2009
Baby, Its Cold Outside
Someone flipped the switch and we turned into Baffin Island.
Most cottagers have vanished now with only the retiree troopers and the local yokels left to hold down the fort.
The deer will soon be trotting across the lake looking for dessert. Yup cover up those cedar trees Mable.
The bubblers are in – let the season begin (and end soon)
2009
Highway #169 Revisited
This is a typical scene that you would see while driving around the Muskoka area.
Campbell’s Landing just off Hwy #169
Please click on the photo for a larger size
2009
The Ghosts of Muskoka
I decided I would take the long way home and drove through Bala early this morning. It was dead quiet and I noticed an empty Bala Bay Inn parking lot so I did a little u-turn and headed back for a few quick snaps.
The Bala Bay Inn was built in 1910 by Ephraim Browning Sutton from Leads in Yorkshire, England. Initially it was named The Swastika Hotel and due to the unpolitical correctness of the times it was renamed to the Sutton Manor in the early ’30s. In 1945 the name was changed to The Bala Bay Lodge, and in 1998 to The Bala Bay Inn.
E.B. Sutton died in room #319 of the hotel in 1917 and many of the staff and patrons say the Inn is haunted by him. There are Muskoka ghost tours and even seances that have been held here for you paranormal types.
Please click on the image for a 1280 pixel sized photo
In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, tripin around towns
2009
Roadside Distractions Part II
The last photo featured an abandoned old farmhouse and a cool looking tree alongside highway 400. This is a wide angled shot that shows a barn on the property. I am uncertain if the barn is still in operation however it appears to be in decent condition. If you were looking out the window of the farmhouse you would have a direct view of the ski hill and lifts.
Please click on the image for a small mountain sized photo
2009
Roadside Distractions
I have been driving by this abandoned old farm house on highway #400 for years now. The traffic was light Sunday morning so I pulled over and took a few quick snaps, sans tripod. I don’t recall when it was last occupied. Most cottagers that travel on Hwy #400 which was once referred to as “the extension” would see this place neatly tucked in the field near Mt. St. Louis.
Please click on the image for a large sized photo
2009
Flashback Blues
Cloudy skies and dead fruit flies
Waving goodbye with tears in my eyes …
~ John Prine
This photo was taken about the peak of this years Muskoka autumn colours.
I am still holding onto the fall season however we all know whats coming soon.
Click for a larger, clearer shot of 1280 pixels
2009
Weird Waubaushene Walk Way
Many cottagers that take highway #400 will be familiar with a place just south of Port Severn called Waubaushene Ontario. You cannot see the town or village from the road as its nicely isolated from the highway. I did the obligatory main street drive and at the very end of the street found this walkway that reached out onto Georgian Bay.
2009
North End of Lake Rosseau
Up on the north end of Lake Rosseau there is a cool looking boathouse and old house or cottage up on the rock.
It appears they have been rebuilding the house/cottage for the past few years. Not sure of the history.
Just a quick snap while passing by.
Please click on the photo for a large shot
2009
A Pinball Wizard, There’s got to be a Twist
Ever since I was a young boy
I’ve played the silver ball
From Huntsville down to Barrie
I must have played them all …
Just a few doors down from The Kee I could not resist a little peek inside the Balacade. It was like a journey back in time (gee now I’m dating myself) with vintage pinball machines and games crammed into the small room. Balacade is an arcade shop that was started in Bala Ontario over 50 years ago and is still run by the original owner Paul Arney and his wife Patricia. Please click on the pic or HERE for a biggie 1280 pixel photo
In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, tripin around towns
2009
Off the Bridge
It was early morning and the sun was just starting to creep up when I walked onto the Joesph River Bridge looking due west.
It was cool and crisp with a nice fog coming off the water. The lake has given up her warmth.
Please click on the image for a large sized photo
2009
The History of the Old Stone Crypt
Driving around the back roads of Muskoka I recently found this old stone crypt near Torrance, Ontario.
