North Bay was named based on its position vis a vis Lake Nipissing.  Boasting a population of just over 50,000 and an OHL hockey club, it has become far more popular as a place to live due to COVID as people were untethered from the need to be proximate to their workplace.   It also benefits from the price escalation in Muskoka pushing people further north for affordability.

Duchesnay Falls runs red with iron in the water.  Given its northern location, North Bay has lots of rock and forests.  Duchesnay is just one of those sites.  It boasts an easy hiking trail up the falls and back down.  You can stand on a rock in the middle of the falls and watch them cascade down around you on either side.  It is peaceful and beautiful.  You can hike for as little as 18 minutes or as long as an hour and a half.

In addition to hiking, the eating was good.  Marigold Restaurant offered up excellent Indian and Nepalese food.  My business partner and I enjoyed okra, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and naan bread on the patio overlooking the water.  Excellent spices and abundant sauce made the meal delicious and enjoyable.

Lake Nipissing is the third largest lake entirely in the province of Ontario.  Known as a vast and powerful yet shallow body of water, you cannot take a small boat out on the lake and feel safe.  It requires something at least 30 feet long because the waves are significant and an 18 foot aluminum boat will bounce around with the swells going over the craft itself.  My friend owns an island about 30 minutes from shore and getting there is a harrowing experience if you don't like the choppiness of the waves.  It is a mercurial body of water.  Fishing is abundant on the lake with walleye, bass, northern pike and muskie available for the taking.  It is 25 kilometres wide by 65 kilometres long but only 20 feet deep on average.  It is known as one of the best places for ice fishing in the world.

It was a very nice day in North Bay.

​I have done my share of driving over the past decade as a mom of hockey players.  It wasn’t until we moved to Sudbury in September, though, that I began living the Stompin’ Tom song “I’ve Been Everywhere”.  The north is vast and most small communities are a significant drive away.  One of my sons plays in the NOJHL, taking him to Sudbury, Espanola, Powassun, Hearst, Cochrane, Timmins, Elliott Lake, Sault Ste. Marie, Noelville, Kirkland Lake and most recently Blind River.  I try to see as many of his games as possible and my most recent adventure was to Blind River.

​Blind River has approximately 3,500 residents.  In this town, you can still buy a house for $100,000.  The largest industry is uranium refining.  Uranium was discovered in 1954 and Cameco has been running a large uranium refinery since 1983 processing uranium from around the world into uranium trioxide. There is a golf course beside Cameco called Huron Pines Country Club on the river, along with Lauzon Aviation offering fly-in fishing and hunting wilderness vacations.  

​There is also a hockey team, the Blind River Beavers.  The mascot in the arena is a beaver puppet sported by a super fan.  The arena would seat about 300 people maximum and was more than half full the night I went.  The team is good, ranked third out of six teams in their conference with a record of winning 2/3 of their games.  The players billet with local families and play hockey from September through April, providing a significant source of entertainment for the town residents.

​The drive from Sudbury is just under two hours along Highway 17.  I made plans to arrive around 5 pm so I could do some exploring before puck drop at 7.  Situated on the North Channel, a fabled waterway in Lake Huron that many Canadians have on their bucket list, water is everywhere.  In summer there are an abundance of beaches to enjoy.  There has been a post office in town since 1877.  The Canadian Pacific railroad expanded into town in the late 1800s bringing people and causing it to incorporate as a town in 1906.  A logging company started and flourished there for many years logging white pine until a big fire in 1948 burned all the trees down.  

Pier 17 is a local sports bar, known for fresh food and good times.  It was fully renovated two years ago from a fancy restaurant and when I was there on a Saturday night, it was doing a brisk business.  The pool tables were busy and the tables were almost full.  The waitresses were friendly and the food was incredibly good.  The special was fried pickerel, which was fresh and delicious, which I finished with a chocolate eruption cake.  A large summer patio overlooks the water.

The Espanola Paper Kings lost to the Blind River Beavers 3-1.  My son drove us home along Highway 17, noting deer along the highway but no hitchhikers.  He played country music the whole way.  It was an enjoyable Saturday night, adding to my own version of “I’ve Been (Almost) Everywhere.”

When we were there, the trees were reflecting off the water in perfect symmetry.  You can hike right down to the water itself and sit on the rocks while ruminating on the natural splendour.  Recollet Falls is in the French River gorge.  When you are about a kilometre away from the falls, you can hear a distant roar that becomes louder as they come into view.  You can also hear birds along the trail, including the Blackburnian Warbler and the Red-Eyed Vireo.

