Gr@y & Blue Fall Road Trip 27

On our drive from Mauricie National Park to Quebec's Mount Tremblant area, we stopped at the south end of Lac Vide Botielle for a 12K paddle to find and sit in a pair of Canada 150 red chairs (btw: they are available on the Parks Canada Web site for about $700 for the beaver insignia pair with joining table). 

We stopped at a farm to pick up a few supplies to add to our picnic lunch and then carried on to our destination camp. We stopped briefly for soup at Tim Hortons and found the camp gate closed at 6pm. As we arrived at about 9pm, we were obliged to stay overnight outside the park gates, but close enough to access the w/c and showers.

Gr@y & Blue Fall Road Trip 26

At the information centre in the morning time, Bob spotted a skunk but was not able to photograph it as it darted away quickly. We had a quick departure after our showers and picked up bagel and egg breakfasts in Shawinigan to expedite our fall colours circle drive of 715kms.

Without the canoe & camper, we did 650k on one $55 tank of gas (we had been doing abput 400K per tank with the canoe on the car and towing the trailer. We saw lots of moose sign and signs but none appeared.

We did see a few crows but no other birds. In Lac St. Jean, were Bob had been as a teenager, we stopped to get picnic supplies and a tourtiere to bring to Ottawa. We also found a locally made apple cider vinaigrette to make the "traditional" coleslaw we have been enjoying. We saw some nice areas of colour, but most trees were conifers, so green was the predominant colour. Back at camp in the evening, Bob sorted the car while Yolanda made dinner and then we went to do some blogging and drawing at information centre lounge.

Gr@y & Blue Fall Road Trip 25

At breakfast prep in camp, we also packed a picnic lunch that we could take on our planned canoe paddle to Lac Edouard.

First we did a hike in to find a pair of Canada 150 red chairs at Lac aux Chevaux, but we found out later that we didn't go in quite far enough, so we missed seeing them.

The canoe paddle at Lac Edouard was relaxing, though we had to paddle into the wind, which we manage well together.

Back at camp, Bob set up our camp kitchen shelving & teardrop lights while Yolanda made a pasta dinner.

We then went up to the information centre lounge to do some blogging & drawing.

Gr@y & Blue Fall Road Trip 24

We made several attempts to locate parks staff to pay for our site last evening as there was no one in the Camp Host site and no one at registration, even a half hour after the office was to have opened.

After driving in circles for about an hour, we eventually found a breezy spot in the camp-ground by a beach and pulled over to make our oatmeal and coffee. We pulled in one last time at the office and there was still no-one to pay, so we left and decided that with so few campers around it likely didn't make sense for there to be regular camp services and staff around. Before leaving Presqe'ile Park, Bob did a Marsh walk and captured a few more bird shots and Yolanda did a sketch.

We then began our relatively short drive to La Mauricie National Park, where Yolanda had made a 3-night reservation for a site with electrical hook-up at Riviere-a-la-peche camp. 

We stopped for a picnic lunch on the St. Lawrence at 1000 Islands Narional Park, where there was another pair of Canada 150 red chairs and we were fortunate to photograph a group of Monarch Butterflies nourishing themselves on a patch of wild aster flowers.

There were also a set of sculptural panels by France born artist Jan Swaren depicting the historic and current use of the area.

Our route was via Montreal just at the tail end of rush hour in the setting light and pouring rain. For our dinner stop we ate at Saint Hubert, and were pleasantly surprised with the service, the restaurant interior and the food, which, in spite of being pedestrian, was fresh and tasty. Our 9:25pm arrival at Riviere a la peche was a surprise to the stealth camper who had stopped at our site to surreptitiously charge her car and pitch her tent. We let her stay but took the car spot for our camper to plug in. She left before daybreak, so we didn't chat, but she did say she was from Victoria when we replied to her inquiry as to where we were from.

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We arose early to be at Point Pelee National Park for sunrise at the Marsh. It was a lovely morning with colour streaming across the grasses and slough.

We launched the canoe for an early morning paddle and then left about noon to drive to Presqe'ile Park. The light on the Marsh lily pads was spectacular and we saw swans fly by overhead close enough to hear their rymthmic croaking.

