A quick summary

August 23, Brian, Sam and Daniel arrive from Lindsay for canoe trip
August 24, after breakfast head for Longpoint Lake for start of trip, lots more on this later with lots of pictures.
August 28, back in Gowganda late afternoon.
August 29, Brian, Sam and Daniel leave for Lindsay and Jeremy, Brenden and Zach arrive.
August 30, still busy getting things put away, laundry, grasscutting and generally catching up.
Hopefully will start tomorrow with the start of the trip.
The weather is unusually nice for a change. Bright sunny days and cool nights, just right.

Trimming first window complete

The first new window in is now ready for some paint, hopefully tomorrow morning if it's not to wet. Glad to get them both sealed up from the weather.
Bryan and crew are arriving tomorrow afternoon, we will do the final packing and be ready for the launch on Sunday after a hearty breakfast. It will be good to finally get going. The weather forecast sounds pretty good with only a 40% chance of rain for Sunday. The next couple of days look great.
No pics again but just wait until the pictures start when I get back.

Sorting and Packing

More sorting and packing today. I have been using lists from the internet of things to take. It's hard because they all have different things and you wind up with too much stuff. After this trip I will have a good list of my own and it won't be so difficult. There will be things this trip we probably won't use and somethings that we forgot but thats the good thing about making your own list.
Got the window trim painted and it looks pretty good if I do say myself. No pics today.
Three great days in a row, it's hard to believe.

Fixing up the windows

Took some of the ash lumber I had and planed it to go around one of the new windows. This takes a little time but will save some money. I have two big piles of ash drying in the garage so might as well use it.

Got some more pics from Burke Lake, some serviceberries and Hibush viburnum. All the bushes around the lake are just covered with berries.

Canoeing on Burke and Edith Lake

Put the canoe in at Burke Lake about 11:00AM, took the fishing rod and the camera. Went down to the south end where the river flows in and did a little fishing around the fast water, caught a couple of small bass and let them go. Paddled up the west side where there were maples changing colour, a bright crimson red. Near there was Joe Pye Weed very common around moist areas along with a dragonfly that came for his portrait.

Up at the north end where it runs into Edith Lake (I was very close to running the rapids on the far west side but near Edith Lake there was a tree stuck out into the current and I didn't want to chance it. Above these rapids were quite a few white lily pads.

I put the canoe in the back of the truck and took it down to Edith and fished the fast water at the landing. The first cast a good sized smallmouth, the second cast a nice walleye, should have saved the bass. Anyway a few casts later I got a small bass, between the two I have a good supper. Paddled all the way to the Obushkong portage and back down to Edith Lake landing and fished at the fast water again. Through out the Rapala and bang a big pike 24inch or more, he had the lure stuck all down his side with all three hooks in him, I grabbed the wire line and went to lift him in the boat and off he went Rapala and all. So much for seconds at supper.

Bannock testing

This AM Ryan and Meg from Kingston came up for a canoe trip. Ryan had contacted me last year re a canoe trip from Gowganda to Matachewan. They arrived around 9:30 and unloaded the canoe and gear in the garage, then we drove both vehicles to Matachewan, he left his car at the boat launch and they came back to the house with me. We loaded the canoe and their packs into the truck and I dropped them off at Edith Lake. This was their first canoe trip which was starting in the rain and a strong north wind heading for Obushkong. I hope they will be OK.
The rest of the day was bannock testing and I think I got a good one for the trip. It will be all premixed, just add water and cook. Cover with butter and jam and well you know.
Still finding all sorts things we should take on our trip, more to carry on portages. Hopefully tomorrow will be bright and sunny, good for pics

More items to get ready

Started off making up bags of bannock, just add water and cook. Of course I had to try one out, good stuff but not like the big ones. I think I will have to put more in the bags to feed 4 of us at once, especially a couple of teenagers. So it's back to the bannock drawing board. It's so difficult to make a decision, wink, wink, nod, nod, say no more say no more.

Getting a lot of stuff put into baggies to save packaging, just trying to make too much stuff smaller.

Put up the tent again today, not a hitch even put the footprint under it this time. Took a couple of pics of the inside fly for the good nites.

Got the first aid kit all put together too.

Starting to put the gear together

Cleaning windows today, hard to believe how much dirt gets on the outside. When you squeege the water off it's almost black. It will be twice as bright in the house tomorrow.
Getting all the little odds and ends ready for the canoe trip. It's amazing how much has to go and so many little things just in case. Then there is how to pack it all. I'm glad I'm starting early.
No pics today hope to get out tomorrow.

Friday again and half way through the month.

Can't believe we are on the backside of August. Where did it go. Guess we can't do much about it, I'd better get the wood furnace ready.

Finished the one big window at Mrs. Somervilles today and will wait to get the go ahead for the next one.

This afternoon I set up the new tent in the backyard, I wanted to do this for some time and I'm glad I did. It's a bit complicated and the directions are sparse. Needs more pictures. Anyway I got it all put together but I'm going to do it again tomorrow if the weather is nice, then put it away until we put it to work next week. I'm putting up a couple of pics, it has an inner tent that is very light and all screened and over the top is the fly. If you were sure there was no rain coming you could just use the inner part and it even has a skylite to watch the stars while your out there. I think it will be great, even better out in the bush.

Sidetrip to Southbear Lake

When Paul and I were ATVing the other day we stopped in at Southbear Lake. This was the site of a sawmill built in the early to mid 50's. It was started by Len Wilson who eventually ended up working for Liskeard Lumber in Elk Lake. Thanks to Norm Fiset for that information.

As we searched for remnants of the mill amid several campers and trailers at the lake we finally came across a strange piece of equipment. Looked like it would have had a couple of bearings on either side of it and had a lot of wear on the web pieces. Checking around we found a chain and then determined it was the chain of the jackladder that moved logs from the lake into the mill to be sawn.

