Stu & Tippy's Travels: 07/29/2007

Other boats on lake

Waiting for a hand out

Sunset at lake Nipissing

Sturgeon Falls, ON

We spent three nights at the Glenrock Cottages and Campground in Sturgeon Falls, On. The campground was a little tight and every active with lots of seasonal sites. We only had 30 AMP power so only one air conditioner at a time which would have been no problem in cool weather. Unfortunately we had some warm weather and everyone was running their air conditioners and the power to our coach was not high enough and our power protector would cut off due to the low voltage. We had to run our generator for a couple of hours each afternoon for power which actually worked out better because that would give us 50 AMP power and we could run both air conditioners. The evenings were wonderful as it cooled off right away as the sun started to set.

Sturgeon Falls, the falls, is no longer. The government built a hydro electric plant on the site so the falls are gone but the town has retained the name. I went out Walleye fishing with a guide and two other fishermen. They use a jigging technique, with a night crawler on a double hook jig head, just off the bottom. The bite is real soft, more of feeling weight on the line, and then you have to wait for 5 - 6 seconds for the fish to take the bait into it's mouth before setting the hook. There were also numerous Yellow Perch that liked the night crawlers and they got fed pretty good in the process. The Nipissing lake has a "slot limit" that requires all fish between 15 3/4" and 24" to be returned to the lake. You could only keep fish under 15 3/4" or bigger than 24". We didn't catch any over 24" so all of our keepers were in the under category. There were about 8 slot fish caught and they were fun to catch or at least they looked like they were fun to catch since I didn't cath one.

Tippy drove into town one night to get Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner and came back with Chinese food. She waited in line for 20 minutes at KFC and then the guy wouldn't sell her any breasts individually and they didn't have any of the combination bowls. So off for Chinese she went and it turned out to be delicious!

We departed Sturgeon Falls on Wednesday for the 180 mile trip to Barrie, ON. Most of the road was four lane divided so it was like driving on a freeway at home. We stopped at a truck inspection that was closed for a stretch and to walk Alex. We looked for another place to stop for lunch but it didn't happen. There were several picnic areas along the highway but they were all too small for our coach and there was not enough room for us to turn around.

We are staying at the Barrie KOA which is about 12 miles north of the city. We have a deluxe site which is a cement pad with a wooden picnic table and a cement patio. The site is great except that we get the afternoon sun right on our patio. The first night we sat out on the other side of the coach, on the grass, and used the coach for shade - it was perfect! We are going to a movie today, Bourne Ultimatium, so I will report on the movie and the area tomorrow. Be safe.

Sault Ste. Marie to Sturgeon Falls

We had a very pleasant drive yesterday to Sturgeon Falls, a small town about 50 miles east of Sudbury, ON. We passed numerous rivers and lakes and many wonderful sights. We stopped for lunch and a stretch at a rest area and discovered the Serpant River was right at the back of the area. There were two sets of falls, small ones, and several pools. There were local people there sunbathing and swimming and the sight was very picturesque!

We were stopped on the highway for almost an hour because of what appeared to be a one vehicle rollover accident. They had two ambulances, a fire truck, two police cars, and an air ambulance all at the scene. I think the big problem was the air ambulance was parked in the middle of the road and no cars could get through until it left. Not much to see as we finally got past the site but the small SUV looked pretty bad. Hope the folks survived the crash!

We arrived at our RV Park, Glenrock Cottages and Trailer Park, a little later than usual due to the delay and the long drive of 250 miles. We have a decent 30 amp site but the property is pretty crowded and the power is suspect. Our power protector kept going off due to low voltage and we ended up running the generator for a couple of hours so we could run the air conditioning. Hopefully with the weekenders gone the power will be better today.

The campground is right on the shore of Nipissing Lake and is quite nice. They have a beach for swimming, a marina for folks that brought a boat, and boats to rent. This part of the lake is apparently pretty shallow so the fishing is in doubt. I may rent a boat for half a day and give it a try anyhow. Heck, the worst thing that could happen is I wouldn't catch any fish but enjoy a few hours on the water. The big surprise here is THEY HAVE WiFi, yeah! I tried to hook up with a local fishing guide but his rate is $75 per person with a minimum of $200. If I could find another person or two it would be fun to get some Walleye. I will check around today and see if I can find someone that wants to go. Enjoy the pic's from yesterdays journey and be safe.

Lake view on the way to Sturgeon Falls

The Serpant River - rest stop

Last days in Sault Ste. Marie

On Saturday I played golf at the Crimson Ridge G.C. in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. The course was very nice with several wonderful views and vistas. Each hole was an entity to itself as they were all cut out from the trees. The only exceptions I can think of were holes 4, 5 & 6 which were all parallel holes with only a few trees separating them. I played with two members, one of which was a cook at Giovanies, the restaurant we had lunch at the other day.

Tippy went to 7:00 PM Mass so we could leave earlier on Sunday as we have a 250 mile drive to Sturgeon Falls. We have really enjoyed our time here in Sault Ste. Marie, especially the RV park, and would be happy to return any time. We had a great dinner on the St. mary's River on Friday evening. Tippy had wings, duh, and I had a special Walleye dish cooked in parchment. The presentation was great but the taste only so so but a nice bottle of Pinot Gregio made everything taste just fine. Enjoy the pictures, more later from Sturgeon Falls. I found out they have WiFi so we won't be isolated.