We woke up to a beautiful day and the birds were singing. The park was pretty quiet with no major noise coming from the other campers. And we were happy to find that we had no major leaks from the tent over the course of the night so our sleeping bags were dry.

Before leaving this beautiful park we wanted to do the full hike of the F.I.T. trail. So, after breakfast we once again began to wander down the wide and well groomed paths of the trail.

There are plenty of birds in Bonnechere Park. A Robbin was the early bird on this morning; out to get his morning worm. 

We found more of the information signs hiding in the posts and we read up on the wildlife and interesting facts about the area.

There weren't too many other people on the trail. Only about 4 other couples and groups of people passed us along the way. 

I saw this mushroom that I thought was kind of different. I don't know what kind it is though. 

We came to a fence with arrows showing the direction to go in. Of course, rebels that we are, we went in the opposite direction and did this part of the trail backwards. Come to think of it, I am pretty sure that we often do trails backwards. 

There was a nice little foot bridge to walk over. 

Situated along the path are the cabins that you are able to rent from the park. Considering how close they are to the path and how many people would be traveling the trails and peeking in at you all the time, I am not sure that I would really want to rent one of these cabins. 

The trail follows along a river for a bit. There was a kayaker that passed by us. I would imagine that there are some beautiful places to see along the river from the kayak that you just can't see from the trail. 

Th reflections off the water made for some interesting scenery. It was like something out of a painting. 

There were plenty of grasshoppers to be found along the way. 

Every once in awhile there would be an opening along the side of the path where you could see the water really well. 

Some of those openings had animal and bird tracks in the mud along the shoreline. 

There were some beautiful, red, Columbine flowers lining the sides of the path in tome sections. 

And in among the Columbine were some spent  flowers of the Virgin's Bower (Clematis) plant. These two plants  made for a visually  interesting combination. 

There were also some Lily of the Valley plants with berries that were not ripe yet. 

This adorable little chipmunk peeked around a tree to say hello to us. 

The slight tinge of red on the maple leaves reminded us that whether we like it or not, it will soon be autumn. 

We finished up the trail and headed back to camp to pack up to go home. We could hear some very loud, shrill,  cries coming from the tree tops across the road from the waste management site. I could tell that there were two raptors of some sort calling to each other. In order to check it out I had to go through some thick underbrush and through some wet, muddy puddles and soggy leaves in an area that is not intended for campers to go traipsing through.  Heather was tired and didn't want to go through the water and brush. So she headed back to camp on her own and I stayed to see what kind of birds these were and to see if I could get a picture. 

I walked as quietly as I could to the base of the trees that I could see them in. As far as I can tell, they were two Red-tailed Hawks. 

They may have had a nest near by because I had heard them the day before too, so they were definitely sticking around for a reason. I spent a good 20 minutes trying to get pictures. By the time I got a couple of "not so good, but it will have to do" pictures, my shoes were wet and the mosquitoes were coming in to feast on me. But I was glad that I had gone out of my way to see them. 

At the campsite I was able to take pictures of a couple of crows yelling at each other. These two were much easier to photograph.

We packed up our tent and our gear and we headed for home. That concluded another wonderful camping and backpacking trip for us. There is nothing like getting away from it all. Can't wait to get back out there again soon! 

I woke up at 6:30 a.m. Way too early for my liking. Heather was awake too. We peeked outside the tent door hoping to see a moose across the lake. But no such luck. Heather got out of the tent and I tried to go back to sleep. But at 7:45 I was still awake so I got up too. It was over cast  and looked like it could rain at any time. So, it was probably best that we got the day started. 

We had a quick breakfast and then we got packed up. We spent a few extra minutes down by the water\s edge before we had to leave.

Momma loon and her baby were still swimming nearby. 

​ I was sad to have to say good-bye to the loons. It would have been nice to be able to stay a few more days to watch the progress of the baby loons diving and flying lessons. But we had places to go and things to see. 

We left the campsite at about 9:40. There was a bit of climbing and a bit of scrambling over rocks and water. But nothing too crazy. 

