Saturday, July 26, 2014

A Week in Algonquin

Hello Everyone!  Thank you again for all your kind words, thoughts and prayers with respect to my dad's move.  I've been unable to visit him this past week since I've been on vacation.  I know ... move my dad into a brand new facility, and then hop off for vacation.  It wasn't something I had planned.  The room had become available at this facility just a couple of days after we viewed it, so my siblings and I decided not to let the chance slip away from us, and we moved Dad in as soon as all the paperwork was completed.  Unfortunately, one of my sisters was on vacation the day he was moved in, and then I went on vacation the day after he moved in.  He's a tough man though, and I'm sure he's had the staff running around in circles to please him ;) 
 
Anyway, I'll be checking up on all of that with my family tomorrow.  I assume that no news is good news, and that everything has gone well.  But today we had a long drive home from Algonquin Park ... where my heart lies.

Rock Lake
 
I went with my husband and son, and we had a lot of fun adventures every day we were there.  We did a lot more canoeing this trip than we normally do, but we wanted to get a lot of use out of our new canoe.
 
Rock Lake
 I'll give more details about the trip in future posts, but I just wanted to show you a few snippets of some of the spots we visited.  We did the Old Railway Bike Trail, a 34 km ride ... something we really should've worked up to.  We were all so sore and stiff at the end of the ride, I didn't think I'd be able to move for the rest of the week!  But the muscles relaxed overnight, and not any stiffness remained the next day (thank goodness). 
 
We saw lots of reminders on the trail that we are not the only ones in the forest.  Bear poop (full of berry seeds) and wolf scats (full of fur) are quite common along this trail.  There are quite a few people riding on the trail, so I take comfort in that fact, and hope that the animals had visited the trail much earlier in the morning ;)
 
Bat Lake Trail
 We hiked a few pretty trails, but we were starting to feel like we really wanted to relax, so we just did a couple of easy trails, neither one was more than 5 km.  We'll save the more difficult 10 km Centennial Ridges for our fall camping trip.
 
We saw lots of wildlife in the park this week.  There were many bird sightings of ducks, herons, geese, hawks, vultures and the big black ravens.
 
 
We enjoyed sharing our campsite with the pileated woodpeckers, who were squawking to all the sleepy campers most mornings.  What a racket!  The one below was quite busy digging for bugs both up in trees and on the ground.   We saw him one evening as we were paddling around 'our' lake (Canisbay Lake), and stopped alongside him to take a few photographs.
 
Pileated Woodpecker
 
I think the previous visitors to our campsite had spent a lot of time feeding these little monsters ...
 
 
Chipmunks are so cute, but once you start to feed them, there's no getting rid of them.  They would actually jump into our laps while we sat outside our trailer!  One poor little guy startled me so badly when he jumped on my bare leg (I had my legs outstretched and resting on a facing chair and didn't notice him until his sharp little claws dug into my leg), that my leg jumped up sharply and I sent him sailing up in the air about six feet!  Ooops!  We didn't feed them for the entire week, but they were continuously seeking out food from us together with a red squirrel who was just as cute.
 
There was no end of fun for us at the park.  We had only one half day of sort of rainy weather, but the rest was beautiful.  It was quite hot a couple of days, so we planned canoe paddles with a swim at the end.  The bike ride had a swim for us at the far end of the trail too.  The lakes are so refreshing and cool.  Although we tried really hard to swim off of a rocky area one day in order to avoid the beach, I just couldn't make myself jump into that black water without being able to touch the bottom (not to mention I saw a very big fish slowly swim past me which creeped me out just a little).  I had to admit defeat to my husband, and we headed across the bay to a small public beach where I could walk into the black water without fear.  I really am such a chicken in deep water.
 
Lake of Two Rivers
I had a little mystery solved that has been bugging me for many years.  I'll tell you all about that in another post.  It involves the point in the above photo.
 
Bat Lake Trail
 
This was one of the many wildlife sightings we had ...
 
 
We don't often see bears while we're at the park ... usually lots of moose.  But this bear and her cubs were being spotted all over.  The park has been posting lots of information sheets around, and we had one delivered to our campsite while we were out.  They had lists of things to remember when you're out in the bush and encounter a black bear.  I particularly liked the suggestion that you carry a long-handled axe on your hikes!  We had such an axe, but I don't think any of us was willing to lug that heavy weight around with us.  And if you did have to use it, what if you only wounded the bear?!  They neglected to mention that a wounded bear is much more dangerous than and curious bear. 
 
And I'll leave you on that happy note :)  I've got a few photos (ok...over 600) to sort through before I can write another post.  While I was taking the photos I had a couple of post ideas forming in my head.  Do you do that too?  Remember a little snippet of something to write about some of the photos you take?  It keeps my mind racing along, and I think that's why I ended up with so many photos.  I hope everyone has been keeping well, and I'll be around to visit everyone soon.  Thanks for stopping by again today.
 
Wendy
 
Canisbay Lake, Algonquin Park
 

21 comments:

  1. You really had an active vacation with all the hiking and canoeing! What fun and a chance to see so much more. The bears are beautiful....scary but beautiful. And that chipmunk is the very cutest! Hope you'll share lots more photos. I've never been there and I love seeing that area! Sweet hugs, Diane

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  2. Lovely shots and looks as if you had a wonderful and memorable time on your trip. Beautiful area, except for maybe those bears. Sorry you had to leave your dad right at the time of his move, but sure he did well, and maybe it is even better for him to be on his own to adjust for a few days. did love your shots!

