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Stopped on our way up from Toronto, at this gem of
a restaurant – “one fifty five street” – in Bracebridge…for a soup and a salad
(the shrimp bisque was delicious, but the added chicken to the Caesar salad was
a bit off I would say…!) with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc… This is the 4th
meal we have had there, the first one going back to a visit in the Muskoka area
4 or 5 years ago (see the write-up then in the bourlinblogue)…nice “escale” on
this rather long drive…
It was overcast for the time we were there (but
still relatively warm – in the low 20s in the afternoon), except for the last
morning when the sun came out.
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The day before, we went out for a walk along the “yellow
trail” (we had done that trail before!), around our side of the lake, and in
the afternoon, after a swim (me!), went along the main gravel road leading to
the camp.
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A little tour “en canot” the morning before we
left, a matter of checking a few facts about the “yellow trail” (and how it did
not lead us to the abandoned “chalet” across the lake!)…
The usual plentiful meals (breakfast, lunch and
dinner!), with the several bottles of wine we had brought (a white and a red
from the “futures”, among others…). This is what is great about this place – you
can count on good food and you can bring your own choice of wine to go with it!
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The restaurant staff is very courteous: young
people from around the world really – one can hear the various accents! Some are
there for the summer (going back to school in September); others are staying to
the end of the “season” (usually to the end of the Canadian Thanksgiving
week-end, in October, when the lodge closes for the year) – one of the girls
was from within Ontario (St-Marys - Cynthia knew where it is: between Stratford and London! I had no clue. We learned though that it is the location of the Canadian "Baseball Hall of Fame"!) The wages must be decent: she was there to make money and “pay off” her
student loan!
Cynthia’s mother and sister joined us for lunch,
the day we left…
ALGONGUIN PARK
“BY THE NUMBER”…
Distances: Toronto
to Arowhon Pines: 305 kilometers
-
Toronto to the Park–West Gate (400 to
Barrie; 11 to Huntsville; 60 to Park): approximately 280 kilometers
-
West Gate to the fork that leads to
Arowhon Pines (on highway 60): 16km (10mi)
-
Highway 60 to Arowhon Pines: 8km (5mi)
– Arowhon private (gravel) road
Highway 60 Corridor
runs through the Park for roughly 60km.
Lakes: over 2400
and 1200kms of streams in the Park.
“The Friends
of the Algonquin Park” began in 1983; the group has a cooperative agreement
with Ontario Parks “to enhance the educational and interpretive programs” in the
Park. It has 7 fulltime staff (16 seasonal) and counts some 2300 members.
Animals
Birds: 278
bird species known to have occurred in the Park (see 474-page book by retired
Park naturalist Ron Tozer, published in 2012).
Moose: Number
of moose estimated in the Park: 3642 according to a Park staff 2012 survey!
Black Bears:
about 2000 (1 for 3 square kilometers). People killed by black bears in North-America
since the early 1900s: fewer than 70!
Wolfs:
approximately 300
There are also
white-tailed deer and beavers as well.
Fish: 54
different species have been recorded in the Park (the Park is known for its
“Brook Trout”!)
Sept 1, 2013
