ReNe: bruce peninsula trip (1/3)

Bruce Peninsula, 8-12 Sept 2011

15 Year Anniversary!

We've done a few road trips but I've been slow in updating. The best way is really to write about it right after the trip. Let the chores of daily life get in the way and let days stretch into weeks, and before you know it the many details that were so easy to remember during the trip elude you.

We drove up to Tobermory last week, from 8 Sept (Thurs) till 12 Sept (Mon). Tobermory is a little town located at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, a strip of land that lies between the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Tobermory is the gateway to two national parks: Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park. The peninsula also contains part of the geological formation known as the Niagara Escarpment, and Tobermory marks the start of the Bruce Trail, an 885km trail that runs through southwestern Ontario. There's plenty of things to do on the Bruce Peninsula, from diving (Tobermory is the dive capital of Canada, with 22 shipwrecks), fishing, hiking, kayaking, to lighthouse crawling (there are 14 in the region), but what we went for was the hiking and scenery.

With a toddler, I much prefer accommodations with cooking facilities, preferably a kitchenette or at least a microwave and fridge. On this trip, I lucked out; booking a cabin at Peacock Villa with a kitchenette (fridge, microwave, two-burner plate and all the necessary kitchen utensils) and a BBQ outside, for the price a usual motel room! In fact the place also had motel rooms for about the same price or only very slightly cheaper; the catch was that the cabins had a minimum number of nights (ours was four), but that was perfectly fine by us. Our cabin (#10) was very nice, small and cozy and very clean. At $85 a night, it was a great price. I had waited until just after the peak season (which ends 5 Sept) to save money and also to avoid the crowds. The weather was perfect as well; sunny and 'air-conditioning temperatures', i.e. in the low twenties.

The drive up was not too long, about 3-4 hours north from Toronto, and we arrive there in the late afternoon. After a quick walk to the Little Tub Harbour to buy coffee, we headed to the Singing Sands beach to catch the sunset and to let Ryan play in the sand. Singing Sands is part of the Bruce Peninsula National Park and became one of our favourite places to catch the sunset and stars over the next few days because it is just a short drive from Tobermory. Singing Sands is also famous for its variety of plants including wildflowers and orchids, but everytime we went it was near sunset. Not only did we not walk the trail, we did not even see the bay by daylight, only the orangely light of dusk.

Little Tub Harbour, Tobermory

Singing Sands beach. The expense of fine sand (from parking lot to the water's edge) was amazingly long, and the damp sand was so firmly packed that it doesn't get into our clogs as we walked. The lake was very shallow and, if we didn't mind a sandy kid, great for Ryan. 

Amazing sunsets.

The next day (Friday), we decided to go on the glass-bottomed cruise to Flowerpot Island first, since the forecast was for the warmest weather that day. (We remembered from the whale-watch cruise how cold it could get out there on the water.) It was a glass-bottomed boat because before going to the island, the boat would bring us around to see two shipwrecks at the head of Big Tub Harbour. (No pictures of the shipwrecks though, or at least none that would do it justice.) The water was clear enough that we could see the shipwrecks clearly, both through the glass-bottom of the boat and even just through the water. In fact, aerial photos would clearly show the entire ship.

On the boat to Flowerpot Island.

Ryan behaved very well on the boat. At first he was very curious and liked watching the waves...

... but towards the end, lulled by the sound of the engines, he got sleepy. When we walked around to the back of the boat, he actually laid down but by then we were arriving at the island so he didn't get to sleep. 

The two flowerpots that gave the island its name. In the foreground is the 'Large Flowerpot', and the 'Small Flowerpot' is the background.

Just off Flowerpot Island, we transferred to a zodiac (a smaller boat) as the waters around the island were too shallow for the bigger boat. The island is named for the two shoreline rock pillars that are narrow at the bottom and wide at the top.

We left Little Tub harbour at 11:15am and reached the island around 12:30pm. Our pickup was to be at 2:30pm so we had barely two hours. We opted to do the loop trail through the forest first, since it was reputed to be more rugged and difficult. All along the trail we could see old growth cedars, ferns and moss. I had read that there were orchids as well but I suppose it might be too late for them. The trail wasn't that difficult and we arrived at the Lightstation in just half an hour, where we spent too much time. The lighthouse was built on Castle Bluff, the highest point on the island, in 1897. Four years later a keeper's home was built down on the shore. In 1969 the lighthouse was replaced with an automated steel tower, and the remaining buildings have been restored. The Lightstation museum was small but quite charming, offering a glimpse into how life had been like for the keeper and his family.

After that, it was a rush to see the Castle bluff, cave and the flowerpots. 

Map of Flowerpot Island. We went clockwise from Beachy Cove, where we were dropped off, up the Loop trail through the forest to the Lightstation and then down by trail along the shore. 

A pier at the start of the loop trail, just before it turns inland. 

The waters are amazingly clear, clearer than any we've ever seen. Even clearer than Pulau Redang (Malaysia), we think.

Shoreline at the Lightstation.

The water is quite cold, though swimmable. The park's warden claimed swimming in it would add five years to your life. 

We continue to be astonished by the clarity of the water. Just for reference, the yellow rocks are easily five metres underwater. The point where the water turns deep blue marks an underwater cliff, part of the Niagara Escarpment.

Part of the loop trail along the shoreline. Like we said, not difficult. 

The larger flowerpot, formed when the softer limestone below was eroded, leaving behind the harder dolomite top.

We took a breather at the end of the loop trail, just before we finish at Beachy Cove, to allow Ryan to play. (He arranged all those stones by himself.)

The zodiac boat that will transfer us back onto the bigger glass-bottomed boat. 

Sunset at the observation tower. And yes, those were Canadian geese in the distance.

We had some time in the late afternoon after the trip to the island so we dropped by the park's visitor center for a quick show and a walk to the observation tower.

Ryan enjoying TV. Even though we do download some programs for him, we don't have a TV at home, so he loves to watch the different programs when we travel. On this trip, he watched a lot of the Treehouse channel.