Muskoka Lakes - Quebec

14 August – It was a two hour drive following the Burstow’s instructions to get to the cottage. The last part of the drive thru Gravenhurst was very familiar as we have been to David and Chrissie’s Muskoka cottage at Lake Muldrew a couple of times before with Lynne and Paul. The cottage is built on a cliff 40ft above the lake with wooden stairs leading down to the boating/swimming dock. The carpark above the cottage had been enlarged since our last trip and was ideal parking for “Ernie”. David had even ensured we had power. It was a great welcome!! David and Chrissie were looking after their two smaller grandchildren, Matt and Josh. The day was overcast but warm so we went for a tour around some of the lake with Matt water skiing behind. Just after we got back, a heavy rain storm came thru. It only lasted a couple of minutes but flooded around the RV. Kathy and Craig arrived from Uxbridge after work and we had a late dinner.

15 August – A late start and a big cooked breakfast before our first swims in Lake Muldrew. The only way to get into the water is to dive off the dock. The water is luke warm and slightly tea coloured, a bit like a west coast river. Beautiful swimming though. We went for a walk to a cottage that was being raffled and was having an open day. Back at the cottage we had more swims. Around 5:00pm Geoff (Kathy’s brother) and Joanne arrived (Matt and Josh’s parents) with Joanne’s sister, Christina and a little later Dan, Janet and their adult children also arrived making a total of 15. I cooked a huge pork loin rib (which we had picked up very cheaply!) on the barbeque, Val made a salad and Chrissie produce some fried rice and we all sat down at an enlarged table on the deck for wonderful noisy meal.

16 August – We had breakfast in “Ernie” to ease the congestion in the cottage. The day was hot and we spent it swimming, talking and sunbathing. After a late lunch we said a sad farewell to Kathy and Craig as they were returning to Uxbridge for work tomorrow. In the early evening we watched the PGA Championship golf with David and then we all watched a movie with pizza and wine.

17 August – We went down to the cottage for breakfast before say our farewells and thanks to David and Chrissie. We have decided to take a northern route to Ottawa a few days away. The Muskoka lakes area is huge and we are still in this area for our overnight stop at Arrowhead Lake. After lunch we walked down to the sandy beach for a swim and then back to our camp via the Stubbs Falls.

18 August – After heading north today we turned east and into the Algonquin Provincial Park which covers a large area and has many camps. We chose Lake of Two Rivers as it has an Old Scenic Rail Trail. We set off on our bikes just as it started to rain. It was still warm so we carried on around several lakes to the end 12.5kms away. On the way home we stopped at a dam and I slipped during the dismount and landed hard flat on my back It took me a while to get back to my feet and back on the bike for a painful ride back.

19 August – I stiffened up in the night and struggled to get out of bed. Fortunately driving was not too bad and we enjoyed this beautiful park. After a fuel and propane stop we headed to another great Provincial Park at Bonnechere. The camping, boating swimming and canoeing at these parks makes for great family holiday destinations. It was just a short “hobble” down to the beach for a swim. The back is still very sore!

20 August – My back felt a little freer this morning and we drove in gloomy conditions. Our Navigator (Val) decided it would be only slightly longer and useful for future planning to head briefly out of Ontario and thru Quebec to pick up some maps and info on the Quebec Provincial Parks, so we crossed the Ontario River into Quebec. Two problems with this scheme. There were no towns big enough to have a visitors centre and the river crossing back into Ontario turned out to be via a $12 ferry ride! The Provincial Park at Fitzroy was not very inspiring with a beach facing a huge power dam. Soon after we arrived it started to drizzle which got heavier and eventually it teemed for several hours.

21 August – My back is still a bit sore but coming right hopefully. It was only a short 25 mile drive to our camp in Ottawa but we stopped for a shop on the way which all went slightly to custard. Firstly the Wal-Mart we stopped at did not have fresh fruit or meat and we had to find another grocery shop that did, and the LCBO (state run liquor shop) on our GPS had closed. All a bit frustrating. The camp is great though, hopefully a short bike ride to the bus stop to take us into the city tomorrow.

