Back home to East Lansing, a day earlier than planned

More of Thu. Sept. 22: Just a few miles away it began to rain more earnestly and continued from Rogers City to the Presque Isle area. As we turned to go north towards the lighthouse, the sun came out and we were treated to a beautiful rainbow! The first lighthouse is the “Old” lighthouse, built in 1840 and restored with a small museum in the keeper’s quarters. It was an easy climb to the top to see the lens that is still in it and a nice view of the harbor. About a mile north is the “New” lighthouse, built in 1870 after there were too many shipwrecks in the area because the old one was too low and too far in towards the harbor. The Presque Isle Historical Society has big plans for the complex and we hope they can accomplish all they dream of doing. Time was getting on and so we didn’t climb the new, higher lighthouse, instead driving on down the Lake Huron coast to the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse, south of Alpena. They have a nice restoration area there, including an old one-room schoolhouse and several out-buildings, besides the lighthouse itself, which was also built in 1870. Unfortunately, while we could enjoy our picnic on the grounds and walk down to the beach, the buildings were not open so we couldn’t get inside any of them. The day was passing quickly though, and we had decided to make it home in time for choir practice, so south of Tawas City we drove west to I75 and took it to I69 and home. We bought gas in Flint, happy to find it for $3.41 a gallon but when we got home we found we could actually have gotten it for $2.98! We had traveled over 1300 miles, biked only about 17 miles, and hiked a lot. We were very happy with the Provincial Parks and especially appreciated how they seemed to have turned most of their pit toilet/outhouses into cold water flush bathrooms. Camping, beer and gasoline were more expensive than in the States, but it was a really nice trip that we both enjoyed very much.

Sunrise over Lake Huron

Thu. Sept. 22: There were a few long clouds all around at 7:00 Thursday morning but nothing to interfere as the sun slowly came up from the water. Those clouds became rosy and pink and then lined with gold all around the edges. Then quick as a flash the sun popped up and blazed across the water. It was a very satisfying sunrise, indeed, and well worth rising early to see. Interestingly, as we waited, I saw a black blob on the sand a little way off from where we were. I went over to check it out and was surprised to see it was OUR binoculars, which Marv had unknowingly dropped the evening before. They were safe in their cloth case; however, something had chewed the strap into about four pieces and nibbled at the case itself. Judging from the footprints in the sand around it, I guess it was a fox. Happily, the binoculars seem to be alright. The higher the sun rose, the more the clouds rolled in until the sun disappeared into them and we returned to the camper for ham and eggs and more coffee. After doing dishes we cleaned up the camper and readied it to take down. The end was a bit rushed as we heard a few raindrops pinging on the roof. But they stopped as we finished and got on the road. (See the next posting for the rest of the day...)

The West coast of Lake Huron

Wed. Sept. 21: The rain continued pretty much all night, letting up for short periods of time but then starting in again. We had about a 10 minute respite as we got up in the morning but it came back with a vengeance. We dashed over to Ross & Pat’s trailer with our microwave S’more maker because we really didn’t want the trip to end until Ross had had a chance to try one. As we lingered over coffee they decided to go directly to their cottage without a stop in St. Ignace to camp together at the Straits of Mackinac, as we had originally planned. We bid each other good-bye and they were quickly on their way. Marv & I readied the inside of the camper and hoped that the rain would let up for us to close up, but after half an hour or so, we decided to put on rain gear and just get it done. Of course, within a half an hour more as we left The Soo, the rain finally did let up. We drove back-roads to our favorite café in St. Ignace, Bentley’s, which has been there since 1945 and still has the old soda fountain. Before this we had only had breakfast there, but Marv enjoyed a good beef pasty and I had a grilled white fish salad for lunch. After crossing the Big Mac Bridge, we continued down the Lake Huron coast through Cheboygan and south as the weather became nicer and nicer. We decided to stop at P. H. Hoeft State Park, just north of Rogers City and found only a handful of other campers there. Our site was right next to the path leading over the dune and onto the beach. After setting up the trailer we took chairs and our books down to the completely deserted beach and enjoyed the sun and gentle waves in solitude. Combining left over chili, left over spaghetti sauce, and a can of black beans make for a very hearty “last supper” of our trip. Bedtime came a little earlier than the rest of the trip in hopes that there would be a good sunrise over Lake Huron to end our voyage and we were not disappointed.

