Our Tour d'Ontario continued with the wedding of good friends Blake and Shelly, a country barn party in Chatsworth. What a blast. A lot of effort was mustered to make this a unique and unforgettable experience for all who attended. I must say the bathroom facilities were top notch, something you don't expect (but sincerely appreciate) at an outdoor event. We're hoping the anniversary parties will follow suit!
With good weather in the forecast we headed out to Franklin Island, a patch of crown land near Parry Sound, for more adventure with our trusty tour guide Tracey to show us around. We've been dying to explore this area ever since she let us in on this kayaking treasure. Our launch point was Snug Harbour and after pushing through a bit of head wind to get to the island we tucked into a bay and down a channel that opened into a sheltered cove. There are quite a few places to set up camp around the island but even Tracey admitted the one we decided on was probably one of the best spots she has found. The weather held, except for a surprise rain cloud that had us running for cover, but it was short lived and we still managed to have a bit of a campfire on the old glacier-scraped rock by the water.
Leigh and Tracey went out for a tour of the island only to meet some nasty swells and big waves, so they quickly turned towards the other side of the island for a day of paddling. Meanwhile, I took my rod and reel to an island not far from camp. Let's say it's a good thing we don't rely on my fishing abilities for nourishment. Not only did the big one get away, he swam right up to the rock sniffing at the hook as I reeled in my cast (I saw him and he definitely saw me) only to dash away at the very last moment. If a fish could give the finger, I got it. One of the smaller islands had a geocache and all three of us went for the find. Leigh was first to the container. We had three blissful days on Franklin Island and we can't wait to go back. Thanks Tracey for introducing us to this treasure! There was zero chance of us back-country camping in Asia but in the familiar territory of Northern Ontario we are feeling more ambitious. The folks at the French River Visitor Centre set us up for a few more days and nights in the thick of the great outdoors. Paddling out in calm waters from Hartley Bay, we turned a corner and soon came head on with a storm cell that brought rain, wind, and an end to our momentum. As soon as I gave up paddling I shot backwards like a pinball, to the great amusement of all the cottagers! Luckily, one of them called us in until the storm passed. Thanks Mary and friends. Bless.
Our chosen campsite was a sheltered and shaded beach site on Wanapitei Bay - unfortunately the bugs also loved that spot. We made it through one night there but the unmistakeable sound of a million million mosquito wings beating madly as they made every effort to get at our blood was too much, so we moved to a more exposed pitch right on the rock by the waters edge with a breeze and managed far better. This is cottage country unspoiled and now safe from further development under the protection of both the provincial and national governments as a heritage river. The paddling was sublime. I fished in the area with a consistent end result - enough said there. We manage to eat well without means of refrigeration but both of us are fairly particular about our coffee: double cream please, not milk, not Mcwhitener, real cream. So what can we bring for our daily ritual that is cream but wont spoil? Baileys Irish Cream! A lovely liqueur and a smashing way to start off each morning. After the second day of exploring, we paddled back to camp only to discover a curious bear had taken interest in our belongings: the tent was punctured and torn, air mattress ripped, and we found our duffle bag off in the woods, ripped apart but with minimal damage to the contents. And yes, all the food was hung from a tree about 100 ft away. That abruptly ended our first trip into French River Provincial Park. We booked it back to the marina, collected our car, made it to Ramakko's Adventure superstore near Sudbury for an expensive re-fit and then found an RV and trailer park to set up camp while the sun was setting. Just another day in Jeff & Leigh's Big Adventure.
When I was a teen I couldn't wait to get out of North Bay. Now I can't wait to move back and Leigh is just as keen. It is big enough to be interesting yet small enough to be comfortable anywhere in the city. We planted ourselves at Champlain Campground where the Lavase River meets Lake Nipissing (the point where Samuel de Champlain first looked out onto Lake Nipissing - 26 July 1615 - along the fur trade route) and spent a few days exploring in and around town. Of course, we b-lined it to Greco's Pizza on Algonquin for the obligatory feast and also got in a cruise on the Chief Commanda out to the Manitou Islands, a ring of islands in the middle of Lake Nippissing - remnants of an ancient volcano. We also paid a couple of visits to the 'Old Man' (my Dad) and his better half Val. Lucky for me, he always has good ale on hand! I was reunited with my Auntie Mary (a family friend now in her 90's and as charming as ever). As a young boy I always loved going to her house, except maybe for the one time when her pet skunk decided to sleep in my bed, but apart from that... Great to see you again Auntie!
Lefebvre's is the local adventure outfitter store and the folks there were very helpful in setting us up with a plan for our next camping adventure - 5 nights on Stubbs Island along the Mattawa River, about a 5 km paddle down-river from Trout Lake. The campsite is awesome and despite plenty of boats coming and going throughout the day, the site is perfect with a constant breeze, relatively calm water and next to no bugs with the place to ourselves in the evening. I had set myself up for some serious fishing with the help of a kind young man at Canadian Tire who assured me I will be having fish for supper. I did catch a few fish over the course of our stay but none large enough to keep. Had one on the hook, pulled him out of the water and he jumped right off the hook! Wasn't meant to be I guess. Leigh spent the days exploring all the little inlets and even portaged with her kayak to some other lakes - a natural Voyageur, born in southern Ontario but she belongs in the North.
Back to basecamp at Champlain Park for a few more days before our biggest back country trip yet - Temagami. Actually, a little north of Temagami on Anima Nippissing Lake. It's hard to describe how serene it was. The site was about a 3 km paddle from the car park, itself at the end of a 12 km dirt service road off the highway. We were way out there, but close enough to the car for the inevitable forgotten item - call it back-country glamping! My outdoor cooking skills were put to the test. Blueberry walnut pancakes served with real maple syrup and tea biscuits with parmesan and herbs de Provence - I think I pulled it off! On our last morning, I even managed to catch a decent size Walleye for breakfast. What, you've never had fish for breakfast? Don't knock it 'till you've tried it! On our way back to the car we hiked up to an old fire tower, abandoned many years ago but still intact. With no signs warning us otherwise, we climbed the 100 rungs up the ladder to the wooden platform which is showing signs of age - like holes through the thin wooden floor. Took a quick look around, snapped a photo and made it safely back down to ground zero.
On our way out, we stayed a night at Finlayson Provincial Park to shower up and make ourselves presentable for city folk. The thunder roared through the sky for hours while the rain kept us in our tent. This was the last night of the Big Adventure that started well over a year ago. With blasts of lightning at regular intervals it resembled the closing ceremonies for the Olympics. How fitting. After touring in fourteen countries, biking 7500 kms and driving even more, we can safely say that it is good to be home! Until next time...