Turtles And Trails

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The sun shone through the trees as I walked down the trail, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ground. Each step crunched softly on the gravel pathway.  I was trying to be as silent as I could but it is difficult to be silent on gravel. 

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

A Boll's grasshopper caught my eye, perfectly still as it sunbathed on a patch of old dead leaves, its brown, mottled body blending with the muted browns and yellows of the decaying foliage. 

I wandered across another PhotoMon station.  Number 2. 

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

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

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

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

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

A Green Frog was also hiding in the grasses. 

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

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

Clusters of Smooth Blue Asters swayed gently in the breeze.

These perennial wildflowers, with their slender stems and vibrant petals, thrive in the cooler temperatures, attracting a myriad of pollinators eager for the last tastes of nectar before winter's chill sets in. A shiny green metallic sweat bee, with its iridescent body glimmering in the sunlight, was drawn to them by the promise of that nectar.

A Hermit Thrush sat in the tree branches above me, its delicate form blending seamlessly with the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. With a soft, speckled chest and warm brown plumage, it perched with an air of quiet dignity and understated beauty. 

An orange Hymenochaetaceae fungi clung to the rough bark of an old tree. From a distance, it resembled a small, sleeping creature, perhaps a resting squirrel or a curled-up cat, nestled in the bark of the tree.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nearby was a large sheltered picnic area.

And a BBQ pit next to a picnic table. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is also where I found PhotoMon station 4. 

This is the photo I took at PhotoMon 4. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was almost 11 pm by this point. I decided to retire to my tent and read for awhile before bed. Tomorrow I would have to pack up camp and head off to my next adventure at Bronte Creek Provincial Park.

The past few days at Pinery Park were wonderful, filled with sun-drenched hikes through lush trails, evenings around the campfire, sharing stories and laughter with family I hadn't seen in years, and quiet moments spent watching the sunset paint the sky in hues of orange and pink. With my camera bursting with snapshots of these unforgettable experiences, I know I will carry the spirit of this adventure back home with me, forever etched in my heart.