Despite the overcast skies, the flowers were out in full bloom looking for the sunshine.

We got to the bridge at the Clutes loop and stopped for a rest. Once we got this far we knew there wasn't too much further to go.

We stayed here for about 20 minutes and enjoyed the view.

We finished the trail and got out of the bush at about 11:50 a.m.  Surprisingly, the last stretch of trail had more roots and stones on it than any other part of the entire trail. 

The last thing to do was to cross the road to the parking lot where our car was waiting. We were hoping to make it on time to the boat cruise that takes you to see to see the petroglyphs on the cliffs of Lake Mazinaw but we missed the boat by about 10 minutes. The next one wasn't for another hour and a half and we didn't want to wait. We figured we would come back here to go camping another year and we can do the boat cruise at that time. 

So we left the park store where they sell the tickets and we headed back to the car. Along the way we passed the area where the Art Exhibition had taken place a few days earlier before we began our backpacking trip. The space was so big and empty now.  I noticed a gentleman sitting at one of the picnic tables beside a yellow thing. 

Then I noticed that there was another yellow thing at another picnic table. So I went closer to see what it was. It was an electrical outlet where you can sit and charge your phone or other devices. What a great place to have these!  Trying to find a place at the comfort station can be tricky sometimes. These take all the frustration out of it. You can sit and read a book or talk with friends or eat lunch while you wait for your devices to charge. 

​Once we were in the car we headed off to Bonnechere Provincial Park. 

After eating we continued on our way. Here is a warning to anyone using the Google Maps app on your phone to go from Bon Echo Park to Bonnechere Park.....Don't trust Lady Google! She told us to turn right down some road but it turned out to be someone's laneway. We actually needed to travel one block further before turning right. (Can't remember where this was exactly but it was near "Old Barry Bay Road" or something like that).  

There were about 6 drops of rain on the windshield as we drove, but no real rain all day.  Everywhere we looked there were signs that said "Total Fire Ban". But the funniest signs were the ones we passed that said "Firewood for sale $10" and about 5 feet away was a big sign saying "Total Fire Ban".  I am guessing the people selling firewood didn't get many sales.

We got to Bonnechere Provincial Park at about 2:30 p.m.

As we drove in we noticed a sign saying "Active Bear in the Park". Heather was happy to see this and was hoping that she could see the bear while we were there.  We went inside to check in and Heather asked where the bear had been sighted. The staff said not to worry and that  it had only been sited a few times near the waste management site. I guess they misunderstood when Heather asked about it. I think that they thought we were afraid of running into it when it was quite the opposite. 

On the outside of the office was a big sign letting everyone know that there was a fire ban in effect. Even though Bon Echo and Bonnechere are only about an hour and 45 minutes away from each other, the Bon Echo ban had been lifted but the Bonnechere ban had not. 

Bonnechere had gone so far as to print out forms about the fire ban that you had to read and then you had to sign your campsite permit saying that you had read and agreed to the fire ban rules. 

We got site number 94. On the side of the permit post was a sign telling you how to manage waste and recycling. 

The site was, large, clean, and private.They even raked the ground around the fire pit. 

The only concern I had was that it was situated right next to a bog (many of the sites are). So I figured that the mosquitoes would be bad (I bet they are pretty bad in May and June). But I didn't have to worry because despite the bog being right  there, the bugs were not bad at all. 

In fact, the bog was kind of pretty. 

The first thing we did after setting up the tent was to head to the showers. Now Bonnechere is a beautiful park and has so many wonderful things about it, however, the showers are not one of them. The showers were dingy and wet (not a clean wet but an stale and stagnant wet).  The water only lasted about 2 minutes before you had to push the button to get the water to run again. The water started off nice but after the first push of the button, the water became freezing cold. It took about another 7 or 8 pushes of the button to get the water warm again. Heather said that her shower was about the same. The showers definitely need an upgrade. 

After taking our showers we went to the park store. I showed Heather the room where Thunder the turtle was staying. he wasn't walking around on the floor this time though; he was in his big metal tub. 