We ended up just about where the mill probably would have been, if it hadn't been for these small pieces partly hidden in some shrubs we would not have found it. Great to see bits of history of the area . By the way isn't that Paul snacking again.

Working for the next couple of days so will see how the picture taking goes.

No Post tonight

Late getting home will post tomorrow.

Checking Access Rd. to Lady Evelyn Smoothwater Wilderness Park

Today, Paul Trudel and I ATVed down the access road to the park. I had heard the road was in rough shape and had been asked by canoers what it was like. Not being down there for years the best way to find out is go. The road begins at the Beauty Lake Rd at Longpoint Lake on Highway 560 and goes south to a branch in the road about 12Km. south of Longpoint Lake. You take the east fork to go to the park.

There are three bridges on this route to check. About 15 kilometers down, south of Kaa Lake is the first bridge (set of culverts). It appeared in good condition and would be passable without 4 wheel drive. There were some canoists there that had just received their resupply of food and were going south on the North Lady Evelyn River. They had come from Temagami, by way of the Sturgeon River and Smoothwater Lake and were on there way back to Temagami.

The second bridge was only passable with a four wheel drive truck as you can see by the hole Paul is standing in. Some of the views here are quite nice and the water is very clear. Further along the last bridge was in good shape. We had hoped to get to Gamble Lake which is a good access point for starting a trip. About 2 Km. below the bridge we run into a beaver dam which had backed the water right over the road, we estimated that it was more than a meter deep, a little deep for us to continue. We were over 20km. down the road and only 1.5 Km. away from Gamble Lake. This was all the info. I needed to be able to tell the canoists if they ask.

All in all a good trip, good weather. On the way back we stopped in at Southbear Lake to see if there was any remains of the sawmill that was there, I will save that for tomorrow.

More from Hedlund marsh

More pictures from the marsh. Some wintergreen were in bloom and some had their berries. A lonely blueberry among the lichen. Another unknown mushroom almost sulfur in colour. And the rose hips from the wild rose ready to be eaten.

Visit to Hedlund Marsh

Out to Hedlund marsh late today to take a few pics. This is my snowshoe stomping ground in the winter so I know it quite well when it's white. Today it is wet and boggy, so on go the high rubber boots. With the high water levels they wern't high enough.
Got a pic of some of Mr. Hedlund's diggings in the rock on the east side of the marsh. I should say that it could be his diggings. There was also a fern which seems to grow right out of the rock. I'm going to check into that one.

Not to far from this is remnants of the old wood bridge that must have been used to cross the marsh years ago.

Another new window in

The second window in the dining room is now installed. Went in like a charm, with the help of Paul, Thanks again. Now have outside dining inside as the windows are so big. What a difference they make. Now on to the Living Room, there will be four in there. No pics hope to get out tomorrow in the canoe I hope.
Had a great supper at the Somervilles Ruth, Dwight and his wife, the Trudels, the Cowells, Kostellos and Ron Durling.

Cleaning day today

Yep. Had to get the cleaning done sometime.

Here is a couple of pics of Obushkong. It's a good thing that it's a provincial park reserve, this lake is very rugged with it's jack pine shores and islands and marshy bays. It would be a shame to have it spoiled.

More Pics from Everett Lake

Everything thing seems to be working fine with the new modem. Nothing else seems to have suffered.

The road to Bab's lake is now underwater due to beaver. I walked out into this and it got pretty deep, I didn't want the motor to quit in the middle. Met up with a couple of bugs on the machine while I was having lunch. On the way home I found some Maiden Pink.

Modems and Lightning don't go together

As I was putting together yesterday's blog, I was just about finished and ready to publish when bang a strike of lightning out to the south. Well that was the end of my modem, I even heard the snap in the computer. I went to town today to have a tooth refilled got another modem and here I am. When I make sure nothing else is broken I will post again, probably tomorrow.

More flowers from the minnow pond

A return to the minnow pond (overflow pics). Lots of common flowers out now along the roadsides. One that is most noticable now is the Pearly Everlasting with it's buttons of white. Another white flower is the Queen Anne's Lace, very tall and showy, a large flat cluster with a deep purple floret in the center. It's also called Wild Carrot (what a letdown to being a queen). The Evening Primrose with it's yellow flower has a X shaped stigma in between the petals. Last and least is one found in your lawn right now it's yellow, trailing on the ground and called Moneywort.

ATV picture gathering

Out ATVing today up the Everett Lake Rd, found lots of good plants that are blooming now. The first is the Three-toothed Cinquefoil, Yellow Loosetrife, Medowsweet, and Bugleweed. Great trip and great weather.

Finally new pictures

Finally out to get pics this afternoon. Cloudy but no rain. Headed out to the trail to the minnow pond. I spotted some Indian Pipe starting to show when I was checking the minnow trap the other day. These plants are parasitic and feed on roots or on decaying material in soil. There is no green on them at all.

With all the moisture there are lots of mushrooms this year, unfortunatly I only know a few of them the one in the pic is unknown.

The clintonia now has its blue berries, that's why it's called Bluebead. The bunchberries have lots of bright red berries the grouse will be after them.

Steak supper in Elk Lake

Busy today trying to cut the grass in the rain. Had to quit a couple of times because it was coming down to hard but finally got it finished. Will have to rake up the grass clots it was so wet.
Cleaning up the garage and waiting to go to Elk Lake for the steak supper,
This is the start of Elk Lake's Civic Holiday Weekend. At the Legion they had steak supper with all the trimmings, pretty good stuff. The McPhee's, Trudel's, White's and the Cowell's attended.
I see the forcast for tomorrow isn't much better that todays and then rain again on Monday, some holiday weekend.