Lucky enough to be camping again.

Monday November 14th 2016                                                     160323

Guess where we are?   Yes - MacGreg0or Point.  We are lucky enough to have another few days of sunny, Fall weather.  It  is not going to be as good as last week, but still plenty warm enough for another Fall camping trip.

Our Dining Tent and El Campista all set up on site #8 (yes, lucky again) by 12.45.

After lunch it was time to go find the Chickadees.

They were waiting for us when we reached The Turtle Pond.

They were even trying to stop each other from getting to the seeds.

There were no other birds around at this time.

The pond was looking very low today, although there was still a lot of vegetation  around.

As we neared Lake Huron we could tell from the sound of the Lake it was not going to be calm like last week   There were some good sized waves there today, especially around Sunset Point.

It was a really good walk and still quite warm in the sunshine.

We made our way back to our site and got the campfire ready to light.

By 7.30 p.m.,   although the fire was really good,  it was feeling quite cold.   So we headed inside for dinner.

Followed by another Dominoes Championship.  And yes - Mike won again!

Tuesday November 15th 2016

Looks to be another good day.  Very cool start but we managed to BBQ breakfast.   The dining tent was toasty warm, so we ate in there.  It was really good.

As we didn't head towards Merganser Cove last week we decided we would do that this morning.

The Chickadees were already waiting for us as we got to the Turtle Pond.  Just as hungry as they were yesterday.

Today the lake was a lot calmer than we saw yesterday, and very quiet.

There was still a morning mist over the lake.

The trees along the trail were looking quite bare now.

Once again there was not much of a cove at Merganser, due to the high water.   Still   a slight mist here too.

When we reached the bridge over the brook, which had no water there today, just a few downed trees, we took the right fork    Our usual route is to take the left fork.

It made for a really great walk.

About 15 minutes along this trail Mike saw a Pileated Woodpecker land in a tree quite close to us.

Luckily enough this Wood Pecker was in no hurry, and not at all shy of a camera.

Then half an hour or so further along we came across a Ruffed Grouse.   However, this guy was in no mood for hanging around for picture taking - too bad.

From there we  got on to the Deer Run trail which eventually led us back to our campsite.   No deer to be seen today, just a couple of squirrels.

By the time we got back to camp it was time to relax, after a three hour walk.  And a very interesting walk.  The weather was perfect too.  In fact, it was still  perfect and we sat outside in the sunshine.  Not bad for the middle of November.

After a late lunch and a lazy start to the afternoon we decided we'd better go see if the Chickadees needed more food.

Of course they did, along with the Blue Jays and Nuthatches.

They all followed us around the Turtle Pond and just as we were heading to the Huron Fringe Trail we noticed what appeared to be two swans on the Lake, near the beach area.

Not only did it appear to be two swans - it really was two swans.

We have seen swans here previously, but only in the spring and summer. never this late in the year.

A very interesting site for the Fall.


And so back to our campsite to get the campfire going before the cool evening takes over.

It was certainly a very interesting and surprising day.

Wednesday November 16th 2016.

It rained quite heavy through the night, but was OK to BBQ breakfast and eat in the "Tent" again.  It was very cloudy, but not too cold.

Time to head back to Durham today.  Not sure if we'll be back again in 2016 as the forecast is for flurries over the weekend.  

I guess we'll have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for us.  It's been a great camping season.

December 21st 2016.

Sorry for the delay in catching up with this Blog, but finally, I made it.

Mother Natured supplied me with a beautiful scene to look at as I finished this Blog.  

This what I see of my back yard when I look out of the window where my desk sits.  

No wonder it takes me so long to complete a Blog Post.

Here is our deck, taken from the other window.

No BBQ'ing for a while.

This where Fuzzy , the cat that adopted us, sits most of the days.   She enjoys watching the birds on the feeder.

As you can see the snow was not so thick at this time.

Yes - we have some interesting gifts under the tree.

Merry Christmas to you all, and a very Happy New Year.   

Catch you in 2017 -  Counting the days!!!!

MacGregor Point Provincial Park

Sunday November 7th 2016                                              160159

It's been a month since we able to get away camping.  Some family get togethes, Thanksgiving, house and yard chores and of course, Mother Nature, making it difficult to find the time and the good weather for a break.    But finally, after patiently, waiting we are on our way to MacGregor for a couple of days of Fall camping, and the weather sounds perfect.

It was a nice easy drive to the park and we were all set up and enjoying linch by 12.30 p.m.   Even managed to get site #8, one of our favorites.

We did set up our "dining tent" although right now the weather is perfect at 16c.  We do know it will cool off quickly early evening. However, the tent will get cozy warm very quickly.

For the time of year the park is quite busy.  No wonder at it with such good weather, and bonus it should remain the same tomorrow.

Lunch over, we decided to take a walk to the Turtle Pond.

