The noisy people had packed up and left before we got up in the morning. That was a small blessing. 
Now it was time for us to pack up and go too. We took our time and enjoyed the sunny morning. 

Everything was going well until we took down the tent. Inside each and every pole and nook and cranny we found a multitude of earwigs. So many earwigs. They were inside the poles and inside the seams that hold the poles. I had to painstakingly shake out and check everything. I did not want to bring even one of these little critters back home with me. Nor did I want them squished in my tent.  It was a time consuming job but by the time we had finished packing up, I was confident that we had no hitch hikers of the insect kind. 

Carsten and Penny wanted to get home but I had some time to kill before I had to go back to Toronto to pick up my kid from the airport. So, I decided to drive the 40 minute drive from Sandbanks Provincial Park to North Beach Provincial Park, which was mostly the direction I had to go in to get back anyways.  We said our good byes and parted ways and I headed off to see what North Beach was like. 

I arrived at North Beach Park at about 12:15 pm. I was surprised to find a gatehouse at the entrance to the park. All the other Day Use parks I had been to had never had a gatehouse. 

As I pulled up I noticed a sign saying "Advanced Registration Required". I wondered if I was going to be able to get in. The rules have always been that if you camp at another provincial park and still have a valid permit you could use it to get into the day facilities of any other park. But it was the "advanced" part of it that I was unsure of.  Well the only way to find out was to drive up. 

I presented my permit to one of the two people in the gatehouse. She was unsure about it so she turned to her co-worker who took a look at it and paused for a moment. Then he said "yes, it's valid." and I was cleared to enter. 

The next sign I encountered was one that warned of an undertow. Today it was considered to be a moderate threat. I was reminded of the conversation we had with the cashier at the Sandbanks Park Store who told us how one side of North Beach had dangerous under tows but the other side was calm and a safer place to swim.  I think that is part of what makes this park such an interesting place to visit. 

The park is long and narrow and the main road is paved and runs right down the middle of it. 

Almost immediately I could see the waves from Lake Ontario lapping up against the shore of a beautiful sandy beach. I hadn't even gotten out of the car yet and already I liked this park. 

It was easy to find the parking lots. The sign said that there was a park store and a pet area as well. 

​There was plenty of parking and on a very hot day like today, I was happy to see that there were still plenty of empty spaces. I parked the car and got out to walk around. 

On the ground near the parking lot I found an empty bird nest. 

I decided to start on the Lake Ontario side of the park which is on the left side. The waves were rolling in and the sea gulls were dotting the shore.  

It was not over crowded, nor even slightly crowded for that matter.  Such a beautiful beach. Truly a hidden gem.

I walked back towards the car but did not get in it. Instead, I crossed over tot he other side of the parking lot where a sand dune path led to the other beach on the right hand side of the park. 

A little house wren was perched in a tree watching me as I walked by. 

I came to a fenced off area that caught my curiosity. The sign on the fence said "Protected Nesting Area. Please Do Not Disturb". There was an opening at one end and the area inside seemed to be empty. 

Well, almost empty. There was one single egg in the middle. It looked like a Killdeer egg. No mamma appeared to be around anywhere. With no mamma to regulate the heat of this egg on this hot day, I assumed it was not a viable egg. But I was only guessing. 

Off to the right I spotted one of the bathrooms or change rooms. 

Next I went to check out the beach on the North Bay side of the park. Just as the cashier at Sandbanks Provincial Park had said, the water was much calmer on this side of the park.  There were no waves but there were a few more people on this side.  Parents seemed to be more comfortable with letting their children swim on this side. 

Despite there being no waves and no dangerous undertow on this side, it does not mean that it doesn't come without it's own dangers. You still have to be cautious on this side. There is a sudden drop off here, much like the ones in Sandbanks Park. 

They do have markers out in the water showing where the drop off is though. 

There was a sign that indicated no fires, no alcohol, no pets and no BBQs allowed. 

It is a nice enough beach on this side but it had a bit more vegetation along the shoreline. It was not as purely sandy as the other side. 

