Tobermory and the Bruce Peninsula, Manitoulin Island
Tobermory
We decided to make our way to the South shore of Lake Superior via Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula, taking the Chi-Cheemaun ferry to Manitoulin Island and on to Sault Ste. Marie. Tobermory, a harbor town at the tip of the peninsula, is named after the similar Tobermory in the West of Scotland. It is a pleasant tourist spot and was busy readying for Victoria Day weekend, marking the opening of the Summer season. We toured the town, found a spot to eat, Tobermory Brew Inn and retired to our campsite at the National Park. On the way to Tobermory we found a street bearing our name. Canada is home to a large number of Scottish immigrants.
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- Tobermory Harbor
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- Local Library
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- Dinner at a local brewing company
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- The tribe name
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Tobermory
Bruce Peninsula
Indian Head Cove
The Grotto
Lying between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, the Bruce Peninsula is a rocky, forested area with many parks and hiking opportunities. The water in Georgian Bay is a beautiful ‘aquamarine’ color, turning blue in the distance. We took two hikes, one from our campsite in the National Park at Cyprus Lake to Indian Head and the Grotto. The other to Halfway Log Dump and along the Bruce Trail for a short way along the shore. We met a fun couple with their husky ‘Hudson’, very tired after clambering over the rocky shore.
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- Hiking ladies and ‘Hudson’
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Bruce Peninsula National Park
Manitoulin Island
Taking the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry to Manitoulin Island was a 2 hour crossing over a still sea, with Georgian Bay on one side and Lake Huron on the other. Lots of people travel with their canines and the ferry allows them on 2 ‘doggie decks’, where Cheryl spent most of her time distributing treats. We are staying at a campground at Honora Bay which appears to be run and populated by hippies, so we’re quite at home here. Our campsite is located in a forest on the edge of a lake and we decided to take a vacation from our vacation. We’re chilling out for a few days, walking, playing music, reading, and contemplating what a wonderful life we have! We’re also catching up on a few of our customer requests. See Colin playing his pipes by the lake (video at the end of the post).
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- Chi-Cheemaun’s Funnel
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- Cove Island Light
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- Our campsite
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- Colin playing his pipes
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Honors Bay, Manitoulin Island
All caught up with your trip! You have continued the outstanding perfect balance with artistic, spectacular photos, videos, and concise, informative journalism! A real pleasure for us at home. I have a naïve question. Are passports now required for Canadian travel or does a valid US driver’s license still suffice (as it did 40 some years ago)?
From Cheryl: Thanks so much for the lovely comments. You continue to surprise us with your compliments, we are just tickled to know you are enjoying the stories as well as Colin’s photography. As for your question about passports. A good question to ask, because like you my memory of passing through the Canadian border was also just a license. But YES you need passports. No firearms, mace, or pepper spray. We had to hand over a multitude of weapons. (Ha, joking). Didn’t ask about plants or food, but the guard took away our oranges. Asked a lot of questions about where we were staying, purpose of the trip, and for how long. I think they’re afraid for the hoards of liberals moving across the border if Trump wins.
The weather looks better than here, we have had nothing but rain although today we can see the sun and they are saying we will get to 80. Stay warm and keep us posted of your adventures.
Hello Cheryl and Colin! My husband Rick and I had the pleasure of meeting you both in Tobermory on the weekend. I see you took our advice and ate at the Tobermory Brewery and Grill, hope you liked it. We made our way back home (Hamilton, Ontario) on Sunday and now back to the regular grind. Wishing you two all the best on your new year long adventure. I look forward to reading about it and looking at your beautiful pictures. Safe Travels, Stacy & Rick
From Cheryl: Dear Stacy and Rick, Of course we remember you! It was so kind of you to recommend the grill, it was wonderful. We’re so glad to have met you and that you are enjoying following our blog. We appreciate your kind words. We wish you health and happiness.
Greetings! Monitoulin Island looked idyllic from your splendid photos. Imagining Cheryl on the ferry with the dogs brought smiles!
From Cheryl: Thank you for your sweet comments, Joan. I was very happy on the same deck with 20 or 30 dogs. We don’t have a reliable Internet connection, but today we drove to the town 15 miles away to pick up emails and to do a little work. Love to you and Dick.
Comments are overdue. Just saw the video of Colin playing his hornpipe dance on the shores of Lake Huron. Bravo! The happiness just beams out of that moment! From Cheryl: Thanks so much Marge for your comments on this posting. It was great to Colin playing to the sounds of lapping water, birds, in the fresh air, with lots of water behind him! Thanks for beaming with us.
From Cheryl: Thanks so much Marge for your comments on this posting. It was great to see him playing to the sounds of lapping water, birds, in the fresh air, with lots of water behind him! Thanks for beaming with us. Love and hugs, Cheryl (and Colin, who is currently climbing a lighthouse)
Colin, that McNaughton Road is all well and good, but did you miss all of the Shore Road’s around the upper Pen? So there! Guys, lovely travel, and so many thanks for sharing it with us less adventurous souls. (Or shd that be ‘soles’?)
From Cheryl: You are right of course Armie! So many more Shores, but that’s why we just had to stop, it’s so unusual to see McNaught or a version of it. You must feel pretty good to see your name everywhere! Glad you are enjoying the blog, we love your reaction and the fact that you are with us. Love to you three, Cheryl (and computering Colin)
I loved seeing Colin playing his pipes, moving to the beat and clearly enjoying himself. Love all the photographs and stories. Brings back great memories!
From Cheryl: Thank you for your message about Colin and playing his pipes! We do enjoy playing music outside as long as the mosquitos are minimal. That same week, I was playing and practicing outside, and my hands were covered in bites. I guess while playing, I didn’t feel them. Thanks for your comments, and I’m glad it brought back great memories.