The Chickadees and Blue Jays were very happy to see us back again.











          
The pond was very calm this afternoon, but no Turtles to be seen anywhere.

At the end of the Boardwalk, which goes right around the turtle pond, we could see the deep blue of Lake Huron.













Lake Huron was even higher than it was a few weeks ago, and still extremely clean and clear.

So on towards Sunset Point.  It too was very high, and not much of the point to be seen. The breeze off the Lake was causing a few small waves, although it was still quite warm out here.

Then on to Huron Fringe Trail.   It appeared the Chickadees where already waiting for us.

As you can see there is still a great deal of vegetation on the Ash Swamp.


This was a shorter walk today, but we may head back to the point around sunset.

We relaxed in the sunshine when we got back to #8.  How nice is it to say that in November?

We set the fire all ready to light when we returned from the Point.

It seemed really early to view the sunset, due to the fact we had the "Day Light Saving" time change last night.

Certainly a little cooler by the lake right now.

Back at #8 we got the fire going and sat there until about 7.30 p.m. when it did get quite cold, even with the fire.

So we went inside for dinner.  Then spent an enjoyable evening listening to "Daryl's Old Country Classics" on the radio.   He even played some of our requests, which we phoned in.

Certainly has been a fun day and evening.


Monday N0vember 7th 2016

Very nice bright, sunny morning.   It was surprising that when we went out to BBQ breakfast it was not even too cold.    So we ate breakfast in the cozy dining tent.

Then after usual morning chores were over we planned our walks for the day.

We decided we would walk The Deer Run Trail today, for a change.   It's approximately 5 km and mostly though wooded areas.

There is one section that indicates it could have been farmland many years ago.   We could see part of a stone wall, part of a cedar rail fence and a lot of apple trees.

It's a fairly easy trail to walk, and today we met one other couple out enjoying the wonderful "July" day in Novembers.   Yes it is almost a carbon copy of yesterday.  May be even a little warmer.

We did not see any wild life and hardly any birds.  Usually we see squirrels and chipmunks on this trail, and of course the deer - but not today.

By the time we made it back to our site it was about 1.30 p.m., and time to relax for a while before getting some well earned lunch.   It was so good to be able to sit out in the sunshine, almost unexpected for the time of year - this is a bonus!

We hung around the site for a while after lunch then planned a short walk.  It was far too nice to waste this gorgeous afternoon doing nothing.

So we walked through our camp ground to the Pitcher's Plant Marl.

It is a very different type of ground and vegetation and pond.

The Pitcher Plant is a carnivorous plant.   It looks quite pretty, but I guess one shouldn't get too close.   Not that you can right here.
It certainly is little eerie though.

Then we headed back along the Old Shoreline Trail, where the Lake looked equally as blue as yesterday.

From there we wandered the Boardwalk around the Turtle Pond.  The Chickadees were not too happy with us,  as we did not have their seed with us today.

And so back to #8 again.

Time to get the fire going before the evening coolness settles in.

And that is where we stayed until time for dinner, which my Chef did an excellent job with.  We did eat in the dining tent where it was cozy warm.

Managed a few gams of dominoes before bed.

Tied Gane!  Oh well, there is slways next time.


Tuesday Novenber 8th 2016.                                                                160237
Oh My - USA Election Day - The most contraversial Presidential Race in Hisory.

It was a cloudy start to the day, but still good for Novomber, not at all cold.

After breakfast we decided to make the most of the weather and take a walk before packing up and heading home.

We walked the Turtle Pond, but there were no Chickadees around this morning, so we headed on to the Huron Fringe Trail.

It appared they were waiting for us there, and were quite hungry.

When we got back to our site we packed the tent away and got things ready to head out,  after we had our lunch.

Just as were ready to leave, it started raining, so it was a dreary drive home.  It was suddenly looking very wintery.

Home about 3.30 p.m.   Still raining.

Here's hoping we can get another trip in to Macgregor before Mothere Nature really shuts us down for the winter.

SILENT LAKE

Wednesday October 5th 2016

Another good start to the day,  although a cool breeze.  On our way today to Silent Lake, near Bancroft today.  

After leaving Balsam Lake our first stop was The Trading Post at Rosedale.  Believe it or not this is the first time we did not find anything buy - and it wasn't for the want of trying.

So on our way again. 

Next stop to be Fenelon Falls.   We both really like Fenelon Falls, and today with the wonderful summer weather still with us it should be a fun visit.

We were the opposite side of the Trent River to the Falls this time, but we could see and hear the Falls.

We wandered along the Locks on the Water way and followed this boat through the series of locks here.

This was the first stop, waiting to be let into the lock.

Then into the lock.

Where it had to sit and wait for the water to fill the lock.

When the water reaches the correct level the gates are open, and they are on their way again.

Very fascinating to watch.

The waterway was a really picturesque and interesting area to wander around.  Well worth the visit.