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  3. Such glorious photos of a glorious part of the world. My goodness you must be fit with all that hiking and canoeing!! Those bears are very cute!! I am sure your dad is being well cared for at his new home. It is good that you got to have a li'l fun adventure!!

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  4. Beautiful images, Wendy, of one of Canada's many treasures. Yikes! I don't know how if I'd be willing to brave bears, but if one is knowledge of them, then I guess it's exciting! Now, those feathered lovelies, I could handle! Have a great week and happy sorting!

    xx
    Poppy

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  5. Wow amazing photo's, what a stunning place. It looks like you had an amazing time! xo

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  6. Lovely to hear from you Wendy and to know that you had such a great time! Another beautiful place for you to visit, I can quite see why your heart lies there. It is stunning isn't it. Were you very close to the bears I wonder, or do you have a wonderful zoom on your camera. I hope that it was that you have a great zoom, I would have been terrified to have been that close to them. I look forward to hearing about the rest of your time and seeing more pictures, especially the pointy thing and what that is all about! I am so glad that you got away and enjoyed yourself!! Welcome home. xx

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  7. I feel the love for Algonquin in this post from you Wendy, and who wouldn't with all the stunning scenery you've shared. Sounds like the three of you are in good shape with all the hiking and rowing.
    We just arrived in Grand Bend to spend a week at a cottage with family so although I may not be posting myself, I look forward to more of your photos.

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  8. What a beautiful place. Sounds like you had a fantastastic time. Bee xx

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  9. I recognise all the views except the bike trail. What utterly stupid advice to give about bear safety!
    I'm wondering what the mystery is (I remember seeing something placed high up on that point,when we hiked it,we asked but no one seemed to know why it had been placed there).I DO hope it's the same mystery!!
    Jane x

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  10. Hi Wendy, wow what beautiful photos of your vacation. It sounds like you had a great time and I'm looking forward to more photos of your trip! I would be so scared if I saw a bear! Hoe brave of you! Enjoy your day.
    Julie

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  11. I'm not surprised you love your vacations Wendy, this all looks and sounds like a bit of heaven. I love the chipmunks but understand that they could be a big nuisance :) Your new canoe is certainly working out well for you and your camera has well and truly earned its keep. I trust that you will find everything going really well for your Dad when you see him and gather the reports. Wishing you a wonderful week, xoJoy

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  12. Oh Wendy, I'm homesick! Seeing that little chipmunk - even if they were the boldest little buggers - and hearing all about the forest and the wildlife, makes me miss good ol' Pennsylvania! Your photos are wonderful (I'd love to see all 600! ;-) ) and it sounds like you had a very fun trip. I came face to face with a bear cub on a hike in the Shenandoah mountains once, and while friends were cooing over him, I reminded them that moms usually don't let babies wander far...what did your mama bear do after seeing you? Thank you for sharing your trip, it's made me smile on this early morning! Chrissie x

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  13. sounds like a perfect vacation.
    we have the smaller bears here in my state of Missouri We are getting quite a few now that are staying and having young. the conservation people are informing the public here now too-that is kinda wierd to carry along an ax I don't think I would want to do that
    we have allot of pileated woodpeckers here in my woods and I love them-very cool birds. have a good week ahead

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  14. Your photos are incredible! What a wonderful vacation to a beautiful part of Ontario!

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  15. A wonderful post and great pictures to accompany.
    have a wonderful week, Wendy!
    -Gaia

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  16. Beautiful images of an incredibly beautiful place. But oh my goodness those bears were close!

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  17. So beautiful Wendy! I am just so taken with those shots of the lake....they are gorgeous!!!! And yes I too am a chicken when it comes to the deep water! Sounds like a spectacular trip full of adventure! I really can't get over the bears!!! My goodness! Do you get nervous or are you confident that they won't get to close??? I am a nervous nelly when it comes to bears! You really captured some amazing wildlife photos!! I can't wait to see more! Take care you! Nicole xoxo

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  18. Great post! Glad to hear things are going well for your dad. Your trip looks and sounds like so much fun. And, from the photos, it looks like a gorgeous place to visit. You had me laughing when I got to the part about not wanting to swim in the deep, dark water where you couldn't touch and when you said the fish creeped you out. I'd be exactly the same way! lol How great that your hubby was understanding and went with you to an area you were more comfortable with. :-) Those bears are adorable. But, a mama and her bears sounds pretty scary. Yeah....I don't think I'd want to carry a heavy ax either. lol Maybe bear spray would be better? Ok....I'm heading back up the post to see all your wonderful photos again. :-D

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  19. I have been on vacation for 10 days and am just catching up with reading.

    I hope your dad is settling in well.

    Wow! What beautiful scenery and creatures. I haven't gone canoeing in years, but I loved it. We just kayak now and are thinking of getting a Hobie pedal kayak for my husband since his shoulder replacement.

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  20. Wendy, what a lovely vacation. This is right up my alley, I would love to hike and canoe in this park. The bear is a cool sighting too, as long as they keep their distance.. I would love see the moose. Cool shot of the Pileated.. Great post and photos, thanks for sharing your vacation. Have a happy day!

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  21. Hi Wendy, I know I sent a message saying I couldn't comment, but that was from my iPad and it probably didn't show all the options. From my main iMac computer I can see all the options ... sorry for any confusion.

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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