October 3, 2004

October 3, 2004

Sandbanks Provincial Park

DAY 108

 

Today was sunny, but a bit on the cool side. Not surprising, I guess. It is October, after all.

Soon it will be as cold here as Manitoba in July and August !

I was a little ill today, so I felt tired and weak all day. This morning I finally got around to replacing the shower faucets. They were leaking slightly. I had bought a new set of shower faucets at the RV Surplus store in Elkhart, Indiana. Today was my first self taught lesson in RV plumbing. The job went well. Afterwards, I tested the new 12V heavy duty truck tire air compressor I bought the other day. Now I understand why some 12V air compressors cost $6.50 and some cost $60 ! I also fabricated a long 12V extension cord for this new compressor, using the cord I cut off the cheap compressor that I burnt out. Just call me McGyver !

While I did this work, Joanne went off to hike and explore the meadow wild flowers, toting Teddy along in his sling carrier. After I finished my work, she took me for a meadow hike, to see some berries she had found. They were little black berries, on shrubs that were 5 or 6 feet tall. The berries tasted bitter. We don't know what they were. There were also some plants with huge pods. I think they might be called milkweed. Joanne broke open a pod to see the contents. Inside there were seeds on soft, fluffy stems which float away in the wind. Ever since Costa Rica, and the Pica Pica experience, I have an aversion to breaking open pods on plants.

After lunch, we went off exploring Sandbanks Provincial Park. First we drove over to a different campground called Richardson's Campground. We are camped in Woodlands Campground. At Richardson's Campground, we parked and walked over to Sandbanks Beach. Another wide, soft sand beach on Lake Ontario, like the beach yesterday. As I am typing this, I had to look at the park map to see that the beach we visited yesterday was Campers Beach. After Sandbanks Beach, we drove to the Dunes Beach day use area. This is an area of tall sand dunes surrounding an inland lake, West Lake, which at one time was a bay on Lake Ontario, but shifting sand dunes closed in the bay to form a lake. After walking around Dunes Beach, we drove through the very picturesque tourist village of West Lake, on, of course, West Lake. Pretty ritzy looking resort area. First time I've seen a Rolls Royce since Naples, Florida. A Silver Spur. Nice car. I want one ! From West Lake we drove to see the ruins of Lakeshore Lodge, built in 1870, in business until 1972, burned to the ground in 1983.

By now, I was feeling very weak, and tired, so we returned to the trailer. I read for awhile, then napped, hoping a nap would strengthen me.

When I awoke, it was time to start a camp fire, and begin cooking supper. Once again, I cooked supper over an open fire. What an outdoorsman ! Little Johnny Wilderness !

After supper, we sat for awhile by the camp fire, cats on our laps, Toby wrapped in a blanket. It's Sunday night and the weekend campers have all left. We're the only ones in the campground. Kind of spooky !

DSK