SUMMER '06: Day 1: Off to the Bruce Peninsula! (Part 1)
We were on the road by 4am on August 11, 2006.
Our Day One Destination: Bruce Peninsula National Park, then the docks at Tobermory where we would be spending the evening awaiting our ride on the Chi-CheeMaun the next morning.
We were off on our vacation, and what a journey it would be!
We were driving past the Hamlet of Ferndale at around 730am..and since we had made such good time, we decided to make a quick stop at the Ferndale Wind Turbine. We weren't able to get too close to this amazing wind turbine,
due to local construction blocking off the road, however the morning skies were perfect, set as a wonderful backdrop to the awesome electrical achievement.
This 78m turbine has 40m blade, with each blade weighing 6 tonnes. The turbine produces 5,000,000 KWh/year. Due to it's location, Ferndale is the ideal spot for this turbine due to the high winds off of the nearby Lake Huron. For more information pertaining to the turbine you can go to:
www.skygeneration.ca or better yet, to view photos of the construction of the Ferndale Wind Turbine, you can go to: http://www.amtelecom.net/~tboyle/wind/feature19.htm which is also located at www.brucepeninsula.org
We continued on past the turbines and arrived at Bruce Peninsula National Park, just past 8am. Perfect timing
as the park had just opened up for the day. The sun was shining bright, and hardly a cloud was in the sky. Perfect day to explore the trails and sights of the park.
The park is chock full of hiking trails, rugged Georgian Bay coastline, caves and crevices to explore, and great spots for camping-both in a campground setting, or backcountry camping if that is what you prefer. For this stop, we hadn't planned on camping, as our plan for this day was to hike to the landmarks along the coastline. We stopped for our required daypass at the front office, and continued in to the "Head of Trails"
where an interpretive display was set up for visitors to the park.
We had been before, so we continued on along the "Georgian Bay Trail", as it winded its way past Cyprus Lake and Horse Lake, and through the tamaracks and spruces of the peninsula. Lovely boardwalks and steps
leading down through the rock faces were a welcomed sight. At last we met up with the Bruce Trail and the shoreline of Georgian Bay. 
Despite the warm sun and perfect skies, the wind was a bit strong. This gave us great opportunities to watch the waves crash up against the weather beaten shoreline. The limestone cliffs again were taking a thrashing from the cool waters of Georgian Bay. The deep blue water looked welcoming however, upon touch to the toes, and another look at the impeding waves, we decided not to venture further into the water than just the tips of our toes! The Bruce Trail however provided vey warm and beautiful views of the peninsula shoreline as we continued along the trail to the "Grotto Cave". 
This is the largest of the shoreline caves in the park, and is well visited throughout the year, and especially in warmer months when swimmers and divers can explore the underwater features that the cave provides. An underwater entrance to Georgian Bay is visibly seen from the inside of the cave. The fun part was climbing down and into the cave. I have found over the years of visiting the park, is that there are two ways down into the cave. For the more brave, there is the "wall", where you must find your hand holds down the side of the limestone cliff edge and then down and into the cavern, or you can take a small hole, or subcavern rather, that is located just a few steps away from the set of stairs along the Bruce Trail, just a few feet from the cliff edge.
Please watch your step as you climb through
this fun, but somewhat tricky entrance to the Grotto.
And it might be a bit easier in hiking boots, however I always found it more comfy to do in my trusty sandals!
Well worth the climb in, whichever way you decide to venture.
And so, after a visit inside the cave, we climbed back out through the hole, and back up to the Bruce Trail above.
We continued along the trail and were treated to far distance views of the amazing and beautiful rocky shorelines of Georgian Bay.
A couple of neat "Points of Interest" were the distant islands of Flowerpot and Bears Rump,
and of course the local wildlife along with the view!
The park as I stated before, has many hiking trails, some of which will take you through the forest bordering Georgian Bay, along boardwalks, and past marshes, however others will take you to high cliffs that overlook far distances along the northern and southern parts of the Bruce Peninsula. Some trails such as the one in this photograph, take you to little remote spots below the escarpment and the Bruce Trail above, and allow you to walk along the rocky coast. Please be careful and wary of where you walk in this area, as your footing may be unsteady and the water levels (or cliffs for that matter) may be higher than you think.
A word of caution, as I nearly stepped on this
as I walked along this area of the peninsula.. luckily it wasn't a Massasauga Rattlesnake which are quite relative to the area. This snake calmly sat in between the rocks along the shoreline, and behind some of the weeds, basking a bit in the sun, and keeping a bit cool in the shade at the same time. Regardless of it not being a rattlesnake, I decided not to bother it from it's nap, as it looked just about as comfy as I felt at my distance.
After following the Bruce Trail along a limestone-boulder beach, we came across the signpost that marks the end of the Horse Lake Trail and where it meets up with the Bruce Trail. This was our turning-in point for the afternoon, as we had decided that we would like to continue on to Tobermory for the remainder of the afternoon.
Our Day One Destination: Bruce Peninsula National Park, then the docks at Tobermory where we would be spending the evening awaiting our ride on the Chi-CheeMaun the next morning.