But some of that vegetation had a beauty of its own. There were little yellow Silverweed flowers growing from the tendrils of its vines along the shore. 

Next I went to check out the designated pet area which was on this same beach, only a little further down towards the far end of the beach.  It had a nice sandy area, but the water was a little bit more marshy down here. Not the worst but definitely not as nice as where the humans get to swim. 

There were picnic tables in the pet designated area where you can sit and watch your pet. There is not a whole lot of shade though. So your pet would have a bit of trouble in the heat in that regard unless you brought a shade tent like some people have done. 

Across the bay, I could see a couple of swans swimming and fishing for their meal. 

After awhile I walked back to the parking lot and got into my car and drove further down the main road of the park to the other end. I found a new parking lot and parked closer to the park store. 

The park store is a little cantina with a patio. Not sure what the patio is for. Perhaps they have tables there at some point in the season? 

It could be that there is nothing there right now because I happened to come at a time when the store was closed. 

Disappointed that the store was closed, I instead explored the beach area near the store. They provided a beach access surface for wheelchairs and baby carriages. 

I followed the blue mat to the shoreline and to the picnic area. 

I walked up the road to as far as it can take me. At the very end, if you keep going straight it will bring you onto private property. However, the park road curves to the right and changes from pavement to a dirt road that will bring you to the North Bay (the calmer beach). 

Up above me, in the tree branches, sat a Mourning Dove watching all the goings on down below. 

I came to an informational sign that talked about the ecosystem of the beach. 

The part I found interesting on this sign was the information about the Larval Antlion pits.  I had seen a whole bunch of these pits at Sandbanks Provincial Park but didn't know what they were until now. 

The larva stage of the Antlion is a little bug with pincers, while the adult is a fly that reminds me of a cross between a Crane fly and a Dragonfly. I searched and searched for the Antlion pits here in North Beach but I did not find any.  (Note: These pictures of the Antlion are not mine and were not taken in this park). 

Eventually I gave up looking because something else had caught my eye.  In an area off to the side and away from beach goers a Killdeer was making a bit of a ruckus. He was flailing around and making noises. 

I paused to pay more attention to him and to see if there was something wrong.  This was all part of his plan and I fell for it. 

You see, he was trying to get my attention on him in hopes that my attention would be diverted from the female who was a little further away. 

And this was important because along with the female were all of her little chicks. They were very well camouflaged in the sand and the gravel. . There were about 3 or 4 of them. It helped that they were not even as tall as the grass yet. To be honest, if the male had not drawn my attention to him, I might not have noticed these little guys at all. So his good intentions kind of backfired a little. But lucky for them I was not a predator. 

​  I wondered if the lone egg in the nest at the other end of the beach was one of hers that didn't make it.  

These little babies were just the cutest. They mimicked momma and were little mini versions of her.  Baby killdeer always come out running. They hatch with their eyes open, and as soon as their downy feathers dry, they start scurrying about, following their parents and searching the ground for something to eat.

These fluffy little chicks were doing just that. They ran around chasing bugs and momma and each other through their little sandy, grassy, jungle. I watched them for a few minutes before it was time for me to leave. I had a kid of my own that I had to go and pick up at the airport. 

Getting to see these little Killdeer chicks was the icing on the cake on this trip to North Beach Park.  Such a beautiful place and I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. 

My mom had been talking about taking the great grand kids out for a hike and a picnic lunch at Mashkinonje for a couple of weeks and we were all set to go. Unfortunately at the last moment something came up and the great grand kids couldn't make it. We were disappointed and almost didn't go at all but we figured, why not get out of the house and get back into nature for  the day. So we loaded the dog into the car and drove to Mashkinonje for a beautiful hike in the sun. On the drive along the way we saw a coyote crossing a field and into the tree line a few kilometers before we reached the park. 

My mom and I were excited to show my dad this park that we had discovered last year. We thought it would be perfect for him because he is not able to go on long hikes due to knee problems, but this one had a great boardwalk and lots of benches so it wouldn't be too strenuous a hike. Plus my dog is 16 years old now and he can't walk very far anymore so it would be great for him too. 

