Doing the John Wayne Thing or Horseback Riding in the Andes

Lucy, the owner of Janaxpacha Hostel had told me that we could do some amazing things in Ollantaytambo so I decided we should try a few. You can pay to see the ruins (you actually need to buy a Boleto Turistico Ticket for several sites which costs 70-140 Soles) or take a free hike up another side of the mountains which did look interesting. She also recommended a horse ride to the Pumamarca Ruins that she said was  pretty easy for the non equestrian types. Ok, maybe being American she is used to this sort of thing but for those of us that are only familiar with pony's at a fair this was a bit scary!

JanaPacha Hostel, Ollantaytambo

Free Ruins, Ollantaytambo

On our one day free in Ollantaytambo we decided to go with the Horseback Ride thingy because it sounded intriguing and would make us feel like real out-doorsey kind of people.  Carlos and Lucy packed us a picnic lunch to go and a very lovely young lady met us at some ridiculously early hour (honestly, I think these people get up in the middle of the night to start these things). When Lucy asked if any of us spoke Spanish I started to become a bit nervous about this whole undertaking but we carried on and followed the lady down a few streets. We soon saw five horses, all saddled up, being worked on by a fellow with a cast on his leg, seeming to organize things. A couple of kids and another woman were all helping out but none of them seemed to speak any English. Using hand signals, they directed us to our various steeds and I know that, I for one, made a rather unflattering spectacle as I kind of threw myself onto the horse and wiggled around until I felt like I was in the correct position. I admit that I was a bit nervous by the lack of riding helmets and then the sudden appearance of some other fellow who quickly exchanged a few words with the owner/operator who seemed to have very recently suffered his leg injury (probably riding horses along very dangerous Incan trails!) I'm pretty sure our substitute guide was a bit reluctant about the whole adventure and really didn't look too impressed with this crew of non Spanish speaking, horse nervous Canadians! As we traversed along the very remote trail into the mountains he actually had to ask directions from some scythe carrying Andean farmer, heading effortlessly up his terraces.

Since the horses were a quite a bit smaller than any horse I've been on in the past (all three times) I wasn't as frightened at first, but the stirrup thingys were more of a cage than the ones I've been used to, where your foot goes right through, so I didn't really feel fully in control. I know I didn't have a chance of controlling this beast, though, and put my total trust in my new caballo friend. We were kind of lulled into thinking this whole trip wouldn't be too bad as we travelled alongside the Urumbata Valley. Unfortunately, apparently the Incans, in their infinite wisdom, had opted to build all their little cities not along the sensible valley floors but way up in the most remote, ridiculous peaky parts of the surrounding mountains!

Our guide suddenly headed off the main trail and before we could object we were headed straight up the mountain along a very frightening narrow rocky trail with a shear drop to the right. I decided to just keep looking ahead, lean forward, and hold on as tightly as possible, as my horse delicately made his way up some very steep inclines. Unfortunately, one member of our party became a bit panicked and jumped off the horse, much to the alarm of the horse and the guide. After a few expletives this participant decided that since heading back wasn't an option, she would walk the hazardous parts of the trail rather than trust the instincts of her trusty mount.

Our horses pretty much ignored our poor riding skills and lumbered on towards their destination. Mine for one, seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was sitting on top of him as he trumped through foliage and brush which mercilessly whacked my face and left large gashes along my arms. I stoically ignored all pain and pretty much just held on for dear life and finally, with blood running down my arms and scratches on my forehead, we reached our destination!

The fun wasn't over as we had a gruelling hike (at least for Shelby and I) to the top of the mountain, where we would eat our lunch and admire the various structures of the ruins themselves. The view was spectacular and having the entire place completely to ourselves was great (this journey wasn't for the feint of heart so I'm not surprised we only encountered natives along our way) but I was definitely beginning to have some serious doubts about my ability to trek to Machu Picchu!

We did eventually make it back to our little hostel all in one piece and decided to treat ourselves to a wonderful massage and dinner in the square that evening.

Apparently, the wounds on my arms weren't going to be my only injuries of the day. Ever hear of saddle soars? Neither had I until I took a look at my butt and saw two raw sores that looked pretty much like hamburger meat! The joys of trying new things...

Having lunch at Pumamarca Ruins

Me and an Alapaca

Getting directions?

Not looking too comfortable!