Time for us to be on our way to Silent Lake.
As we have said before - it is not always the destination that is exciting.  It is also the getting there.  And this was one of those trips.  The drive from Fenelon Falls to Silent Lake was fabulous.  Small country roads, lots of rock cuts and the fall colours were unbelievable.   However, we didn't get pictures as there was a truck in front of us almost all the way.

Arrived about 2.30 and were lucky enough to get the same site that we had last visit. It is a good sized site and situated right on the edge of a small ravine.

The last time we had this site the deer wandered through the ravine in the evening. Hopefully they will be kind enough to do that again.

The site has a fairly long "driveway" before reaching  the actual parking area.  It is a great site with lots of sun and shade.

After setting up we had a late lunch and then got ready to explore.

This afternoon we planned to try Lake Head Loop Trail.

To get to the trails we have quite a hike through the camp ground.

To get to the Lake Head Loop you have to do some of the Lake Head Trail, which an be quite rugged in places, but very pretty.

No trouble finding the Loop Head, but after a while the trail ended.  It appeared the loop was no longer there.

All we could do was to turn around and retrace our steps.

Regardless it was a really good walk.


To return to #141 we had a long, steep hill to climb - yes it was great heading out earlier, but not so much fun getting back.   We decided to walk the park road with the hope that the hill wouldn't be so steep.   Not our luck.  We had a real good workout by the time we fell into our chairs  at #141.   This is a very hilly park, however, it is also a beautiful park.   It always reminds us of Table Rock Mountain in South Carolina - minus the mountain that is.

Although a little cooler than the 26c we experienced on our arrival it was still warm enough to sit out and relax in the sunshine before dinner.

The fire pit here is perched right on the edge of the ravine,  so no moving around the fire to keep out of the smoke this evening.   Which was not a  problem as it was not very breezy.  In fact it was a real pleasant evening around the fire.  Extremely dark here, so the stars were brilliant and in great abundance.

So glad we returned here.

Thursday October 6th 2016.

Very cloudy morning and about 11c.

After breakfast we decided we would do our best to find, and remain on,  the Bonnie's Pond Hiking Trail.   It's a 3 km trail, and about 1.5 km from our site, so may take a while by the time we get back.

We found the trail, no problem.  Quite an interesting walk from our site to the trail.

The trail was easy to follow, but not an easy walk.  There were a lot of large boulders and tree roots, along with a lot of climbing.   It is going to be another really good workout.


Bonnie's Pond was larger than I had imagined, and today it was very calm.

Unlike the time it got it's name "Bonnie's Pond".

Apparently a work horse named Bonnie drowned in the pond while "skidding logs" across the pond when it was not quite frozen.

We found, due to the dampness of the trails, several different types of fungi.






Yes, even a Fungi Tree.

Quite interesting to look at.

Although we could near many different species of birds, we were unable to locate any of them as the trees in this area were really dense.

Then we came across an extra trail.
"To Look Out Point"

So we took that.

           
Look Out Point.

We were very glad we took the little detour, it was really picturesque and well worth it.

And so back to the original trail.

What a wonderful sight!   

A little way along the trail some kind person had taken the time to build a bench to rest weary bones.

Not far from the bench we came across a small waterfall.

Notice all the moss around about it.   Another sign of the dampness here.

Really very pretty.

Oh No.  

We now had to get ready to traverse the raging river - OK,  cross a stream with three or four stepping stops.

As you can see Mike is waiting on the other side of the "river".  Wonder what he would have done if I fell in!

From there it was an uphill climb for about 1/2 km.  Although it felt longer.

Found another fungus growing along this section of the trail.

Once more on even ground it wasn't too far to the end of the trail.   We both wished there was a bench here for a short rest.   No bench - so on our way another km or more to a very welcome #141.

By the time we returned the sky was clearing and the sun was shining.  It looked as if we would be able to have a nice relaxing afternoon in the sunshine.

One of our "neighbours" stopped by for a visit.  It was great to chat with him.   They have a  "camper/RV" very similar to ours, and they have travelled a lot of the places, both in Canada and USA that we have been too.

After a nice BBQ, which my Chef did so well, we spent the rest of the evening around the fire, enjoying the peace and quiet on our last night here this year.

You can just see the edge of the ravine behind the fire pit.








Friday October 7th 2016.                                  159881
Another really nice morning, and time to head back to Durham again.  This has been such a fun week.

All packed and ready to leave tho park about 11.30 a.m.

It was an excellent drive, and Mother Nature supplied us with many magnificent colours in the trees.

The drive through Troy and area was very picturesque.

From there we drove through Horseshoe Valley, which was great.

We couldn't have found a nicer fall drive even if we had planned it.

Arrived home safe and sound, hoping that Mother Nature will be kind to us and allow us to have another little camping trip before Ol' Man Winter Takes over.