So you can imagine our disappointment when we discovered that a part of the boardwalk was flooded. The dog didn't mind and walked right through it. 

The only way to get across was to slide across the top of the railing. Since my dad couldn't climb up the railing and he didn't want to walk through the water he ended up taking the dog and heading back towards the beginning of the trail. He said that he didn't mind but I was still disappointed that he couldn't make it to at least the first look out point. 

But I understood. After all, the water was deep enough that there were minnows swimming over the boardwalk. 

And a frog was hanging out on the boardwalk too. 

At least he got to see some of the beauty of the boardwalk before having to turn around. 

Since we didn't have to stick to easy terrain anymore my mom and I decided to hike the longer parts of the trail that went to a couple of look out points and a tower.  My mom went up ahead while I took the dog back to the bench where my dad was sitting. We started up the right hand branch of the first loop of the trail. 

Once you left the boardwalk behind and ventured down the first loop you could tell that this part of the trail was not used as much. The vegetation was thick and the path was a little bit over grown. 

But I had only walked for a minute or two before the trees opened up to a rocky clearing. 

Here I found one of the first of many informative signs that are posted throughout the trail. This one was about Caribou Lichen, which I already knew a little bit about. This is one of the edible plants growing on the trail. 

It takes more plain than flavourless rice cakes and has a bit of an earthy after taste to it but if you are stuck int he woods it is often times fairly plentiful and easy to spot. It was growing everywhere on the rocks here. 

After leaving the clearing you travel through the trees for a few minutes more until you start to catch your first glimpse of the bog through the trees. Then the trees open up to reveal a beautiful bog that looked both wild and  barren at the same time. 

I stood there for a very long time just drinking in the beauty of the landscape. 

Eventually I continued along on my hike and followed the rocky granite path for some distance away from the bog. But there is bog everywhere along the trail. Even when you no longer see the what you normally consider to be a bog.  An information sign pointed out a "Pocket Bog" off to the side of the trail. 

In the middle of a rocky area between some fallen trees was the "Pocket Bog" that the sign described. If it wasn't for the sign I would have considered this to just be some sort of mud puddle and would not have given it a second look. But it certainly did look like a miniature bog now that I was taking notice of it. 

As I rounded a bend I could glimpse through the trees another marsh area. 

​This place is filled with all sorts of marshes and I was loving it. 

The last time I had come to Mashkinonje I was lucky enough to see a beaver. This time I only saw a beaver lodge. 

I had been hoping to see some sort of wildlife in these marshes but so far I hadn't seen anything until now. I wasn't disappointed. Sitting on a log in the middle of the water was a painted turtle sunning itself. 

The shores of the marsh were decorated in Tawny Cottonweed and Cattails. I spent a fair amount of time here too because it was so peaceful. 

But by this point I was wondering where my mom was and if she was wondering where I was. So I ventured on. I went through the pines for awhile until I came to a little mini boardwalk over a wet section in the woods. The sign here said that this was a "Black Ash Swamp".

It did look rather swampy. 

Soon the trail came to a T.  I could go left and head back to the parking lot where my dad had been waiting or | could go right and head on to the second loop of the trail. I had been gone for more than an hour by now and probably closer to two hours. I wondered which way my mom had gone. I knew that she had been eager to spend some time to herself out here and I knew that she was as curious as I was about what was at the other end of loop 2.  I had a feeling that she probably went to the right. But if I was wrong then I risked everyone being mad at me for taking so long. 

When I looked up the path and saw that there was a sign for a look out up ahead I just knew that my mom had to have gone that way. I decided to risk it and I headed up the second section of the trail towards the tower. 

Now I know that I said earlier that this part of the trail doesn't seem to be used as much as the boardwalk section, but loop 2 definitely gets less use than loop one. There was no doubt in my mind. The ferns here were growing up as tall as my shoulders!

There was dead fall over the path and it wasn't as worn down like the other paths were. I felt like there were animals in the trees watching me but I couldn't see or hear anything. 

