you can't say that there wasn't enough tables for everyone. 

The very last table was at the end of the trail where it opened up with a view of the lake. The last table was the best one and probably the only one that I would choose to sit at along the trail. 

It over looked the left side of the lake. You could see from here that there wasn't really any good place to swim on this side either. It was a beautiful view and I bet you could see moose from here if you were to get up really early i the morning and come sit quietly by the lake. But we never put that to the test while we were here. 

But the water was full of sludge and weeds and the only one that seemed to want to swim here was a little frog and perhaps the loon that we could hear calling in the distance. 

Looking across the lake, we spotted an old beaver lodge. We wondered if anything was currently living in it. We figured if we were ambitious enough to take out the canoe, we might paddle over there to see what we could see. But we had no energy for that right now. 

Instead we headed back to the cabin to start supper.  Along the way we heard the tapping of a woodpecker and looked up to see it searching for its own supper in thee tree above us. 

The fire was going nicely when we got back and the cabin was now cozy and warm. We cooked our supper in a pot on the top of the wood stove and sat down at the big table to eat. 

While we were sitting and eating we noticed a little plaque on the wall with a story of how the cabin came to be named Le Longicorne. It was all in French so we had Julie try to translate it for us. 

Also on the wall was a guest book that had entries from past cabin dwellers. Many were in French but some were in English and we read some out loud while we ate. 

After cleaning up our supper dishes we figured we would walk back down to the lake to see the sunset. We couldn't see the sunset from the cabin because of all the trees. Besides, it gets dark quickly in the cabin. So if we go outside to the lake we would be able to save a bit on our batteries if we didn't have to light the place up for quite as long. It was much brighter outside. 

The sunset was not vibrant or anything, but it was peaceful and it was still pretty. We stayed just long enough that we could still see the trail and wouldn't break a leg if we didn't use flashlights. 

We went back to the cabin and played board games by the light of the battery powered lamp and some hanging flashlights. 

As evening turned into night and it got later, it came time to put the games away. Julie and Anika went to bed but Penny and I wanted to walk down to the lake one more time. 

The moon was big and quite bright this night. We were able to turn off our flashlights and walk in the dark up until we got to the tree line. We turned them on to travel through the woods but once we got  tot he lake we turned them off again and just sat in the quiet stillness of the night. 

The stars were clear and beautiful in the inky sky. We didn't talk much in order to preserve the sanctity and the magic of the moment.  We would occasionally whisper something to each other once in awhile as we observed or heard things. "Did you see that shooting star?"  or " I hear a loon over there".  

After a time we headed back to the cabin. Mostly we travelled in the dark because our eyes had adjusted to the low light levels by then.  We had just passed the tree line when we heard a rustling in the bushes behind us from where we had just come,  It sounded fairly large. A raccoon maybe? Or perhaps a fox?   We turned on our flashlight to try to see what it was. 

It was a rabbit! A little brown bunny!  We scared it when we turned on our light and it quickly darted out of sight. As we turned back towards the cabin with our light still on, I caught a glimpse of more movement on our left. Looking down we saw one of the biggest toads I had ever seen. And his markings were dark and beautiful. We felt luck to have had the opportunity to see both of these animals tonight. 

We made a quick stop at the bathroom before heading into the cabin. We talked about the bunny and we said that at least now if we have to go outside to the bathroom at night and we hear an animal in the woods, we can just say to ourselves "oh that is just the rabbit" and we will feel more at ease. Whether it is true or not, we can tell ourselves it is. 

In the doorway of the cabin we turned around and looked up at the star filled sky one more time before closing the door and heading off to bed and to sleep. 

I was awakened by the sound of boat motors from the boat launch at about 8 a.m. One of the downsides of being too close to a boat launch. It was too cold to get up yet, so I stayed in my sleeping bag until about 9 a.m.

When I felt it was warm enough, I got out of the tent and took the dog for a walk before breakfast.  There was no wind for the first time in days and the lake was relatively calm and smooth. The sun shone through the trees and I was enjoying this beautiful morning.