 

We did very little during the afternoon, except for two gas/coffee/snack stops. We settled in to a camp site without a permit, as there were no staff around and no way to self-register. After a camp dinner we did laundry and Bob worked more on the blog. We are still working on re-integrating after being on our own, doing things independently for a few weeks, and we both look forward to smooth days ahead rather than being in circles around each other.

Gr@y & Blue Fall Road Trip 22

We had hoped to see Point Pelee at sunrise but got a little discombobulated with the road construction so were a bit late getting into the Park. Our day thus started with a visit to the interpretive center, where we learned about how the changes to human park use shifted with the introduction of the migratory bird act. We started the 3k walk from the parking lot towards THE point, and then hopped on a navette as it went past and Bob caught site of wild turkeys as we zipped along, so we walked back to our car later in the morning so he could photograph them. 

At THE point we walked to and saw the end of the spit, as well as where the shifting sand snaked out into Lake Erie towards Pelee Island. Yolanda was surprised at the amout of garbage on the spit and pleased about the eroded flat stones and the patterns of waves across the spit.

After our spit walk and the turkey shoot, we stopped for a very nice canoe paddle at the Marsh, which included a beach stop and walk to another edge of Lake Erie. 

Our day had stretched out in a way that resulted in another evening drive to visit the park entrance and see the sun set.

Gr@y & Blue Fall Road Trip 21

After driving west along the shores of Lake Eerie (below), we have arrived at Sturgeon Woods Camp ground this evening and left our camp site to see sunset at Point Pelee National Park, only to find it closed at sunset. 

Our day's mission included at stop at Ellis Church in Puslinch (west of Hespeler), to find some souvenirs of Bob's grand dad Dickie's Grandfather John Dickie who moved from Scotland to settle this area of Ontario sometime before 1847. In front of Ellis Church, Yolanda, who is drawn to didactic panels like a bear to honey, called Bob over to see the Dickie Hearthstone in one corner of the yard. This was a pleasant find for Bob!

In the afternoon, we had a fun stop in Woodstock at Your Farm Market for eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, and organic local meat products. With a few other groceries and sundries, we had enough for about a week in our fridge and pantry. 

Upon our 6:30pm arrival at Sturgeon Falls, we found the campsite office closed and no one around, though their sign (as well as their Web site) said they were there until 7:00pm. Yolanda called their phone and left a message. Then she left another. With the third message she said we would make this a virtual phone registration and see them in the morning and suddenly lights went on in the office and a face peeped out of the blinds. By the time Bob returned to the car from looking around for help, the registration was complete for two nights at the camp. We found our site, Bob stowed the trailer and then we endeavoured to drive to Point Pelee for sunset (but didn't due to construction detours). We ended the night with a bowl of soup at a nearby restaurant as by then it seemed too late to start cooking.

Gr@y & Blue Fall Road Trip 20

This evening is our second night at the Indian Line Campground. We have just arrived back from an interesting day of art and sports and family.

This afternoon we drove over to Milton to the The Mattamy National Cycling Centre (above), specifically the Milton Velodrome. Here, on the 29th of September an 18 year old "nephew" of ours placed first in the Elite Men's Kilo cycling event - he is a national champion. We went to see and support him. In the morning he had been in an event where he almost placed third after two Canadian National Team Members but he took a spill at the finish line. As such he was sitting out the afternoon and was thrilled to have us join him in the stands as we watched these fast paced events. Of interest too was a community art mixed media project placed strategically on one of the walls. His mother and Yolanda have both been involved in such projects - this one was special with cycling as a theme, to commemorate the opening of the velodrome.

This morning we took advantage of our location and did a short drive to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The McMichael prides itself as being the only public fine art gallery in Canada that focuses on Canadian art and the Indigenous art of our country, both historical and contemporary. If one wanted to get a good retrospective of Tom Thompson and the Group of Seven, this is the place to start. We were fortunate to see a retrospective of Joyce Weiland's work but also curated analysis of the influence of Tom Thompson on Joyce Weiland's work. A second exhibit was an extensive collection of drawings by Annie Pootoogook, There was also a very interesting Group of Seven influenced Luthier, specifically guitar, project. Fortunately although one of the galleries was closed for installation and curation, Bob's favourite, Mount Lefroy by Lawren Harris was hanging within the guitar project exhibit.  Bob took a little time out on the acerage to see if he could capture images of wildlife while Yolanda went to a project room and created a textile collage.