dragonbat2006 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dragonbat2006) wrote2014-07-02 02:37 pm
dragonbat2006) wrote2014-07-02 02:37 pm
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Back from Killarney
Just spent two days in Canada's Wilderness. Okay, 2 days in a village on Georgian Bay, more one hour away by road from anything resembling another community. In some ways, it reminds me of going with my parents when I was younger to spend a week in Maine (Ogunquit/Wells Beach area). Much more laid back, a lot of clapboard houses, cottage country... water...
Except that in Maine, it's a bunch of small towns close by each other. Very touristy, very commercial. Killarney does rely heavily on tourism, but the tourists they get are generally campers, hikers, and boaters. It's stuff like... realizing that the general store/convenience store is the only grocery store in town. Souvenirs available in the local hotel/motel gift shops and the Provincial Park office. Asking what other towns are in the area and being told that the next one is about an hour and 20 minutes away on the highway (there is a spur off of the main highway that leads pretty much to the Provincial Park, the Village... and nowhere else. Not sure if that's true for the other areas, though I suspect that if one has a boat, it's a lot faster just going via Georgian Bay. Weather permitting).
But you know something? It was a glorious two days in the wilderness! Where else can you get views like this?
Or this?
Now, as far as this being a research trip for my novel, there are things I need to fix. Minor things, but the sort that would make a native of the area head-desk a bit. For example, most buildings are made out of wood, not stone or brick. There is plenty of red granite up there, and I saw it used in decorative borders, foundations, etc. BUT there is not likely to be an observation deck atop a science building, or if there is, we'd be talking more of a railing on the roof of a two-story. BUT... there are granite outcroppings that give you views like:
or
I need to remember about humidity (YES it can be hot in northern Ontario!) and mosquitoes and black flies. And also:
...And yes, we did see one. We were in the car and it was kind of surreal. We were driving from the lodge to the park to get some souvenirs for my nephews. And without warning, something broke through the woods on the left, maybe 10–20 yards ahead of us, glanced at us once and kept going to the woods on the right. And it was like this split-second processing delay. Like "Wha... is that a... BEAR! BEAR! OMG BEAR!" Next thought: "Dang! My camera is zipped in its case in my purse and I won't have it ready in time!" (No. I had NO plans to get out of the car. I've had some decent shots of scenery taken from within a moving car. There was nothing that was going to induce me to have hubby even stop the car, much less let me out.) I did look to the right as we passed the point where I'd seen it cross and although I can't be sure, I think I saw two sets of furry hindquarters. Meaning in my mind "I think one's a cub and hell no, I'm not getting out of this car!"
I'm pretty sure that if we came up here for more than a few days, we'd be climbing the walls. You do a few hiking trails (and we didn't finish them. We had to turn back due to difficulty level.), take a harbour cruise, maybe visit the local museum and... that's pretty much it. But for two days to kick back and relax?
LOVED IT!
Except that in Maine, it's a bunch of small towns close by each other. Very touristy, very commercial. Killarney does rely heavily on tourism, but the tourists they get are generally campers, hikers, and boaters. It's stuff like... realizing that the general store/convenience store is the only grocery store in town. Souvenirs available in the local hotel/motel gift shops and the Provincial Park office. Asking what other towns are in the area and being told that the next one is about an hour and 20 minutes away on the highway (there is a spur off of the main highway that leads pretty much to the Provincial Park, the Village... and nowhere else. Not sure if that's true for the other areas, though I suspect that if one has a boat, it's a lot faster just going via Georgian Bay. Weather permitting).
But you know something? It was a glorious two days in the wilderness! Where else can you get views like this?
Or this?
Now, as far as this being a research trip for my novel, there are things I need to fix. Minor things, but the sort that would make a native of the area head-desk a bit. For example, most buildings are made out of wood, not stone or brick. There is plenty of red granite up there, and I saw it used in decorative borders, foundations, etc. BUT there is not likely to be an observation deck atop a science building, or if there is, we'd be talking more of a railing on the roof of a two-story. BUT... there are granite outcroppings that give you views like:
or I need to remember about humidity (YES it can be hot in northern Ontario!) and mosquitoes and black flies. And also:
...And yes, we did see one. We were in the car and it was kind of surreal. We were driving from the lodge to the park to get some souvenirs for my nephews. And without warning, something broke through the woods on the left, maybe 10–20 yards ahead of us, glanced at us once and kept going to the woods on the right. And it was like this split-second processing delay. Like "Wha... is that a... BEAR! BEAR! OMG BEAR!" Next thought: "Dang! My camera is zipped in its case in my purse and I won't have it ready in time!" (No. I had NO plans to get out of the car. I've had some decent shots of scenery taken from within a moving car. There was nothing that was going to induce me to have hubby even stop the car, much less let me out.) I did look to the right as we passed the point where I'd seen it cross and although I can't be sure, I think I saw two sets of furry hindquarters. Meaning in my mind "I think one's a cub and hell no, I'm not getting out of this car!"
I'm pretty sure that if we came up here for more than a few days, we'd be climbing the walls. You do a few hiking trails (and we didn't finish them. We had to turn back due to difficulty level.), take a harbour cruise, maybe visit the local museum and... that's pretty much it. But for two days to kick back and relax?
LOVED IT!