Triplogs / Triplog#33 / Days 2&3 / Days 4&5 / Days 6&7 / Day 8
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Day 8 (May 13)
It was a wet morning as we departed White P
Looking down the Petawawa river towards Lake Traverse
Looking up the Petawawa at Poplar rapids
It was a heavily overcast morning, with light drizzle here and there. Everything was wet outside, it had poured rain all night long. We made(Actually Mike did)breakfast, and packed up, knowing that our trip really was over. We loaded the wagon, and hopped on board as we departed White P at 10am. Just after 12pm, we arrived back at the 'spur'. Our ride back was un-eventful, as we all made it back safely. We posed for a group picture, and said our good-byes and many thanks to Stewart, our horse-master. We then headed up to Access#23 Lake Traverse. I had asked Bo if we would guide us up there, and also to see the Algonquin Observatory. Mike, Derek, and myself had never been in this part of The Park, and since we were 70km into The Park, and only 5km more away from the the access point, we thought it was a good time to check out the area. I'm not sure if David had ever been there, but he came along with us, as Bo took us upto the access point. We passed by it, and drove to a gate just before you reach the bridge over the river. We got out and walked the rest of the way. Here we were at the bottom end of the "Poplar rapids" portage, as a bridge crosses the mighty Petawawa river. After takin gin the view of the river, Bo tried to drive us along another road that terminated along a patch of abandoned railway bed. It was flooded and we had to turn around. As we did this, two vehicles passed us by, zooming along the rail-bed, with white-water kayaks on top. Ahh thrill seekers..geez that water must be damn cold and dangerous I thought, good luck!
Mike posing before a beaver dam, look at the size of some of the logs!
A vehicle for inspecting the Radio Dish, I guess?
The official sign-age of the Algonquin Radio Observatory
You have to walk on foot to the grounds of the radio dishes
We headed over to the entrance to the Algonquin Observatory. David took off, saying he had to get back home...it was a long drive. We bid him farewell, and then Sheila and Bo decided to leave but were going to stop in at Achray to see if he could find some fellow AA'ers we were going to link up with. We ended up searching the wrong side of the observatory grounds first, then made our way north, and found the radio dish of the Algonquin Observatory. It certainly looked abandoned, and and the main dish itself was quite large. After exploring the area, we departed and headed south, planning to link up with folks at Achray. The ride down Baron Canyon road was quite rough as the recent wet weather/spring melt had wrecked havoc with the road surface. There were many potholes and partial wash outs. I ruined my struts going down this road! Honest...if you have a old car..be careful. It was nearly 3:30 pm when we arrived on the road to Achray, as we zoomed along it, we came upon Bo. Bo & Sheila couldn't find the folks we were supposed to meet, so we all turned around , and drove to the outfitter where Bo returned his rental canoe. Here we all said our good-byes and thanked Bo & Sheila for inviting us along, on such a fantastic journey, then we departed.
A close-up of the dish building,
with Mike & Derek pictured below the dish for scale
A full shot giving a better sense of scale
Another smaller dish we discovered
It was a long drive back to Toronto, where mike switched up his gear into his vehicle, and we then said our good-byes to each other. I was glad to have tripped with Mike, he is an excellent partner and paddler. It was great to see Bo and Sheila again, and Derek too, and to finally meet David. I feel very fortunate to have met such wonderful and enthusiastic people. People such as them, who are as passionate about Algonquin Park, as I am. All in all the trip was a great success for all of us, I felt that we all had a great time. I would love to do this trip again.
A friend we found along the way to the dish - A Gray Jay
A group photo, thanking Barry Bridgeford, Host of "algonquinadventures.com",
A site dedicated to all things Algonquin, and without it's existence, many exciting journeys,
such as our trip would never have been possible.