She Says: Lake Life is the Best Life
Hands down the one thing I’m going to miss most about summer in Canada is cottage country. I swear everyone in Ottawa has a cottage, or has a close connection with a cottage, and every weekend you go to the lake. July was our final homage to this Ontario past-time, and we did it well.
Starting with Algonquin Park. I had a campsite on Mew Lake, and was accompanied by Peter for the first couple of days before Andy, Robyn and Luca joined for the weekend. It was HOT, HOT, HOT.
Couldn’t have asked for a better camping crew!
Just as Peter and I were arriving in the Park we saw a black bear cub trundling along the road. He saw us and quickly ran into the bush, but Peter and I both squealed and exclaimed how amazing it is that we saw a black bear from the comfort and safety of our vehicle. That got Peter excited about the potential for seeing more wildlife while we were in the bush… but it got me thinking that I didn’t really want to see anything else, thank you very much.
So we compromised – I would do the hikes Peter wanted, but we would do them in the middle of the day to minimize the likelihood of seeing anything interesting. The alternative and more likely time to see wildlife (deer, moose, bears, etc) would be at dawn (sleeping time) or dusk (drinking time). The hikes were lovely – and despite Peter’s protestations there was plenty of wildlife, just in the more preferable form of squirrels, toads and mosquitoes.
Track and Tower was my favourite hike – it was hot, but the views were so worth it. Peter took some amazing photos of us looking like we model for an outdoorswear catalogue, despite the sweaty, sweaty reality of the situation.
Sweaty, sweaty hikers in a beautiful, beautiful spot!
(Photo cred: Peter Hansen)
From Algonquin we went to Sauble Beach on Lake Huron to stay at Chris and Dave’s family cottage. The town reminds me of a 1950s surf town… and yes, you can sometimes surf on Lake Huron. Depending on the weather, the great lakes can throw all sorts at you. Everything you could want in an Australian beach, without having to deal with the sharks, saltwater and Australians. The water was possibly a little too cold for my liking, but the kids made sure we spent plenty of time gallivanting and not worrying too much about the temperature.
About an hour’s north of Sauble Beach is the famous town of Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. The peninsula separates Lake Huron and Georgian Bay and is renowned for turquoise waters and instagram-worthy snaps. We spent a day exploring the National Park there, including a hike to the Grotto and swimming into the caves. Thanks to a storm overnight and the less-than-ideal conditions, we pretty much had the caves to ourselves.
We very much enjoyed our time with Chris, Dave and family. I will always remember our late-night jam sessions with Dave on the guitar singing Crowded House hits.
The final stop in Ontario was Tiny, on Georgian Bay. A little bit of a back-track, but it was all for a good cause. We were supposed to be seeing Nickelback perform at Roxodus… this would have been a dream come true, but alas, the venue was a mud-out and the whole festival got cancelled a week out. Never mind – we and eight comrades still enjoyed a fantastic weekend at the cottage featuring bonfires, boozing and beaching. What more could you ask for?
I completely forgot to take any photos while in Tiny… so here’s a few Rhea took of us eating breakfast and going to the beach
(Photo cred: Rhea Gadi)
And so concluded our jaunt through Ontario’s cottage country. Thanks to all those that accompanied or hosted us during July, it’s been an absolute riot. I must say I’m glad the goodbye’s are all over and done with… they never really get any easier. Love and miss ya’ll!!
A few photos of my faves <3