22 August – We decided to take “Ernie” to the park and ride bus station where we caught the bus for a ½ hour ride into the centre of Ottawa. The bus dropped us off near the parliament buildings. These are quite a sight forming a three sided square with lawns in front. Beautiful architecture. Our tour up the “Peace Tower” the centre of the main building did not leave for an hour, so we spent the time walking past the High Court building and a lovely church with the modern city in the background. The security getting into the parliament buildings was very tight after their tragic shootings a few months ago. The foyer is a series of beautiful arches and we took a lift up passed the bells to the top for views of Canada’s capital. The city is quite small with the Ottawa River running thru it. Back down into parliament square and a walk along the river, passed the Fairmont Hotel (built to fit in with it’s beautiful neighbours) and down to By Ward Market. We had a great lunch at a restaurant overlooking the street market which we walked thru before passing Ottawa’s version of Notre Dame Cathedral. We followed the Ottawa River to where the Rideau Canal joins it with a series of locks lowering the boats down to river level. The operation of the locks was fascinating, all done by hand. Back on the bus to “Ernie” and the short drive to our camp. What a great day!!  

 

23 August – Ottawa and Montreal are quite close together (200kms) so we had a slow start to the day as we will only cover a short distance as we are breaking the journey. We followed the Ottawa River to a Provincial Park at Voyageur. Already the signage is mostly French and a lot of the people in the camp are speaking French. We sat at the beach but did not swim.

24 August – As we only had a short distance again to get to our camp in Montreal, we went for a 10km bike ride around this huge park on the banks of the Ottawa River. On the road and about 10 miles from our destination on a multi laned highway we heard a huge bang followed but a couple of large thumps. It took a bit of manoeuvring to get to the nearest exit and into a side road in a light industrial area before we could eventually stop and investigate. The rear right hand tyre had blown the tread off wrapping itself around the exhaust pipe and bending it up into the wheel well. The wheel well was also damaged. Val got on the phone to the road assist people (this comes free with our 5 year guarantee) and they were helpful sending a local guy around to fix the tyre problem. The young guy that arrived could speak no English and had no jack or compressor. He had to phone his boss and eventually after about 2 ½ hours we were back on the road with our spare tyre fitted. The camp we are in is very like an NZ camp. Much frustration with the internet!

25 August – We started early (comparatively for us) and decided to fix the tyre issue before going into Montreal city. There was a Canadian Tire (a mix of the Warehouse and Bunnings) near the park and ride where we would catch a bus to the subway. Perfect! Except they did not do large vehicles. A guy helped us, in very halted English, to contact a tyre place that would help about 6 miles away. Off to this place where another guy who spoke good English sold us a tyre and fitted it. Back to the park and ride and we just missed the bus so waited for ½ hour. The bus ride took us to the subway and we caught a train right into one end of the old Montreal town. As it was 2:00pm lunch was our first priority. After a great very French filled roll we wandered this beautiful area with its great French style buildings and cafes. The Hotel de Ville (town hall) was great with beautiful gardens. There were many squares with churches and gardens. The place had a very Parisian feel. It took us back! Back on the subway and then the bus to “Ernie” and a 3 mile drive to the camp, a trip of 1 ½ hours. We have decided that there are less people able to speak English here than in France.  It almost seems a point of pride not to speak or understand English in Quebec.

26 August – We set off and drove N/E to what we thought was a Quebec Parc Natural. The roads deteriorated and we realised that there was still 25 miles to go up gravel roads to reach this supposed camp site in the Natural Parc. At the small village of Sainte-Alexis-des-Mont we took the visitors centre lady’s advice and drove to a small camp at Lac Cache. Today is spaghetti special day so we took the locals advice and booked for dinner at the camp restaurant overlooking the lake. On the way back we tried to borrow a crow bar from the handyman to straighten the exhaust pipe. NO NO NO was his reply. Not very helpful! Lorraine. The camp ended up being a great place to stay.

Just as we got back to “Ernie” he arrived with the lady who booked us in for dinner and we suspect the only English speaker in the place. The NO NO NO was that he could not speak English. He raced away and returned with the “grande” crow bar. Val pushed and I pulled and we got the exhaust back into the shape it should be. After taking the crow bar back we went for a great swim in the warm lake. The spaghetti dinner was great and we were served by our friendly English lady,
Lorraine.

27 August – As we have no information for camping in Quebec (not for the want of trying!) we have decided to drive until we want to stop for the night and then see what shows up. We headed back down to the St Laurence Seaway and followed the shoreline looking for a camp. I spied an old building with “camping” written on it and Val made enquires in the not very hopeful looking place. An old man, who spoke only French, showed us to a great spot overlooking the Seaway. As my back was feeling “not bad” we decided to repair the wheel well damaged by the tyre blow out. We had bought some bits and pieces from Canadian Tire and I very am happy with the fix. Every so often a huge freighter sailed passed us on its way to the great lake ports. (Chicago, Milwaukie or Duluth.)

