Sunset on Manitoulin Island

Bye, bye Sudbury and helloooooo Manitoulin Island. Was not sure what to expect from my visit to Manitoulin Island.  The information online and any literature I could read really did not do much for the island. So, all I could do was plot my course and see what happens.

I did my usual, woke up early, showered and packed up and was on the road by 8:30 AM. Picked up a Timmys (2 cream, 1 sugar for any Tim Horton reps out there) and was off.  I was eager to see what was ahead. My drive was relaxed, the roads were not busy on this day. I did not get the usual driver trying to play “bump and pass” with me or did I run into many idiots who pass me at any opportunity. It is not that I am going slow.. it is just the way they drive out here. Everyone seems to be in a rush. I am going the speed limit because I would hate to get a ticket out of province but it seems no one else cares?

My first experience with Manitoulin Island was in the village of Little Current. It is the largest of many small villages on Manitoulin Island situated on the North Channel of the Georgian Bay. To access the village one must cross a swing bridge. Never seen one before that pivots around on a pole so to let boats pass. Most I have seen are draw bridges. So I learned something even before I set foot on the island.  It was sort of cool to watch.

Once across the bridge I stopped in at the Information Centre. They always seem to be a treat – good and bad. There is so much inconsistency from one info centre to another. This one needed some work. For one I thing, I think  the host did not want to be working on such a nice day.  He was pretty much preoccupied while I was there .. I felt invisible…  which is what I like anyway. I prefer to collect info first then I will approach them and ask questions. So for me, he did well.. but I am sure for many tourists he would of failed miserably.

I decided I was going to set up base camp in the middle of the island in the village of Kagawong so I could research west and east with less doubling back and forth. I figured tomorrow will be west and the next day east. That is the plan for now. It was during the trip to my base camp I fell in love with Manitoulin Island.

It was an absolute dream. It held a small town feel with no big city mentality. Most villages would be simply laid out with a general store, marina, museum and gas station. The villages reminded me of places like Cowichan Bay, Mill Bay and Shawnigan Lake back home on Vancouver Island in british Columbia. But in this case it was lakefronts instead of oceanfronts. Little Creek on Manitoulin has the most services and South Bay Mouth is the ferry terminal connecting Manitoulin Island with Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula on the mainland. But that will come later when I depart Manitoulin Island, from what looks like, one of my favorite spots in Ontario.

In Kagawong I decided to stay at  Norms’ Campground on Kagawong Lake.   A gentleman by the name of Steve greeted me. Steve and I hit it off instantly. Together we walked the campsites, talked about the local wildlife and what our grand plans were while I was on Manitoulin. Steve picked me out a prime campsite on the shores of  Kagawong Lake. Many in tourism, should not be in the people friendly industry.. but Steve was a natural. I highly suggest staying with Steven at his campsite.

It was only 12 noon when I fisnished setting up camp. Man, it was a cooking hot. My jeep was telling me it was 29 degrees Celsius out.  That is the way I like it ah huh, ah huh. I had plenty of the day left so i packed up the gear and went into Kagawong to research.  Bridal Falls Trail was the big attraction and it had my name all over it. .

The trail begins with a waterfall. From a high ledge the river drops into a pool, flat rocks all around and high above are two viewing decks. They were fine but nothing was better than standing at the base of the falls looking up. The Bridal Falls Trail connects the village from the entrance down to the shores of Georgian Bay.  On the waterfront there is a lighthouse, marina and some funky buildings. I walked back to my jeep along the street, instead of the trail to see what I missed when hiking in the valley. The heat was huge and I was done . It was time to head home.

Sunset was looming. I watched as the sun was setting. The birds chirping and the lapping of the water were music to my ears. The sky was changing colors and as the sun set and darkness arrived I could not help but appreciate my career. The main photo of this blog entry is my view from the front door of my campsite.