Bottom Line: $40 US per person with lunch booked with Janaxpacha Hostel

Highlights: the gorgeous views and having the Pumamarca Ruins all to ourselves; chatting to some local kids

Downers: being scared silly riding horses on very narrow trails with a sheer drop and the final hike up the mountain to the ruins.

So, are you ready to visit Peru? Let me know in the comments.

There Are Plenty of Reasons to Visit Peru

Have I ever mentioned that I hate morning flights. Ugh! I hate morning flights!!!!!  I especially hate morning flights when it is the start of a day and a half of travel before reaching one's destination.

I had been planning to visit Peru for some time and finally took the plunge. It had seemed like a daunting task to plan such a trip, since it would involve quite a bit of moving about and I had found that many online sources of information were somewhat conflicting. When I began my research there was definitely an abundance of warnings with regards to safety, travel, illness and so on. If you tell anyone you are going to Peru they will gleefully tell you that a friend of a friend once went to Peru and either contracted some weird Peruvian disease, fell off the side of a cliff, was kidnapped by warlords or their tour bus was hijacked and they were never seen again. Seriously though, just like any place, if you take reasonable precautions and be sensible there in no reason not to visit Peru...and plenty of reasons to visit!

Now Peru isn't a large country, at least compared to Canada, but it does boast a large number of very diverse ecological regions and transportation can be a challenge. Due to work obligations (that work thing really does interfere with my travelling), my travel companions and I only had 10 days, so we decided an a couple of main regions to visit. To seriously do justice to this country and not kill yourself by travelling at a break neck pace it is advisable to spend at least a month. Since this is only possible if you are retired, independently wealthy, a trust fund baby, or write a sponsored travel blog (shameless hint to CAA, National Geographic, Lonely Planet or anyone else out there) then you may need to visit this country a couple of times.

We intended to head straight to the legendary Machu Picchu spending about 4 days in the Sacred Valley Region and then heading to the desert areas of Ica and Paracas for our remaining time. Many visitors to Peru will follow a route known as the Gringo Trail and if you have the time and plan to do this route you will find information here. Gringo Trail

You can take a direct flight from Toronto to Lima which takes about 8 hours, but since I like to do things the cheap way we ended up with a 14 hour flight with a layover in Columbia. As rain began to fall in torrents in Bagota, accompanied by the occasional blast of lightening and the flicker of lights I began to wonder if we would ever make it to Lima. We ended up being only an hour or so delayed and Jose, the owner of the nearby B& B Wasi Aeropuerto Lima, and wannabe NASCAR race driver, was standing at the gate waiting for us! The Wasi Lima is a great option for anyone looking for a place to rest their head for a few hours since it is only a five minute drive from Javier International (at least the way Jose drove!) but you probably wouldn't want to stay in this area for any longer. Both native Peruvians and non natives are always quick to warn that the area around the airport is not someplace that the tourist should venture. I suppose if you are Spanish speaking and comfortable in South America you could venture out to seek somewhat cheaper public transport but since I do not Habla Espanol, have embarrassingly, never visited South America and possess the typical white deathlike pallor of a Canadian in winter, deprived of sunlight for many months, and therefore would never be mistaken as a native of this great country, I opted to arrange my transport for a slightly higher cost but still much less than our rates in Hamilton (even Uber rates).

When Jose pulled up to the hostel he quickly ushered us inside, closed the gates and locked them so that we only had a brief glimpse of the notorious neighbourhood. We spent a somewhat comfortable few hours in the basic surroundings before heading back to the airport to catch a flight with Star Peru to Cuzco.

Street view outside the Wasi Lima

Cuzco was once the centre of the Incan civilization and is the starting point for anyone who wants to visit the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Since it is actually the highest altitude point for a trip to Machu Picchu at 3399m ( 11,151.57 feet) I decided we would only spend a few hours here finalizing our hike plans with Eco Path Trek and then try to get a ride to Pisac for a look around the most extensive market we came across in our travels.

A short ride into the central square of Cuzco and then getting a taxi to take us to the Collectivo area to travel by mini van and we were on our way. Driving through the mountains can be a bit daunting for the uninitiated but it did provide spectacular views of mountainous regions and ruins. If we had more time we would have stopped along the way but we did have a mission in mind. We were dropped off in Pisac to the welcome of various chickens and whatnot and then headed to a little restaurant called Ulrike's Cafe I had read about for a little refreshment.  A little advice is, if you see something you really like in Pisac, go ahead and buy it. We didn't and regretted that we never did see the same items anywhere else on our trip!

