Did anyone miss me? I miss this blog - but if I am not writing it means I am busy, and as a real estate agent, as Martha would say, that is a very good thing! Our social life has been minimized lately due to my hectic schedule, but I wanted to share 2 things with everyone! Last night Christine and I went to the Dusk Dances at Head Lake Park in town - lots of fun! Our local and extraordinarily talented band, Jazz Kitchen, entertained people as they arrived for the first half hour - the weather was perfect and everyone brought their lawn chairs for comfort. This is the fifth year for Dusk Dances and I hadn't been yet (shame on me!) so I wasn't sure what to expect or how things worked. Our local celebrity - comedian and tv show host (now also council woman) Brigitte Gall, hosted the evening in fine character as a ravishing and blood thirsty vampire! She was brilliant! There were 5 performances, each in a different part of the park. The concept was that you watched a performance, then the horn sounded and everyone picked up their chairs and moved to the next performance. Not sure of attendance but there must have been at least 200 people last night and it was quite a feat! But the constant movement of the crowd added to the fun and atmosphere. The performances were great and it was a perfect way to pass a Saturday evening in Haliburton County! There dogs, children, people of all ages. Tonight is the last performance for this year. As I sat watching the performances, I marvelled at what amazing things happen in our great County - a unique experience, yet only one of many unique experiences that happen here throughout the County - how fun!
The second fun thing, I will admit, did not take place in Haliburton County. Two weeks ago Christine and I snuck away for a 3-day camping trip at Bon Echo Provincial Park, south of Denbigh. Reviews from people about the park were mixed, so we were unsure of what to expect. We were told it was right by the highway and that the highway noise was very unappealing. This is a HUGE issue for us as we camp for solitude and peace, but we booked our campsite on line and chose one that we thought would be quite remote, and hoped for the best. One word describes what we found - gorgeous! We went mid-week, our campsite was located in Hardwood Hills, and there was nobody around! We had to park our car and carry our gear into the site, but it wasn't far and we had complete privacy on a huge campsite. It was a 20 minute drive on dirt roads to get from our campground to the beaches and other amenities, where the crowds were, but we didn't mind one bit. My biggest complaint was how far our outhouse was! Located on Mazinaw Lake, the park offers many beautiful trails and sites. The Mazinaw Rock that looms out of the water is amazing - photos cannot capture the height, but look at the photo and pick out the tiny canoe at the bottom to help! Plus, when you are on the water at the base of the rock, the rock goes 300 feet straight down under the water! Indian pictographs line the rock - over 200 of them and you can take a fun boat tour for a meer $6.25 to learn about the rock, the park and the pictographs - well worth it! We also canoed JoPerry Lake while there - a quiet, peaceful lake of good size with "canoe-in" campsites. Oh yes - and the Cliff top trail to the top of Mazinaw Rock - amazing! 180 official steps, 240 if you count misc. steps along the trail, but incredible views from the top - a peregrin falcon flew past our noses while we watched!
Next venture - High Falls which is part of Algonquin Park but located at the east side of Haliburton County - I hear it is a great hike and Christine and I are off to explore!