Outside the store we saw a white board that indicated we may be in for a thunderstorm that evening.
Inside the store were many souvenirs, treats, camping gear, etc.  We found it odd that they sold Mosquito Coils and Citronella candles but not for use in the park. Our guess was that this was because of the fire ban in place. 

Heather and I eyed up the display of fudge. Each one had an interesting name such as " Wolf Paw" or "Moose Tracks". The only problem with names like that is you are not quite sure what is in them, so you are not quite sure if you are going to like them.  But it's fudge, so really, it should all taste great!  :) 

I chose the Bear Claw fudge and Heather chose the Milky Way fudge. And yes, they did both taste great. 

We took our fudge and went to stroll along the beach. We found a picnic table down by the boat launch and sat and watched a momma duck with her brood of 4 ducklings swimming near by. 

Then, a little further off I saw what looked like someone had been skipping a rock across the surface of the water. But no one was around and no one was skipping rocks. No, it wasn't a rock at all. It was a frog! I have seen frogs jump and swim, but I had never seen one skip across the surface of the water like a stone before! I was quite surprised by this. Even more surprising was that I caught it on camera. 

I really like this park. It's like they have thought of everything here. They even have a special tap where you can wash the sand from your feet after you come up from the beach!

We went back to the campsite and Heather went for a nap. I tried to take some pictures of birds because there were a whole bunch near by, but all the pictures turned out blurry. It is not easy to take pictures of birds. 

When Heather got up from her nap we went to see if there were any bears at the waste management site. There weren't any, but there was a live bear trap. The waste management site was actually pretty busy compared to most other parks I have been to. I think other people also had the same idea to come to look for bears and to check out the bear trap.  The bear trap had yellow tape and a mini barricade around it to warn people away from it. We chuckled because it looked more like they were trying to warn the bear to stay away. 

Behind the waste management site runs part of a hiking trail. We decided to explore this trail for a bit. 

The trail is called the F.I.T. trail. You may think means it's for getting your exercise, (which it also does) but it actually stands for "Footprints In Time".

The trail is a beautiful, wide, pathway that is easy for anyone to travel down. I think that it is even wheelchair accessible. 

From time to time you will see information signs that you can stop to read. 

But what we thought were really neat were the signs that are hidden inside of logs all along the trail. You just push the wooden sign down on one end and the longer end pops up with information written on bvoth sides of the post. What a unique idea! 

Some of them have a little map on the back of them.

With a "you are here" dot indicated on the map. 

We got to one section where there were many of these posts all in a row. 

At the same section there were also a couple of cabins and some picnic tables to sit at. 

Inside one cabin was a display of how an old logging cabin looked like inside. there was a bed and a wooden chest.

And there was a little wood stove and wash basin and some tools. 

Outside that cabin we noticed a time capsule in the shape of a rock. I imagine they will be having some sort of opening ceremony in the year 2042. Could be interesting to attend and to see what is inside. 

Across the way was a second cabin. 

Inside this one it was set up to look like an old school room or something.  We didn't tour the whole trail because it was going to be dark soon and it was threatening to rain. We went back to the campsite and made ourselves some supper on the little propane stove that we had. 

At 8:50 p.m. it began to rain. We had just finished supper but we were still having coffee and hot chocolate. So undeterred, we grabbed our umbrellas from the car and sat at the picnic table under them in the rain. The rain itself didn't last too long, but the trees got wet enough that water was dripping from the leaves. So even though it had stopped raining we kept the umbrellas up just the same. 

One thing about having your campsite near a bog, when it rains all the frogs come out. There were frogs everywhere! And to top it off, it was getting pretty dark so we couldn't see them very well. We had to be careful not to step on them. 

After awhile it got dark enough and it was wet enough that we went into the tent to spend the rest of our evening. We heard a few planes go by that sounded like thunder, but we never did get the thunder storm that they were calling for. 

Another beautiful morning! We are headed to Arrowhead Park . But along the way we are making a slight detour to Bonnechere Park for lunch. We were all packed up and ready to go by 11 a.m. 