28 August – We followed along the St Laurence Seaway to Quebec City passing thru beautiful French like towns all with huge catholic churches many built in the style of the Notre Dame. On the outskirts of the city we stopped for what will be our last shop in Canada this year. There is a shuttle that goes from this camp into the city which we explore tomorrow. Hopefully we can publish this blog today at the camp. 

Ontario

3 August – We left Michigan where we had been for 29 days and crossed the Canadian border with no hassles. At the Canadian Welcome centre we stopped to publish the last blog which was a bit of a problem as we had internet issues. Managed to do the blog but could not get onto our email. Very strange! We drove 40 miles north to a provincial park at the Pinery. This is a huge camp with about 1200 sites however they could only book us in for 1 night. We walked down to Lake Huron and a beach with a heavy “sea” bounding in. The swimming was great though. Later in the day we cycled thru this huge camp for about 10 miles.

4 August – After breakfast we hopped on the bikes and cycled back to see if we could stay for another night. They gave us a site but we have to change sites. Not a problem for us however. The forecast for this afternoon is not great so we went to this wild beach for a swim and a sunbathe. Back for lunch and as the weather is still warm we returned to the beach but after a swim the clouds rolled in and we returned to our site just as the rain started. It did not rain for long.

5 August - A strong cold wind off the lake for our drive north along the Lake Huron coast mostly thru farming country and small towns. We are now at another provincial park at Inverhuron. This park is situated on a small peninsula and we walked to a nice sheltered beach. After Val had done the laundry, we walked a trail around the park out of the shelter of the bay and with a strong wind whipping up a bit of surf. It’s really is like the ocean! The temperature has dropped and we are in our track pants and jerseys outside for dinner.

6 August – A very short drive today so we stopped for a shop. Alcohol can only be bought from the LCBO shop (licensing control board of Ontario). Overall we were pleasantly surprised at the prices. Not much dearer than USA. We camped at a provincial park at Sauble Falls. Off to the beach which is reputed to be one of Canada’s top 10. We are now getting very good at biking with our chairs balanced across the handle bars and our towels around our necks. The beach was ok but there was a cool wind and we have seen a lot better. The water was refreshing! Back to “Ernie” and a walk to the Sauble Falls. It is a series of small leaps with many kids enjoying the pools etc.

7 August – A 50 mile drive up the large Bruce Peninsula which sticks out into Lake Huron forming the Georgian Bay on one side. We booked a camping ground for the weekend which is only 1 ½ miles from the tourist town of Tobermory and at the very end of the peninsula. Again the bikes are great to get us into the town. There are two harbours and the smaller one (Little Tub) is where the shops and restaurants are situated. We wandered the town and had a beer overlooking the harbour before going to the National Park visitors centre. Our hope was to stay a night in the park and walk some of the Bruce Trail which goes all the way to Niagara but the camp was full. Change of plans! Instead we booked a boat trip to Flowerpot Island for tomorrow. Back at the camp we enjoyed a refreshing swim in the camp pool and a skyping session to catch up with the family.

8 August – It rained in the night and continued raining thru breakfast. Fortunately just as we hopped on the bikes for our ride to the boat trip the rain stopped. It is only 6 kms to the Flowerpot Island but we diverted into the other harbour (Big Tub) where there are a couple of shipwrecks just below the surface. Being fresh water they are perfectly presevered and with the clear water very easily seen. At the island we left the boat for 3 ½ hours. There are many boats coming and going so the main attractions are very crowded.

We chose to take a short hike thru the island’s interior. This is in the National Park and the bush was different from what we had seen so far. Eventually we caught up with the crowds at a lighthouse where the original lighthouse keepers house has been restored to when it was abandoned in the early 1960’s. It reminded us of our childhood. We sat on a rocky beach for lunch before going to the main attraction of the island, the two flowerpots. These are stone columns on the waters edge.

The stones are like the pancake rocks at Punakaiki and the water is very much like the Able Tasman. It was a great trip which we really enjoyed. A last look at Tobermory and an ice-cream before we cycled back to the camp.