Back in the USA!

Tue. Sept. 20 Back to the USA: The trees dripped all night long but the next morning was perfectly clear and it had only gotten down to the low fifties overnight. We packed up the trailers and were on our way by our customary 10:00. Just north of Grundy Lake we pulled over at the French River Visitors Center (which was closed) so we could walk on the suspension bridge over the river that we had seen from the nearby highway. It turned out to be the longer of two bridges built by the Voyageurs Snow Club for snowmobiles to cross over the Pickerel and French rivers. It afforded us a nice view up and down the river from 100 feet over it. Back on the road we drove north to Sudbury and then west towards Sault Ste. Marie. We stopped at a roadside park to enjoy our picnic lunches and continued on to “The Soo”. The autumn color along the highway was the best we had seen so far, the sun was shining, and it was in the low seventies all afternoon, which made for a really pleasant though long day of driving. In an attempt to get back to The States without a lot of extra high priced gas we made several stops to add just a bit more. Once again we breezed through Customs and we were back to Michigan. Pat knew of a campground right on the Saint Mary’s River that was cheaper than what we had been paying in Canada and had water and free WiFi at our site so we set up on two tiny lots and went to get dinner. Ross and Pat treated us to a dinner at Clyde’s Drive-In to thank us for planning the trip and the extra driving Marv had done on side trips. Each couple shared a “Big C” burger and an order of onion rings and we each had a shake or a malt to complete the experience. As we ate in the truck, we watched a couple of freighters pass each other in the river and saw the Sugar Island Ferry make a trip from the island to the mainland and back. Back at the campers we had to batten down the hatches because there was a 60% chance of rain tonight, tomorrow, and tomorrow night.

More time at Grundy Lake

Mon. Sept. 19: There was a 60% chance of rain, but I still hadn’t seen any moose and the trails at Grundy Lake appeared to be my best chance. So after peaches-and-cream oatmeal with extra nectarines and doing a few small chores like putting away the kayak and making spaghetti sauce in the Crockpot, Marv and I rode our bikes over to the Gut Lake Trail to see what we could find. It was just starting to sprinkle a bit but the temperature was in the upper fifties and so we were plenty warm while hiking. The 2.5 km. trail travels by two different areas: the rugged rock of the Precambrian Shield (which supports most of the life in this area) and the lakes, streams and wetlands which drain excess water into Georgian Bay. It was a nice hike which took us longer than the predicted hour and half but we made lots of stops to take pictures and search for wildlife, to no avail. All that we saw were a few birds and one other hiker, with her dog. Arriving back at the campsite about 1:30 we were happy to find out that Ross & Pat had eaten lunch without us, but had Reubens ready to grill for the two of us. They tasted great after our long hike and bike ride! While we ate and chatted the rain began to come down in earnest. We returned to our camper and prepared to do a load of laundry while Marv took a shower. When the wash cycle finished we put the clothes in to dry and returned to the camper to read (me) and work on pictures from the morning (Marv). The whole time it rained hard but when we were ready to return to get the clean clothes, the rain had let up a bit. So I talked Marv into getting the laundry and then going on to the Swan Lake Trail. It was about 4:30 by then and I thought the conditions ideal for seeing moose. The trail is a 1.5 km. look that winds through a special area in the park set aside as a nature reserve. The trail was much like Gut Lake Trail but it includes a boardwalk over a wetlands area. Sadly, once again, no moose appeared in the heavy mist/light sprinkles. We stayed dry enough in our rain gear and Marv got a few more pictures before we returned for the last time today to our campsite. Ross & Pat came over for spaghetti and salad. We hoped to top off the evening with microwave S’mores but just as we finished dinner the power went out in the campground for some reason. So they went back to their trailer and Marv & I did the dishes and then looked at pictures on the computer until bedtime. As the evening wrapped up the rain showers seemed to finally end for good and the dripping of the trees slowly diminished.

A Day trip to Killarney Provincial Park

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.

