Today, we went off to visit the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. I have two observations about the trip there – one, they’re still working on that road?! Man, that’s annoying, because they were working on it in the spring and why aren't they done? Also, traffic slows to a crawl, and traffic doesn’t move that fast in Ontario as it is. And two: the signage directing people to their park is woefully inadequate. As in, woe! I'd have completely missed the turnoff, if I didn’t already know that the turnoff labeled “Pass Lake” actually also includes the Sleeping Giant park. You know, it might help if you actually had a sign pointing towards the park. We had this problem last time, and this time we were specifically looking, and there was no stinking sign.
Anyway, this time, the park was actually open, meaning that we were legally allowed inside (vs last time, when we hid our cars and crawled past barricades to go hiking in early spring when all the bears were waking up and no one knew we were there. Yeah, that’s good planning).
We’d bought sandwiches and pop at Safeway, and so we had lunch on the beach at Marie Louise Lake. There were a few people on the beach, but it was pretty sparse – not like the parks in Saskatchewan, which are always crowded. Monica figures it’s because so many people in Ontario have their own cottage and camp spaces.
We went on a wheelchair-accessible hike (which, as you might imagine, was therefore not very challenging). It was pretty short, but Mom & Dad enjoyed the scenery. There was another hike that the park attendants had suggested had accessible areas – the Kabuyen (or something like that), but that’s a big major hiking trail, and if it wasn’t accessible at the beginning, it was pretty much useless to us.
So, we decided to drive along and see what we could see. Stopped at a picturesque store/teahouse on the shore of the lake at Silver Islet. Obviously an old building, and the store interior was very old-fashioned. Other than the pop and chips, though, what was for sale could mostly be filed under kitsch. I turned up my nose, and Mom started to browse.
Getting back in the vehicle, I wondered briefly which road we’d been on, then continued along the lakeshore. Lovely lake, lovely houses, getting closer and closer to the road, and I eventually realize that this is a residential road.
Oh no, another car is coming towards us. I move over three inches and stare at the guy. Yeah, I’m 2 tonnes and my rear end is way bigger than it needs to be. What are you gonna do about it? You’re going to have to squeeze by, dude – that’s what you’re going to do. (Especially since my sun visors advise me that this vehicle is at a high risk of rollovers, so I’m not getting any closer to the edge of the embankment.) So, the guy squeezes by, probably taking off all the paint on the passenger side of his vehicle, staring at me in disgust and muttering about “stupid *%$(ing @$$holes in their big-@$$ planet-killing SUVs.” You know, the same way I always gripe.
Shortly afterwards, I stopped and asked some bystanders if this road ever goes anywhere, because I’m too stinking big to turn around.
The guy told me, no, the road just goes round and round. Round and round forever. But it's a good place to be stranded, isn't it? And we all laugh (although me, a bit nervously). He gave me directions out, then pointed out the islands in the middle of the lake, which were where the silver mines used to be. And it was a spectacularly beautiful spot – the road right by the lake, and the houses just a few feet back.
Anyway, we got out, and stopped at another gift shop. Monica whined until I bought her a fancy glass serving tray. There’s a bowl that goes with it, but I was too cheap to buy that. She’ll have to go back, down the forbidden road, hopefully in a smaller vehicle.
Back on the road again, our last stop in Sleeping Giant park was the Thunder Bay Lookout. It’s at the end of a very winding trail that leads 9 kms in from the road. All reddish gravel until we get nearer the end, when suddenly we see white stretches of concrete, like they’ve paved small patches. Nope, not paved after all; it’s just more of that Canadian Shield rock. Very cool.
When we got out of the car, Monica and I immediately head out onto the lookout, trying to find Thunder Bay. I look down and realize aargh! This is just a metal grating over a great big fall. Tee hee! (I’m so never going on that see-through skywalk at the Grand Canyon.)
Well, that was the Thunder Bay lookout. Not much else to see here by the outhouse. (Mom & Dad decide to check it out.)
After that, it’s back in the vehicle, for the drive back to Thunder Bay. Mom & Dad have been looking forward to prime rib night at the Up in Smoke restaurant. All I have to say is “Yum.” Burp.