Out on the lake there was a group of five loons. They seemed to be enjoying the beautiful morning too. 

Along the shore line I found the cutest little tracks of some sort of animal. I don't know what made them. 

Perhaps a muskrat?  

By the time I got back from walking the dog, Penny was awake and we had breakfast before packing up to go. Today was our last day at Ivanhoe Lake Park. 

Sometimes when we take down our tents, especially if it has been cold, we find little critters hiding out under the tent. We didn't find anything taking shelter there this time. However, we did find a little toad hopping around near by. 

We finished packing up by 12:15  but we wanted to get one last hike in before we left. So, we drove over to the Saw Lake trail head and parked the car near the lake. 

There is a nice little boat launch here, with some canoes to rent if you wanted to go for a canoe ride. But we didn't have time for that. 

We headed over tot he Saw Lake Trail map to get some more information about the trail. 

When we got closer we realized that a blue Darner dragonfly was sitting right in the middle of the sign. 

It didn't stop us from reading that the trail was 2.8 km long and roughly an hour to hike.

We were going to hike the first loop, but then we came across some hikers who were on their way out who told us that part of the first loop was closed. So, instead we decided to just walk as far as we felt like it and then turn around and come back. 

We followed the shore line which, I suppose, is doing the trail backwards. But there really isn't a wrong way to do it.  

In some places the water looked had a beautiful green colour to it. 

​We could tell by the markings in the old logs and trees that there were plenty of woodpeckers in the area. 

There was almost no one else on the trail but us It was so quiet and peaceful.

We came to a section where light green hairy moss was growing above our heads in the tree branches. 

It was like the forest was covered in a summer version of Christmas tree tinsel. 

A little pine tree was sprouting out from an old trunk in the remains of a fallen tree. It was a tribute to how resilient nature can be. 

Up in the tree tops we spotted what was making all those holes in the trees. It was a yellow-bellied sapsucker. 

Also up in the tree tops was a little red squirrel watching our every move. It yelled as for awhile, warning everyone in the forest that we were there. Squirrels are one of the forests built in alarm systems. 

Of course the minute we got anywhere near him, he darted up to the tree tops and out of sight in no time flat. 

We spent only about an hour on the trail and all too soon it was time to leave the park. We bundled ourselves into the car and settled in for the long drive. We were talking about all the things we had enjoyed about our trip. 

We were just about out of the park when all of a sudden a huge bird swooped down in front of us as we were driving. It was flying down the road in front of us with our car following behind.  At first I thought it was a turkey vulture. But then, I realized it wasn't. It was a Bald Eagle! 

It flew in front of us for a fair distance before finally flying off to the left side of the road and into a tree. We slowed down and came to a stop beside where it landed in hopes of getting a better look than just it's tail feathers we had been seeing.  Sure enough, we got to get a pretty good look. It seemed to be a juvenile. Not quite fully grown, but almost. 

It had something in its talons and it began to eat whatever it had caught. It was exciting to see one so close and in its natural habitat. 

We sat and watched the eagle for a little bit before finally heading out . It was a wonderful last goodbye to the park. It may have been unseasonably cold for much of the trip, but we had some unforgettable experiences and adventures and that made it all worth it. I would definitely come back here again some time. 

We survived another cold night. Since we were prepared for it this time, it wasn't so bad.  We woke up to a nice sunny day and the birds were out.  Even the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker came to pay us a visit. 

The morning air was a bit chilly still, but basking in the sun helped with that. By mid-morning it was back to regular summer temperatures again. 

This meant that we could enjoy the hike that we had planned for the Teck Lake trail today. 

The Teck Lake trail starts off wide open with a pine needle covered path. 

This eventually turns into a more dense trail with lush vegetation. It is a beautiful trail. 

The orange Jewelweed flowers were eye catching and drew attention to themselves and their beauty. 

But other things on this trail were hidden gems that you had to really look closely to see.  A little brown White-Throated Sparrow was hidden quietly among the tree branches and watched us carefully as we walked by. 

We followed the blue arrows on the trees that marked the trail. 