On to Grundy Lake

Sat. Sept. 17 Grundy Lake Provincial Park: It didn’t get as cold as we expected; in fact, the temperature stayed right about 44° all night and rose quickly on a clear, sunny morning. We took the time to make oatmeal for breakfast before packing up the trailer to continue north on Highway 69. Before leaving Killbear, though, we wanted to see the Visitors Center, which was opened on Saturday. They have a nice display there on the history, animals and geography of the park which we enjoyed very much. Then we got on the road. We only had about an hour and a half’s drive today so we didn’t need to hurry. We wanted to check out the Little Brit Inn, which our brochure said is listed in “Where to Eat in Canada”, to see if it was worth coming back down to for dinner. Not realizing that there isn’t a bridge across the Magnetawan River, I tried to take us to Britt from the south side of the river at Byng Inlet. The tiny First Nation village had gravel roads and no businesses that we saw. There were some tense moments as we searched for a way to turn around but then the GPS showed us how we could go around a “block” and get back to the road into Byng Inlet. But we were glad we made the detour because on our way into town a large, glossy black bear ran across the road in front of the truck. On the way out of town in the same place near the town dump Ross said he saw a bear lying in the road ahead of us, but neither Marv nor I saw that one. Retracing our steps, we got back on Highway 69, crossed the Magnetawan River, and then turned west to find Britt. Britt is a sleepy little enclave that may have a bit more going on in the summer, but by fall it is really quiet. The only grocery in town had closed and was for sale. We did find the very unassuming Little Britt Inn and it was opened but in talking later we all agreed it didn’t look worth the return trip, since we were still going to have to go north to find some groceries. We soon arrived at Grundy Lake Provincial Park and were happy that they could give us two electrical sites next to one another. This is our first park that isn’t on Lake Huron or the Georgian Bay but it sits on three small lakes next to each other, Grundy, Gut & Gurd) and has several littler lakes sprinkled throughout, as well. All the sites in our campground (with the boring name of “Trailer” while all the others are named White Pine, Red Cedar, etc.) on Gurd Lake are pull-through and we were worried it might be a field of tightly packed trailers but it is as wooded and nice as all the other campgrounds we have experienced in Ontario. After setting up we walked with Pat over to the lake and found that there are a couple of sand beach areas where the campgrounds are situated and the rest of the shoreline is rocky and lined with pines. The sky was nearly cloudless and the temperature had risen to 63°. So we came back and got out our inflatable kayak and took it out on the lake. There was a busy loon fishing and we had a great time paddling around about half of the lake. When we had enough we came back to the campsite and I decided to get a shower and wash my hair. The nearby Comfort Station is closed for the season so I had to drive to the farther away one. When I got back Ross & Pat came over to our camper for Happy Hour. As we were leaving the campground for dinner and to find a grocery store, a small red fox was trotting down the camp road towards us on the other side of the road seemingly without a care in the world. We drove in our truck north to French River and then east to Alban, where the young woman who checked us into Grundy Lake had told us we could find a grocery store. After buying a few things we needed, we drove on to the Beausejour Inn for dinner. They had two fish dishes, a pickerel dinner and a fish and chips basket, but the waitress/owner, Wendy, told us that neither used local fish. When I expressed my disappointment she said that the Georgian Bay whitefish was local. “We didn’t see that on the menu!” we exclaimed. To which she smiled and replied, “It’s not on there.” So we all ordered the whitefish dinner and were very happy with it. It was lightly breaded and fried but not greasy; in fact, it was a little dry but it still tasted good. As we were leaving we asked where the closest WiFi would be. Again Wendy smiled wryly and said, “My restaurant.” So she gave us the code and Marv & I Skype-called Ken, who told us that MSU had lost to Notre Dame L and that he had more possibilities but nothing yet in his job search. Then we tried to call our respective Moms, neither of whom was home at 8:30 on Saturday night. Not bad for a couple of 90+-year-olds! We got back to our campsites by soon after 9:00 and retired to our own campers to prepare for our day trip to Killarney Provincial Park tomorrow. Marv and I walked down to the lakeshore to look at the stars but were surprised to find they weren’t as brilliant as they might have been because the still pretty big moon was just rising and giving off a great deal of light.