Ulrike's Cafe, Pisac

After a terrific lunch of pizza, alpaca, and Pisco Sours we headed to the market to wander around. We decided not to explore the ruins of Pisac. (I know, the historians out there are now groaning, but we only had 10 days and were lugging our cases along with us after almost 18 hours of travel).



Apparently, to get from Pisac to Ollantaytambo was going to be a bit tricky as a Collectivo would only take us to Urubamba and then we would need to get some other transport to Ollantaytambo. It all sounded a bit complicated so when some nice looking fellow in one of the market stalls asked us if we needed to go some place, we worked out a reasonable fare (80 Soles or about $35 Canadian), we agreed and once again hoped we weren't going to be kidnapped by Peruvian militant warlords or something. It turned out that our driver was a great fellow who filled us in about the Quichua peoples of Peru (his heritage) and the cool sites along the way including Lamay (Guinea Pig Town) where numerous vendors roast guinea pig or Cuy (a national dish somewhat like our turkey).

Best pizza at the Ulrike's Cafe in Pisac!

Very cute children grabbing a Sole or two for a picture from the turistos!

The Colours of Peru

A fabulous trip through the valley and we reached our destination of Ollantaytambo, with some of us snoozing along the way, and the Janaxpacha Hostel. This wonderful place is owned and operated by Carlos and Lucy. I can't say enough about the wonderful feeling of walking into this little piece of paradise and chatting to Lucy, an American expatriate! We were finally able to rest our heads for a couple of nights before our great hike on the Inca Trail!

View driving through the Sacred Valley

Map of the Sacred Valley

Urumbata, Peru

Janaxpacha Hostel, Ollantaytambo, Peru

How to Plan a Trip

I'm obviously a bit of a trip planning junky.  Crazy as it may seem, I enjoy hours of research, haggling for prices, researching destinations, figuring out local transportation and picking my own tours. One reason I like doing this is that I genuinely enjoy the challenge and it also allows me to customize, but the most important factor is money. I find that with a bit of research and using all available resources I can dramatically reduce the cost of any trip with the do it yourself approach. Honestly, with the use of the internet and advice from other travellers, I don't understand how traditional travel agents stay in business!

After having planned countless trips I have developed a sort of pattern or steps to take before I take off for the great unknown....

1.  Decide on the Destination

This might seem obvious, but with so many awesome places in the world to visit, this can be a bit of a challenge. My destinations are sometimes based on where I want to visit but also on my available time, my budget, or my need to be in a particular place for work or family.

2.  Work out a rough itinerary of major stops

Depending on where I'm going I like to decide on some of the key places I would like to visit. For instance, three summers ago I was headed to China to teach but spent two week afterwards going to Beijing, Guilin, Kho Phi Phi, Bangkok and Bali.

3.  Book flights and/or ground transportation

I usually spend quite a bit of time looking for the most economical or safest modes of transport.  I like to compare all of the major booking sites and check for any budget airlines in particular areas. Watching the prices for a couple of weeks is always a good idea.  I tend to book on a Tuesday as flights are supposedly cheapest on Tuesdays and for International flights I find about 4 months before departure to be good.  I like Ryan Air in Europe and Air Asia in Asia for low prices. Low prices aren't always the way to go though...a couple of years ago a opted to forego a ridiculously low priced Air Maylasia flight and instead took Air Qatar just for piece of mind since this was shortly after Air Maylasia suffered a series of unfortunate mishaps.

4.  Research and book accommodation

After ending up in some rather dodgy places, I spend a lot of time checking out reviews and recommendations for hotels, hostels, B and Bs.  I tend towards the more modest establishments and have found some real gems this way.  Different booking sites do have different prices so be sure to shop around. I tend to like booking.com and Agoda for Asia but I always contact the establishment directly to see if I can get a better price. I've tried AirBNB a few times but have actually found the prices to be more than other booking sites.

5.  Send all my itinerary to my Tripit account

I absolutely love my Tripit account. I use the free account and love the ability to quickly check all of my information at a glance.

6.  Research activities, restaurants, and places to visit

I like to have a rough idea of some of the activities I want to do in a particular area but I also leave my self some spontaneous time.  I record my must do items on my Tripit itinerary.

7.  Decide on local transport and make sure I know the costs

Sometimes you just want someone waiting at the airport with your name on a sign but at other destinations it is just as easy to take the local bus and it is much cheaper!  