But I did see other signs that something was there. I came across some tracks in the mud. Could be someone's dog tracks or perhaps it was the tracks of a coyote like the one we saw on the drive over here. 

As I was walking through another rocky clearing I met up with my mom who was on her way back. I knew she had gone this way! She told me that the tower was not far away and that she was heading back now and to go ahead and take my time.  

So she headed back towards the car and I continued on towards the tower. She had given me her binoculars  and told me that there was a heronry  somewhere in the distance so I was curious to see what I would find once I got to the top. 

The sign at the bottom of the tower talked about the heronry being a natural nesting ground for tfor blue herons. It showed where it was located and what it looked like. 

But even armed with this information I didn't see the heronry. Or at least I didn't recognize it if I was looking at it., 

But the view from up here was spectacular none the less. It was definitely worth the climb up. 

You could see for miles around. 

And at one end of the balcony there was another informational sign to describe the various plants in the area. I stayed up here and enjoyed the view for probably longer than I should knowing that my parents would be waiting for me. So I decided to get a move on and head back. 

On the way back as I was walking along the wooden walkway through the trees I startled a grouse that was lurking in the underbrush. I tried to take a picture of it but it was too fast for me. 

Soon enough the wild trail turned back into a nicely groomed gravel path with benches every now and then and I knew I was back onto the main trail heading towards the parking lot. 

Sure enough the boardwalk came in sight. It looked lovely in the evening sun with a hint of red maple leaves all around. Once again  I slid across the railing where the flooded area was. 

The frog had moved from the boardwalk into the water lilies but the minnows were still there. 

My parents and my dog were all waiting patiently for me when I got back to the beginning of the trail. They didn't seem concerned at all about how long I had been gone. Since we hadn't gotten the chance to have a picnic lunch we decided instead to drive down the road to one of the provincial picnic areas and have a picnic supper there instead. 
   It had been a great afternoon. Maybe next time we will hike the trails of Mashkinonje on the other side fo the highway. We have only just seen a small part of what this park has to offer. 

I woke up at 8:30 to the sounds of highway traffic going by. You could still hear the birds and the chattering of the squirrels in between the short lulls of the vehicles going by. 
  The air was chilly but we had stayed relatively warm during the night. It helped that we had placed our backpacking mats on top of our regular camping mats which provided more insulation from the ground and was a bit more comfortable. 

There was not much morning sun on our site so I ate my breakfast standing in the sunlight of the empty campsite across from us. It was warmer that way. 

We packed up camp by 10:45 and headed to the park store to buy a T-shirt. They didn't have anything that I liked so instead we decided to stop in to the Agawa store which was only about a minute down the road. 

This place was filled with so many hand made items. Even some of the shelving units were handmade out of Birch trees. 

They had things like colourful hand carved wood ducks. 

And they had some beautiful glass lights. 

The walls were filled with the artwork of various painters.

In one corner a wooden rocking horse caught my eye. 

It was made even more interesting by the sign on it that told how it was made by the same carver who made one for Prince Charles and Princess Diana. 

The wood work pieces in this store were just amazing! 

From wooden faces on the wall, 

to wooden vases and bowls on the shelves, the thought and work that went into these pieces were wonderful. 

There were even wooden board games. The people who made these were very talented. 

We marveled over how many different shapes and sizes there were of cribbage boards. There was so much to see here. It was almost like walking through an art gallery. 

We probably spent almost an hour in the store before we finally left and continued on our way to Batchawana Bay which was just 10 minutes down the road. 

As we had found out the hard way the day before, Batchawana Bay Park is a Day Use Only park. For $11.25 you can load your car up and take the family to the beach for the day. I think that is definitely worth the money if you are in the area. 

Since we had a valid  park permit from Pancake Bay Park we did not need to purchase an additional park permit for Batchawana Bay because Provincial Park permits are transferable in that way. 

If you make a left when you first come in there is an Information Kiosk at the end of a large parking lot. We parked the car and got out to look around. The Information Kiosk was open for the purpose of public washrooms but no one was around except for the cleaners. So we didn't see what else was inside. 

