Paying for rocks??????

Sir Bob (Geldof) can't have been thinking about Victoria Day when he sang http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yteMugRAc0 . Mondays aren't all that bad. Especially when it's a holiday!!

Our Monday started with French Toast and guess what for breakfast. Life is good!!! With the owners seemingly away we left a note saying we'd fix them up with a cheque from home. "Trust us we're Lifesavers ". It was a great cabin or more accurately it was three cabins; a bedroom cabin, a kitchen/ lounge room cabin and a shower cabin. All three were good.

Julie was keen to call in at the sister shop to the 10 Mile Trading Post we had visited yesterday, it took a mere two hours to walk out with a couple of very expensive rocks from the Treasure Cove Gallery.

Actually it would be more be much more accurate to tell the truth. We spent 2 hours looking at a wonderful gallery full of art, carvings, books, music and speciality gifts all relating to the rich First Nation heritage of Canada. We are going to come home with two carvings which will be a poignant reminder of our time in Canada.

There was one last item on Ella's List and that was a Farquhar's Ice Cream. These ice creams have ben a favourit on Manitoulin Island for many years, and the"Moose Tracks" waffle cone passed the ultimate test from the from the Queen of the Ice Cream Appreciators. Mrs Frost said it was lovely!!!!

Finally over the one lane swing bridge http://www.outdoorwebsite.com/The%20road%20to%20Manitoulin.htm and back towards home on a fairly busy highway. Arrived home via Lake Joseph in time to do the shopping and then watch the Boston Bruins v Tampa Bay. 

What a great weekend. I amazed myself (and probably Julie) by driving all nine hundred and thirty seven kilometres (582 miles) WHOOOOOO!!!!!   

Four Corners of Manatoulin

We woke with steady rain falling but superchef managed to cook eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast on the BBQ during a break in the weather. On the road by 9am as there was a fair bit planned for the day.

Driving towards the Meldrum Bay lighthouse we were stopped when our own David Attenborough pointed out some Sandhill Cranes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandhill_Crane They were unaware of the intrepid photographer and even danced "like the books said they would"!

Following the onithological expedition we went in search of the north coast of Manitoulin Island and found Gore Bay http://www.gorebay.ca/ which is a nice little town with a great lookout over the North Channel and the mainland. The difficulty of finding the lookout is that the sign for it is very small and the lookout doesn't seem to be publicised very well. Even on a misty day the view was spectacular.



We wound back down from the lookout and turned right and as we headed further west the sky was brightening and the rain was clearing and by the time we bumped along the dirt road to the Mississagi Lighthouse the sun was shining.
The lighthouse and the museum http://www.themississagilighthouse.com/museum.html it contains were a little tired but I don't think they have benefitted from huge slabs of government money. They are interesting and the stories in the museum give a great history of what the lighthouse keepers faced in the 1800's. 

Diving into the crystal clear water of the Lake Huron looked very inviting but someone forgot to pack my swimmers and diving gear. ME!!! Maybe next time.....

 

After a coffee and cinnamon bun at the Foghorn Restuarant http://www.themississagilighthouse.com/foghorn.html we decided to buck the trend and "go east young man (and girl)". On our way we called in at the Zhibaahaasing First Nation lands home of the world's largest peace pipe and the world's largest native drum   http://www.canuckster.com/links.asp?id=22154 



Not certain but I think "little broken wing" may have been practicing her steps for the annual pow-wow which each of the 6 Maintoulin First Nation groups hold annually. These are summer attractions which I doubt we'll see.

We had been using lot of ideas from an acknowledged Manitoulin Expert Ella (a student of Julie's) and one of them was Mum's Restuarant and Bakery at Mindemoya. We always take advice and when that advice is for a cake shop that takes special significance to one of us. It was good advice!!!

After a stop at Wikwemikong  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikwemikong_Unceded_Indian_Reserve we were heading back towards the Cup and Saucer hiking trail but the 10 Mile Point Trading Post caught our eye and an hour later we emerged with a really neat pair of moosehide moccassins and dreams of stone carvings.   

