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Hello From The Kawarthas Early Fall Colours Scarecrows and Frogmen
all is one of the most lost a couple of times, barely
beautiful seasons in two hours later I arrived at her
Ontario when forests light beautiful house on Buckhorn Lake.
up in hues of yellow, orange and
red. It's the perfect time for We spent a fabulous evening
drives in the countryside, to chatting and cooking a meal
visit small villages, check out together that was so delicious
farmer's markets, attend country that I packed in two big
fairs. We've had a long hot servings. We talked about many
summer this year, even as I write topics and touched on the
this we are expecting transitions of life, who we
temperatures 10 degrees Celsius really are when you strip away
above average. As a result the job titles, material possessions,
fall colour season is a little our affiliations with our
delayed, but that did not change marriage partners - what is
the fact that it was time for a really left at the end of the
country driving tour. day. It was a really interesting
discussion, I always enjoy
During the Servas conference in conversing with people who have
Vancouver I made a great more life experience than I do.
connection, I met a fellow
Ontarian, a lady in her 50s by Not surprisingly, Julie is a very
the name of Julie who lives north interesting individual, she is a
of Peterborough in Ontario's Lake "diversity expert" and teaches
Country. And as is the Servas organizations how to deal
tradition, she generously offered effectively with a multi-cultural
her hospitality and invited me to workforce. She also participates
come up and visit her on Buckhorn in a variety of volunteer
Lake. I left on Saturday at organizations (including Servas),
around 4 pm and although I got plays tennis and volleyball, goes
for long hikes, canoes, plays the Trent-Severn Waterway System that
piano, sings in a choir, to name connects Lake Ontario with
just a few of her activities. I Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron,
asked her if she ever gets lonely over a distance of 387 km through
in the tranquility of Lake a serious of lift locks. The
Country, after having lived most Kawarthas are one of the three
of her life in the metropolitan main popular getaway areas for
hub of Toronto. The answer was a Ontarians which include Muskoka,
definitive no, and once I heard the Haliburton Highlands, and the
of all her activities I realized Kawarthas. During our drive Julie
that with such an active social pointed out one of the landlocked
calendar it would be very lakes that is not connected to
difficult to feel lonely or get the lock system, Sandy Lake,
bored. which has a bottom of sand and
clay, resulting in an often
What's always great about a turqouise appearance, somewhat
personal visit is connecting with reminiscent of famous Lake Louise
a local expert, who really knows in Western Canada. Sandy Lake is
the area. Julie took me on a a very popular spot for vacation
little driving tour of her neck homes and the entire Kawartha
of the woods (literally) and area boasts thousands of
showed me some of her favourite cottages, camps and resorts, from
spots, which include Fothergill simple house-keeping cottages to
Island, the Gannon Narrows luxury resorts and conference
Conservation Area and the country centres.
drive to the village of Buckhorn.
Of course fall is harvest time as
The Kawartha area is full of well, Halloween is approaching
lakes, many of which are too, and one of the big autumn
connected and form part of the pastimes in cottage country seems
to be the creation of all forms
of scarecrows. They were all over One thing I did not realize is
the place, in front of private that Stoney Lake is a local scuba
homes, bed & breakfasts, schools, diving spot. As I walked past the
community centres, churches, even cascades and arrived at a little
on bridges, and I started clearing, I saw a scuba diver in
snapping away with my camera to full gear coming out of the
document this rural creativity. water. He explained to me that
My favourite scarecrow encounters there were problably about 20 or
included a wedding scene, so divers in the lake, and that
"breakfast in bed" in front of a they explore the rocky lake
B&B, and some "scarecrow bottom which apparently also
hoodlums" climbing the fence of a includes a deep trench.
baseball diamond.
From Burleigh Falls I continued
After saying goodbye to Julie and my path south and stopped at
thanking her for her great Youngs Point, which houses one of
hospitality, I decided to do a the locks of the Trent-Severn
little loop around Buckhorn Lake Waterway System. This little town
and I checked out the village of marks the start of the Canadian
Burleigh Falls. I got out of the Shield and was settled in 1825.
car and walked down on the flat The original lock here was built
rocks beside the river which in the early 1870's. I stopped at
descends in cascades into Stoney the Lockside Trading Company,
Lake. Burleigh Falls is a cute which offers cottage country
little hamlet located at the apparel, home furnishings, a
confluence of Lovesick Lake and variety of souvenirs and home
Stoney Lake, and has a few decorating items, as well as some
restaurants and a variety of of the famous Kawartha Dairy
other accommodations. icecream, which of course I had
to taste. agricultural land northeast of
Toronto. The feeling was
Youngs Point was my last stop on apparently shared by a myriad of
my way home, although I drove other travellers, some pulling
through a series of cute villages boats on trailers, others riding
including Lakefield, Bridgenorth on their motorcycles. All in all,
and Port Perry. I thoroughly it was a perfect early fall day
enjoyed the drive through the and an ideal occasion to check
rolling hills of this out Toronto's backcountry.
About the Author:
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of http://www.travelandtransitions.com, a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our FREE ebooks about travel.
Published At: www.Isnare.com
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