Outside the Information Kiosk was a set of picnic tables. I was unclear as to whether or not this was part of the park or if it was open to the general public. If it is not technically part of the park then it would be a good place for lunch and a swim for free if you chose to do so. 

To the left of the picnic tables was sandy beach that headed towards the tree line. 

To the right you could see the sandy beach running as far as the eye could see down into the farthest reaches of the park. 

We got back into the car and started to drive to the other end of the park. The roads were open and paved and well taken care of. One side was lined by many trees that gave you privacy from the near by highway. The other side was bordered by the shores of Lake Superior. 

There were many little spots with picnic tables and garbage bins where you could park your car and have access to the beach. 

Some spots didn't have much in the way of trees but most had at least one or two. 

But every spot had a picnic table and the view of the lake was lovely. 

The whole place was very quiet and peaceful. We only saw about two or three day campers in the whole park. If it is quiet like this all the time then this would be a fantastic place to spend the day maybe reading a book in the shade of the trees or in the sandy sun. 

But we didn't have the whole day to spend here. We had to get going because we still had a 6 hour drive ahead of us to get home. So we turned around and headed back out of the park and onto the highway home. We were looking forward to sleeping in our own beds after our week of camping in a tent. But we will also miss being in the great outdoors and we look forward to our next camping trip. 

On our way to Killarney Provincial Park we had spotted a sign for another Provincial Park that we were curious about. We had never heard of Mashkinonje Provincial Park before and we wondered if it was a tenting camp or a day use camp. So we decided that on our way home from Killarney that we would stop in to take a look.

We had left Killarney Park around 11 a.m. and had spent some time in the town of Killarney. After about an hour and a half drive down Hwy 64, near the town of Monetville, we came to a little side of the road picnic area. We knew we were close but we didn't want to miss it so we pulled over into the picnic area to check our map. Sure enough, we were a mere minute and a half away. So although the picnic area was beautiful we didn't stay long. 

Just up the road we saw the sign for Mashkinonje Provincial Park on the right hand side of the road. 

According to the map there were hiking trails on the left hand side of the road too but we hadn't seen any signs for that side indicating an entrance anywhere, so I am not sure how to access those trails exactly. But that was OK because Heather was anxious to get home and didn't want to stay long anyways. We were just there for a quick peek, not for the whole day. 

Turns out that Mashkinonje is a day use park. So there were no rangers and no fees to pay. This little park is one of those gems that are a well kept secret. The further I went into this park the more and more impressed I was with it. If you are ever in the area it is well worth a visit. 

The parking lot is just a tiny one with maybe enough room for about 3 cars, despite the fact that there is a sign indicating a section for bus parking (it would have to be either one of those small buses or it would be one bus and no room for any cars). 

There is one small washroom with a mes side and a ladies side. There is a place for garbage and recycling and there is the first of many benches that you will see along the paths.

The bathrooms are wheel chair accessible but are not flush toilets. 

When you first arrive you think to yourself, "it's nice enough but it doesn't look like much". But if you were to stop there then you would miss out on all the beauty that is just around the corner.  The park can be used year round and there are multiple look out points to visit. 

The Loudon Peatland Trail is 2.9 km of very easy to use wheelchair accessible paths. I read on the sign that there were boardwalks and marshes up ahead. Those are one of my favourite types of trails since there is usually plenty of wildlife to see on those kinds of trails. 

All the paths were extremely wide and very well maintained. You can tell that a lot of care goes into this park. 

Heather and my mom were too tired to do much walking and Heather still had some nasty blisters on her heels so I left them both to sit on a bench in the shade while I went on ahead on my own. I was not going to walk the entire trail but I did want to see a little bit more than just a bench or two. And I am glad I did or I would not have known just how beautiful it gets the further in you go. 

Near the bench that I left Heather and my mom at were some informational signs about the various trees in the park. So at least they had something to read while they waited for me. 