But if we didn't look down once in awhile we would have missed the mushroom that was hiding and growing from inside a hole in an old tree stump. 

The sparrow may have hid well, but nothing beats the camouflage of a Grouse. If I didn't tell you there was a Grouse in this picture, I bet you never would have seen it.  Another hidden gem on this trail.  

We continued along the sun dappled trail and enjoyed the peace and tranquility here. 

The trail eventually brought us to the lake. On one side, you couldn't see the shoreline for the bushes and plants growing along the edge of the water. 

But to our left, there was a muddy shoreline. The mud was also hiding some hidden gems. 

Sitting in the mud, in the shadow of a log was an amber coloured dragonfly. 

The mud itself was host to many different footprints of animals that had walked through here in the not so distant past. 

I am no tracker and can only guess what animal left these prints behind. Perhaps a fox or an otter or a racoon. 

In another section of the mud there were tracks that looked like they could have been deer tracks. 

Close to the waters edge, almost out of sight, we noticed some Northern Purple Pitcher Plants growing. 

Another plant with bright red tipped leaves was the Bush Honeysuckle that ran along the edge of the trail in places. 

A little Green frog was trying to blend in but we spotted him anyway. Hopefully the predators didn't spot it. 

Near this tree we also noticed some mesh netting sticking out from under the moss and dirt in the ground. We are assuming that this was being used to help fight against soil erosion and to help keep the trail looking nice. 

We finished our hike all too soon and were headed  to the trail exit.  

But not before stopping to watch a Bumble Bee fly around from flower to flower among the purple Asters. 

We may have finished our hike, but we were not ready to go back to camp just yet. Instead we decided to walk down the narrow road to see what the Group campsite looked like. 

Site number 200 is the Group campsite. We were hoping that no one was on it so that we could explore a little. We were in luck. No one was there. 

The Group site was nice and large as a Group site should be.  There were plenty of picnic tables all around a fire pit. 

There was plenty of open space for setting up tents or for playing outdoor games and sports. 

It was a really nice site with a view and access to the lake. 

However, it was not the best for swimming because it was much too weedy. 

The site did have it's own private bathroom though. 

And it's own water tap too. However, you can't drink from this water tap unless you boil it first. 

After exploring the Group site, we still weren't ready to go back to camp yet.  We looked at the park map and saw a long winding back road with no campsites on it. It did show a picnic area though. It seemed odd to have a picnic area so far away from absolutely everything in the park. We were curious so we jumped in the car and drove to it.  

When we got there, we parked the car and got out to look around. Right away we could see the beauty in this spot and why it would be made into a picnic area.  There was a large welcoming sign letting people know that this section was maintained and cared for by the Friends Of Ivanhoe Lake group. 

We left Sylvie in the car for a few minutes while we did a quick look around. We were thinking that perhaps we would have lunch here since we had all of our food with us in the truck of the car.  We just had to figure out if it was a suitable place to stop to eat or not. 

Ahead of us was a cute little wooden footbridge that seemed to lead to what looked like an island. 

We stopped in the middle of the bridge to admire the water. It was crystal clear and you could see the bottom . The lake bottom made it look like the water was a green-blue colour. Very pretty.

The view on both sides of the bridge was beautiful. There was no one else around and it was so quiet.  We stood there in the tranquil silence, just soaking in the peacefulness of the place for a moment or two. Nothing was said between us because we didn't want to break that silence. 

I began to walk closer to the island and looked down to see beautiful pink flowers of some Water Smartweed.

The island had some large open areas but still enough trees to give a good balance of shade and sun. The longer I stood here the more I wanted to stay. This was truly one of the park's hidden gems. 

We found a couple of picnic tables and knew straight away that this was where we were going to have lunch. 

I headed ack to the car to get Sylvie and our cooler full of food. We had a bag of Beef Jerky with us so we let Sylvie have a little snack while we ate lunch. 

As we were eating a gentleman on a bike stopped by and we chatted for a bit. Apparently he lives in a town about an hour and a half away from Ivanhoe Lake Park. And he had gone to see the Polar Bears yesterday too. We talked about the weather and how it had been so cold lately. He informed us that there was a frost warning out for tonight. 