I discovered this is the final resting place for William Odell Darling Pine Whiting and family. (Boy, they had long names back then) W.O. Whiting was from England and fell in love with Muskoka in 1885 when he was returning to Toronto while serving with the Northwest Grenadiers after the Riel rebellion.
He later returned in 1892 and bought a large piece of beachfront stretching from Sandy Point to Coulter’s Narrows on Lake Muskoka. William built a 210 room, 4-story hotel called the Brighton Beach Hotel which was a replica of a hotel back in Brighton Beach England. Unfortunately the hotel burned down before it ever opened. Later, William and his wife Clara Cronkhite built a second smaller hotel named the Brighton Beach II which operated for a short while until it burned down in 1917.
Here is a good article about the Whiting family called; Ninety-Three Muskoka Summers
2009
Rocky Roads
Its quite common to see rock cuts through the granite outcroppings around Muskoka or Northern Ontario. In order to make roads you have to blast them out. This is Peninsula Road near Minett, Ontario. Most of the trees have started to shed however there are still some vibrant colors hanging on.
Please click here or on the image for a giant sized photo
2009
I’ve got a Trike and you can Ride it if you Like
Going Green – another photo from the Cranberry Fest.
I noticed this dude in his electric tricycle thingy cruising down the road in the CranFest traffic.
2009
Crowds with no Clouds at the 25th Annual Cranberry Festival
The 25th annual Cranberry festival was on in Bala, Ontario this past weekend. I don’t recall seeing crowds like this at the Cranfest before. Usually its cold and rainy so I think the sunshine brought many people out to Muskoka this year.
More photos to follow soon.
Please click on the image for biggie sized photo
2009
Blazing a Kodachrome Trail
I got a Nikon camera …
I love to take a photograph
so mama don’t take my Kodachrome away
(Paul Simon)
There are explosions of colour everywhere you turn in Muskoka but not for long. Natures final emancipation preparing for winter.
The photos on this blog are 72 dpi and contain relatively small files in order for the blog to load quickly. Unfortunately that diminishes the quality of the photo substantially. I wish I could show you some of the high resolution shots like this one which is about 15mb in size. The colors and details are truly mind blowing on a large sized high res monitor.
Don’t forget Muskoka’s Cranberry Festival is on this weekend in Bala Oct 16, 17, 18 – if you spot me in the beer tent I’ll buy you a beer 🙂
2009
Gazing Down the Line
The trees were utterly vibrant and near peak this past weekend in the Muskoka area. The trails and back roads were very busy with many out of town visitors sucking in the raw natural beauty. Sunday afternoon revealed snow and ice pellets a welcoming gift for our friends from the city. Still waiting for that Indian Summer.
Please click for a large 1280 pixel photo
2009
Climbing up on Huckleberry Rock
On a rather drab day this summer I hiked up to Huckleberry Rock near Milford Bay in Muskoka. I’m not particularly happy with this shot as the light was wrong and I never brought the proper gear with me as I wanted to save some weight. However, the timing was good as the Segwun Steamship was cruising through the bay on Lake Muskoka. The other object in the background that looks like a boat is actually a rocky island. You can see it better if you click for a larger size.
If you are Canadian – have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
2009
Torrance Barrens – There’s a Darkness on the Edge of Town
I finally found the Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve just south east of Bala, Ontario. This conservation reserve is made up of about 5000 acres of Precambrian rock, wetlands and modest tree growth making it ideal for astronomical instruments. It is Canada’s first Dark Sky Preserve. I plan to dust off the telescope I received as a gift many moons ago and return here one night to check out the skies, which are apparently mind blowing. This is a photo of the Highland Pond near the parking area off district road #13.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Info on Torrance Barrens
2009
Look at the stars, see how they shine for you
Its getting a little cooler umm colder on the water now especially when riding the Jetski however I’m going to stick with it a while longer yet. Yes, I’m crazy and my toes are ice cubes – thanks. Just before sundown I noticed this cool boathouse with its own built in observatory. Bottom of Lake Rosseau near Port Sandfield. Please click the image for a galaxy sized photo