Not far up ahead the trees opened up and there in front of me was a gorgeous little board walk. Most boardwalks are a dull grey colour and some don't have any railings. This one had recently had the boardwalk planks with brown pressure treated wood and it still had the old grey railings. The colour combination made this particular board walk a very picturesque one. 

At the start of the board walk was a sign and a couple more benches. 

Even the sign had some very nice artwork of various animals that you had the potential to spot while you were on the trail. 

On the board walk from either side you could see a vast expanse of marsh grasses with what looked like trails of water or a creek or something.

At specific points on the boardwalk there were educational signs about the plants and wild life that you see before you. 

Since I was by myself it was very quiet and I just stood there in the peacefulness enjoying the view. I looked down into the water trail below me and tried to see if I could see any fish or turtles. I didn't see any turtles but there were a few small fish swimming around. 

And then to my surprise, something rather large came very slowly and silently out from under the bridge I was standing on. 

It was a beaver! I was so close to it that if there was no bridge between us I would have practically been standing on it. It was pretty exciting to be that close to it. I barely moved and I barely breathed to that I wouldn't scare it away. 

​It didn't pay any attention to me and it continued slowly and silently down the water path towards it's lodge or food pile in the distance. 

From the boardwalk I could see one of the look outs from where I was standing so I decided to go at least as far as that before turning back. So I continued to the other side of the boardwalk and found myself on the nice, well maintained path again. The path forked in two directions and I took the left path. The paths were very well signed. 

I didn't have far to go at all before I saw ramp and platform of the look out. 

From the look out I could see the boardwalk I had just been on in the distance.

From the look out you can also see the bird house that was put in the marsh to attract some birds. 

 I would have loved to have had a chair and a cold drink and just sit here in the shade for a long while. But I knew that Heather and my mom were waiting for me and I had to get back. On the way back I spotted a large dragonfly sitting on the bark of a pine tree. 

And there was this curious hole in the ground on one side of the path. Looks like some little critter was making itself at home there. 

As I walked back across the boardwalk I wondered what the rest of the trail would have been like. I would have liked to have done the whole trail.

On the way out we signed the guest book. The last person to sign before us had been two days previous. But there were quite a few other signatures and I am sure that not everyone signs the book. So from that I could tell that this park was used often enough, but at the same time did not have crowds of people. It was so peaceful and enjoyable here. ​ The next time I am in this area I will have to make plans to come back here and perhaps also do the trails on the other side of the road too. 

We were headed home but there was still lots to see along the way. After stopping in Brighton one more time we headed North to see the little towns of Warkworth and Cambellford.  I adore the little shops in Warkworth and highly suggest anyone passing by that way to check them out. The first stop was the "Cheeky Bee". 

​It is a rustic ranch style building with Mexican pottery lining the porch. 

And inside is an assortment of some of the most gorgeous gifts you will ever see. Metal works, paintings, cards, jewelry, lights, corn brooms. It's all simply beautiful. 

Another shop you don't want to miss is "Frantic Farms- Clay & Glass & Gallery" 

I love the metal work here and so does my daughter so I bought her another piece to go with her collection. You can often see the artists at work behind the desk while you shop, which is another neat feature.

And the glass work here is just lovely. 

Another shop to check out in Warkworth is the Sprucewood cookie shop. Sprucewood cookies are hand made and come in a a variety of unusual flavours. Penny bought a bag of Pumpkin cookies. 

This place is called the "Yellow Bordello" . We didn't go in, but I liked the name. 

After stopping in Warkworth we went in to the town of Cambellford just a few minutes down the road. This is the town my grandmother lived in before she passed away. It is a picturesque little town with a Timmies and a Canadian Tire and Giant Tiger. But my favourite shops are the Frog's Whiskers (craft store), Kerr's book shop, and naturally,the Chocolate Factory. Inside the chocolate factory are barrels and barrels of all different kinds of chocolate. They are a great price because the are made right there and don't have to be shipped anywhere. We try to stop in here every time we come this way and we stock up on our supply of chocolates.

You can buy chocolate by the bar, by the bag or in gift boxes. 