When the guy on the bike left, it became very quiet again. After eating we explored the island a bit more. The opposite side of the island opened up onto the lake. It looked like it would be a great place to swim. 

Nestled among the trees was a bench. If I wasn't paying attention, I could almost have missed it. 

The bench had been placed there in memory of a lady named Kathy Robichaud Weir. 

Soon we had packed up and were headed back to the car. We stopped to take one last look at the stunningly green colour of the crystal clear water. 

We continued to drive down the back road and that eventually brought us to the gatehouse, which is also where the Park Store is located. 

We didn't stay too long in the store. Just long enough to take a quick look around and to buy some ice and some firewood in case we decided to have a fire tonight. 

Penny also bought a Park blanket that had the names of all the Ontario Provincial Parks on it. 

I went outside to wait while Penny finished purchasing her new blanket. It was too small of a space to have too many people in there at once and some new campers were on their way in. 

As I waited I saw a boy fishing down at the lake and asked him what that was floating out in the water. I couldn't quite make it out. He informed me it was a duck. Sure enough when I got close enough I could see that it was a female Mallard duck. The reason why I couldn't make it out from a distance was because she had her head tucked into her body and it had looked like it had no head from where I had been standing. 

I got talking to the boy while I was waiting for Penny. He was having a tough time with his fishing rod because the rod kept falling apart into two pieces every time he cast his line. He told me it was a rental from the park store. 

Since we were driving full circle around the park and we were driving past the Day Use beach, I made a quick stop there to check it out.  Penny didn't feel like joining me so she stayed in the car with Sylvie.
It was big beach area with lots of picnic tables. 

There was a play structure for the kids at this beach. 

​It was pretty empty right now though because it was too chilly and a bit too windy. There were no lifeguards here (which is pretty standard for most beaches in the parks now a days). But there were also no buoy lines either. And that was unusual. 

There was a set of bathrooms here that doubled as change rooms. 

There was plenty of room to swim but there wasn't really much of a sandy beach. What sand was there had weeds growing in it. Come to think of it, the pet beach had a better sandy shoreline than this beach did. 

I only looked around for about 5 minutes and then I headed back to the car. 

We were getting closer to camp now, but Penny wanted to stop off at a comfort station along the way.  This comfort station was not large but still had flush toilets. So, you can't really complain about that. 

It also had one of those cute little book lending libraries. 

Outside the comfort station was a park map that said "You Are Here". Looking at this map, I realized that there was another beach directly across the road from where we were parked right now.  I decided to go take a look and compare it to the one I had just come from. It gave me something to do while I waited for Penny, and I was curious.  

A little green cross walk sign saying "Slow" pointed me in the right direction. 

Now this beach was much more like what people expect from a typical beach. It was a large, beautiful, sandy beach.  There were sections of buoy lines and a rack of canoes for rent. 

No lifeguard here either, but there it did have a wheelchair accessible flotation device parked under the sign.

The sandy beach went on and on in both directions. The view was lovely since there were no people around. 

There were benches sprinkled here and there in case you wanted to come down tot he beach to watch the sunset or something. 

To top it all off they had a toy lending center for the kids!  It was filled with brand new beach toys that kids could use to play in the sand or the water with. I was very impressed by this little detail. Such care goes into this park. I have noticed that all the buildings are in great condition, clean, and with fresh coats ofpaint. Signs are made out of repurposed wood so as not to be wasteful. I just love this park! 

We hopped back in the car and started driving again. But we didn't get far before we decided to make yet another stop. Sylvie had been so good following us around from place to place that we thought she deserved to get out and have some fun of her own for a bit. So we took her back to the dog park that we had been to yesterday. Sylvie just loves it here. 

The pet beach was empty and we easily found a picnic table to ourselves. Well, maybe not quite to ourselves. We had to share it with a firefly. 

A Sawyer Beetle also wanted to share the table with us, but since they bite we decided to evict him. We took a stick and shooed him away. 

