2011
A Trip Up the Dorset Fire Tower
I traveled up to the north end of Muskoka passing through Huntsville and into Algonquin territory. The autumn colours were definitely more vibrant as I continued to travel north. I have always wanted to climb the Dorset Fire Tower and it seemed like a good day to do it with hardly anyone around on a Friday. The man at the gate said he was expecting numerous bus loads of people arriving to take in the fall colours the very next day.
As I climbed my way to the top the winds were really howling and I noticed the structure would sway a little which accounts for a bit of fuzziness in the photo. The observation deck is caged in and about 100 feet up however the elevation over Lake of Bays is close to 500 feet up and offers spectacular panoramic views.
2014
A View from the Top
The view from the top of the Dorset Lookout Tower. It can be a bit of a shaky walk up the stairs especially when the winds are blowing. The tower is about 100 feet high and the overall elevation is about 500 feet over the Lake of Bays.
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, tripin around towns
2012
Boats, Trees and the Fall Breeze
I used this photo for a short time in an earlier post when I was in rant mode about the Pride Marina. It didn’t quite fit the content so I moved it out and stuck it back in here. We are kind of at the in-between stage in Muskoka. The trees have been stripped of their leaves and the skies are grey as we await the first substantial snow to arrive. The photo was from a visit to the Lake of Bays area near Dorset, Ontario
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, tripin around towns
2012
Dwight Beach
I enjoy visiting the small towns around the Lake of Bays area especially in autumn. Dorset, Dwight and Baysville are cool little towns. They are smaller than most of the places around the Big 3 lakes and have more of a lost in time charm to them. A little more laid-back and less hurried maybe? The locals say there are less “Cidiots” here – LOL.
The photo is taken at the Dwight beach area before hurricane Sandy blew the remaining colors away.
In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, tripin around towns
2012
Look Out For My Love
Hello folks! I know some of you have been visiting this blog looking for fall photos. Currently I’m on the Rhone river in the south of France heading to the north. I shall return to Muskoka soon. In the mean time here is a photo I took at the bottom of the Dorset fire tower. It is a place where the people not crazy enough to climb up hang out. Enjoy the Muskoka foliage.
2012
North Branch of the Muskoka River
This is the north branch of the Muskoka River flowing out of Mary Lake in quaint Port Sydney, Ontario. The river meanders towards Bracebridge into Lake Muskoka and out to the Moon River and down to Georgian Bay. There are 5 dams on this system with power generated at High Falls, Wilson Falls and the Bracebridge Falls.
The Muskoka River Watershed is the largest watershed in the Muskoka district covering an area of 466,000 hectares. The watershed communities are: Dwight, Dorset, Baysville, Huntsville, Port Sydney, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Bala, Port Carling and MacTier
In: in and around muskoka ontario, on the water, tripin around towns
2012
The Historic S.S. Bigwin Steamship
It was one of those murky days as I made my way through the town of Dorset and noticing the S.S. Bigwin steamship moored at the town docks with not a soul around.
A little history – In 1910 James Kuhn a Pittsburgh, PA industrialist launched a steamship on Lake Muskoka named after his wife Ella Marie. They spent their summers on Belle Isle (recently destroyed) just north of Beaumaris on Lake Muskoka. After experiencing financial difficulty the Ella Marie was sold some 15 years later and relocated to the Lake of Bays where she served as the ferry boat for Bigwin Island for the next 45 years.
At 66ft in length and a registered 25 tons the S.S. Bigwin would carry guests such as Clark Gable, Louis Armstrong, Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo and many other famous people out to the world-class Bigwin Inn on Bigwin island. Around 1970 the Bigwin Inn went out of business and the steamship was left to rot in her slip. In 1991 the Dwight Fire Department floated her to a local dock and then hauled her onto a property in Port Cunnington where restoration started in 2002.
The S. S. Bigwin was relaunched again on July 10, 2010.
The Bigwin Floats Again
In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, tripin around towns