May 29 - May 30 (2007)

After a week delay because of cold weather up north we depart on our journey from Richmond Hill to "the west" on the 29th of May, 2007.

We are uncertain of the final destination, or the route, at this time but are very excited about this new adventure.

Who would have believed this amount of camping equipment and supplies would fit into the little Sunfire? We did a couple of dry runs to get it "just right" but everything fit without a cubic centimeter to spare.

The weather, at departure time of 9:00AM, is sunny but cool. Oh well, on with the jackets and let's get the top down and get on the road.

The first leg of the journey takes us 460 Kms up Hwy 400 to Parry Sound, Hwy 69 to Sudbury, where we have lunch, and then Hwy 17 west to our destination of Massey.

Near Massey we set up camp at the Chutes Provincial Park. Situated on the Aux Sables River, the park gets its name from a chute that once diverted logs around the waterfall.

One observation on this leg is the effects of the lack of snowfall last winter and the very dry spring this year. Water levels are very low and the vegetation looks stressed.

The morning of May 30th starts at 12 degrees Celsius but becomes quite warm and hazy by evening. Not unexpectedly, mosquitoes are plentiful and really ravenous, especially in the evening.

This turns out to be a great day to experience the interesting, and moderately challenging, trails in the park.

The Twin Bridges Trail (6 km return) following the Aux Sables River leads to lookouts at the falls and the Seven Sisters Rapids.