Our next stop in Cambellford was an emotional one for my brother and I. We almost didn't stop at all. We wanted to see the Little Red School House that my grandmother (farmor) lived in before she passed away. We hadn't seen it since the new owners moved in. So although we wanted to see it; at the same time we were worried that we would be heart broken by any changes that we saw. We pulled up near the mailboxes and made ourselves look like lost tourists as best we could. There was a lady in a blue shirt working in the flower garden at the side of the house. The old dog house was gone but there were two beautiful dogs playing in the yard. Farmor would have been happy about that. She adored dogs. Not much else had changed. The original door was replaced by a new one and the side of the garage was now blue instead of white. My favourite tree had been cut down, but it had been in bad shape and really did need to come down. In it's place they had planted a brand new sapling that in time I am sure will become a beautiful big tree. We only stayed for a very short moment or two. Just long enough to get a glimpse and take a quick picture through the windshield of the car. We didn't want to look like stalkers so we quickly moved on. I left feeling happy that the the people living there now seemed to be happy and taking great care of the place. It was a bitter sweet moment. 

​Soon we were on our way to Petroglyphs Provincial Park. We were all looking forward to seeing the petroglyphs. Carsten had his GPS on to help us find it and we ended up in someones back yard. So if you are going to take a trip out to this park, do not trust your GPS. Use a map and follow the signs. We wondered just how many people ended up in this poor guy's back yard.

Once we righted ourselves and got back on the right road it wasn't long before the park sign came into view.

L We knew we didn't have a whole lot of time to spend here. The gates to come in close at 4:30 and if you aren't out of the park by 5:30 p.m. you could be locked in for the night. It was about 3 pm or so when we got there. 
We drove through the very narrow winding roads through a very pretty forest. It was so peaceful and serene. Finally we came to the parking lot. From there you had to walk up to the Visitor Center. The very first thing you see on the way up to the Visitor Center is the bathrooms.

​ These were in rough condition. But once you got closer it was pretty easy to see why. 

They were having troubles with porcupines eating the bathrooms. Porcupines are known to like to chew the wood on peoples stairs and railings so it was no surprise to us that they would like to chew on bathroom doors as well. Apparently they are attracted to the salt that humans leave behind when they touch things. There were little gates in the doorways of the bathrooms to help to keep the porcupines out. 

​The inside of the bathroom was very basic and old looking. The bathrooms could definitely do with an upgrade.

Even the inside of the bathroom was not off limits to the porcupines and other wildlife. ​The bathrooms though were the only thing that needed sprucing up. Everything else from that point on was stunning and gorgeous and peaceful. 

There were a couple hiking trails available but we didn't think we would have time to walk any of them. Our first destination was to see the actual petroglyphs. 

They had nice benches here and there along the way. 

The walking path up to the Visitor Center was nice and wide. The air was warm and smelled wonderful and there was a sense of calm and peacefulness as you walked. It was a very beautiful place. 

The Visitor Center here is called "The Learning Place". This is where you pay your entrance fee. Inside is a fantastic display of artwork and various items. It is exactly that....a place to learn more about the First Nations culture. 

The shop inside had a beautiful stone fire place. 

There were books and post cards and mugs and all sorts of little things to buy. It was set up very nicely and intermingled with big boulders that were lined against the walls. It made far a unique display. We only had a quick look for the moment and decided to come back to the Learning Place after we saw the petroglyphs. Once again we were worried about how much time we had. 

Just outside the door of The Learning Place is McGinnis Lake. There is no swimming, boating or fishing allowed in this lake because it is protected as a meromictic lake.

There was a little write up about the lake describing how meromictic lakes have 3 layers and the very bottom layer does not have oxygen and does not support life except for cyano bacteria. The lack of oxygen at the bottom of the lack means that things that settle on the bottom do not decay. As a result, the sediments on the bottom of this lake represent a perfect record of the last 10,000 years that scientists can study. Any swimming, boating or fishing could stir up the layers of waters and mix the layers together which would ruin that perfectly preserved record. 

The next stop was the long awaited petroglyphs. There is no photography or video allowed of the petroglyphs because this is a sacred site of the First Nations. However, they did have some postcards with a couple of pictures available at the Learning Place. 

