HIGH FALLS, ALGONQUIN PARK - AUGUST 2017

The last of our two visits to the cottage this summer was without Rudi, who had a one week session at Camp Oochageas near Huntsville.  We left Tavistock before lunch on Sunday, driving across country via Arthur and Creemore to arrive at the camp for the three pm drop off time, then drove to the cottage via Highway 60, the West and East gates of the park Park, and Whitney and Madawaska, arriving in time for dinner with John and Susan.

I had decided sometime during our week at the cottage to take Alexander on a day trip into Algonquin, and rather than the Barron Canyon, which is always spectacular, I felt that finding High Falls would be a great in and out trip for an enjoyable day.  Two summers earlier, Rudi and I along with uncle John and his friend Chris did an overnight into Achray and Barron, and on the second day we went upstream on the Barron river, eventually seeing a series of waterfalls draining into High Falls lake, but only on returning home and checking maps did I determine we did not find High Falls themselves, but an imposter on an adjacent arm of the river.

So later in the week, with the canoe already topped on the van the night before, Alexander and I left the cottage bright and early at 7:30, arrived at Sand Lake Access at 8:45, and after buying out permit, driving to the small lot at Brigham Lake, were on the water before 9:30 AM.

Canoeing up "The Cascades", a series of small lakes separated by short stretches of the Barron River with low cascades and rapids and small waterfalls... There are four portages from the Brigham Lake put in to High Falls Lake

Looking west along the north shore of High Falls Lake, it appears a small swath of the forest ahead of the bow is suffering from disease, likely a bark borer.

The river inlet into High Falls Lake.  This is the easiest to locate, as it is very open and plain to see, and near the take out for the portage to St. Andrews Lake.  About three hundred metres to the right of the canoe, however, is a second inlet, that drains Stratton Lake via High Falls.

After leaving the canoe near the put in, we located the unmarked and unofficial trail that leads along this second river (that drains Stratton Lake) and to High Falls, pictured above... Well it probably is one of three decent waterfalls that could be called High Falls.

Another view of what is likely High Falls, the lower of three waterfalls on the Barron River draining Stratton Lake into High Falls Lake.

A small water slide that drains a small amount of the flow of the one arm of the Barron River from St. Andrews Lake into the other arm from Stratton Lake. Alexander jumped in to provide some scale, the slide was about twenty feet in height.

These are not High Falls, but are one of the falls on the Barron River draining St. Andrews Lake into High Falls lake. My bowman Alex for scale, this step of the staircase is about fifteen feet tall.

MAY TWO FOUR

Got to the cottage Friday evening after a fairly efficient drive via the 407, Port Perry, Lindsay, Bobcaygeon and bypassing Bancroft on South Baptiste Lake Road. I have never actually been through Bobcaygeon before! Didn't see much, probably a bit overhyped like many of these rustic little "cottage country old money" towns (of which Barry's Bay is not one!). The next day I assembled the bunk beds, mowed the lawn, had fun with an Eastern Milksnake and inspected the shoreline for a washed up body.

Michael Hinsperger Missing on Carson Lake (CBC.CA)

COTTAGE FOR RENT

So if you are ever interested in spending a week at a really great little cottage near several of the more underused gateways to Algonquin Park, just check out the following link:

KIJIJI.CA: Private Lakefront Cottage - Barry's Bay Ontario

For some of you, it might look familar, for others, it is our cottage near Barry's Bay. If you are interested in helping us cope with a 145% municipal tax increase over a four year period, just let me know!

THANKSGIVING

Made it to the cottage for Thanksgiving weekend, and the wonderful occurrence of a meeting of the entire family! Mom and Dad; John, my sister Susan, and daughters Rachel and Natalie; Jeff, my sister Pamela, and their daughter Sophie; and Katherine and I with Alexander and Rudi.

Thanksgiving weekend also generally means 'closing' the cottage, although being a four season home, what it really means is storing everything used in the summer that you cannot leave outside over the winter. The paddleboat and wooden stairs come up from the lake, and for the first time this year, I built indoor canoe storage! There was no way I would be leaving an H20 composite canoe on blocks and under a tarp outdoors over the winter.

Building the canoe storage system was a four person operation. My dad Roger offered engineering advice while enjoying a Sleeman Honey Brown Lager. Jeff assisted with experiential advice and opinion while enjoying a Unibrou Chambly Maudite, a beautiful strong amber ale. John cut the support hangers and made tools available while sipping a Honey Brown, and I measured and installed the brackets while also enjoying a Sleeman. Then John and I raised the canoe and slung it in postion!

An unexpected bonus is the fact that there is enough room to store a second full size canoe (16' or more) underneath the first, and even a 15' solo underneath the first two!

UP THE CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE (WE ACTUALLY HAVE PADDLES, JUST NO CANOE!)

Well it is about 10pm now, and we are at the Rainbow Inn in beautiful Huntsville Ontario, far from our destination of the cottage in Barry's Bay! I find it a bit ridiculous that we are smack dab in the middle of cottage country without a canoe on the top of the van!

In any event the day started uneventfully, leaving North York just after 7:30am with the van packed full and two gorgeous new Alchemist boats on the roof. An easy almost 2 hour drive got us to the Paddleshack store just outside of Gravenhurst to drop the boats off, and then we were on the road again to Barry's Bay via Huntsville, Highway 60 through the park, and on to Carson Lake. Only we didn't make it quite that far!

A minor ticking in the brakes on the drive up, which I attributed to the sound brake pads make signalling the end of their service life turned into a terrible sounding clunking just as we pulled off Highway 11 onto 60 at Huntsville. I hobbled into the Walmart Lube shop parking, with the van continuing to make horrible clunks, and as soon as I stopped, the left rear wheel nearly twisted off the van, held on by the last remaining lug nut of five originals.

Two hours later, after being towed to Midas, the news came in. Seems one or more wheel nuts were loose, and the four eventually backed off completely. How this happens 5 months and 6000km after the wheels were off for a brake job is a bit beyond me, as if my shop had left them loose the wheel would probably have dropped off within a few hundred kilomtres. Which then makes me wonder, did someone loosen one or more of the nuts within the last week or so? I would love to find out, but probably never will!

Fortunately Midas is close to downtown Huntsville, on a commercial strip with 3 motels within walking distance, and Katherine, Rudi, and Alexander went off in search of a room, and finding a decent rate at the Rainbow Inn we booked in. An hour later I had walked up all our luggage and we got settled in.