July in Ontario

We like to explore - hense our years of RV travel. But now we are selling the RV and have to make our excursions by car. I had bought tickets for a play at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-lake for a Friday afternoon. We left home in the morning and after a stop for coffee/tea we continued our drive along the Lake Ontario shoreline. At Port Dalhousie (pronounced "dah-loo-see"), we got out to explore the harbour to look at the tall ships that were tied up at the quayside for a couple of days as they made their way through the Great Lakes this summer. The 3 ships we saw were going through the Welland Canal on their way to Cleveland, Ohio in time for the Fourth of July celebrations. The light drizzle stopped while we walked past the ships. We had lunch in a park overlooking the Niagara River as it enters Lake Ontario and walked around the flower-filled streets of Niagara-on-the-lake and looked at shops until we  went to the play "Major Barbara".

 

 The Unicorn

 

The Pride of Baltimore 11

 

VISITING THE TER HAARS AT BONNIE LAKE

 

 

It has been really, really hot and humid this past week so an invitation to visit our dear friends  Gerry and Dia at their place on Bonnie Lake, near Bracebridge, about 250km north of Toronto. Gerry has built several decks on their rocky lot and they make a wonderful place to move as the shade comes and goes on their site.

 

Yes! This thermometer is

                                                  right - it is 50C in the sun!!!!!

                                                     Jack is going for a kayak ride

Early morning mists on the lake - and the haunting call of the resident loon - she is swimming with her baby riding on her back

A DAY ON THE BOAT WITH THE KLOETS

Because we were already "up north" to visit the Ter Haars, we had made arrangements to meet our friends George and Ada Kloet. They had left home 2 weeks ago and drove their boat east on Lake Ontario to Trenton and then began taking the Trent River and the canal system through lakes and locks and by Thursday, July 18, they were in the town of Bobcaygeon. They had already traversed 33 locks as they made their way to Balsam Lake where they will meet their children and grandchildren for a week at a cottage. They sleep aboard their 28' boat.

We'll go this way   

 

A refreshing swim in REALLY deep water!

The wind-blown couple

A swim and lunch with wine at anchor in a sandy  sheltered cove

After a tour of Bald Lake, Buckhorn Lake and the Big Bob Channel, we are back in Bobcaygeon. George and Ada took us into the lock here and we were raised 8 feet to the level of the Trent River . Instead of heading to Fenelon Falls as George and Ada will do tomorrow on their way to Balsam Lake, we turn around and re-enter the lock and return to the marina at Bobcaygeon.

 

 

 What a great mini-vacation we have had - Thanks to our great friends!
 

 

Back Home

We had a good trip back to Ontario with a stop in Elkhart, Indiana to have our air conditioner repaired - this turned out to be an easy fix - only a capacitor needed replacing, not the entire air conditioner. We visited with Jack' s brother Arnold and wife Ann, spent 3 days at my sister's farm to see our son Derek and then a visit with brother Hank and wife, Mary near Sarnia, Ontario. At last we arrived at the Provincial Park where we will reside until our son can move out of our house and into his newly renovated home.

It is cool and the trees are just leafing out but on May 1 the trilliums are carpeting the forest floor and they are beautiful! The park is along both shores of Bronte Creek and there are great hiking paths on both of those shores. The reason for arriving home by April 20 was an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to look at my still sore shoulder - nine months after my fall. Fortunately, he says I do not need arthoscopic surgery but after another month of physio, he will inject the shoulder with cortisone to see if that helps. As a diabetic, healing goes slowly, he says, and I must be patient.

At last - moving day for Greg and Tara and their family. The renovation is 90% complete and adaquate for them to move into. They are anxious to be in their own home and let us move into ours.

 

Lunch on the floor in their new home - no furniture but the only room with carpet makes a good place for a Sub sandwich. Tara's parents and brother are here to help get them settled.

Greg and Tara's home:

 

Our new home:

And now we are moved into our home in Oakville - we enjoyed unwrapping things stored in boxes for seven months and placing them on shelves and in cupboards again.

After a cortisone injection in my shoulder last week, I am now pain-free.

God is good!

 

 

Welcome!

Saying "Good Bye"

We have been away from home since early November. Except for 2 weeks at Christmas, we have been in this wonderful RV park - Mesa Regal. We have enjoyed great fellowship and met many new friends while we have been here. Each activity we have been involved with has it's own group of people that we have come to know. We have enjoyed being involved here and have found it to be a friendly and accepting place - from hiking groups, aquafit, yoga, computer classes, street neighbors and just casual conversations in the coffee lines. Gradually the park has emptied out as already, two thirds of the winter residents have begun their journeys home. Going for a walk before bedtime has become a spooky affair - most of the park models are buttoned up, cars left behind have dust covers and great stretches of RV pads are vacant. This is the latest we have stayed in Arizona and now it is our time to leave. Over the past week we have said some more "Good byes" to friends as they took their leave.

