Providence Bay Blast

In Providence Bay on Manitoulin Island, fireworks were permitted to celebrate Canada Day.  Fired from a barge in Lake Huron after the sun set, they lasted about 10 minutes and were a fitting end to a most enjoyable day.  We sat on the beach with about 1,000 others and waited for the wonder to begin.  It was a gorgeous night and the island has very few mosquitoes, so it was comfortable, warm and relaxing.

Providence Bay Beach is considered by many to be the best beach in Northern Ontario.  It stretches around the bay in Lake Huron and is sandy and shallow with clear water and beautiful sunsets.  The beach area has a small museum, an ice cream shop called Huron Island Time, a wonderful playground in the sand for the kids, a boardwalk, and an exercise area for adults.  While wandering the small museum, I was shocked at the size of beavers - they can be as heavy as 110 pounds.  While exploring, the children enjoyed Farquar's ice cream in bubble gum and cotton candy flavours.

We stayed at Glenn and Judy Black's place at Black's Bay.  A completely off grid cottage, the setting was immensely beautiful set in 113 acres of forest.  We saw plenty of bunnies, butterflies and deer.  There were very few mosquitoes but lots of moths.  The view from the back deck was relaxing and the breeze off the water coupled with the sound of the water lapping the shore was easy to get used to.  They have a canoe which we enjoyed, and a farm with free range chickens and a couple of dogs.  They were kind, welcoming hosts.

Being in Providence Bay on Canada Day weekend was glorious.  The town gave away free lemonade along with a piece of chocolate or white cake from Mum's Bakery.  There was a large yard sale, and everyone was happy and welcoming.  We managed a meal at Mum's Bakery soon thereafter, and it was delicious as were the pies, brownies, cookies and bars that we bought after breakfast.  We also made it over to Lake Huron Fish and Chips twice.  Their fresh halibut and white fish with chips was mouth watering both times.

It would be hard to imagine a more enjoyable Canada Day weekend than the one we spent in Providence Bay.