A Spin Around Musselman's Lake

July 27, 2014 was a Sunday and rain was predicted.  We also had some cleaning up to do after the visit from William & Co. on Saturday.  So we didn't want to be too ambitious, but still wanted to get out and about and stretch our legs.  We decided to ride our bikes around Musselman's Lake, a 123-acre kettle lake that adjoins our RV campground here in Stouffville, Ontario.  Kettle lakes are formed by drainage from receding glaciers, and generally have silty bottoms.

Musselman's Lake was named after Peter and Jacob Musselman, Mennonites from Pennsylvania, who first settled the area in 1807.  The lake is located on the ecologically sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine,  which gets its name from the rolling hills and river valleys extending almost 100 miles from the Niagara Escarpment to the west (see our May 20, 2014 blog entry on Rattlesnake Point and the Niagara Escarpment), to Rice Lake on the east. It was formed 12,000 years ago by advancing and retreating glaciers. The lake drains into the Lake Simcoe watershed. Pine trees dominate much of the area, with extensive farmland stretching north toward Lake Simcoe.

It is possible to circumnavigate the lake by foot or bicycle, but there is one 50-foot stretch of ground on the south side of the lake that cannot be driven.  The entire lake is settled with cottages, and a trip around the lake is like a miniature tour of Ontario's "cottage country" north of Toronto, which includes area such as Lake Simcoe, some 20 miles north of Musselman Lake.

Here is a view we saw of Musselman's Lake, looking back toward the beach of our RV campground:

A closer look shows the campground's boathouse and restaurant:

The cottages around Musselman's Lake are generally fairly unpretentious ones such as the cottage shown below, although there is significant newer development of "yuppy mansions," which is sure to drive up the cost of the traditional cottages.  This one was for sale.  It looked sound but in need of some sprucing up and de-weeding.  Nevertheless, it had a nice little lakefront that would have suited a dock and boat nicely.

After completing one circuit of the lake, we pedaled up to Aurora Road and stopped by one of Ontario's many food "trucks" - this one by the name of "Fancy Fries."  The trucks are generally more like barely portable sheds, where one can buy a variety of fast foods such as hot dogs, sandwiches, the ubiquitous poutine and other scrumptious, if unhealthy, delights.  Here, David munches his peanut butter and jelly sandwich as we wait for the chef to cook up our (VERY small) order of poutine.  The fries were fresh cut from potatoes right on the spot:

Fueled thus, we hopped back on our bikes and recircled the lake - a short ride of perhaps four miles, but very relaxing.