Sun. Sept. 18: It was a perfect day for our trip to Killarney. So, after scrambled eggs at our trailer and preparing chili in the Crockpot, we all (Jake, the dog, too) piled back in our truck to drive a little more than an hour to Killarney Provincial Wilderness Park. About 20 minutes north on 69, we then turned on new-in-1962-Highway 637 to drive 62 kilometers down into the park which is on a peninsula that sticks into the Georgian Bay and serves as the gateway to the North Channel of Lake Huron. The park itself encompasses over 64,000 hectares of protected landscapes and is comprised of globally unique Great Lakes coast, white quartzite hills, exceptionally clear blue lakes and intact ecosystems that support wolves, bear, moose, and deer. After a short stop at the Registration Center we drove through part of the small George Lake Campground to see the nice big sites along the lake outlet. Because Grundy Lake has a “boil water” advisory Marv & I took this opportunity to fill our blue water jug with water from Killarney. From there we drove a short way into the village of Killarney at the tip of the peninsula. It was begun in 1820 by Etienne Augustin Rocbert de la Morandiere and his native wife Josephte Sai sai go no kew (“woman of the falling snow”) to establish a fur trade post. Though as tiny as Britt had been, it is a nice, neat little village that looked more thriving than Britt. We drove straight into town and to the dock area on the river and were happy to arrive at Herbert Fisheries Fish & Chips. Served from an old schoolbus beside the dock where their fishing boats pull up, we had been told it was the best place in the area for fresh whitefish and fries. And it was GREAT!! Their “6 piece” box was actually more like 9 or 10 pieces and a large order of fries was more than enough for two to share. We ate at a picnic table on the dock in the sun and agreed it couldn’t have been any better. By the time we finished we were eager to go back to the park and take the Granite Ridge Trail. The trail was 2 kilometers and moderate, with some steep sections, winding through old fields and forests. It took us up on a ridge that offered two lookouts over the park. To the south, Collins Inlet and Philip Edward Island follow the shore and the Georgian Bay stretches as far as the eye can see. The north lookout opens onto the ridges of the La Cloche Range. This white quartzite landscape is what Killarney is renowned for. The return loop involved a challenging climb first up and over, then down, large smooth granite outcroppings. Upon approaching them I took a deep breath and said, “Okay, Jan Oien—this one’s for you!” She would have loved it! We were pleasantly tired by the end and gratefully returned to the truck to drive back to Gurney Lake. It was still beautifully sunny and 68° by then. On the way back we stopped at Beausejour Inn again to use the WiFi while Ross and Marv each had a piece of (mediocre) strawberry-rhubarb pie. It was wonderful to return to the Crockpot of chili all set to eat. Ross and Pat called it an early night, but Marv and I opted to go down to the lake to look at the bright stars before the moon rose at 10:00.
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