I took 5 weeks off work in order to be with the kids in the summer and one of the highlights was camping with both in Grundy Lake.
Grundy Lake is a wonderful provincial park about 4-5 hours north of Hamilton, between Algonquin and Killarny. Benji and I were there a few years ago with Barry (you can read about it here) and loved it. It is relatively quiet, with a good variety of things to do. I've been wanting to go back for a long time and finally got to go again this year with both kids.
We loaded the car on Sunday July 19 and hit the road on Monday morning , surprisingly on time! The drive was uneventful, just beautiful trees and rivers along the way. We got in in the afternoon and set up our spot pretty easily. The kids helped a bit and Jacob was quite excited - he never really set up the tent before. Benjamin is already a pro by now. :-)
Even though we hoped to have a peaceful week outdoors, this is how it started within minutes of the tent being up...
https://youtu.be/iLrNOG_zqDM&rel=0
There was some debate about what we should do as our first activity and we ended up going to the beach first and then to the sliding rocks. First night we came back when it was already getting dark, had some snacks and got into bed. We had a really nice time sleeping together actually, with me in between the boys. (yes, there are kids in those pictures below!)
Next morning I woke up early with the sun while the boys were still asleep and got out to get breakfast ready. Surprisingly, they agreed to eat salad (even Benji!) and eggs. I decided we are going for a hike, which of course they protested until about 3 minutes in, when it became fun. Both loved running up on the sides of the rocks like parkour. We made inukshuk and did some off-path hiking. It was great!
After the hike we went to cool off at the sliding rocks and then the kids decided they would want to attempt the jumping rocks! We swam across from the sliding rocks as there was a little jumping rock right there. We tried it a couple of times, and when the kids figured out it is fun, we swam back and went looking for the real jumping rocks, but not before a little rest break at the tent and an early afternoon fireplace for hotdogs and marshmallow. The kids made an inchworm/caterpillar game in the tent where they cocooned in the sleeping bags and crawled around the tent. Too cute! The jumping rocks were only a short bike ride away and then a couple minutes walking through the woods. There were quite a few people there and a few different spots (at different heights) to jump in. It took Jacob a little bit to gather his nerves and we jumped in together from the lowest one. (Benji didn't want to go yet). After we did it together and he liked it he went a couple more times on his own, and finally Benji also joined in the fun. Jacob tried the higher one after as well. It was a lot of fun!
Resting by the sliding rocks
Mid-day roasted marshmallows
https://youtu.be/Viq3Ss0wtXs&rel=0
https://youtu.be/ED6l2zTDLlM&rel=0
https://youtu.be/wNWWoYTCizk&rel=0
The day wasn't over yet! We went to check out the main beach after and finished the day with a second fire for marshmallows and some reading. Tuesday was a fun packed day!
For Wednesday, the weather forecast was calling for thunderstorms. As is our tradition (after 1 trip) we went to visit Tricia in Sudbury. We packed up our stuff away in the tent or the car so it doesn't get wet and drove the hour up to Sudbury. Tricias place is very open and welcoming. Josh was home from BC with his girlfriend and we hung out with the two of them and the dogs, just having breakfast, playing Settlers of Catan and watching some TV. We then went of a kayak trip across the lake, had some dinner and drove home. I love this tradition! Tricia is a very distant cousin of ours (not even blood related, but by marriage) but we always feel very close to her and have a wonderful and peaceful time hanging out. She is a great inspiration.
https://youtu.be/h1GogGbsRJ4&rel=0
Thursday was supposed to be our last day away from home, as Jacob was scheduled for his followup appointment on Friday. However, during the week I got a call that it was postponed, which meant we didn't really have to go home! We checked with the park office if they had any camping spots open for the weekend but there were none. Instead, we called up our old neighbor Dave who moved north to Spanish, ON to see if we can come visit. Dave bought a fishing resort/RV campground and invited us up in the past. He said he has space for us to pitch the tent so we made our drive over. It is about 2 more hours north from Grundy. We spent the day in Grundy, doing another great hike and packing the car up. The drive was uneventful and beautiful and we got there for dinner time. The resort if not fancy with just a dozen or so RVs in a circle with a central patch of grass. Dave's house is still a work in progress but he is working on it slowly and methodically. We had dinner with him an the 3 boys and he took Macconi and Jacob out on the boat fishing while I stayed behind with Benji and Rio to set up the tent.
On Friday Dave took us for a boat tour around the north part of lake Huron, north of Manitoulin island. We made a couple stops on little islands to explore, swim and have lunch. After we got back the kids had a blast riding quads! It was amazing, they loved it!!! We did some swimming in the lake and I broke the ladder on the floating platform! I didn't know it wasn't fully in place yet, and when I tried to use it to get on the platform it broke and started sinking! I managed to hold it up while hooking it with a rope. Unfortunately, one metal piece that's needed to anchor it was gone...
We spent the evening fishing off the dock (unsuccessfully), though the people fishing next to us caught some nice fish. They showed us how to use a new type of lure that is specific for pike. The helped Jacob up and they even gave us the lure as a gift!
https://youtu.be/-ygvZi2kh6s&rel=0
The next day, Saturday, was pretty much a get-back-home day, with a twist. I promised Dave I will help him find the missing piece for the ladder that sank the day before (it is only about 10ft deep there) and put the ladder back up on the platform, so we did this after breakfast. In the meantime, Benji locked up the car, with the keys inside!!! So after fixing the ladder we had to brake into our own car by squeezing a coat hanger through the window and pressing the unlock button! Oh boy... Running a resort is hard work!
The drive home was fine - music, trees, ice cream and that pretty much it.
We had a phenomenal time away, and we were getting homesick by the end. Just a perfect vacation with the right mix of things to do, people to visit, nature and the right amount of time away. I can't wait to go back!