Since we had a provincial park permit from Lake St. Peter it was still valid until 10 p.m. at any provincial park to get in as a "day use" pass. So when we got to Bonnechere we headed into the office to present our pass. We were completely surprised to find out at that time that Bonnechere Park was not just a Day Use park as we had originally thought. It is actually an overnight campground. So we clearly had read the website wrong and could have been staying here for the past couple nights. But that was OK, at least we were going to be able to have lunch here. 

Right from the get go we were impressed with this park. The roads were wide and well maintained. the parking lot down by the beach was centrally located and had plenty of shady spots as well as a section in the middle for vehicles with trailers.

As you head over towards the park store you find a huge structure. It looks like a tree with a canoe for a roof.

To our delight we realized that this structure was a book tree! All around the trunk of the tree were little cabinets with glass doors at various heights. Inside each cabinet were all different kinds of books. There were kids books in the lower cabinets and books for older people in the higher cabinets. You could take a book and borrow it for a time, or you could take the book with you and replace it with one of your own that you no longer want. We loved this idea! 

Up inside the canoe portion of the book tree we saw a little nest. I guess the birds think this tree is a great idea too! 

On the other side of the book tree was a very long building called the Davenport Center. It is the park store and the Visitor Center all rolled into one. 

Outside the door was a large sign announcing that days kids event and where it is located. 

When you first enter the building there is a little museum like area. There is an old wood stove display on one side with information about early settlers.  

On the other side of the room is a section with information on "Friends Of Bonnechere Park".

To the left there was an entrance to another large room. Inside were various displays about nature including bones of animals and information kiosks. 

​ And right in the middle of the floor was a big ole snapping turtle walking around the room! We happened to come in at just the right time. The turtle's name is Thunder and he is on loan from a reptile zoo for the summer. This was his first foray out of his tank. They had let him walk around to get some exercise because there was no one in the building except the staff at the moment. And then we walked in. We gave him plenty of room and tried not to scare him. We watched him for a bit and then headed over to the other side of the building where the store is. 

The store had plenty of interesting things and the prices were half decent. 

They had a neat looking wall hanging that looked like giant scrabble pieces. We bought a couple of drinks and some souvenirs and headed out towards the beach. 

As we left the building we noticed an odd looking chair sitting in the corner. We had never seen one before and we were curious about what it was for. 

Then we read the sign and realized that it was a wheel chair that could go into the water. Now we were really impressed with this park! 

They even had a blue carpet made specifically for the water wheelchairs to roll on so that they wouldn't get stuck in the sand.

And the blue carpet rolls all the way out into the water. 

It was like this park has thought of every little detail. There was a volley ball net. 

And a boardwalk with benches along the waterfront, as well as a little kids jungle gym area just beyond that.

They even had a place where you could get free doggie doo bags for those people who had dogs. 

There were plenty of people at the beach but it was still easy to get a picnic table. We sat and ate lunch and enjoyed the scenery. 

After lunch I walked over to the other side of the beach where the boat launch was. It was a pretty little area with a little dock that jutted into the river. 

From the dock you can see sunfish swimming around in the river. 

They had canoes that you could rent. These canoes were a little different in that they had backs on their seats. 

They also had kayaks and a paddle board for rent too,

Before leaving the park we went over to the comfort station which was just at the other end of the parking lot.

At the far end of the comfort station they had an outdoor laundry facility. We had never seen a park that had their laundry facilities outside before. There was a bench near by where you could sit and wait for your laundry and there was an electrical outlet where  you could charge your phone if you needed to. 

We stayed at Bonnechere for about 2 hours. We liked the park so much that we decided that we would definitely have to come back in the future to stay the night and see how the campsites were.

​We left at about 2:30 and since we were travelling through Algonquin Park to get to Arrowhead Park, we decided to make a stop at the Algonquin Art Center. 

I had been here before with my sister Heather and my mom so I was excited to show this place to my brother and to Penny. I just love the metal work. 

