Spectacular Lake Superior

Hello dear friends, 

Saturday was the last day of our mini vacation through Northern Ontario.  We took a leisurely drive from Sault Ste Marie north to the Lake Superior Provincial Park with some stops along the way.  We traveled on Highway 17 which is part of the Trans Canada Highway.

We stopped at a picnic area that has a plaque displaying some interesting facts about the Trans Canada Highway including that our stop was at the mid point of the highway!

We stopped at two provincial parks.  Pancake Bay Provincial Park and Lake Superior Provincial Park were less than one hour apart.  As this is already past the traditional summer camping season the parks were not busy.  It was very interesting to see the variety of mosses and mushrooms.  The types, sizes and colours were fascinating!  When we had previously stopped at a gift shop I noticed a book that could be used to identify mushrooms in Ontario.  After seeing the amazing assortment of mushrooms today I was sorry that I hadn't purchased it.

Lake Superior is one of the world's largest freshwater lakes with a surface of 31,700 square miles.  The lake is bounded by Ontario in Canada and Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota in the US.  The lake is an important shipping link in the Great Lakes Waterway allowing freighters to move iron ore and other products between the US and Canada as well as between the bordering US states.  Lake Superior is an unforgiving body of water with November marking the start of the stormy season.  I had read that there are over 350 shipwrecks including the famous wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald which is also the subject of a very famous ballad by Gordon Lightfoot.

This part of Ontario has a rugged beauty.  The rock outcroppings provide home to many varieties of plants and trees.

It is astonishing to see how these evergreens were able to gain a foothold in such an inhospitable area!

The views were simply stunning and it seemed that as we rounded each curve we saw another sight that took our breaths away.  Unfortunately there were very few areas of the highway that allowed us to pull over safely so many of the views (including one of an amazing rock cut) will be stored in our memories.  This was a trip that we would definitely want to repeat!

Later I have some other photos to share of our trip on the Chi Cheemaun Ferry which allowed us to travel from Tobermory to Manitoulin Island on our way north as well as some of the photos of our return trip.

Thank you for joining me on this little vacation!

All Aboard!!

Hello dear friends, 

I have been away for a while but am back with a some exciting photos to share!  A very dear friend and I decided that we should have a little vacation together.  We last traveled together over 20 years ago and have been great friends for some 40 years.  For those of you that read my blog you will know that we have a working farm so it is very hard for my husband and I to take time away.  I have been thinking of taking a little trip to Northern Ontario and my dear friend graciously agreed to come along for the ride.  I hope you will join us!

We started our mini-vacation on Wednesday and I will have other posts to share about how we started our trip together.  Our destination was the northern town of Sault Ste Marie and it was from that point that we took the train to Agawa Canyon!

All Aboard!!

We started our day early by catching the train at the Algoma Central Railway Station in Sault Ste Marie.  We took advantage of a special package and were able to easily walk from our hotel to the train station.  This is a very popular attraction and we wanted to make sure that we had good seats and that we could sit together.  

This is the peak season for fall colours in this part of Ontario.  Even though I had booked our vacation a couple of months ago the Saturday trip was already sold out.  There were 16 passenger cars in the train and each car had a name.  Our car was named Ogidaki Lake.

A daily review of the weather forecast for the area had predicted steady rain for the day of our excursion.  Unfortunately the weather forecast came to pass and we experienced a combination of wet, drizzly and rainy conditions.  In sunlight the changing leaves would have produced a spectacular display of fall colours.  We were a little disappointed but of course we know we cannot control the weather!

In spite of the overcast conditions our train ride allowed us to enjoy the rugged beauty of Northern Ontario.  Large and small bodies of water, evergreens and vast amounts of rock make up this section of our beautiful province.

There are many inland lakes and islands.  This area is popular for hunters and anglers and many of the lakes are stocked with trout from a hatchery in Sault Ste Marie.

We wondered how the inhabitants of some of the cottages we saw along the way were able to gain access as there as there seem to be very few roads in the region.  The roads we did see seemed to be logging roads or perhaps for access for the train crews to work on the tracks.  During the winter a snowmobile would be required for access.

There were many twists and turns on the journey.  At times going to and from Agawa Canyon we could see the cars either ahead or behind us.

One of the rail tresles along the line.  The train took us over the Montreal River with a view of a power generating station.

Canada's famous Group of Seven took much of their inspiration from the spectacular scenery of the Algoma region.  It is easy to see how the harsh beauty of the region would inspire such creativity.

A view from our rail car.

The many bodies of water provide popular areas for fishing.

The rain and mist made it a little more difficult to see the incredible beauty of the changing colour of the leaves.  Even in the mist though the area has an incredible beauty.

Passengers have approximately 90 minutes to explore the spectacular trails in the Agawa Canyon.  By the time we arrived however we were met with a steady rain.  Athough we started walking the trails we quickly became soaked, even with our new waterproof ponchos.  After a quick and thorough soaking we sadly returned to the passenger car without having made it to view the waterfalls.