We found a dead Dragon Hunter dragonfly in the sand. 

I was sad that it was dead because it had been a beautiful dragonfly with gorgeous green eyes. 

We found various snail shells scattered along the shore line. 

We had fun playing with Sylvie for over an hour in the water. She loved running up and down the beach and chasing sticks. Then all of a sudden we had company. A family showed up with their big white dog. I was a little unsure about how this was going to go because Sylvie is afraid of bigger dogs. But the family asked if Sylvie could play with their dog and so I decided to give it a try.  

Since Sylvie is a rescue, she didn't really know how to play.  I had to show her how. I started running up and down the beach with the two dogs and throwing sticks and chasing them both around. It didn't take long before Sylvie caught on that this was how you play and that it was fun. I think that was the turning point that opened up the world of social dog play for her..  There were a few iffy moments where there was a growl or two,. But they were short lived and only warning growls, nothing serious.  By the time we were ready to go back to camp, Sylvie had made a new friend and she was all tired out. We had been at the pet beach for about 2 hours.  I knew she would sleep well tonight. 

I had been wading in the water in my bare feet this whole time. When I went to put my shoes on to go back to camp I discovered that I had 2 leeches on me. They weren't large nd they hadn't bitten yet. So I just threw some dry sand on them and flicked them off. I wasn't surprised by them. I had been wading around in the weeds and the muck.  

At about 5 pm we were back at camp and we we grabbed our chairs and just sat and relaxed in the sun for awhile. 

We started a fire at about 6:30 pm and cooked hot dogs for supper. 

It was not long after supper when we looked across the road and were surprised to see a Pileated Woodpecker.  I decided to try to get closer for a close up picture if I could possibly manage it.   So I crossed the road and ever so slowly started to follow it as I tried to stay behind trees so as not to scare it away.  I had to laugh at the first picture I took because it almost looks like the woodpecker has a trail of poop behind it instead of some pine cones that  coincidentally lined up in a row. 

The chase was on. It had its back to me so I was able to quickly get a bit closer. 

But then it stopped and turned to listen. I froze on the spoke and held my breath. 

I let it get a little further away as I still stayed frozen on the spot, not daring to move yet. 

I moved in a little closer. But then it turned around and seemed to be looking at me. I immediately froze again. Was I caught?  Did I lose my opportunity? 

Nope. It seems it didn't notice me yet. I still had some time to get closer. 

This game of Red Light Green Light went on for quite some time. Me getting a little closer each time and then freezing in place whenever it turned around. I was having fun with this game. 

I knew that I might actually be able to get some good pictures when I saw that the woodpecker seemed comfortable enough to put its head down to forage for food.  

I cautiously went up as close as I dared, still keeping some trees between me and him. 

From where I stood I was able to zoom in with my camera lens and take the shot that I had been hoping to get. 

And I was even able to take a few more. 

Of course I am no professional photographer and these are far from high quality pictures. But I was still thrilled with them and with just the whole experience of being able to get that close to a Pileated Woodpecker. 

The woodpecker never did fly away on me. I turned and left before it noticed me and I went back to camp to watch the sunset. 

Penny and I sat and listened to the waves and talked while we watched the sunset.

Soon enough the sun could no longer be seen. 

And a loon flew by, calling out as it went from one end of the lake to the other. 

Even though the big fireball of the sun was no longer visible, the colours it left behind were still very visible and very beautiful. 

The birds and the gulls all started to fly by on their way to their nests for the night. 

Penny and I talked until the fire went out. Then we went into the tent to play board games for a bit before settling in to sleep for the night. As predicted, Sylvie was fast asleep long before we were; tired out from a full day of fun and excitement. It had been a fantastic day and we loved every minute of it. 

I woke up at 5:20 in the morning to go to the bathroom and it was so cold!  It was dark and I was not ready to get up that early so I went back to sleep in my nice warm sleeping bag for a few more hours. 
However, it was not much warmer when I got up at 10. There was a light drizzle and the lake was covered in mist.

