We had the luxury of a few hours in the morning due to a shorter day of driving today. I picked up the peanut butter that is an absolute must in our family while Scott chatted with the locals. He friended a few fellas and was told of some great spots for mooring. One fella had a favourite spot that he was going to and offered us to join him. Scott also downloaded some great “must do” spots from another local.
Aiden’s Scout Troop is coming to a campground here in a few days. He wasn’t able to go because we are on this journey. So instead we asked him to plan out a finder’s game for when they are in Toby. He created a box filled with items for them to find, made up a word map with highlights of the way to go and places to discover. My only hope now is that it won’t be found. Not by human but perhaps a racoon or two may discover its contents.
We knew we had to stop at “The Grotto” on the way through to Killarney. It is a cave formation on the side of a rock cliff that you can get to by boat as well as by car. It is located in Cypress Lake Campground just outside Toby. The Grotto is known for its turquoise waters and very unique shape. Many tourists go to this spot to swim. It is not for the unfit however. You must climb rocky surfaces in order to get into the grotto. It is a must see from the water!
After indulging ourselves in the beauty of the cave we headed over to Flowerpot Island. The island itself is very small with a resort of sorts on it. The island is very secluded but with the glass bottom boats visiting just about every 15 minutes it isn’t very quiet. The visitors that do go ashore spend their time exploring large rock formations in the shape of tall standing flowerpots. There are several shipwrecks also visible around the island.
It was just before lunch when we decided to leave Flowerpot Island and head over to our final stop for the night. A small inlet just east of Killarney. Stopping a few times in Collin’s Inlet which turns east (or west depending on which way you are coming from) and mirrors Lake Huron in its path, we saw for the first time the start of the Canadian Shield. Rocks, pines and black water that is synonymous with Northern Ontario greats us. The funny thing about this is that we, as Ontarians, are used to “up north” water. The locals were telling us that the North Channel welcomes thousands of American boaters each year. Apparently several of them are disappointed that the water is so black and not the Lake Huron colour of blue or the Tobermory aquamarine crystal clear colours. They think it is dirty and won’t indulge in its natural beauty.
We finally can slow our pace for the next 10 days or so. Staying on the hook tonight, in the middle of nowhere, in the darkest of dark is our destiny for this trip. We are hoping to see lots of stars and maybe even the Aurora Borealis. Skies are clear for now and we have confidence that the weather will hold out for the next 5 days or so.
Now the boys are out fishing trying to catch tomorrow’s dinner. I’m here writing to all of you listening to the gen run to charge the batteries for the night. The wind has picked up but it will die down soon. We are completely sheltered here, not completely alone, with 4 other boats enjoying the quiet and serenity.
