Roaming the Upper Ottawa Valley and Beyond

 We meandered down Highway 41, just passed Tooey Lake picnic ground.  A right turn on to Teeple-Hailey Road took us toward Burns Lake. As gravel roads go, this one was in excellent condition. We had a very fierce rain storm the night before and we were afraid the road would have some serious ruts, possibly washouts, but it was good. There is very little traffic on this road so it isn't all washboard either. There is one farm on the road, not far off the highway, but after that, it's a long slow drive to the end. There are maybe six cottages on the whole lake. Several of them are boat access only. There is a county boat ramp with a very good dock at the end and plenty of parking for vehicles and trailers. There were four trucks in addition to our car, and one boat flipped over down by the dock. We had a hard time getting the Princess out of the water when we were ready to leave. She jumped off the dock and swam under it. She had a great time. Apparently the lake is about 30 mete

 This afternoon we took the Princess for a swim in beautiful Round Lake.  There is a small private beach. She just adores chasing the sticks we throw into the water. We meandered on down the road to Hwy. 60 at Deacon. This is a sweet little cottage community along the shores of Golden Lake. It's a bustling place in the warm months! We turned at the four corners in the hamlet of Golden Lake and headed into the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nations community. This is a vibrant First Nations colony at the confluence of Golden Lake and their historical fishing grounds on Bonnechere River. The fire department was holding up traffic on the bridge to solicit change for a  worthy cause. I didn't quite catch the situation. Traffic stops on bridges are popular for these types of fund raisers. We divested our pockets and cup holders of change and carried on our way through the community to a township road on the far side of the lake. A couple of right turns and we arrived at Gerbers Nu

 The province of Ontario has opened all of the provincial parks for free access Monday to Thursday.  My brother in law and his partner had never been to the east side so we made arrangements to meet up and go explore some of the areas that we love.  It was a long dusty old drive in. Even keeping about half a mile apart, we could hardly keep each other in sight for all the dust flying.  We made it to the gate and signed in, but we were disappointed. The access to Grand Lake was closed to drive. We would have to park at the road and walk a considerable distance in. Grand Lake is beautiful. Tom Thomson, the famous artist, painted some of his most famous works there. Perhaps his best known work, The Jack Pine, is on Grand Lake.  The famous tree stood for many many years, but is gone now. There is a story board on the site with a print of the famous painting, as well as a bench to sit and ponder. That will be another trip. The parking lot for the Barron Canyon is about half way in to Grand