Took a quick look at the First Nation's Church at M'Chigeeng (another Ella suggestion) before the sprinkles of rain intensified to something approaching a torrent and we headed for home along what I hoped was a road and not a river. Amazingly the rain disappeared almost as quickly as it came and we arrived at our cottage in time for Julie to go for a walk and for me to take some photos of some really neat snails  

We chose not to cook up a pot of them and dinner was at a slightly disappointing fish and chip shop. Oh well everything else on this trip has been superb and at least there was nothing for the chef (cook) to do.

The evening had got clearer and clearer and we decided on a last look at Providence Bay 



It was worth it! A glass of wine and then bed. Serendipity!!!!!!    

Meandering on Manitoulin

Having survived the epic journey where, I have to be honest, the height of the swell could be measured in millimetres we were hungry. We had not realised until too late that our Motel had included a buffet breakfast. Oh well missing a big breakfast had lessened the danger of ferry sickness!!!

The Chi-Cheemaun had the usual plethora of advertising pamphlets and a quick perusal showed us that every accommodation place on the Island apart from ours was there, Oh well http://www.manitoulin-island.com/providencebaycottages/cabin_suite.html !!! With our stomachs grumbling one that did stand out to us was another pancake breakfast. Pancake breakfast's were not unknown to the Frost touring team and the fare provided by the Providence Bay Church was up with the best of them. Although I'm not sure whether it was the breakfast or the people serving it. As we were the last to be served (what's new) we had about a dozen people looking after us and they were all amazingly friendly. I like this place!!!!!

Breakfast finished at around lunchtime and next stop was our cottage We had used our normal criteria for making this booking. It has to have cooking facilities. It has to be in a nice location. It had to be relatively inexpensive. And it had to be be unique!!! 

This Providence Bay Cottage seemed to fit those criteria fairly well!!!

A lazy day loomed - for about 10 minutes!!!! And with the exploring of our accommodation and unpacking done we headed off to make use of the sunny day and explore.... First stop was at the Bridal Veil Falls (there must be thousands of Bridal Veil Falls) but the Manitoulin Island variety didn't disappoint.

On a tourist brochure there were photographs of people swimming here and the thought appealed to Mrs Frost. The thought didn't have the same appeal to me and I wasn't upset that I had neglected to pack swimming gear.  We did manage to head off downriver on a nice walk and did manage to get slightly mislaid (or is that lost) but the intrepid explorers did manage to make it up the staircase that led back to the carpark. While Julie went and checked out the prices of canoes and kayaks I waited on a comfortable seat On her return I couldn't help wonder at just how young Canadian motorcyclists must start......

Enough of that resting, it was back into the CuRVy and awayyyyyyyy!! To Misery Bay was the call!!! Now what would take us to a place like that. A guide book and Mrs Garmin of course. Misery Bay Provincial Park http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/mise.html  . Unlike the National Parks around Narooma this place doesn't seem to have a huge budget and the volunteersin the Visitors Centre were there  during their holidays. The centre and the people there were a little old and frayed but they made up for it in niceness and knowledge. http://www.miserybay.org/about.htm 

We went on a walk to have look at the alvars 

http://www.natureconservancy.ca/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5961&news_iv_ctrl=0&abbr=on_ncc_ 

These rare ecosystems and only found in North America on the Great Lakes. Walking was interesting as there were plenty of trip hazards but with the help of a pair of borrowed walking sticks I managed to survive although I didn't make it all the way. I returned on the Visitors Centre on very well signposted tracks  and we spent a pleasant hour chatting with a couple of the volunteers, a retired Michegan State University biology professor and his school teacher wife. They had wide knowledge of the area and it was her family that had donated much of the land that made up the Park.

Into the CuRVy and on with the Garmin and we found our way (via the beer store) to our cottage where we enjoyed a couple of drinks a few nibbles and a sumptuous meal outdoors on a night without either mosquitos or the often mentioned Blackflies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjLBXb1kgMo 

A good end to a great day! And weren't we lucky with the weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!