The French River runs 110 km west from Lake Nipissing to Georgian Bay.  The Restoule and Little French Rivers also connect.  This provides multiple canoe trips for exploring the natural sights and sounds of the park.  It was designated in 1986 as Canada's First Heritage River because of its history as a transportation corridor and logging route from 1615 when Samuel de Champlain arrived through to 1821.  The Indigenous peoples named it French River because it brought French missionaries to their communities along the river.  It was a one day journey for traders bringing European goods and wanting Canadian fur.

You can swim in the river but there are no designated beaches and the 120 foot depth makes it cold.  Fishing is robust, with pike, walleye, bass and muskellunge.  There are 50 lodges and marinas along the river. 

It is known for its undeveloped natural rugged beauty, bays with bull rushes and rock everywhere.  Replete with animals, the river sports moose, bear, wolf, lynx, fisher, mink, beaver, otter, bald eagle, osprey, turtle and rattlesnake.  You cannot canoe or kayak over Recollet Falls in the Spring when the water levels rise as much as 4 meters in spots, when flooding is a worry.

The hike in French River Provincial Park to Recollet Falls is worth the one to two hours it will take you.  The relaxation that you feel while sitting by the falls watching the trees reflect off the water is good for your soul.  The bird song you hear along the pine-needle blanketed forest pathway also elevates your mood.  There is nothing negative about the commune with nature this hike involves.  Embrace it and you will come away calmer and happier.

Deerhurst Resort holds a special place in my heart.  We have been coming here as a family for the past 32 years.  Between us we own a number of timeshare weeks in August.  It is by far and away my children's favourite vacation spot each year.  What makes it so special?

First of all, Peninsula Lake is beautiful.  Sandy in spots, deep enough, lots of water sports, pretty sunsets and sunrises...everything you could ask for in a Muskoka Lake.

Secondly, the children's grandparents, friends, aunt and cousins always show up.  We have mattresses on the floor and the suite is rarely quiet.  It is a party.  Papa takes them fishing a few mornings during the week.  Aunt Wendy takes them out for ice cream.  They golf with their friend and cousin.  The water is always beckoning, whether the indoor pool, one of the many outdoor pools, or the lake at one of the docks or the beach.  There is always something going on.

Thirdly, the place is designed for relaxation.  There is fishing off the dock.  There is lounging on the beach.  There are barbecues by the lake.  There are novels to be read in lounge chairs.  There is golf.  There is boating.  There are restaurants on the water.  There are escape rooms.  The resort highlights northern art on its walls.

We are already looking forward to next year!

Onaping Falls.  A.Y. Jackson painted a landscape highlighting High Falls on the Onaping River in Sudbury.  It was displayed in the local high school for years before it mysteriously disappeared.  It is still missing, but Onaping Falls remains fully present in all its glory.

Sudbury’s landscape brings to mind the Group of Seven on a regular basis, and Onaping Falls was particularly in keeping with their painting style.  It has an abundance of trees reflecting their glorious colours off the water, with an iron bridge spanning the river and permitting views forward and back that take your breath away.  It is no wonder that Sudbury and the north inspired so much artwork from the Group of Seven.

I swim with a woman named Lynn.  She warned me to wear my running shoes because there were a lot of rocks on the Onaping Falls hiking trail.  I heeded her advice but did not appreciate the ruggedness of the terrain until my girlfriend and I were at the lookout admiring the falls trying to figure out how the devil to make it over to them.  It never occurred to us that we had to billy goat our way straight down what appeared to be a treacherous rockslide to the water.  Only the trail markers painted onto the rocks encouraged us to head lower.  Low and behold, we made it without injury and began to walk along the water.

The fall colours were in full blaze and the reds this year were resplendent.  It was postcard worthy.  Every photo was sublimely colourful.  The falls are spectacular, running into rapids then falling 46 meters to the river below.  That portion of the river is called High Falls.  The falls sit at the intersection between the Canadian Shield and the crater caused by the meteor crash millions of years ago.

The falls are in the northwest quadrant of Sudbury’s municipal area.  They were their own town from 1973 to 2000 before being amalgamated into Greater Sudbury.  The area boasts an abundance of fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and downhill skiing.

