Thursday, June 15, 2017

Tobermory Adventure

Our little camping trip was up to Tobermory, at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron.  The area includes both Fathom Five National Park and the Bruce Peninsula National Park, and it's one of our favourite places to visit.

Tobermory is a very picturesque little village, suffering increasingly from peak tourist numbers especially on July and August weekends.  Parking is a major issue now.  We've been going here for 45 years together (55 years for me), so we really notice the changes, and really feel like oldtimers!

The first evening we stopped by to check out the new paint job on the Chi-Cheemaun, the ferry to Manitoulin Island.  We've probably ridden over on it 50+/- times; we used to have a cottage on Manitoulin.

We stopped in at Dorcas Bay, a quiet gentle sandy bay on the west side of the peninsula.  Besides its beach, it's known for its unusual collection of plants, here the Indian Paintbrush in the evening sun.

The next day we decided to take the boat cruise to Flowerpot Island.  We started with a loop into 'Big Tub', to see two shipwrecks, this one the schooner Sweepstakes.

We passed the pretty Big Tub lighthouse on the way; we saw three lighthouses altogether, as well as numerous navigation beacons.

This is the nautical chart for the area, Tobermory in the lower centre, on the mainland.  There are about a dozen major islands, and dozens of small shoals.  The whole area is now within Fathom Five National Park, and contains about 40 shipwrecks - this corner where ships turned into Georgian Bay is one of the most dangerous boating areas on the Great Lakes.  You can clearly see both the 'Big Tub' and the 'Little Tub', the two very well protected harbours for Tobermory.  You can also see Flowerpot Island, in the middle right, our destination.

And these are the 'Flowerpots'.  I have dozens more pictures to share.

This is the incredible shoreline.  Also lots more pictures to come.

That evening we came back into town to watch the sunset - spectacular!

Then there was the man-eating seagull I had an unfortunate encounter with over lunch on the way home, but that's a story for later.

Our little camper van worked well, much easier to handle than our truck and camper trailer.  All systems seem to be working, though the bed arrangement is a little awkward!  I think we're going to enjoy this.  It's old, but 'new-to-us', and we hope it will take us on many travels, though this summer is getting far too busy for the trips we originally planned!

Thanks for all your supportive comments on our move.  To answer a couple of comments, yes Mrs. F.G. will have a big sewing studio.  And the pictures I shared yesterday did not have the shingles on the roof yet; they went on immediately after, dark asphalt shingles.  I'll try to remember to share a picture.


14 comments:

  1. Love your camper van! I'd really like to get one of those too.

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  2. Certainly looks like a beautiful area.

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  3. Looks great, one vehicle is so much easier than a vehicle and caravan. I am so glad for the large studio room for Mrs F.G. And dark shingles, they will look good. What a beautiful place to visit, years ago I had an old ( in age) blog friend who mentioned Manitoulin Island regularly.

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  4. Those flower "pots" look fascinating! That's a nice looking camper van.

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  5. What a lovely post. I envy you all thT beautiful scenery and I am a sucker for a ferry ride. My favourite holiday fun!

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  6. Thanks for the tour back to Tobermory it's been quite a few years since I was there. We had a Van camper just like that for 7 years and loved it, sure put a lot off miles on it. So much nicer touring with out a trailer. Really tough when life gets in the way of camping.

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  7. It looks like a wonderful place. And it seems that every beautiful place has changed over the years, mostly by becoming more crowded. It's inevitable with so many people all trying to enjoy the same things. Thanks for the great pictures! :-)

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  8. What a nice trip to Tobomory and lovely pictures. Man eating seagull, eh? Can't wait to hear! shipwrecks spook me, not my cup of tea.

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  9. Sounds like a lovely trip and a great place to visit.
    What a beautiful sunset and all your pictures are beautiful.
    I look forward to hearing about that Sea Gull!!

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  10. Hello, I love the views of the flowers, water and coastline. The lighthouse is a pretty scene. Wonderful photos and post. Happy Friday, enjoy your day and weekend!

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  11. It's a beautiful area! I've been up there a couple of times. An aunt and uncle tend to rent a cabin up near there a couple of weeks each summer.

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  12. A pretty series of photos! My favorite - the lighthouse
    Have a great week-end!

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  13. Great photos and nice paint job on the Chi-Cheemaun. I like your camper van. Have had several camping vans over the years and really enjoyed them. Love their ease of handling and versatility. Tobermory has always been a favorite destination.

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