We were off on our vacation, and what a journey it would be!
We were driving past the Hamlet of Ferndale at around 730am..and since we had made such good time, we decided to make a quick stop at the Ferndale Wind Turbine. We weren't able to get too close to this amazing wind turbine,
due to local construction blocking off the road, however the morning skies were perfect, set as a wonderful backdrop to the awesome electrical achievement.This 78m turbine has 40m blade, with each blade weighing 6 tonnes. The turbine produces 5,000,000 KWh/year. Due to it's location, Ferndale is the ideal spot for this turbine due to the high winds off of the nearby Lake Huron. For more information pertaining to the turbine you can go to:
www.skygeneration.ca or better yet, to view photos of the construction of the Ferndale Wind Turbine, you can go to: http://www.amtelecom.net/~tboyle/wind/feature19.htm which is also located at www.brucepeninsula.org
We continued on past the turbines and arrived at Bruce Peninsula National Park, just past 8am. Perfect timing
as the park had just opened up for the day. The sun was shining bright, and hardly a cloud was in the sky. Perfect day to explore the trails and sights of the park.The park is chock full of hiking trails, rugged Georgian Bay coastline, caves and crevices to explore, and great spots for camping-both in a campground setting, or backcountry camping if that is what you prefer. For this stop, we hadn't planned on camping, as our plan for this day was to hike to the landmarks along the coastline. We stopped for our required daypass at the front office, and continued in to the "Head of Trails"
where an interpretive display was set up for visitors to the park.
We had been before, so we continued on along the "Georgian Bay Trail", as it winded its way past Cyprus Lake and Horse Lake, and through the tamaracks and spruces of the peninsula. Lovely boardwalks and steps
leading down through the rock faces were a welcomed sight. At last we met up with the Bruce Trail and the shoreline of Georgian Bay. 
Despite the warm sun and perfect skies, the wind was a bit strong. This gave us great opportunities to watch the waves crash up against the weather beaten shoreline. The limestone cliffs again were taking a thrashing from the cool waters of Georgian Bay. The deep blue water looked welcoming however, upon touch to the toes, and another look at the impeding waves, we decided not to venture further into the water than just the tips of our toes! The Bruce Trail however provided vey warm and beautiful views of the peninsula shoreline as we continued along the trail to the "Grotto Cave". 
This is the largest of the shoreline caves in the park, and is well visited throughout the year, and especially in warmer months when swimmers and divers can explore the underwater features that the cave provides. An underwater entrance to Georgian Bay is visibly seen from the inside of the cave. The fun part was climbing down and into the cave. I have found over the years of visiting the park, is that there are two ways down into the cave. For the more brave, there is the "wall", where you must find your hand holds down the side of the limestone cliff edge and then down and into the cavern, or you can take a small hole, or subcavern rather, that is located just a few steps away from the set of stairs along the Bruce Trail, just a few feet from the cliff edge.Please watch your step as you climb through
this fun, but somewhat tricky entrance to the Grotto.
And it might be a bit easier in hiking boots, however I always found it more comfy to do in my trusty sandals!
Well worth the climb in, whichever way you decide to venture.And so, after a visit inside the cave, we climbed back out through the hole, and back up to the Bruce Trail above.
We continued along the trail and were treated to far distance views of the amazing and beautiful rocky shorelines of Georgian Bay.A couple of neat "Points of Interest" were the distant islands of Flowerpot and Bears Rump,
and of course the local wildlife along with the view!
The park as I stated before, has many hiking trails, some of which will take you through the forest bordering Georgian Bay, along boardwalks, and past marshes, however others will take you to high cliffs that overlook far distances along the northern and southern parts of the Bruce Peninsula. Some trails such as the one in this photograph, take you to little remote spots below the escarpment and the Bruce Trail above, and allow you to walk along the rocky coast. Please be careful and wary of where you walk in this area, as your footing may be unsteady and the water levels (or cliffs for that matter) may be higher than you think.A word of caution, as I nearly stepped on this
as I walked along this area of the peninsula.. luckily it wasn't a Massasauga Rattlesnake which are quite relative to the area. This snake calmly sat in between the rocks along the shoreline, and behind some of the weeds, basking a bit in the sun, and keeping a bit cool in the shade at the same time. Regardless of it not being a rattlesnake, I decided not to bother it from it's nap, as it looked just about as comfy as I felt at my distance.After following the Bruce Trail along a limestone-boulder beach, we came across the signpost that marks the end of the Horse Lake Trail and where it meets up with the Bruce Trail. This was our turning-in point for the afternoon, as we had decided that we would like to continue on to Tobermory for the remainder of the afternoon.
For more detailed information on this amazing park, there are many great sites when you search on yahoo, google, or any search engine that you prefer.
For the main site for the park, go to:
http://www.canadianparks.com/ontario/brucenp/index.htm
*up Next: Singing Sands Beach, Tobermory Visitor's Centre, Tobermory Sleepover!
posted by Tom at 7:25 PM
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