Near North of Ontario

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14 to SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2005

Have we died and gone to heaven? No, we are in a campground beside a lovely little lake near North Bay, Ontario, and it may be the next best place! The lake is not large – about 100 acres – but it is beautiful, and is the center of many of the activities of this little group of perhaps 50 campers.

There’s plenty to do, even in the middle of this wilderness area. There is swimming, sunbathing, canoes, fishing and hiking. Each morning, promptly at 9:00 am, a group of walkers start their day with a brisk walk to the gate and back, eight-tenths of a mile each way along the access drive which runs through largely undisturbed forest. Throughout the day there’s plenty to do: darts, horseshoes, hiking, canoeing, bicycling, or just visiting. In the evening, there is usually a card game, and sometimes a game of Mexican Train (dominoes) going at the clubhouse, as well as the build-your-own-fire sauna for those who enjoy it. And, of course, there are a lot of activities you can create for yourself: an extra walk in the afternoon, enjoying the sunrise and the sunset over the lake, sunbathing, doing maintenance jobs around the camp or your own rig, cutting wood for the sauna or shower fire, or reading a good book or two! And, of course, an occasional trip to town to pick up groceries and mail.

The wildlife alone can entertain for hours: the antics and mournful song of the pair of loons who rule the lake; clever squirrels who scale the squirrel-barriers to invade the bird feeders; chipmunks who boldly beg at friendly campsites; hummingbirds who hang glide six inches from their admirers; the loud "smack" of the tail of an alarmed beaver; a quiet little garter snake dressed in her Sunday-best bright yellow stripes slithering quickly away from under our feet.

The wildlife we hoped to see has been scarce! We’ve seen evidence of beavers – trees they’ve cut, dams they’ve built and roads they’ve flooded – but no live creatures. No bears or moose, but lots of squirrels, chipmunks and an occasional rabbit. Tiny, bright-colored frogs are everywhere and birds are abundant. Nearly every day we watch the loons play on the lake and hear their mournful music. Parts of the surrounding woods are full of the unmistakable sound of woodpeckers at work. Crows and grackles are abundant and occasionally an osprey can be seen flying across the lake. On our last day we saw a barred owl as we were hiking.

Coming home from a trip into North Bay on Wednesday, we got a royal welcome. Eight sea gulls, flying side by side in an almost straight line at windshield height, preceded us down the road for perhaps a quarter of a mile, squawking loudly to announce our coming into their wilderness domain. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, they broke rank, flew off in all directions and disappeared!

What a life! Perhaps Paradise has nothing to do with streets of gold and gates of pearl! It’s not even about beautiful virgins waiting to welcome faithful martyrs! Paradise may be located on a lake shore in near north Ontario!

But, even in Paradise, there are occasional cloudy skies and rain showers. And, here, that means cool weather, even in August. Temperatures in the 50's and low 60's feel like October in Ohio but in northern Ontario, fall comes earlier. Already in mid-August a few maple leaves are beginning to turn from green to their brilliant Canadian red as part of summer’s "last hurrah." They tell us that it’s not unusual, in late August, to catch a glimpse of what lies ahead: snowflakes flying and thin layers of ice on picnic tables.

So cloudy days are a time for bundling up and igniting the auxiliary propane heater. Inside our cozy little cocoon on wheels, we can read, study Spanish, catch the travel journal up to date, study instruction manuals for the various technological wonders that keep us comfortable and mobile, or try to preserve experiences and impressions in the computer. The stately pine forest, in its silent grandeur, encourages us to think great thoughts – or at least to think small thoughts greatly!

Because of the remote location of the campground twenty miles from the nearest town, there is no electricity (or Hydro as the Canadians call it). Thus, this was our first opportunity to survive for two weeks with no hook-ups. We were excited to see that our solar package did well at supplying our electrical needs. By using the camp’s water for showers and their toilets (except at night), our own supply of potable water kept us through the two weeks.

In our two weeks here, we’ve enjoyed canoeing on the lake, hiking the trails, sunning on the rocks, the warmth of a solar heated shower, visiting, roasting marshmallows at evening campfires, playing with other people’s grandchildren, and learning about our national neighbor to the north. But tomorrow, we head back south toward more familiar geography. We will take with us, in our memory’s album, lots of delightful images of the Near North wilderness of Ontario!

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