I took Sylvie for a walk and we headed over to the boat launch that was not far from the camp site.  I chuckled to myself as I spotted the boat launch sign. I recalled yesterdays adventure of almost getting stuck in the beach sand at a different boat launch. 

This boat launch had a proper road and a place to park. There was less danger of getting stuck in the sand here. However, I wouldn't call it impossible. 

There were plenty of boats all lined up along the shore. 

Despite the cold, a loon was comfortably at home in the water. 

After breakfast, Penny and I thought that a good way to warmup would be to take a hot shower. So we drove up to the nearest comfort station.  When we got there the staff was cleaning the bathrooms and shower so we waited in the car. We left it running with the heat on high. 

There seemed to be only one shower so Penny went first while Sylvie and I waited in the car. Then I had to use the facilities so I left Sylvie in the car and went into the bathroom. The bathroom was clean and in good repair. 

I noticed that there was a door at the end of the room just past the toilets. 

I was surprised to find that it was another shower. We had thought the one with the separate entrance outside was the only one. I assume there is probably another shower in the men's bathroom too. So that would make three in total. 

This meant that I didn't have to wait for Penny to finish and I was able to take a shower right away. The water was hot and the water pressure was good. And the hot showers did help to raise our body temperature up.

Now that we were warmed up we were ready to go for a hike. The drizzle of rain had stopped but it was still grey and chilly. Going for a hike would keep us warm.

​The trail we chose was the Quaking Bog trail. 

I had read up about the Quaking Bog trail before arriving to the park.  A Quaking Bog is a form of floating bog occurring in wetter parts of valley bogs and raised bogs and sometimes around the edges of acidic lakes. The bog vegetation, mostly sphagnum moss anchored by sedges forms a floating mat approximately half a meter thick on the surface of water or above very wet peat. Walking on the surface causes it to move – larger movements may cause visible ripples on the surface, or they may even make trees sway. 

We were excited to step onto the quaking bog and to see and feel it move beneath our feet.  The nice thing was that this trail was less than a kilometer long. So we didn't have far to go. 

We came to a blue arrow marker that showed us which direction to go in. 

While Sylvie was busy exploring the different smells, Penny and I were interested in the wide variety of mushrooms we were finding. 

We came across this really odd one that looked like it was oozing or crying. We had never seen anything like it before. 

And this one was shaped a bit different. Normally the under side doesn't show as much as this one does. It looked almost like a nose on the tree. 

As we were hunched down near the ground looking at mushrooms, Penny happened to turn her head to the left and came eye to eye with a Darner dragonfly. We were both amazed because we did not expect to see a dragonfly so low tot he ground. And it blended in with the tree bark very well. If we hadn't been down low looking at the mushrooms we would never have seen it. 

As we continued along the trail, the sun started to come out. It didn't get any warmer though.

The very beginnings of autumn were starting to show in the leaves. 

Eventually we could see the quaking bog through the trees. We wondered if this was as close as we were going to get to it. I would be disappointed if that were the case. 

We came to a wooden bridge. I thought maybe we could get a better look at the bog from there. But we couldn't. 

It wasn't long before we could see a little look out platform through the trees. 

This was it! The Quaking Bog!  From the platform it looked just like any other marsh or bog, You would never guess the secret it held. 

Penny and I wondered if we should dare to go and walk out into it. There was a small trail though the marsh grasses where we noted that some other people has done just that. I was conscious of the fact that if too many people went stomping through the bog, that it could ruin the habitat. But at the same time the urge to stand on the quaking bog was great.

I decided to venture out, making sure to only stay on the same spots where others had stood so as to limit any damage that might be done. 

Sure enough, the floating ground beneath my feet moved with every step I took. It was not quite what I expected though. The movement wasn't as extreme as I thought it would be. It was much more subtle. But it was unmistakable. I jumped up and down to get an even better effect. Penny came up behind me and together we were jumping and laughing as the ground moved under us. 

We didn't stay out in the quaking bog for too long. Just long enough to enjoy the experience. Soon enough we were following the blue arrow out to the exit. 