 Jim and Judie Vander Galien are heading to Michigan. Though they are full timers, they will store their RV as they travel by car to Long Island to do Disaster Relief work for World Renew in the wake of super storm Sandie. We wish them well!
Other friends Art and Connie are leaving today and heading eventually to Canada to see the beauty of Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta and British Columbia

Dan Barb Bloem, though not at Mesa Regal, live nearby in their condo and have been friends for almost 40 years. They, too, have left Mesa to return to Michigan for the summer. We had lunch last week in Fountain Hills - just north of Mesa.

In the middle of the lake is the fountain that "erupts" every hour. We had expected to see this while we had lunch together - but, alas, for some reason the fountain was dry today.

    And now it is our turn - we are packed and almost ready to go. Though we are very ready to see our family again, we are reluctant to leave such a warm and welcoming place. But, though friends have scattered, we will see many of them next Fall when we return; and if they do not return to Mesa Regal, we will stay in touch with email. It has been a good season!

Canyon Lake Boat Tour

This is Canyon Lake from a vista point on Highway 88 - the Apache Trail. We have a reservation for the 2pm boat trip but will first stop at Tortilla Flat for lunch. Now it is a collection of old buildings that have a restaurant,ice cream bar and souvenirs.

But it was built over 100 years ago as a camp for the men that were building the road along the Salt River and constructing the Roosevelt Dam. When floods blocked access to the camp, they had to live on only flour and water - and made tortillas - until the water receded and they could be re-supplied.

The Dolly Steamboat takes three trips a day along Canyon Lake. The lake was formed with the building of  Mormon Flat Dam on the Salt River. Mormon immigrants had a small town of 400 people in the area where the dam was built but had left long before they flooded the canyon by damming the river.

The boat will go up this arm of the canyon.

On the top of this pinnacle of rock is an eagle's nest with two fledglings. 

 We spot three Big Horned Sheep on the steep hillside.

                                              Can you see the mastodon in this cliff face?

Pretty spectacular scenery!
The weather was perfect - clear azure blue skies as only Arizona with it's low humidity can have - and lovely warm breezes as we glide along the cliffs and admire an area that we can only get to by boat.
 A perfect afternoon as our time draws to a close here in Arizona.

Hiking Pass Mountain

This will be our last hike of the season. It is April 1st and it is getting warm (even hot by afternoon) and it is not pleasant to hike when it is 90F. Besides that, the snakes are out now that it is warmer and we are not anxious to meet up with a rattler on the path. Our leader, Bruce, will be heading home to  Illinois so that is another reason to be finishing until next season. But today we will hike this mountain. We begin in the parking area and will hike to the dip (or saddle) on the far right. We have to climb about 700'. Then we hike around the back side and descend the saddle on the far left with the 2 little jagged peaks. Round trip was 5.2 miles.

We are nearing the top of the first saddle - it has been uphill all the way and we are ready for a rest.

This is another reason to stop hiking in the hot weather - and for not being the hike leader! Sunning himself in the middle of the trail, is this Gila Monster! He slithers into the bushes and under a rock when he sees us and after carefully taking some pictures (using our zoom lens!!), we get out of his way. Gila Monsters are as poisonous as rattlesnakes - and we don't want to make him angry.

The trail gets pretty sparse on the backside of the mountain but there are cairns to mark the way - but also some false stone piles so we have to be careful.

At the edge of the second saddle, we stop for our snack break. In the distance, you can see Mesa and Apache Junction.

This is the trail that we will have to take down.

For last half mile, Bruce takes us down into a fairly deep wash - a dry stream bed that can gush with water when it rains but is dry most of the year. But the evidence of that rain is the lush shrubbery and flowering bushes - globe mallow, penstemon, chupa rose, and palo verde.

A Desert Garden

On Saturday, we drove about 35 miles east on Highway #60 to near Superior to see the Boyce Thompson Arboretum.  In 1923, Colonel William Boyce Thompson came to this area to oversee a copper mine that he had just purchased. Trying to escape the heat of the town, he began to build a winter  home in this valley near Picketpost Mountain. As the years went by, he added to his gardens while keeping it as natural as possible with pathways around the magma rock outcroppings and along Queen Creek.

Children's garden with flowers in all the colours of the rainbow.

Cactus garden looking toward Picketpost Mountain. The temperature got to 88F but there was a cloud overcast and a breeze so it was quite comfortable.
Humidity was only 9%!

Reflections on Ayers Lake - made by damming Queen Creek.

Well, indeed! We stayed back but further along the trail - at two different points, we saw rattlesnakes - one slithered into the grass in front of us and the other was just off the side of the path. This warm weather brings them out to sun and warm up on the rocks. We watch closely the sides of the trail as we are hiking.

The suspension bridge gives one an opportunity to hike along the High Trail or take the lower easier trail to the herb garden and the Australian area.
We chose the High Trail.

In a grove of eucalyptus trees, this is known as Mr Big. Planted as a sapling in 1928, the Red Gum eucalyptus  tree has grown to 8' around and 100' tall.

There was even a labyrinth nestled in the eucalyptus grove - a wonderful contemplative walk in a fragrant forest.

The wildflower garden

The aloe vera plant is blooming

 

 An arbour created by a huge Lady Bank's Rose plant - earlier this afternoon, there was a wedding here in the garden and the bride met her groom under the arbour!