9 August – We drove back down the Bruce Peninsula thru Owen Sound and around the bottom of the beautiful Georgian Bay. We took a site for two nights at Craigleith Provincial. Park The beach was quite different to anything we had experienced. The shore consisted of large flat rocks which gradually stepped down into the luke warm water. It was like swimming in a pool with waves. We had many swims and enjoyed drying off in the sun between them.

10 August – The forecast is for rain this afternoon. We cycled 10 miles along a rail trail into the town of Collingwood with its great historical murals. After cycling back to the beach at Craigleith we went for a swim just before it started to rain. It rained off and on for the rest of the day. Val managed to break her Kobo e-reader. Disaster!!

11 August – The weather was cool as we drove into Collingwood and managed to buy a replacement Kobo before continuing on to a Provincial Park on Lake Simcoe, a large lake not far from Uxbridge where we are headed to tomorrow.

 

12 August – It was a late start today as we only have a short drive to Uxbridge where Craig and Kathy Seddon live. (Paul’s brother) On the way we shopped in the small town of Beaverton. We are parked up Craig and Kathy’s drive and will spend 2 nights here. Holly and her partner, Joe came around and we had a nice meal catching up on all the news. Val managed get her new e-reader going thank god!

13 August – Craig and Kathy went to work leaving us in charge of the cats. Val did a wash and we rode our bikes thru the lovely town of Uxbridge to the supermarket. Uxbridge is an historic town and was settled in 1806 by the Quakers from Pennsylvania. We relaxed in the afternoon out in their beautiful garden. Craig and Kathy’s friends, Muff and Gary came around for a barbeque dinner.

14 August – It has been raining so we spent time on the internet booking accommodation for the next few weekends. This afternoon we will drive up to the Burstow cottage (David and Chrissie, Kathy’s parents) at Muldrew Lake in the Muskoka area where will spend the weekend with the Seddons, their family and friends.

Michigan

19 July – The family breakfast at Peter and Linda’s was great and we left them at around 1:00pm for a short drive thru the centre of Lansing (the capital of Michigan) and continued west. Lansing is in the centre of Michigan and we are going to spend a few days on Lake Michigan. We stopped at a State Park at Yankee Springs and got a great site backed onto a small lake. We relaxed and spent the rest of the afternoon watching small boats cruising past us. The pontoon boats are very popular here. They are basically a platform with a large circular sofa. Great for posing!! The weather is much cooler and not so humid.

20 July – We had a slow start to the day enjoying the perfect weather and our view before a short drive to

the Lake Michigan shore at Van Buren State Park. The beach was only a short walk away with plenty of families enjoying the swimming and sand. There was a cool wind however and the water was surprisingly cold. After lunch we followed a cycleway 6 miles to the beautiful beach, harbour and town of South Haven. There are a few of these harbours along this coastline which we will visit. A few spots of rain sent us inside for dinner.

21 July – Our first stop today is at the harbour town of Saugatuck on the Kalamazoo River. This town was voted the best coastal small US town for 2015. We strolled past the many cute boutiques, art shops, fudge shops and restaurants and back along the harbour front where many huge pleasure boats were moored. There is a very unusual ferry crossing the upper harbour. It is a hand cranked chain system and has been running since 1857. Our overnight stop is at another harbour town of Holland.

The State Park is quite different from any we have encountered in the USA and is right at the mouth of the harbour with a nice beach. The camp itself is an asphalt car park for RVs etc. We spent some time at the beach but the water was a bit cool for us to swim. Michiganders did not seem to mind though as there were many in the water. At sunset we walked back to the beach to watch the sun go down.

22 July – Back on the road for an even shorter drive to the Grand Haven State Park interrupted by a shop up at Wal-Mart. This state park is like the last one, all on asphalt, but this one has 40ft of sand between each row. The beach was very close and we spent the afternoon sunbathing and even had a couple of swims in the cool water. We walked the channel to investigate a musical fountain that plays every night.

At sunset we hopped on our bikes and rode back along the harbour to where we hoped we could see the musical fountain which is billed as the biggest of its kind in the world. As it got darker many boats stopped in the channel to view the fountain. The music started and the fountain played with many colours and displays. Very good but I still think the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas is bigger and more spectacular. We rode home in the dark dodging the pedestrians.