When we reached the end of the trail we had a good chuckle as we realized that if we had traveled the trail backwards, we would have immediately arrived at the quaking bog without hiking any of the other part of the trail. But we were glad that we took the long way. Otherwise we would have missed out on seeing the dragonfly and the mushrooms and all the other sights. 

We got into the car and started to drive back to our campsite. Looking at the map we saw that the pet beach was along the way.  Since we had a pet in the car with us, we figured we would go check it out. 

As we pulled into the parking lot we immediately saw a great big Puppy Lending Library.  We thought this was an amazing idea. We laughed as we noticed that most of the toys that were on display for lending were sticks. 

We let Sylvie out of the car and she headed right over to it and picked out a toy to play with. 

This park really goes the mile for its pet owners.  There was even a a photo board of the various pets who had visited the park. 

To get a photo of your pet on the board all you have to do is send your puppy visitation pictures to the email address posted on the board. 

The pet beach was empty except for us. Not too surprising on this cold day. We chose one of the picnic tables to sit at while we watched Sylvie enjoy her time on the beach. 

And Sylvie loved every minute of it. She basked in the sun for awhile. 

And she went for a short dip in the lake. 

As we headed back to the car we noticed the fish cleaning station off to the side. 

Inside were some sinks and a place to clean the fish. It was a nice clean little shack. 

It even had an informational card on the wall that teaches people how to fillet a Pike. 

After the pet beach we headed back to camp and had a quick lunch before heading inside the tent to play some board games. We would have sat outside to play games but there was a cold wind and inside the tent was more comfortable. Plus then we didn't have to worry about the wind blowing over the pieces of the games we were playing. 

Or so we thought. But we were wrong. All of a sudden the wind picked up and it was so strong that it blew down a corner of the tent. It came crashing in on top of Penny and we both jumped up in surprise. 

I had to go outside and tie one of the guy lines to the picnic so that the corner of the tent would stay up. 

We played board games until supper time. It was too cold to sit out at the picnic table for supper. It was cold enough that we could see our breath. So we decided to eat supper in the car with the car running and the heat on. 

With supper finished, we were looking for something to do with what little daylight we had left. We decided to drive up the road to where the amphitheater was located. 

There was a building on the spot where the amphitheater was. Turns out it was the Visitor Center. 

Before going inside we took a quick look around outside at the amphitheater. It wasn't really what I would call an amphitheater really. It was some seating and a picnic table around a fire pit. 

The inside of the Visitor Center was more interesting than the outside. The door was unlocked and the lights were on so we went in. There was no one there but us. 

Just inside the door was a giant map of the park. 

Everywhere there were informational displays about birds and animals. 

There was a large birch bark canoe in the middle of the room. 

In one corner there was the remains of a cast iron cross from a cemetery. It was a very intricate and detailed cross. 

Apparently the cross belonged to the grave of a young 4 year old girl named Jessie Moore, daughter of James Moore who was a voyageur guide. 

On one of the walls we came to a poster of a white moose. This caught my attention and I went to get a closer look. 

It was this informational poster that made me realize that these white moose actually reside right here in this park. That explained the white moose on the park's emblem and stickers.  I doubted we would see one of these white moose while we were here, but it was interesting to know that they were in the park somewhere. 

Back at the camp we were visited by a Lake Darner Dragonfly. 

We walked down to the beach in hopes of catching the sunset. The colours weren't very colourful this evening. But it was beautiful just the same. 

Not long after, the moon and stars came out. But it was too cold to want to make a fire and sit out to look at them. Instead we once again went into the tent to hang out for the rest of the evening.  We knew it would be another cold night so we prepared for it by bundling up. We wished we had brought mitts with us. penny got creative and used a pair of socks to wear as mitts to bed.

I made sure I had socks on and a hoodie with the hood done up. I wrapped an extra blanket around me before I got into my sleeping bag so that it wouldn't fall off of me during the night. I even wrapped Sylvie up in an extra blanket. We were as prepared as we could be for the cold night ahead. We fell asleep all snug and warm; listening to the songs of the loons out on the lake.