9-10 July 2014
Beausoleil Island and Hope Island in the Georgian Bay, Ontario
Well our thoughts of getting to Beausoleil Island on Tuesday were thwarted by the rain. I was watching the storm and I had visions getting off the dock by 2PM, but then it turned into a real downpour. So we spent the rest of Tuesday napping and reading.
But by Wednesday morning the rain had stopped. It was a little windy but we managed to get onto the main dock to get pumped out and were off across the bay. 45 minutes later we were at the brand new cruiser dock at Cedar Spring on Beausoleil Island, tossing our bow line to the admiral of Katya Lookin’.
Once we were tied to the dock Susan and I broke out the bikes (and the Deep Woods Off!), packed a lunch and headed out to see the island. We headed out on to what we thought was the Huron trail, but instead ended up on a parallel bike trail. One made for BMX bikes, not street bikes. After about 45 minutes we merged into the Huron (packed dirt road) trail and continued our ride north. We reached our next trail, Massasauga, but it was marked “No Bikes”. Chaining our valiant steeds to a tree we continued.
Sight seeing while walking is much easier than sight seeing while trying to keep from falling off a bike and or hitting roots and rocks. We saw all sorts of great nature things like chipmunks, garter snakes, poison ivy, etc. The poison ivy was easy, they have it marked so you know what to look for in the woods. The snakes (tiny baby ones) were sunning on the path, they scooted away when we got close.
The parks department does a good job of keeping the path clear and they have built some nice board walks across the marshy areas of the trail. When there is just the tops of the rocks they have posts with reflective markers on top to mark the trail.
We walked to the area known as The Chimneys. There are a few short docks, some picnic tables and a few tent platforms. We ate lunch with a beautiful view of the tiny bay. It was another of the bright blue sky days in Canada.
We continued north for a little longer to make it to the edge of Fairy Lake, a freshwater lake on the island. There are No Fishing signs up to protect the local fish population. After dowsing with more “Off” bug spray we turned and headed back down the island. The walk back to our bikes seemed quicker since we now knew the way. We stayed on the Huron trail the entire way back to the boat. Much easier biking on the hard path rather than through the woods!
When we got back Susan headed for a nap and I went off to read. After awhile I noticed the Akasha circling around the dock. They were going to try for the end of the dock, but they needed 5 feet of water so it was a little shallow. The Admrial and Captain of Katya Lookin’ and I moved the Quo Vadimus back 10 feet and the Katya Lookin’ forward 10 feet making room for the 48′ Akasha. Akasha is another looper boat, they had started off in Florida.
After chatting with them I went back to my book. Susan was up from her nap and was setting up her own little camp on the dock with her reclinging chair and a small side table. What a way to relax.
For dinner she made us pan fried chicken breasts and veggies. Rather than run the generator, she showed off her camp skills by cooking on the picnic table. Nice to gaze out over the water while eating a great meal. I helped with cleaning up and we were set for the day.
The First Mate of Katya Lookin’ said that she had caught fish from the dock. So Susan and I baited up. She fished off the bow of our boat, I walked down to the far end where Katya Lookin’ was tied up to try my hand there. It was pretty weedy down there and I was getting more snags than bites. I spent most of my time talking to the crew of Katya Lookin’ about their adventures on their boat. Susan didn’t have any success either so we decided to call it a day.
The Captain of Toisich as ur had pointed out a rock formation known as the Giant’s Chair on a point north of us. Friday morning we got up and did some general cleanup around the boat, got the bikes set to rude, packed a lunch and we headed up that way. Now that we had a better understanding of the paths, we were able to stay on solid path (no tree roots) and in an hour we were there. It is a big stone chair that was constructed sometime in the 60′s. First Nations lore has a giant that walked this area, the chair is homage to him.
When we got back we pulled the kayak off the top of the boat for Susan. She loaded up with her fishing gear and headed up towards Finger Point. I worked on the bikes, we were both having gear problems, but my age 14 bike memory soon kicked in and I had them working.
Dinner was bangers with the great caramelized onion gravy that she makes. We had purchased some cheese pierogies in Orillia, that was our side dish. After dinner we socialized with the crew of Katya Lookin’, both the First Mate and the Ensign caught fish. We heard later on that the First Mate had pulled in a large Pike after we we went in for the night.
Off to Hope Island in the morning.