Lake Lauzon

Sturgeon Falls is the kind of place we wouldn’t mind staying an extra day or two but we have a few obligations calling us down the road. PJ got the sunrise dog walk this morning and boy did she get a pretty vista for her a.m. sacrifice. We sat outside for breakfast then got the circus on tour.

No visit to Ontario would be complete without a stop in Verner to witness the 2019 Plowing Match and Rural Expo in West Nipissing. We happened to be passing through on the first day of competition and by the looks of it, we arrived in time to catch the antique class of tractor plowing in the fields along the main highway. Farm country all the way, the locals put out the hay bales and the straw dummies to celebrate the harvest season.

The farmer on the Porsche seems to have a clear edge on the competition

We even spotted some examples of the rare and endangered species, the hitch hiker. I don’t how long it’s been since I’ve spotted one of these. They used to be really common in the 70s and 80s but man made changes to the environment seemed to have wiped them out. We saw three in one day! I did a tour of the western U.S. by thumb back in the eighties, up to Montana and through Wyoming and Utah so I have a soft spot for those in need of a ride but unfortunately the seat was covered in pads and pillows plus I just couldn’t get past the face tattoos on the one dude. Guess I’m starting to show my age.

A casual drive today through farm and dairy land then onto some trees, forest and lakes. We stopped in Espanola for groceries and gas. I hooked onto Canadian Tires internet and made some phone calls while PJ did the shopping. Soon Lake Huron was visible on the left and before too long we were pulling into the gravel drive at Lake Lauzon Resort and Marina. I think the resort label might be a little optimistic but it is a really cool little spot on the water. They had a gravelly hook up spot up near the road but we opted to use our solar and camp on the dock. Awesome site, two steps from the beautiful, clean, clear water of Lake Lauzon.

We hadn’t planned to paddle but it was just too easy. We suited up and launched from in front of Wilson and headed west towards the series of little islands in the lake. It started out cloudy but as our excursion went on the sun slid below the cloud cover and lighted us up. There are a few rustic cabins wedged among the trees on the bigger island only accessible by boat. We circled the bigger one and returned along the north shore. Cozy lake houses with docks and lots of water toys.

We braved the water for a jump in to cool off. Paddling in the wetsuit always get a little stuffy at the end. We were out for an hour and a half. We hadn’t intended on going that far but once PJ is set on a goal there is no changing the course. The island must be circumnavigated! We made it back to the dock just in time for the sunset.

We hustled over to the longer dock on the end by the sailboat to get a better view. A Vermont couple was parking their mini van over by the boat shed and we said hello as we passed. The sun was golden and the glow on the trees was magical. We dangled our toes in the water and watched the sun sink below the forest on the far shore. We had salads on the dock out front and watched the stars come out to reflect themselves on the calm surface of Lake Lauzon. The lady from Vermont came by to offer us a piece of chocolate. A warm, comfortable vibe at our lakefront retreat.