Returning Home from Chutes

Today we are leaving Chutes Provincial Park to return home.

After breakfast and before we left, we wanted to go and see a full view of Big Chute Falls.

We followed the trail beyond the observation deck and went down a long flight of steep, wooden stairs.

This put us half way below the falls and above another set of rapids. 

It was soon time for us to make our way back to the campsite pack up our things and prepare the trailer for us to go home.

It wasn't long, before we were on the road and soon back on the Trans Canada Highway.

The return home was fairly uneventful, with only two slow downs for construction.
















About halfway home we stopped for fuel, took the time to stretch our legs and have lunch.

It wasn't long before we were back on the road again.















A couple of hours away from home we stopped to have supper, before continuing on our journey.

It was nice to finally make it home, but I wasn't impressed to see by flower beds had become overgrown with weeds.

Chutes Provincial Park

Today was our first full day at Chutes Provincial Park and after breakfast were are going to go hiking on the trails.

We started at the beginning of the trail at the observation deck by Big Chute Falls.

I of course, took many photographs of the water coming over the falls but I will find a place where I can get pictures of the entire falls from a distance.

From there we walked along the trail beside the River aux Sables and at a section of the trail by the rapids one of the soles of my hiking boot came off. Fortunately, we were not far from our campsite.
















Ron told me to stay and take my pictures and he would go back to the campsite and get a pair of my running shoes and return.

While I was waiting, I thought what are the odds of me loosing another sole off another pair of fairly new shoes? Two days ago, while Ron was tying down the canoe after fishing at the inlet at White Lake, I walked up the gravel road taking photographs and realized that I had lost the sole off of my loafer.

When Ron returned, he not only brought in my running shoes, he brought along a roll of duct tape and asked if I wanted him to patch up my hiking boot. I thought why not? Especially, since there was less than 30 miles (48km) of wear on them.

We continued following the trail, past the Seven Sister Rapids and stopped at the observation area before we crossed both of the Twin Bridges and started back down the River Aux Sables on the opposite side of the river.
















We managed to make it as far as just past the last of the Seven Sisters Rapids, to the next observation area when the other sole came off my pair of hiking boots. I had enough of this nonsense and took both boots off, put my running shoes on and at this point we turned around to go back to the campsite.

I placed my hiking boots where they belonged, in one of the trash containers for garbage since they did not even survive our two mile (3.2km) hike.

After lunch we decided that we would go back out on the trail again to go through the forest and see what kinds of birds and wildlife we could find. We also brought along my last pair of running shoes and the duct tape, just in case.

We went back up the River Aux Sables, across the Twin Bridges and this time took the trail to the left away from the river.


When we came to the fork in the trail we decided to continue going away from the river.

At the next fork in the road we went toward the river which took us to a beach and the rapids above Big Chute Falls.

We retraced our steps and continued on our path going back up the river and we again bypassed the trail leading back into the forest.

We continued along the river, back over the Twin Bridges and back to our campsite completing our afternoon walk of 3.2 miles (5.2km).

After supper we relaxed with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the campgrounds.

Tomorrow, there is one more small trail that we will take in the morning before we head back home.

Leaving White Lake and going to Chutes

Today we are leaving White Lake Provincial Park and heading back to Chutes Provincial Park for a couple of days so I can see the falls and walk the trails.

We decided to leave after breakfast because we were not sure how long we would be tied up in traffic due to construction.















On the way out of the Park we stopped and I got this photograph of the entrance sign for White Lake Provincial Park which is just off the highway.

We were pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't as bad and the delays were not as long as they had been on the way to White Lake.















Fortunately, we were early enough that they were drilling the holes in the rocks instead of preparing them with the blasting caps.

Although, where we were held up for almost an hour on the way to White Lake, once again gave us the longest wait time.















The company that is doing the work on this section of the highway is extremely slow. The fact they have barely moved beyond the set of traffic lights they were paving tells the story.

It took us a little over seven hours to get to Chutes Provincial Park and I was very happy to finally see the Park's sign.















We were in our campsite and set up by 4:00p.m. which gave us some time to walk around the park before it was time to make supper.

Our new campsite is right beside our original campsite, the difference is that this one has power so I can use my microwave and toaster.















After supper we spent the evening enjoying the peace and quiet.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to going hiking on the Twin Bridges Trail.

Going to White Lake Provincial Park

Ron took Kyora out for her morning walk while I made breakfast and when he returned the three of us had breakfast together.

While I tidied up and put everything away in the trailer, Ron got everything ready for us to leave Chutes Provincial Park and start our journey to White Lake Provincial Park.

It wasn't long and we were on our way. As usual I had my camera ready to take pictures of the landscape.















The first couple of hours traffic moved fairly well and then we found that traffic was gradually slowing down. It didn't take long to find the reason why. The highway as under construction.

As we drove along Highway 17 every so often I was able to catch glimpses of Lake Superior, and it wasn't long before we saw signs for Batchawana Bay Provincial Park.

Ron thought it would be a perfect place to go for lunch and I would be able to take photographs of Lake Superior.

Batchawana Bay is a 418 acres (169.03 ha) Park that was established in 1973.

The Ontario Motor League placed a plaque at Chippewa Falls, showing Batchawana Bay as the mid-point in the 4,860 miles (7,821 km), Trans-Canada Highway; which is the longest national highway in the world.

It didn't take long to find a picnic site and we took some time to enjoy our lunch and then take a walk along the beach enjoying the view.

It wasn't long before we had to leave Batchawana Bay Provincial Park and continue our journey to White Lake Provincial Park.

Needless to say, we were once again back in traffic which was continuously being stopped due to the highway being paved.















One such stop was almost an hour long while they were paving an intersection, which seemed so much longer when you are sitting waiting with nothing else to do and cannot even leave the vehicle to stretch your legs.

We were fortunate at one spot, that we made it through before they closed the highway due to them putting the blasting caps into the drilled holes in the rocks so they could widen the road.

Gradually, there was more time between stops which meant that we were getting closer to our destination with more speed.














We finally, passed all the construction and when we stopped to refuel, we took some time to have supper before continuing on our way.

I was very happy that we were finally, making uninterrupted driving on the highway.

It wasn't long before we started seeing the signs for White Lake Provincial Park.















Finally, after 9-1/2 hours of driving for a trip that should have only taken seven hours, we made it to the Park and stopped at the gatehouse to get the map and instructions to get to our campsite.

We put the trailer into Campsite 79 and got it set up and ready for our first evening of camping.

After taking the dog out for a walk and strolling down to the lake, we returned to the campsite to relax before heading to bed.

Chutes Provincial Park

Today we are starting our vacation and heading to Chutes Provincial Park for an overnight stay before leaving to go to White Lake Provincial Park for four days and then returning to Chutes for a couple of days before returning home.

Chutes is a small 268 acres (108.32 ha) park that was established in 1970 close to the town of Massey, Ontario.

We arrived in the late afternoon after six hours of playing in traffic, although it could have been worse if we would have been travelling on a Friday night.

It is a quiet campground located on the Aux Sables River and has a 3.7 mile (6km) hiking trail with great views of scenic waterfalls and river gorge, as well as a wide variety of birds which I will enjoy on our return trip from White Lake.















By the time we had the trailer set up for the night and took the dog out for a walk it was supper time.

After supper we settled down for the evening to enjoy a campfire before we turned in for the night.















We will be leaving early in the morning as we have a long drive ahead of us to get to White Lake Provincial Park.