23 July – We headed north east passed the city of Grand Rapids to our pre booked camp at Grand Rogue for the LPGA golf tournament. This is a strange camp as it has been closed for 5 years but the owner, Tom, opens it for special occasions and the golf is one of these. We have a great site overlooking a small lake and in a nice mix of sun and shade. After lunch we cycled to the Blythefield Country Club golf course about 1 ½ miles away. Perfect!! We picked up our 4 day pass and explored the course which is very park-like, watching the first round. Unfortunately Lydia Ko and a couple of other big names are not playing as they are at St Andrews practicing for the British Open. Still we saw some great first round golf. Most of the people in the camp are either spectators or volunteers for the golf.

24 July – Back on our bikes and off to the golf. This would have to be the best course we have ever been at as far as spectating is concerned. The access is great with many banks to sit on and trees for shade. There are many grandstands, most of which are for the general public. Walkways across the fairways make easy access to most of the greens. Even the food is cheap with many free give-aways. We have now walked most of the course and seen most of the players and can be more selective tomorrow. For you real golfing fans you will be pleased to hear that Inbee has improved her swing and does not have than awful stutter at the top now. She must have heeded my advice!! Back at the camp and a cool off in the shade with a beer.

25 July – It is now a familiar bike ride to the entrance and we enjoyed another great days viewing. Some of the shots these girls play are unbelievable. We have made friends with several of the other couples at the camp either working at the golf or watching it. We had drinks with Bev and Don and stayed for a barbeque.

26 July – Today we spent most of our time watching the leaders go thru our favourite spots on the course. It was an early tee off time for the field as many players have a private jet booked to get them to the British Open starting next week. We sat at the 18^th green to bring in the winner, the crowd favourite, Lexi Thompson from USA at 18 under par. It has been a great 4 days of golf which we have thoroughly enjoyed.

27 July – Our drive is now north and inland thru the Manistee State Forest to a State Beach camp just north of the town of Manistee at Orchard Beach. The camp is situated above Lake Michigan with stairs leading down to a narrow beach. The weather is now around 33C and the water was very warm so we spent some time swimming and sunbathing. At sunset we stood with the other campers watching the sun set into the lake.

28 July – The lower peninsula of Michigan looks like a hand with the thumb at the left. Most Michiganders will show us their hand to describe where they come from. We are headed up to the little finger and an area known as Sleeping Bear Dunes National Shoreline. It is a huge area of sand dunes but unfortunately the two camps were full. We drove inland away from the dunes and found a small forest camp beside the Platte River. It was very isolated so we took the opportunity for haircuts. We sat out in the warm evening around a camp fire.

29 July – We headed east into the centre north of the state to the big inland lake, Higgins Lake. We have decided to stay 2 nights here. After lunch we walked a 2 mile fitness trail before heading off to the beach for a swim. The water is warm but quite shallow. Still it is good for a cool off, however. There is a strong warm wind blowing.

30 July – Pancake Thursday! After our leisurely breakfast Val did some washing and I cleaned the shower. Down to the beach for swims and a sit in the sun and the shade.

31 July – A re-positioning day today. We did a big shop (last before Canada), replaced our outside chairs (after 2 ½ years they are well slogged out!) and drove 160 odd miles. Back to the hand geography of Michigan. We are now at the top of the “thumb” after driving back thru Bay City where we were 2 weeks ago at another great state park with a nice beach on Lake Huron where we had our first swim in this Great Lake. The skies darkened as we dried off in the sun and by the time we were back at “Ernie” we had torrential rain. It did not last too long however.

1 August – Our drive today was around the remainder of the “thumb” following the Lake Huron coastline

with some great views of the lake. Our overnight stop is at Lakeport State park only 10 miles away from the Canadian border at Port Huron. We arrived around lunch time but our site was not ready until 3:00pm so we went to the beach for a swim. Again a storm brewed so we hot-footed it back to “Ernie” just in time again. At the camp the sun came out and we had a quick look at the beach where we will on doubt spend some time tomorrow.

2 August – There are storms forecast for this afternoon so we went down to the beach after breakfast for swims and sunbathing. It is hard describe how good these lake beaches are. The water is warm and clear and of course not salty.  Back at the “Ernie” for lunch and a few jobs before returning to the beach for more of the same. The sky darkened but it came to nothing. We had dinner outside and just as we were packing up the promised storm arrived bringing a tree down right where we had been sitting and fortunately missing “Ernie”. There was lots of lightning and heavy rain until after midnight. The power also went off.  Tomorrow we cross in Canada and hope to publish this blog at the Visitor Centre.