Monica and I ended the day by going for a walk around the neighbourhood in a vain attempt to burn calories, while Mom & Dad watched a movie.
P.S. There is cat hair all over my computer keyboard. Wonder how that happened.
P.P.S. Another layer of ozone disappeared from the Earth's atmosphere today. But it had absolutely nothing to do with my beloved Nissan Armada.
Anyway, this time, the park was actually open, meaning that we were legally allowed inside (vs last time, when we hid our cars and crawled past barricades to go hiking in early spring when all the bears were waking up and no one knew we were there. Yeah, that’s good planning).
We’d bought sandwiches and pop at Safeway, and so we had lunch on the beach at Marie Louise Lake. There were a few people on the beach, but it was pretty sparse – not like the parks in Saskatchewan, which are always crowded. Monica figures it’s because so many people in Ontario have their own cottage and camp spaces.
We went on a wheelchair-accessible hike (which, as you might imagine, was therefore not very challenging). It was pretty short, but Mom & Dad enjoyed the scenery. There was another hike that the park attendants had suggested had accessible areas – the Kabuyen (or something like that), but that’s a big major hiking trail, and if it wasn’t accessible at the beginning, it was pretty much useless to us.
So, we decided to drive along and see what we could see. Stopped at a picturesque store/teahouse on the shore of the lake at Silver Islet. Obviously an old building, and the store interior was very old-fashioned. Other than the pop and chips, though, what was for sale could mostly be filed under kitsch. I turned up my nose, and Mom started to browse.
Getting back in the vehicle, I wondered briefly which road we’d been on, then continued along the lakeshore. Lovely lake, lovely houses, getting closer and closer to the road, and I eventually realize that this is a residential road.
Oh no, another car is coming towards us. I move over three inches and stare at the guy. Yeah, I’m 2 tonnes and my rear end is way bigger than it needs to be. What are you gonna do about it? You’re going to have to squeeze by, dude – that’s what you’re going to do. (Especially since my sun visors advise me that this vehicle is at a high risk of rollovers, so I’m not getting any closer to the edge of the embankment.) So, the guy squeezes by, probably taking off all the paint on the passenger side of his vehicle, staring at me in disgust and muttering about “stupid *%$(ing @$$holes in their big-@$$ planet-killing SUVs.” You know, the same way I always gripe.
Shortly afterwards, I stopped and asked some bystanders if this road ever goes anywhere, because I’m too stinking big to turn around.
The guy told me, no, the road just goes round and round. Round and round forever. But it's a good place to be stranded, isn't it? And we all laugh (although me, a bit nervously). He gave me directions out, then pointed out the islands in the middle of the lake, which were where the silver mines used to be. And it was a spectacularly beautiful spot – the road right by the lake, and the houses just a few feet back.
Anyway, we got out, and stopped at another gift shop. Monica whined until I bought her a fancy glass serving tray. There’s a bowl that goes with it, but I was too cheap to buy that. She’ll have to go back, down the forbidden road, hopefully in a smaller vehicle.
Back on the road again, our last stop in Sleeping Giant park was the Thunder Bay Lookout. It’s at the end of a very winding trail that leads 9 kms in from the road. All reddish gravel until we get nearer the end, when suddenly we see white stretches of concrete, like they’ve paved small patches. Nope, not paved after all; it’s just more of that Canadian Shield rock. Very cool.
When we got out of the car, Monica and I immediately head out onto the lookout, trying to find Thunder Bay. I look down and realize aargh! This is just a metal grating over a great big fall. Tee hee! (I’m so never going on that see-through skywalk at the Grand Canyon.)
Well, that was the Thunder Bay lookout. Not much else to see here by the outhouse. (Mom & Dad decide to check it out.)
After that, it’s back in the vehicle, for the drive back to Thunder Bay. Mom & Dad have been looking forward to prime rib night at the Up in Smoke restaurant. All I have to say is “Yum.” Burp.
Monica and I ended the day by going for a walk around the neighbourhood in a vain attempt to burn calories, while Mom & Dad watched a movie.
P.S. There is cat hair all over my computer keyboard. Wonder how that happened.
P.P.S. Another layer of ozone disappeared from the Earth's atmosphere today. But it had absolutely nothing to do with my beloved Nissan Armada.
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