The Friendly Bay

The southern stretch of Georgian Bay allowed us the experience of paddling in more developed and populated areas - a new experience for us both. We enjoyed the luxuries that few experience on canoe trips such as a visit to our favorite Swiss restaurant, the Alphorn, and a relaxing night in a soft bed at Balm Beach Resort. We were amazed at the friendliness we experienced along the way. Little treats such as homemade muffins, strawberry jam, cupcakes, cookies, grilled cheese sandwiches, and wine were given to us and helped to add to our dehydrated tripping menu. Many provincial and private park staff along the journey commented, "We’ve never had campers arrive by canoe!" It seemed that traveling by canoe, Canada’s historical mode of transport, was fairly unheard of in this region. We understood why when some nights we had to pull out our tent in quite populated spaces. It was interesting to see the large beaches of Nottawasaga Bay, home to the largest freshwater beach in the world, and to visit the historical Brebeuf Island lighthouse (100+years) where the one of the Great Lakes Coast Guard stations exists.
We are happy to have completed Georgian Bay, a total of 600 kilometers. We are now heading back to Killarney to start our tour of the North Channel and St. Mary's River.