Another of our faves…but in reality, is there a park that is not a fave? We are into the shoulder season now, when parks are a little quieter, the air is cooler, and night falls a lot sooner.
Bonnechere has a lot to offer, and is a well maintained park. Lots of hiking and kayak choices, and a great beach. The sites are big and spacious, but there is a good canopy forest here, so shade is in abundance. The first few days it was dull and dreary so we did a lot of relaxing and lounging around, walking the park when we felt like a little movement and fresh air, or we settled into our camp chairs to absorb the books we brought. In the evenings we revisited a few Spike Lee films we have not viewed in years.
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| the main beach...quiet in the shoulder season |
Chatted with Paul & Teresa, fellow Alto owners who we discovered on one of our walks and were camped over in the river loop. We had a nice visit, and Paul showed me a number of the nifty mods he has done. Always fun to chat with someone who also enjoys tinkering with their Alto. We also chatted with Chris and Brenda, who were excited to see an Alto in the park, as they are about to place an order for a 1713. We had a nice visit and answered a bunch of their questions.
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| yellow-shafted Northern Flicker feather |
On Thursday we took a drive over to the Foy Conservation Area, which is a small part of the overall park, just across the lake from the campground. It started out as a day use area, to help alleviate the heavy use of the main campground beach, but was closed in 1994, along with seven other parks. The main gate was open so we drove in and parked at the head of the path leading to the beach. the path led us through a big stand of mature pine trees right to the beach.
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| Foy Beach |
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| pine trees = sandy beach |
We had a quick chat with some other folks at the beach who said that the locals have made many other paths to the beach over the years, so this nice little slice of nature still gets enjoyed.
Our friends Jackie and Ted arrived on Friday, pitching their tent in the river section of the campground. I cooked up a bunch of fajitas on the Q, grilled onions and red peppers, and a side of spicy rice. All washed down with a few cold beer.
Saturday we put in our kayaks at an access point on the Bonnechere River. We paddled west of Jack Chutes rapids though a number of small lakes, connected by the river, and eventually stopped for a nice shore lunch.
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| Jackie...in relaxed mode |
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| thumbs up for the day! |
It was a bit of a challenge finding a place to stop for lunch, as the edges of the river are dominated by tall reeds and marsh. After a bit of scrambling, we each found a rock to perch on, chatting and nibbling on an eclectic selection of snacks.
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| those pine branches look very feathery |
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| done...time for a beer |
We figured we covered about 10 Klm round trip, which was a good afternoon paddle.
After getting back we had a nifty pre dinner drink of ‘Moscow Mules’ over at Jackie and Ted’s site. A refreshing drink made with vodka, ginger beer and lime and it really got the taste buds going. Burgers on the Q and a nice fire finished up the day.
Naturally, on the day to pack up, the sun was shining and the temperature was warmer. We wandered down to the beach in the morning to enjoy the sun sparkling across the water. We ran into the couple who were camping beside us at Driftwood in their VW Eurovan. Fun to see them again, and we talked about our travels. Dale just had to get in for a swim, so around noon she headed to the beach with her trusty noodle, while I squared away the last few items. She is much better with cooler water than I am!
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| cloudy with sunny periods |
Just before we pulled out, another Alto circled the parking lot and came to a stop behind our site. Dave and Jeanine had just nabbed a used 1743, and this was one of their first trips out. They quizzed me with a few questions that they had about their Alto, then I quizzed them about their sharp looking Honda Passport tow vehicle. Another great chat with fellow owners.
It was a great five nights away, recharging our batteries, a good long paddle, hanging out with friends, and soaking up the fresh air. Just what we needed….
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