The train patiently waiting,

Many of our fellow passengers didnt bother exiting the train.  Some bravely started the trails but then decided to return to the train while some of the other die-hard passengers completed the entire trail and were rewarded for their efforts with spectacular views.  

So sad.  Our rain ponchos provided scant protection and after a soaking we decided to leave the rest of the hike to passengers that were more hardy!

Even in the mist the area is beautiful.

The gloomy weather couldnt hide the beauty of the glorious fall leaves.

The train traveled 114 miles into the canyon and took almost 4 hours. We were sorry that the weather hadn't been more cooperative but I am happy to report that we spent a total of 5 days on this little adventure and I will have other photos to share!

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you enjoyed this tiny tour of beautiful Northern Ontario. 

Relaxing on the deck

Hello dear friends,

It has been a lovely weekend here at the farm and I thought I would show you one of our favourite lounging areas.  We have always enjoyed time outdoors so when our renovations were being done we made sure to include lots of living space outside.  Our home has a wraparound veranda as well as a large deck outside the kitchen area.  When we first described our vision to our contractor he was astonished and wanted to make sure that we understood how much wood would be involved in creating this project.  We did understand and we love it!

This area is close to our koi pond and we love the sound of falling water.  We use a variety of plants in the pond including irises and lilies.  Annual water hyacinths and water lettuce help to provide some shade for the fish and absorb some of the nutrients from the water, acting as a purifier.

We have so many frogs!!  Frogs are a great indicator of the health of an environment so we are always pleased to have such a large assortment of them.

The koi pond originally had one waterfall.  As the water circulates it goes through a filtering system.  We found that it needed a second filtering system so added another waterfall.

And of course we have koi!

A few weeks ago we decided to replace the furniture on the deck.  For this area I love to use blue in keeping with a water theme.  We ordered a new love seat and arm chairs and I am pleased to report that Willow has taken them for a test drive and approves.

A blue lantern and candle holders reinforce the theme.  I purchased a set of blue drinking glasses and we have blue and white "Willow" china to use in this area.  If you are wondering our coasters become "lids" when outside to prevent bugs from landing in our drinks!

A little arrangement of hydrangeas.

We completed this area with matching umbrellas and umbrella tables and an outdoor area rug.

I had never heard of umbrella tables before so when I saw one I thought it would be a great idea.  I purchased the blue umbrella and the umbrella table but after we set them up I thought we should have a second matching set.  Now we have an umbrella and table on either side of the love seat.

We have little decorative blue anchor lights at the koi railing and at the barbecue.  

The lighting in the umbrellas along with the candles all provide for the perfect spot to sit in the evening, enjoy a glass of wine and listen to the waterfall.  Now I must practice my photography skills in the dark.  I have been using a tripod but must confess I havent mastered it and most of the photos are too blurry to use.  I really wanted to share what this area looks like in the dark!  Wishing everyone a great week.

Thank you for visiting!

Thursday evening at the farm

Hello dear friends,

I was later than expected leaving the city tonight so by the time I got home I thought I would just indulge in a little stroll around the house.  Do come along!

My husband was able to take a break from some of the other farm duties to spend some time mowing the lawns.  For the last few years we had contracted this work out but this year decided to take this job back.  While it is nice to have someone else reliably cut the lawn every week we were saddened by damage done to some of our trees in the process.  We also experienced several dog toy casualties-while the crew had perfected a pattern for mowing as quickly as possible we learned that they also dont stop for items in their path!  

As it happens I also enjoy mowing the lawn using my rechargeable lawn mower.  The lambs, chickens and ducks all enjoy the clippings and whatever is left over goes to the compost piles.

As our trees become larger this section gets more shade.  We have a small vegetable garden in this area which I feel will ultimately need to be moved elsewhere to allow the plants to enjoy more sunshine.

I havent used my little greenhouse in years.  It has suffered wind damage over the last couple of years but we have managed to retrieve all of the flying parts and one day will rebuild it.

The privy is one of my favourite structures.

Our final cut of hay will happen this Saturday and it will be round baled next week.  These bales are obediently lined up waiting for the colder weather when the pastures can no longer be grazed.

I love this echinops.  I purchased the original plant at the Horticultural Society plant sale and since then it has multiplied happily.  I will need to become more ruthless and either deadhead it or start digging out the new plants as they are popping up in some unwelcome places.  The bees do like it!

Lately we have remarked that our Ginko tree is very slow to bud out.  A closer inspection over the weekend has revealed that the tree trunk has been completely girdled.  I would imagine that the rabbits that are hopping about could be to blame.

Jerry the Rooster is so happy to have company.  All of the new hens have settled in nicely and everyone is getting along well.

Two of the three stooges are wondering why we are wasting time walking around when they could be having their dinner.

We have constant frog activity in both our koi pond and the waterfall pond.  Perhaps this weekend I will take a stroll to Lake Ophelia to see what kind of activity we have there!  

We have had a fairly busy summer so far at the farm and I have started and save several posts to share with you!  I just need to finish them up and post them for you.

Wishing everyone a lovely end to the week and a great weekend.  Thank you for visiting!