Marisa and I felt very fortunate to spend two hours hiking the Onaping Falls trail.  It was Thanksgiving weekend and being immersed in the vibrant beauty of nature around every bend in the path made us feel fully in keeping with the holiday.  Onaping Falls is a hike I would strongly recommend doing…with your running shoes on.

The August long weekend was upon us. Once all the fun and frivolity with my children’s friends ended, we struck out on the Civic Holiday to explore Thunder Beach and environs. I had never been there before and had only just heard of it in the past few years when my brother bought a house fronting the bay. Initially registering Thunder Bay, which is more than 13 hours away, I was happy when he clarified it was the beach, not the bay where he had settled. Thunder Beach likely secured its name due to the ferocity and intensity of the storms that come into the bay.

Thunder Beach is a community of just over 300 owners surrounding and fronting on the bay. My
brother and his family have been enjoying the community for the past few years and have remarked on how sociable, safe and friendly it is. There are no hotels, inns or suites for rent on the beach anymore because everything is privately owned, so unless you know someone with a cottage on the bay, you may have never heard of it. My friend Kevin and his wife Sally had invited me to their cottage in Penetanguishene a few years back and it turns out their cottage is actually a few doors down from my brother’s cottage. Small world. Thunder Beach is the northernmost part of Tiny Township, the township having a population of about 12,000. Thunder Beach revels in its community events. They hold an annual concert and an annual Lobsterfest. This year they also had an art exhibition. Everything is centered around family and friends. Adults are encouraged to compete in tennis, basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball tournaments throughout the summer months. Children attend camp and play baseball, flag football and run cross country.

Setting off from Toronto at 10 am, we encountered some traffic heading north. Highway 400 generally runs well but once you duck off at Bayfield onto Highway 26 turning into 27, you slow down significantly. Although the posted speed limit is 80 km per hour, most folks go a little slower than that. Hence it is a true country drive from Barrie to the Beach.

Arriving around 12:30 pm, we immediately boarded my brother’s speed boat and went zipping around the bay, exploring the coastline, engaging in wakeboarding, and surfing off the back. My eldest daughter is great at wakeboarding and my eldest son gave it a go. After face planting twice, he was able to keep himself up the third time around and enjoy a nice tour around the bay. My niece surfed behind the boat, and everyone jumped in the water at one point or other and swam to shore. The beach is shallow and sandy a fair way out.

We ate cheeseburgers from the Friendly Corner Store and Restaurant. We were starving and the grub hit the spot. We then swam in the water and played in the sand in front of their cottage for a few hours. My youngest daughter drew the beachscape. My two boys went golfing with my brother at the local privately owned five-hole course, which they thoroughly enjoyed. As afternoon turned into evening, we played football in the water and swam to the buoy and back. The water was crisp, temperate and clear, making for an incredibly enjoyable beachfront experience.

Heading home, we stopped in at Wasaga Beach. Wasaga Beach is the longest freshwater beach in the world, stretching 14 kilometers over six beach zones. It is remarkable how rich Ontario is with its many lakes and rivers...over a quarter of a million of them. The water itself is beautiful and there are many sandbars as you wade out. Sunbathing and beach volleyball are popular. Always jammed on long weekends, we caught the tail end of the crowd. Although Wasaga Beach only has a permanent population of approximately 25,000, over 2 million people visit the beach each summer.

Although the sand is smooth and silky, the downtown strip is seedy and squalid. A massive fire wreaked havoc in 2007 and the town has been trying to rebuild without success ever since. There is a casino under construction. The cottages at either end are lovely; the town itself is not. The cottages are not located on the beach but instead sit on narrow lots fronting the streets between the homes and the water. The beach itself is owned by Ontario Parks and is protected. There are over 50 kilometers of hiking trails that can be accessed summer and winter, along with the Nottawasaga River for canoeing and fishing.

We left the beach strip behind and played mini putt at Wasaga 500 on our way out of town, where one of the boys’ hockey friends worked the go-carts. Thereafter we decided to split. En route home and in need of food, we hit Kelsey’s on Bayfield Street in Barrie. The meal was delicious for a late-night dinner. We had broccoli cheddar soup, potato skins, quesadillas, chicken fingers, and Caesar salad, all of which were tasty. We then rolled home with full bellies and sun kissed skin. It was a good northern day trip and a wonderful end to the August long weekend.