8.  Organize my electronics

Load PDF copies of all bookings, maps, tickets, etc onto my iPad and into one of my Cloud accounts...just in case.  Make sure my iPhone is unlocked and I know where to get a local SIM Card as soon as I land.  (I'm a bit addicted to my data plan!)  Load books onto my iPad...a must! (Thank goodness I don't need to lug around paper books with me any more)  I enjoy reading novels or any books that pertain to my destination both before and during my trips...it really makes things more interesting if you have a bit of schema to rely on!  I also make sure I have the right adaptors, convertors, cords and whatnot for what I'm taking. Generally, I travel with my iPad and iPhone so things are pretty straight forward as these can handle any voltage but I do still need an adaptor for outlets.

9.  Organize clothes and any medications I'm going to be taking 

I also check out the vaccinations recommended for certain destinations and then ask my GP to give me the necessary scripts...saves on going to a Travel Clinic!  I like to pack clothes according to my rule of three...three items of each type of clothing...one to wear, one clean and one I have washed.  I have learned through experience that I always end up wearing only a few items while away and having five or six types of footwear to choose from isn't worth lugging a huge suitcase.  Being able to avoid checking in luggage is well worth forgoing a closet full of clothing options!

10.  Tie up any loose ends

Making sure all my bills are up to date, someone is taking care of my house (and cats), having someone at home having a copy of my itinerary, and organizing my transport to and from the airport just makes me feel more relaxed when I'm away.

After all of this planning, expect the unexpected and have fun! Bon Voyage!

Partying in Pennsylvania or Visiting Falling Water and Laurel Caves

Falling Water, Mills Creek, Pennsylvania

Ok, I’m going to say it…the one country I try to avoid visiting is…the United States of America. Now I must admit there are some wonderful, inspiring, historical, awesome places to visit in the old US of A and I’ve visited a few of those.  In my early twenties, with a young family and a very limited budget, I took numerous road trips to Myrtle Beach, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Florida. I’ve always hoped to take a road trip along Route 66 (showing my age, I suppose) and if I’m honest these were some on the greatest experiences I’ve had, especially when the Canadian dollar was strong and I got a good bang for the buck.  Unfortunately, a few negative experiences have really jaded me – being kicked out of Disney World, some very sketchy motel experiences, dry counties, and a few unsettling conversations involving politics and race…

Regardless, when Shelby, my youngest daughter turned twenty-five this past summer, and she decided that the birthday present she wanted was to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, I put my prejudices aside and agreed to a road trip.  I’m really glad I did because this was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had while travelling!

Shelby, our friend Doris, and I headed down to the southern part of Pennsylvania on a beautiful fall weekend. A little “Thelma and Louise” was definitely in order and these two ladies were the ideal companions for just such an escape! We decided to take the quick route down along I79 to I76 and we were making such good progress we opted to wait until we were close to our destination to stop and pick up some necessary items for a girl's weekend away – wine, snacks, and more wine. This was a mistake because once we turned off the interstate the options for purchasing such items became very limited.  Apparently, this southern part of the state of Pennsylvania has very limited options for the weary traveller to partake in a bit of liquid refreshment! Being determined sort of people we managed to track down a small specialty store in a little spot called Jones Mill for beer and wine…apparently, it was so special the prices were even worse then what I’m used to paying in Ontario! Shelby was quite happy with her 24 of mixed ciders and Doris and I happily sampled numerous wines before settling on a nice assortment of about ten bottles…all for a one-night stay! We headed off to the Seven Springs ski resort where we planned to have dinner and spend the night. The resort was beautiful and my only regret was that we didn’t get there early enough to have a sled ride down the mountain. We had a fabulous buffet dinner where we celebrated Shelby’s 25^th and then headed to our room for some well deserved drinks after the eight hour car ride.

The area of Pennsylvania that we were traversing is surrounded by numerous parks, rivers, waterfalls and is dotted with endless little villages and towns with names like Normalville, Chalk Hill and Mill Run.  The drive along winding roads going through mountains and valleys provides the traveller with some really breathtaking scenery, especially with the Autumn colours just beginning to make their debut.

