Rounding Manitoulin - Day 3

Another sunny day and this time there was almost no wind as we paddled. The further along the east coast we got, the higher the limestone cliffs rose beside us. It's these same heights that further to the east create the falls at Niagara.


After stopping for lunch, we began the crossing over to the rounded granite shores marking the entrance to the North Channel. On the way we threaded our kayaks through a number of islands, some larger than others. One tiny island, no more really than a bit of gravel beach poking out of the shallow water looked interesting. Terns were swirling above it and something yellow seemed to form its hidden interior. Stopping we discovered a little miracle which you see me pointing at...


The terns had chosen to lay their eggs inside nests made of clumps of yellow flowers. It's an image that remains with me even today, it charmed us so completely.


We crossed over to the mainland and began looking for a place to camp. I had sailed this area several years previously and remembered a spot called Hole-in-the-Wall and it turned out to be a perfect spot. Having had some geology training at university, I was interested to find the site was right on the contact zone between the limestone to the south and the granite to the north.

Had time been on my side I would have liked to stayed in this area to explore places my sailboat had been too large to visit. Alas, we moved on. It made me yearn for my retirement when no schedule would bind me and my children would be successfully launched into their respective worlds. Then I would be able to paddle on open-ended trips taking as much time as I wanted to satisfy my explorer's urge. Of course, now that I've reached that fabled time, finding others willing to make longer trips isn't always easy. Oh, that everyone could be free!

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