Days 77 - 80 Big Furnace Campground to Balmy Beach, Ontario

Day 77 - 14 August 2015  To Three Lakes Campground, Hiawatha National Forest  127 miles
Last night we were lucky to get a campsite. They were all booked weeks or months in advance. However, we arrived at Big Furnace just as a site was vacated a day early. That meant we had one night but no chance of a second. We took the tent down, had breakfast  

and headed for Miner's Castle, part of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (US Park Service).

We did an 11-mile loop trail at the end of Chapel Road. After 3 -4 miles walking through forest we got to cliffs above the lake.

There were caves where the rock was eroded by the lake.

Bunchberry

Indian pipes

Minerals stain the rocks, hence the name Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Yellow coneflowers

One of the lakes near Three Lakes Campground

Day 78 - 15 August - To South Baymouth, Ontario - 269 miles
Cooking pancakes for breakfast at Three Lakes Campground.

The Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie are operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Security looked tight

but we were free to wander around

and look at a drained lock undergoing repairs.

View down stream from the locks

The old Meterological Station

The Corps of Engineers museum had excellent displays and very knowledgable staff happy to answer questions

We crossed into Canada on a bridge spanning the shipping lanes and drove along the northern shore of Lake Huron. Like almost all cities, towns and villages, Massey, Ontario had a sign with the population listed. The great thing was that Canadians understood significant digits. The population of Massey was given as 1100. In the United States it might have been 1129 or 1099. Every population sign we saw in Canada was rounded to two or three significant digits. 

We crossed a swing bridge to get to Manatoulin Island

The ferry to Tobermory and the Bruce Peninsula leaves from South Baymouth on the southern end of Manatoulin Island.

Our campsite at South Baymouth

and some Grand Falls MI beer we had with dinner.

Day 79  16 August 2015  Manatoulin Island  114 miles
The first part of today was catching up on housekeeping. A reshuffling of boxes in the van and a load of laundry at the campground. 

The machines took loonies, the Canadian one-dollar coin. The two-dollar coin is a toonie.

After doing the laundry, we went to South Baymouth. This is where we catch the ferry tomorrow.

Eric Bainbridge was in the campsite next to ours. He had a VW Westfalia campervan and two energetic westies who rode in a kayak with him.

The westies had life jackets with carry handles.

We did a tour of some of Manatoulin Island, including Lake Mindemoya, famous for Treasure Island, apparently the world's largest island within a lake (Mindemoya) within an island (Manatoulin) within a lake (Huron).
Bridal Veil falls at Kagawong

Harbour at Kagawong

Day 80 - 17 August 2015 - To Balmy Beach  - 80 miles
Sunrise at South Baymouth Campground

Breakfast as we pack up to go to the ferry

Cars had to be at the ferry an hour before departure or risk losing the booking. Several restaurants and gift shops at South Baymouth catered to this captive clientele

Tea and coffee on board the ferry. 

After about 90 minutes on the ferry we passed the light house at the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula.

Perhaps this sign was in response to a Michael-Jackson-like move by some ferry passengers. 

Coming in to Tobermory

Tobermory harbour

Beach at singing sands

Women's Institute Lookout in Kemble.

We met Shawna McIvor at her house in Balmy Beach. Shawna was a friend in New Zealand and we've kept in touch since she moved back to Canada. Soon after arriving we went for a swim in Georgian Bay, a short walk from her house.