All of the art work here is amazing and I recommend anyone in the area to stop in and see it for themselves. You won't be disappointed. 

We didn't stay long because it was close to closing time when we arrived. But we were anxious to get to our next destination anyways.....Arrowhead Park. 

The last time we were at Bonnechere Caves I was about 8 or 9 years old. I don't remember much. Just that it was cool inside and I remember squeezing through a passage way. So I was excited to be going again with my brother, Carsten, and his girlfriend, Penny. 

We left Driftwood Park at about 12:30 and got to the Bonnechere Caves around 2:30, but we had about a half hour stop along the way because we stopped at a nice little restaurant in the town of Cobden.  It was an extremely hot day and my air conditioning wasn't working in the car and my phone started to over heat just sitting on the seat of the car. So we had decided to stop to cool off a bit. 
   The Bonnechere Caves are located in Eganville, Ontario on Fourth Chute Road. This is to the East of Algonquin Park.  

We got there about 10 minutes early so we had time to look around a bit and take pictures at the "Face-In-A-Hole" display of their logo. 

The tour began under a little shelter and featured a talk on fossils.

They had some larger fossils out on display and they brought out some smaller ones and passed them around during the presentation.

After the presentation we headed off, single file, down the trail towards the caves.

As we walked, we went past the river and saw the way the water had carved its way through the stone over the course of millions of years. 

And we saw where the river enters the cave system at multiple points. But none of these entrances were the ones we were entering. 

You could tell where we were going to enter by the large sign above it saying "Bonnechere Caves" 

Inside the caves it was nice and cool. We were grateful for the reprieve from the hot sun we had been driving in for the past couple hours. It is 13 degrees inside the caves all year round; even in the wintertime. 

Although the cave passageways seemed narrow, there was actually enough room for two or three people to stand shoulder to shoulder in most places inside. There is one section that does get fairly narrow and the head room is low. We had the option to go through that section if we wanted to. Those that didn't want to go through the small area stayed behind and waited for the rest of us to return.  the lady in front of me and Penny was just about to go inside that section but at the last second she got claustrophobic and changed her mind and we had to back up a bit to let her get out. 

Above our heads the roof of the cave was oddly shaped and stalactites were forming. It takes about 100 years for a stalactite to grow only one inch. So these stalactites have been forming for hundreds of years. 

During the spring and summer the water is pumped out of this part of the cave system and people are able to walk inside on the walk ways that are set up. For the winter the walkways are disassembled and the water is allowed to flow back into the caves again so that the frost doesn't get in and cause the cave to collapse and create sink holes. It takes 5 days for the caves to fill back up with water and when it does it doesn't go all the way to the roof in most places. 

Once you get into the biggest room in the cave, the tour guide tells you about how the original explorer had been in the cave while the water was still in it and had lost his flashlight. The guide then turns off all the lights in the cave so that you can experience for yourself just how dark it would have been for him with no lights. (She warns you that she is going to do this). You pretty much can't see your hand in front of your face. 

Near the end of the tour you can see where a part of the cave had collapsed many years before the tours ever began. She assured us that the cave was perfectly safe to be in while on the tour. 

Just as we went inside the cave single file, so we went out of the cave single file. 

It was neat to turn around and watch the others come out of the cave behind you. If you didn't know the cave was there it would be like watching them walk out of a wall. 

The tour guide had suggested that once we left the cave we might like to walk up to see the sink hole from the outside of the cave. She said it was only about a 15 minute walk. So we decided to check it out. 

Turns out the sink hole was only about 2 minutes away, and not the 15 minutes that she said it was. Also, the sink hole was not so easy to see through the trees. 

Our last stop was the gift shop. Inside were T-shirts, ice-cream and drinks. You could also look at displays of fossils, including the largest one they ever found at the caves. There were also photos on the wall of 3 different weddings that have taken place inside the caves over the years. 

With souvenirs in hand, we headed to our cars and started off for our next destination. We were going to go camping at Lake St. Peter Provincial Park.