Fri, Aug 10 2007, Sat, Aug 11 2007, Sun, Aug 12 2007 - Car Camping: Sauble Beach and Bruce Peninsula National Park (View Original Event Details)
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Friday, August 10, 2007
The trip began shortly after 11:30am when Alex and I (Justin) left for Sauble Beach in the first car. Within 3 hours we arrived in Owen Sound for some food shopping. The Saturday night dinner was carefully selected, and a cart full of food later we carried on to the campsite.
Around 3pm we arrived on our exclusive campsite located in a former gravel pit, which has since grown in with vegetation. A mere 10 minutes from Sauble Beach, Alex and myself decided to make use of the perfect weather and drove to Sauble Falls Provincial Park. Once there we rented a canoe and headed up the Sauble River for an hour, and then back down for an hour. Along the way we circumnavigated several downed trees which had fallen into the river. We enjoyed the quiet solitude for most of the trip when there was no one else on the river.
After the canoe tripping we returned to the campsite and started setting up the tents, cooking some dinner, and gathering wood for the campfire. By the time car number two arrived with Peggy, Dave, Bilal, and Lydia at about 9:47pm, a roaring campfire was waiting for them.
We all sat around the campfire and discussed the journey, plans for the next day, and anything else that came to mind. We didn’t stay up too late, not with an early start the next day to our ultimate destination of Bruce Peninsula National Park. After the last tent was set up we all turned in.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Everyone started to wake up around 8am and breakfast was started in earnest. Bilal took charge on his first full day as an event coordinator, and cooked eggs for the group. Everyone else pitched in as well, and bread was toasted, oatmeal cooked, and turkey bacon fried, then the dishes were washed.
Once we had breakfast cleared away we began tearing down the camp. By the time everything had been loaded into the cars it was almost 11am, not as early as we had hoped, but still a good time to be headed out.
Our first stop was for some swimming at Sauble Falls. We made use of the not so large falls as our own personal whirlpool, while Peggy and Alex did some dives off of one of the larger falls. After some swimming, soaking, and sunning we were ready to make the drive north.
Our convoy of two cars headed north, only stopping for coffee at an interesting touristy shop along the way. A sign of the door of the restaurant stated emphatically that they did not sell ice cream. We guessed that they must get a lot of requests for ice cream... The restrooms were accessible by paying customers only, and one had to obtain a large baton sized key ring to enter them. Soon enough we were back on our way, due north.
We arrived at Bruce Peninsula National Park in the mid-afternoon. Upon entry park officials asked you what you were there to do. Being in the first car, I spoke to them first and informed them of our intentions to camp, before continuing on. Meanwhile, in the second car, Peggy asked the park official if they had any campsites left, and was told that the park was full.
We arrived at the Cyprus Lake main office, and with Alex, marched into the office and asked for a campsite, if they please. The park official at the desk, whom had an interesting number of facial piercings, told us that they were full up. Before I could ask her to check again, another park official walking behind the desk informed us all of a empty site in the Birches Campground, lot #154. I quickly informed them that I would take it. After receiving our information package and appropriate documentation, Alex and myself went to tell the rest of the group the good news.
Our now triumphant group headed to our campsite to set up camp. After setting up our tents and collecting some slightly used but free charcoal for the Hibachi (a small barbeque used by coal), and having a light healthy lunch, we headed out for a hike on the Bruce Trail.
We started on the Georgian Bay-Marr Lake Trail and stopped for a swim at Indian Head Cove, which was in use by many other swimmers and some SCUBA divers. The beautiful white rock beach was the perfect place for a mid-hike swim. Peggy was the first in the water, followed shortly thereafter by Dave, Lydia, and Alex. By the time myself and Bilal made it back from finding the change rooms, the rest of the group had mostly finished swimming, and had retired to the beach to relax. Bilal found the water a little cold, and took his time acclimatizing himself to the temperature before going all in.
After our swim we watched some cliff divers jumping from up to 4 stories high into the bay (The park highly discourages this with signs and fines, as two people have died in the attempt.) While we were watching the cliff diving we deviated from our meet up place, and Dave ended up going on ahead looking for us. After a though search of the change rooms, we had to press on and hoped to be able to catch up with Dave.
Myself and Bilal had a brief race across the rocky shoreline before the trail junction. We had a relaxing break at Horse Lake on a rocky shale beach. We skimmed some rocks across the lake, Peggy tested the water and found it to be warmer than Georgian Bay. Lydia was intrusted with our remaining map of the trails (Dave had the other more detailed one).
Lydia led the charge and took us on the Cyprus Lake Trail, a 5km jaunt around the lake. Peggy had a brief swim in this lake, but found no other takers, as we had just dried out from our last swim. Lydia set the pace and we made it back to our campsite in good time, where we found Dave waiting patiently for us. We then began preparations for our Saturday night dinner, and coincidently, Bilal’s and Alex’s birthday dinner.
We dined on marinaded chicken kabobs, (prepared by yours truly, and cooked by fire expert Bilal), grilled vegetables (cooked by Dave), flavoured rice, and fruit salad (prepared expertly by Peggy and Lydia). Meanwhile Alex started the campfire as the darkness started to slowly overtake the camp after sunset. Although during the course of cooking on the Hibachi, Bilal had to borrow some hot coals from the fire and Dave used some extreme measures to get the grill coals going.
After the topnotch dinner we sat around the campfire for some TOC trademark campfire discussions. Although, after the long day several decided to turn in early and by 12:30am everyone had turned in for the night.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
We awoke to cloudy skies the next morning and started making breakfast, trying to use up all of our breakfast related foods so we would have less to put back in the now waterlogged cooler. Just as we were finishing up breakfast it started to rain lightly. We started to tear down the camp, hoping to avoid packing up drenched tents and equipment. With everyone working as a team we managed to get the tents packed up before they became too damp. We loaded up the cars as the rain became heavier. We bid adieu to our lucky campsite and headed out.
“You look up at the clouds and you can see which way the wind is blowing...Due South” (that's the way we were going)
Along the way back we stopped in Wiarton, Ontario, our main plan being to hike on the Bruce Trail and visit the Bruce Caves. However, what trip to Wiarton would be complete without visiting its resident rodent and predictor of spring, Wiarton Willie. We found the albino groundhog passed out, paws up, in a blue pipe inside his luxurious ‘digs.’
We arrived at the Bruce Caves, and Bilal handled the carpool, donations and extra incurred costs in short order. We then headed on a brief hike before finding the caves. We were slightly disappointed that the caves didn’t have any tunnels, but we still took in the scenic rock faces and trees which managed to grow on the side of the cliffs. Lydia took several pictures throughout the hike. After seeing a few caves and finding the trail mostly ending at this point we headed back to our cars.
It was time to say farewells and head home, and we did. We managed to meet up briefly several hours later at the corner Hwy 89 and Hwy 10/24 in Shelburne. I was stopping in at Pete’s Donuts for a dozen donuts and a super-large hot chocolate for the drive home, only to discover that they only had about 6 donuts left in the entire joint, and not one jelly filled one. Mmmm jelly filled donuts... The other car was at Superburger, where they have the best eats around, and you can sit in an old TTC streetcar to eat. I missed out on Superburger this time, but I will be back this way again and then I’ll be sure to pay an old friend another visit, and have it with bacon and cheese...
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