Killbear Provincial Park

Thu. Sept. 15-Fri. Sept. 16 Killbear Provincial Park: The day dawned clear and 47°. Marv made us Deviled Eggs for breakfast and we packed up the camper quickly. Once again we got on the road a bit before our hoped for 10:00 departure time. After a stop for gas we took Highway 12 to the northeast until we joined the TransCanada highway 400, which was limited access all the way to our ending point for the day. As Marv drove I read about the areas through which we would be passing and found Port Carling in the Lakes area just to the east of the highway. There are three major lakes there and historical locks that were put in in 1861 so that tourists could come to Gravenhurst, at the south tip of Lake Muskoka and travel by steamboat up that lake to Lake Rosseau and then to Lake Joseph. I learned that there is an historical museum overlooking the locks and it sounded like someplace that would interest us all, so about an hour and a half into our drive we led Ross & Pat on a 20 km. side trip. The Muskoka Lakes Museum proved to be a gem with a little bit of everything explaining what life was like in the area since prehistoric times. There were several wooden boats and a good explanation of boat making and the regattas that have been held on the lakes for 150 years. Ross and Pat talked quite a bit to the curator while we wandered about as pretty much the only visitors. As we left he offered us an apple from the tree right outside the Museum. They were delicious. We strolled back to the trucks, which we had parked in the Community Center parking lot a few blocks away, and sat on their steps in the warm sunshine out of the wind to enjoy our picnic lunch. But clouds were moving in and the temperature never got above 53° all day. We continued north on Highway 400 for about an hour, just about to the end of the limited access, and then turned west above Parry Sound to go to Killbear Provincial Park. The park itself is on a peninsula with a very protected cove and over 1400 sites on six loops but several are closed for the season. Several signs greeted us with warnings of an active bear in the campground. As we arrived it began to rain a bit and it continued to spit a bit while we got set-up on sites 87 & 88. I was a little unhappy when it seemed that our site backed up to two outhouses and was a long walk to the Comfort Station. I was much happier when Marv paid the men’s a visit and found out that they were actually individual cold water bathrooms with a flush toilet and a sink with soap dispenser. Ross’s delicious pork roast with asparagus and a wild rice mixture made a delicious dinner. Afterwards Marv & I returned to our camper and played two hands of Cribbage (Marv won both) before going to bed. The temperature was down to the low forties by then so we were happy to have electricity! The overnight low was 38° but we stayed cozy and actually were a bit too warm in the morning when Marv got up and turned the heater back up at 7:30. He cooked the rest of the bacon out on our grill and we took it over to Ross & Pat’s to go with more blueberry pancakes. Then we all walked with Jake down to the water’s edge and along the campsites there for awhile. Pat returned to their camper with Jake while Ross and I continued walking and then circled back along the shore to our road. Ross went back to their campsite from there and Marv & I continued all the way around the cove to the day use area and boat visitor mooring spot before we came back to our campsite. Ross & Pat wanted to go to the “Killbear Mall” to get some groceries and use the WiFi so Marv and I packed a lunch in a backpack and took off on our bikes to explore while they were gone. There is a 6 km., hard packed gravel, recreational trail that parallels the road that runs the length of the park. Along the way we startled three grouses, who took off with their trademark thumping flutter. We took the path to the Visitors Center. We were very disappointed to find that the Center was closed Thursdays and Fridays for a few weeks so we couldn’t see it. But we walked from there down to the shore and took the “trail” that really involves clambering over the rocks all along the water lining the bay. It was still in the forties but the sun was shining brightly so we stayed warm enough with our exertions. We found a large rock, warm from the sun, on which we sat to enjoy our lunch. The waves were splashing on the rocks and the wind was blowing and it all made for a stunning picnic area! After eating we climbed on up the rocks thinking we might find a path to take back through the woods. Finding nothing we returned to the shoreline and got back on our bikes to continue riding the pathway to its end at Lighthouse Point. There is a short “trail” there that took us over the rocks again out to the warning light at the narrowest point of Parry Sound before it opens into a larger bay and harbor at the town which bears its name. After resting a while on the sun warmed rocks we began the return trip by bike. We stopped along the way to see the Pet Beach and ride through Lighthouse Point campground (closed for the season). We crossed paths with Ross & Pat in their truck as they headed to the Pet Beach with Jake and then continued back to our campsite, having ridden just over 9 miles. We collected our chairs and books and walked to the campground beach to enjoy the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sun. Pat had been cooking a venison roast in the Crockpot all day, which we enjoyed with the rest of the corn on the cob and tomatoes. After dinner the four of us drove in our truck back to the Visitors Center, seeing many deer along the way. We walked down the path next to the Center to a picnic table on a large rock at the water’s edge. We sat there to enjoy a lovely sunset over the water and into the trees on the far shoreline. Back in the truck afterwards we saw that the temperature had dipped to 44°. Since it was still very clear we foresee an even colder night ahead! When we got back to the campground we noticed how it was filling up now that it is Friday night. Coffee and sliced peaches on butter pecan ice cream made a delicious end to our day, and then Marv and I returned to our camper to begin cleaning up and writing before bed. It had been a really lovely day!