We like this park! Very tall maple trees are predominant, campsites are nicely placed, the water is clear, the canoe rentals reasonable, and the staff are friendly. Three days are in order, with lots of time to just putz around. I want time to knit while not trying to watch the scenery. Lawrie wants some time to fish and not worry about the yellow line. A great plan that we put into practice right away. They even have a dogs off leash trail and so Oscar and Oreo are quite happy too. There are people here, but not that many, and everyone seems to be in a relaxed state that is evident in their demeanor. One would not believe we are only about two hours from the largest Canadian city! The day after we arrive here we rent a canoe … and I must say here that all canoes are not created equal and I?m wishing we had our yacht sized canoe with us. This 16 foot not-so-beautifully designed thing is too narrow and short in the front for my comfort, the seat sits too high so our center of gravity and the narrowness of the canoe make it quite tippy feeling. With a bit of complaining out of the way, I must say we had a wonderful time in the damned thing. Bon Echo is renowned for a rock, a 1.5 kilometre sheer rock face that rises 100 metres above Mazinaw Lake, which is one of the deepest lakes in Ontario, and features over 260 native pictographs - the largest visible collection in Canada. Okay, we didn?t see that many, but it was most interesting discovering all sorts of things.

Bon Echo Rock

Bon Echo pictograph

This is a huge spider …. a ruler would have been nice!

A very clever build job though not likely historic!

Day two we trundle off to a little spot we saw yesterday while canoeing, for a picnic. The day is beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, warm and relatively bug free. We laze around on our own little beach in a little bay with a huge big rock for sunning. I sunburn my face and Lynn, ever the more practical avoids the burns because she used sunscreen! We are right into the holiday mode now and are quite content to just let the day amble by.

Bon Echo rock in the back, Turtle Rock in the front

Oreo either enjoying the sun or waiting to ambush Oscar …

The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough is our next destination and despite the poor quality of our map, we manage to arrive in the early afternoon on Sunday. The museum is somewhat hard to find as there are no directional markers in town directing you to the museum. However, take the time to get directions to this place and stop in. It was amazing to see all the different variations on the same theme. Kudos to the organizers and developers of this bit of truly Canadian culture. The museum is home of the world?s largest collection of canoes and kayaks. Dramatic exhibits tell the story of Aboriginal, French and British cultures, taking you on a journey through a Mi?kmaq encampment, an original 1876 trading post, the voyageur era, mapping expeditions, summer camps, canoe factories, cottaging and regattas. As quoted from Bill Mason; ?God first created the canoe, then the Canada in which to use it?.

Our final destination for the night is Pre?squile Provincial Park, where we enjoy the surrounding countryside, lighthouse and town of Brighton, and a not so great campsite! A bit of a swamp and of course the accompanying thousands of mosquitos. The beach is great here, one of the best in Ontario and on a hot day it would be just swarming with people. Good thing it is early in the morning when we visit.

Early morning at Pre?squile

Waiting for the weekend hordes

It?s time to do some laundry before we head north to Bon Echo Provincial Park. Hopefully we can get away from all the people and cars of the densely populated and industrial south of Ontario.