Laurel Caverns

 

Lights in the Laurel Caverns, Pennsylvania

We decided to start our day with some spelunking after I read about some local caves that were nearby.  The Laurel Caverns are truly impressive, offering over three miles of passages with some ceilings reaching up to fifty feet! The Cavern entrance opened due to a sinkhole, which predated the Pyramids and the caves were widely in use by natives, early explorers to the area, a rather large bat population and now by visitors.  The site offers a variety of guided tours, rappelling, accessible activities, and even a mini-golf experience all for a reasonable cost. The lower caves can only be accessed if one is suitably attired in hiking boots, which can be conveniently purchased in the well-stocked gift shop.

 

Shelby, myself and Doris all geared up!

Since I have yet to experience rappelling on my many adventures I thought this would be the ideal opportunity and Shelby was a trooper agreeing to accompany me. Our somewhat timid companion, Doris, at first declined the adventure but we shamelessly bullied her into joining us and we were quickly suited up in our rather unflattering harnesses listening to some very young gentlemen explain the finer points of hurling oneself off the side of a cliff deep in the rather dark atmosphere of the Laurel Caverns.

I’ll admit this wasn’t exactly the Himalayas, but taking those steps to the edge and trusting that all my clampy things were doing the right clampy stuff, as I stepped into oblivion for the first time, was one of my more frightening experiences. But after my first go, and making it to the bottom safely, I was excited to take the long walk through the caves to rappel a few more times. Pretty soon Doris, Shelby and I felt like we had channeled Sir Edmund Hillary as we used words like “On Belay” like pros! (The first time I said this, I thought I was supposed to shout, “On my way!” much to the amusement of our guide!)  On our last hike up, our guides took us to a rather cool area of the caves where we sang Happy Birthday to the honoured participant causing a spectacular light show!

The Laurel Caves were a terrific side trip on our trek to Falling Waters and should be put on your list if you are heading down to Pennsylvania!

Brave Doris rappelling for the first time! On belay!

Not so great picture of me on my first rappelling adventure!

Shelby looking confident!

Falling Water

 

Balconies, Falling Water

Structure making
room for the tree

Rock built into
the house.

I am so glad Shelby suggested this destination because it definitely is one of the most unique places I have ever visited. For the architecturally uneducated, Falling Water is the name of the house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (you may recognize the name from the Simon and Garfunkel tune) built over a waterfall in 1936. Wright is famous for his vision to design dwellings, which blend into their natural surroundings and incorporating nature’s gems into the very structures. This house, commissioned by the famous Kaufmann family does just that by using large boulders and trees on the site as components of the structure itself and by incorporating large balconies from every room. The Kaufmann’s were a very well off family from nearby Pittsburgh, who owned a department store chain but loved to escape the smoke of the city by heading to the mountains. The property has two houses and a swimming pool naturally fed with water from the passing creek.  I would happily reside in just the guest-house! 

Apparently the total cost for the build was $155,000 US dollars, which included the $8000 Architecture fee and the $4000 furnishings!  This is about the same amount I paid for my little palace fifteen years ago. Damn inflation!

Downers

• despite a heafty fee to view the house, a rather pricey gift shop and restaurant, visitors are still herded into a room at the end of the tour to listen to a plea for more donation money
• this is obviously a very popular attraction because visitors are herded through like cattle in groups of twenty or so every ten minutes
• an overnight trip didn't really cut it for this fabulous area of Pennsylvania that offers so many amazing things to see and do - we drove through Mill Run and it looked like a fabulous place to spend a day!

Gems

• listening to the guide tell stories about the Kaufmann family
• seeing the scenery driving back to Ontario straight up number 219 highway

Useful Tips 

Since we were going into the states and couldn’t risk the ridiculous roaming charges, we were sans phones and GPS on this trip so I took advantage of my CAA membership and picked up an assortment of maps and guide books. It was great going a bit retro for a change!

Things to Do and Places to Visit in Renfrew County

Watching the Hummingbirds on Marnell's porch!

View of Bonnechere River 

Being a lifetime resident of the rather populace area of Southern Ontario I have taken several trips to the great north of my home province throughout my life but after a somewhat disastrous camping trip about twenty years ago I had avoided the whole outdoor campy type thing and cottage country for many years.  I decided to finally take the trip to visit a terrific friend and childhood neighbour who had made Renfrew County her home and has a beautiful little spot near Golden Lake. She generously opens her home to many Southern friends and family throughout the summer and she made my visit to this area a wonderful experience. Marnell spent several days chauffeuring and guiding us to some beautiful gems in her area of the western part of Renfrew.