The petroglyphs were an amazing site. They had erected a specially designed, large, glass building over the site many years ago because they had found that the weather was eroding the petroglyphs away and that they were in danger of disappearing all together. Before the building was erected, the First Nations people for hundreds of years would cover over the petroglyphs with mosswhen they were done their ceremonies. The damp from the moss had already warn much of the oldest petroglyphs away or to the point where they were hardly visible anymore.  Inside there is a concrete wall keeping people form going in and touching the stones. The only people who are ever allowed on the stones are the First Nations people who come about once or twice a year to perform traditional ceremonies. The land actually belongs to them and they are gracious enough to let people come to look at the petroglyphs.

One of the park rangers was there on site and he was a wealth of knowledge. While you are looking at the petroglyphs you don't have too many questions that come to mind. But when the ranger gets to talking about how they were found, how the building was made, what some of the symbols mean, etc. you realize just how many questions he has answered that you wouldn't think to ask.  We learned that to First Nations, women are held in high regard for bringing life into the world. A common custom among First Nations is that women in their menses cycle do not enter sacred sites like this one. First Nations believe that the female body undergoes a natural purification at this time, whereas males have to attend other ceremonials such as the sweat lodge in order to attain similar purification. We also learned it is customary to leave an offering of loose tobacco.Tobacco is a sacred plant, given to First Nations by the Creator, and widely used in prayer to the Creator, the ancestors, the earth and the universe.This offering is best left at the periphery of the site. Sure enough, there was a mortar and pestle with tobacco laying on one of the edges of the site.

One of the interesting things about the petroglyphs is that depending on what time of day it is, or even what season it is, certain petroglyphs can be seen better depending on how the light falls on them. 

We were surprised by how much time we actually spent inside the petroglyph building. But we still wanted to take more time in The Learning Place. So we headed back. Along the way we saw another garter snake in the leaves. This was the second snake we saw in one day. 

Inside the Learning Place were plenty of quotes and sayings that would look great as posters. 

There were also some traditional artwork to see as well. 

Much of the artwork had some educational information written on it and were done on glass which were lit up from behind.  

My other favourite piece was one that symbolized to me this whole trip that we were on, which to me was partly in remembrance of my grandmother.  The piece was of a First Nations person dressed in red and dancing in the sunset.  The words say:

                             "What we are told as children is that people,
                                    when they walk on the land, 
                                         leave their breath wherever they go. 
                                    So whenever we walk,
                                           that particular spot on the Earth 
                                                   never forgets us.
                                    When we go back to these places we know
                                              that the people who lived there
                                                  are in some way still there, 
                                            and that we can partake
                                                of their breath and 
                                                       of their spirit. "

By the time we got out of the Learning Center we had only about 15 minutes left before the park closed. We hadn't even touched the hiking trails yet. I really wanted to take a quick peek at the trails so we decided that we would walk 5 minutes down the trail and then 5 minutes back and that would leave 5 minutes to get to the car and leave. So we started on our 5 minute journey down the Nanabush Trail. 

As we strolled along a dragonfly decided to land on Penny's shoulder. 

It was a beautiful sunny day and the trails were a beautiful walk. 

Even the rocky areas were smooth and easy to travel. 

Some of the paths were lined with a pretty decoration of little green plants. The brochure says to watch out for poison ivy, but we didn't see any. 

Soon it was time to turn around. I would have liked to have gone further but our time was up. 

On the way back to the car, by the bathrooms there was this stone structure. Not sure what it was for. Looks like it may have been a old water tap at one time, perhaps. 

There were also some interesting rock formations where water had carved  out some interesting shapes over the years. 

On the drive out we saw a couple of wild turkeys in the bush and we stopped for a second or two to watch them. ​ I would like to come back one day and if I do I will not under estimate the amount of time I can easily spend here. Instead of just an hour or so, I could easily spend 4 - 5 hours here or more depending on which trails I might like to hike. 
It had been a great day but now it was time to go home.