Bass Lake Provincial Park

We awake to a cloudy day, but at least it is not raining. 

I have decided not to put out our big awning, this site is not very wide and there are big pine trees that are dripping sticky pine sap.  I don’t want that all over the top of the awning.  We will be fine for 2 days here without our awning out because Don & Shirley have theirs out and we will be joining them for any outdoor sitting.  We are in Site 48.

 

Don & Shirley are in the site next to us.

  

D & S tow their car behind their motorhome and they were up and gone before we peek our eyes out the door.  They went to see a puppy that they are interested in buying. 

We have a tasty breakfast of bacon and eggs.  After breakfast we go for a hike.  There are views of Bass Lake as we walk to get to the beginning of the trail.

 

There is a nice 3 KM hiking trail within the boundaries of the park.  The Waterview Trail.

 

Before we  begin the Water View Trail, we decide we should first walk out to the entrance.  In yesterdays downpour, we did not stop to get photos of the entrance sign.  We always like to do that where ever we go.

 

Ok, that done, we can walk back to the beginning of the trail.  We have already walked a couple of KM and we haven’t even started on the 3 KM trail yet.    We pass many drifts of wild flowers as we walk.

 

 

Uh Oh…. we forgot to bring water with us, so back to the Motorhome to get a couple of bottles.  That adds about another KM to our total for the day.



The trail is numbered 1 – 16, we are going to start with # 15 and walk our way around. 

Marker 15 is a Glacial Erratic.  This is nothing comparable to the Okotoks Glacial Erratic we saw in Alberta last summer.  That one was as big as a large castle.  This one is only as big as smart car.  A Glacial Erratic is a rock that is out of place and is not like the other rocks in the area.  It was dragged and deposited here by an ancient glacier.

 

There is a nice beach and view at marker # 15, so we stop to enjoy.

 

At marker # 16 the trail wanders through a stand of cedar trees.

 

At marker # 1 the trail winds through these birch and aspen trees.

 

Marker # 2 takes us back down to the waters edge and a swimming dock.

 

Marker # 3 takes us onto a boardwalk through a marshy area.

 

We must have missed marker # 4 because the next one we saw was marker # 5 and we are back wandering through stands of cedars.

 

Marker # 6 and we are walking through stands of oak trees.

 

At marker # 7 there is what remains of an old barn silo.  Back in the late 1800’s this property was originally farmed.  there are several foundations where buildings once stood.  This concrete silo has stood the test of time.

 

Onwards to marker # 8



Marker # 8 is at the original dairy shed.  Being made of stone this building would have been cooler for storing the farmers perishable items and it has also stood the test of time, while all the wooden buildings have long ago deteriorated back into the earth.

 

Marker # 9 is at a section of the original stone and cedar rail fence that was part of the old farm property.  Not much left, as it is all over grown.  The rocks would have been hand picked off the fields and piled along the property line.  The cedar fence rails were on top of the pile of rocks, so that the cattle would be penned in.

 

Marker # 10 takes us further along through meadows of wild flowers and more cedar stands.
 

Marker #11 and we are walking through drifts of ferns and stands of cedar.

 

Marker # 12 and we are still deep in the forest.



Onwards to marker # 13.   No these are not glacial erratics.  We are crossing one of the park roads, and these large rocks were placed here to keep vehicles off of the Waterview Trail.

 

Marker # 13 and we continue on our walk through the forest.

 

We almost missed marker # 14.  now I know what happened to marker # 4…  it must have been hidden like this one is.

 

Karen leads the way for a while till we arrive back at # 15 where we started.

 

We arrived back at our home on wheels after a lovely walk along the Waterview Trail.

You can click on this link and see the route that we took on our walk.



Don & Shirley are back from their excursion and they have a new puppy with them.  Sorry, but we forgot to take pictures of the new puppy.

For lunch the 4 of us drive into Orillia and go the the Mariposa Market.  This is our favourite dining spot in Orillia.  The meal is delicious and the desserts even more so.   After lunch we wander the main street.  Karen and I certainly are getting in our walking today.  All totalled, we did close to 10 Km.

Back at our motorhomes it was time for Happy Hour.  Then we bbq’d steaks and potatoes in foil on our Weber Q.  After dinner it was back to D & S’s for a camp fire and more cold ones.  I brought over my blue tooth Jawbone Jambox speakers and we listened to iTunes and played “name that tune” all evening.  Oh yes, we roasted marshmallows also.

To see all of the photos we took today, and there are many... please click on the link to our FLICKR site.