The County of Renfrew reaches from the Ottawa valley, along the shores of the Ottawa River to the northern tip of Algonquin Park. Renfrew County is the largest County in Ontario boasting over 900 pristine lakes. The western part of the County has a small town feel with numerous small urban areas that hold on to the heritage of the founding members whether they be Polish, Irish, German or Scottish.  This tendency towards cultural pride means visitors can get a taste of not only beautiful and stunning scenery but interesting historical narratives kept alive by the descendants of the original settlers of the areas. With Marnell as our guide we were able to visit some of these interesting areas in and around the area of Wilno.

Bonnechere Caves

Bonnechere Caves – An interesting and informative spelunking activity off the beaten track in Eganville! The tour starts with an interesting interactive lecture from the guide about the fossils in the area and is followed by a tour of the caves themselves. Although not as large or grandiose as caves I’ve visited in other parts of the world the guide made it very interesting by retelling the story of the discovery of the caves. The site is appealing not only because of its history but also because the caves are naturally filled with water each year to provide the natural hibernation habitat of the resident brown bat population!

Wilno Tavern – A wonderful restaurant/bar in the centre of the town of Wilno, which we visited for dinner after a trip to the Emergency in Barrie’s Bay. I had the buffet boasting a variety of Polish delicacies including Pirogies and sausage! Apparently the tavern is a hotspot for late night get-togethers featuring local bands and talent.

Polish Kashub Heritage Museum & Skansen – located in the centre of Wilno this is a unique and informative display highlighting life for the Polish settlers of this area. An interesting and beautiful display for the history aficionado.

Polish Museum, Wilno

Madonna House Museum

Madonna House Apostolate – located in Combermere this community advertises itself as a family of Christian lay men, women, and priests, striving to incarnate the teachings of Jesus Christ by forming a community of love.  There are several buildings including a museum and store, which is filled with many unique items including crafts, art, and donated items. Apparently, people come from all over the world to join this community for varying lengths of time many of whom donate all their worldly goods to the commune.  The community was founded by a Russian immigrant, Catherine Doherty, in the forties.

Szare Szeregi Monument – This monument was erected in memory of 10.000 polish scouts who were killed during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 and were murdered in concentration camps in occupied Poland from 1939-1945. It sits on the top of a hill in a lonely field on Old Barry’s Bay Road and is a very sad reminder of a tragic event.

 

Szare Szeregi Monument

Crooked Slide Park – This park is located near Combermere and is a reconstruction of an original log chute used by loggers in the early 1900s. These chutes or flumes were used to bypass rapids and bends in the waterway which would damage the lumber.  It is a beautiful spot for a hike, a picnic, great photography, and on a warm day, a swim. When we visited, there were many people enjoying the refreshing water of Byers Creek and the rocky rapids.

Byers Creek, Crooked Slide Park

Chute at Crooked Slide Park

Boating and Fishing – Since Marnell’s place is located on a tributary between Golden Lake and Round Lake it is a terrific area for boating and fishing.  Anything from a motorboat, a canoe, a paddleboat, an inner tube, or even a pool noodle will do. The river and lake are pristine and a cruise around provides great views of properties, old farmhouses, and wildlife. Not wanting to exert myself unduly, I avoided the more strenuous boating choices and opted to let Marnell chauffeur me about in her motorboat or serenely float on a pool noodle!  Fishing, although not my forte, is also a very popular activity.  The fish are so plentiful that my niece waved a worm over the water at the end of the deck and used a scoop net to haul in her catch – a very humane sort of fishing!

Boating with Marnell

Swimming – We took many relaxing and cooling dips in the Bonnechere River, right outside Marnell’s back steps.  The rocks were a bit slimy and since I had forgotten my handy little water shoes I had to kind of jump in with a noodle and keep my feet up.  Floating around as the sun sets and sipping (or chugging) an ice cold Coors Light can’t be beat! We also went for a nice swim at The Sands on Golden Lake one afternoon.  The white sand and beautiful clear water was gorgeous. The entire area in and around Golden Lake has a multitude of terrific beaches and cottages for rent to suit all tastes. 

 

Sands on Golden Lake

Relaxing on the beach at Golden Lake

My trip up north this past summer has renewed my faith in the allure of Cottage Country so much that my past disastrous experiences are almost eradicated! 

Lily Pads, Bonnechere River

Kashubian Art

Pioneer buildings

Tree Face