Up and Down the Sturgeon River

Hi Blog! After lunch on Tuesday, July 21, 2015, we decided to rent a double kayak from the campground and paddle up the Sturgeon River. The Sturgeon Falls KOA is located on the Sturgeon River halfway between the town of Sturgeon Falls and Lake Nipissing. The lake's name means "big water" in the Algonquin language. Because there was a brisk wind and a little bit of a current, we couldn't paddle up and down and back again in just half a day. Since we had just ridden our bikes into Sturgeon Falls that morning and discovered all sorts of things (which we described in the previous blog), we were eager to paddle upriver to see Sturgeon Falls from a different perspective. Here is Dave as we get ready to shove off.

As we began to paddle upriver, we appreciated the wind at our backs gently pushing us along. We saw a number of "cottages" being built along the river. Each had a pair (or more) of red Muskoka chairs (Adirondack chairs for those of you from the States).

We saw every type of watercraft you could imagine - from the small fishing dinghy to super high powered speed boats. This one caught our eye because of its unusual design. We later learned from our campground host that the owner of this boat works in construction. He builds all his own boats. The front will pull flat up to a dock and he can drive his small crane right on board.

These boat houses look more like a set from Harry Potter when compared to the new marina across the bend in the river.

As we round the bend, we can see the railroad trestle, highway overpass and electric dam in downtown Sturgeon Falls where we just biked this morning. Our morning photo was from the other side of the railroad trestle.

Here Kathy ardently paddles the swift current of the canyon.

The reward is a pretty cool view looking back through the canyon.

We had learned from several campers that Leisure Days Farm Market was just across the river from the campground. You could drive 20 minutes back into town, over the bridge and down the other side - or you could take a boat and be there in five minutes. When we rented the kayak, we asked about the market and were told we couldn't miss it:  "Just look for the orange plane." [Lucky for us, the plane was still in dock because their sign was completely covered by the trees.]

Yes, that's our kayak on the dock. The campground owner asked that if we stopped at the market to please pull the kayak up out of the water. He's had to chase a few errant boats downstream.

Strawberry season is in full swing in this part of the Canada. Young families bring their kids to Leisure Days to enjoy the hay ride out to the berry patch where the kids (and adults) can pick their own berries. The serious canners also came in droves and bought flats filled with four liter buckets of berries.

Happy shoppers are greeted with a smiling hay roll.

A delicious aroma greeted us as we stepped inside. Did we mention that they bake their own pies on premises? We would have loved to buy one of everything they made, but we didn't have the ability to bring it all home with us. While we did bring our dry bags, they were just not big enough for more than one pie. We had to choose - strawberry, raspberry or strawberry rhubarb? We ended up with a pint of fresh picked strawberries, their award winning strawberry preserves, and strawberry rhubarb pie! We can now add shopping by kayak to our list of Canandian firsts.

Here is our booty!

After returning the kayaks, we were getting ready to settle in for happy hour and campfire cookout, when the campground owner came by and asked if we would be interested in a pontoon boat ride. All they ask is a $5.00 donation per person to benefit KOA Cares - Kids with Cancer camping trips. Kathy looked down longingly at her beer, when the owner said just put it in a travel mug.

'Nuff said. Happy Hour on the pontoon boat!

["Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port,
aboard this tiny ship."]

Several other campers joined us for the cruise. As we were leaving the harbor, we asked the "captain" which direction he was taking us - up to town or down to the lake. He said he could do either, so we asked for the lake view, since we already kayaked to town. No one objected, so off to Lake Nipissing we go!

Here a young camper has a front row seat as we leave the river and enter into the lake.

Lake Nipissing has a surface area of 337.2 square miles, a mean elevation of 643 feet above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay in Ontario. Excluding the Great Lakes, Lake Nipissing is the third-largest lake in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a large lake, with an average depth of only 15 feet.

["The mate was a mighty sailin' man, the Skipper brave and sure, five passengers set sail that day, for a three hour tour,a three hour tour."]

The lake contains over 40 different species of fish. Numerous sport fishing lodges dot the main shoreline and can also be found on several of Nipissing's many islands. Most anglers target walleye, smallmouth bass, muskie, and northern pike. Here some sprinkle clouds pass by, treating us to a rainbow. Unfortunately, our waterproof camera just isn't strong enough to capture the very faint colors, but the view is still pretty.

["The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew the Minnow would be lost. The Minnow would be lost."]

Luckily, we didn't get lost on the ride back.  On the way, we noticed a number of these large barrels. The Canadians like their rye whiskey. Someone got the bright idea to turn the old barrels into saunas. Kathy wants to know, "Can you do that with beer barrels?"

["No phone, no lights, no motor car, not a single luxury, like Robinson Crusoe, it's primitive as can be."]



Before long, we were back in camp, lighting up our campfire and getting ready to grill some salmon for dinner.  All-in-all, a good RV day.

["So join us here each week my friends, you're sure to get a smile, from seven stranded castaways
here on Gilligan's Isle!"]