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Hector And The Wildlife We knew there would be various critters and bugs sharing the campsite with us and we were careful to strap the coolers shut and put the food into the luggage tent whenever we would leave the site. We didn't suffer any mishaps thanks to this foresight, but that didn't stop the furry little forest dwellers from trying. We were impressed with the variety of wildlife, catching glimpses of birds such as woodpeckers, loons, sparrows, sandpipers and ducks. Lots of ducks. Although there were many rabbit droppings on a trail leading away from our site into the woods along the riverbank, we never saw any. But there were other animals that showed up often enough they became regular sights. |
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Like this inquisitive fellow, who was quite impressed with my morning cup of fresh-brewed coffee. He was one of two red squirrels that lived close by and the two of them were the source of much amusement to us. One of them soon realised that Hector wasn't much of a threat and would tease him by waiting until he was asleep at the foot of a tree, then clambering down to within a few feet of him and letting loose with a tirade of chirring and chuckling insults. Hector would awaken with a loud "WOOF!" and send the squirrel scurrying back up the tree, chattering and scolding away. |
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Hector also came face to face with a large dragonfly for the first time one warm, sunny afternoon. The dragonfly had stopped to hover a few feet from his nose and Hector could hear the buzzing of the wings. His ears perked up and whenever the dragonfly moved up, down or side to side Hector would track him by the sound and turn his head in whatever direction it moved to. Angie saw the whole scene and said you would have sworn he could actually see, because his head followed precisely wherever it went. |
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By the third day Hector was his old self again and was becoming familiar with the layout of the land. He was in doggy nirvana what with a huge water dish (the Madawaska River) only a few feet away, lots of table scraps at mealtimes, lots of walkies, many new interesting scents to investigate and lots of love from his Mom and Dad who had more time than usual to devote to him. |
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He went for many swims in the river and adjoining lake and played his favourite water game (fetch the stick) over and over again. We've developed a routine that works well for this game; I call him over and let him smell the stick, then tell him to back into the water and wait. When he's still I throw the stick over his head, he hears it go by and then spins around and lunges out in the general direction it went. Sometimes he gets lucky and bumps into the stick with his chest or snout, he then grabs it and brings it back for another toss. Other times he goes right past it and we spend several minutes guiding him by voice to the spot where it lies bobbing in the water. He gets a LOT of exercise in this game. |
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By the end of the day he was pretty much exhausted and would collapse next to our camp chairs in a cloud of pine needles and dirt. On the Tuesday and Wednesday he had a surprise visit from his brother Jess, as my Mom and Dad showed up in their new Airstream Bambi trailer. It was great to visit with them and Hector and Jess got lots of exercise playing frisbee, fetch the stick and other fun doggy games. By the time they left Wednesday morning Hector was absolutely worn out and spent most of the day sleeping. |
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What Hector never got to "see" or play with the whole time we were there, though, were the many duck families that wandered about the river. There were four separate families that would visit our little private beach each day and Angie took many pictures of them as they frolicked about. I took to naming the mothers to avoid confusion (although Angie says it was because I had way too much time on my hands) whenever a family showed up; this picture is of Sylvia and her six little cuties. |
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This is Barbara and her brood; they visited us the most. One memorable evening they surprised us, but we unfortunately didn't have our cameras handy to capture the event. We were sitting by the campfire talking and relaxing when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see two small, curious ducks come over the embankment and start waddling towards us. A very nervous looking Barbara was right behind them, while the rest of the family were busy struggling up the incline to catch up. We started making cutesy talk to encourage them to come closer and Hector, hearing this, came over to investigate. Barbara took one look at him and issued the alarm call - there was a mad rush of tiny webfeet and fluffy duck butts as they all tumbled back down into the water. Hilarious! |
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Local Attractions The Barry's Bay region has quite a history and some very interesting attractions. There is a strong Polish community in the region and the neighbouring town, Wilno, is the site of the first Polish settlement in Canada. So naturally there are many Polish items for sale in the local stores. I was surprised to see a wide selection of their beer in the local LCBO and tried a brand named "Zwyiec". Good stuff - on par with our own Keith's IPA. |
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On my first exploratory trip into the town I happened across this monument of the Avro Arrow, a Canadian made jet fighter that rocked the world - and the U.S. - when it exploded onto the scene in the 1950's. This particular monument was dedicated to one of its test pilots, a Polish born Canadian citizen by the name of Janusz Zurakowski who had settled in the area. He was quite the pilot and much has been written about him, although the books they had for sale in the surrounding gift shops were all printed in the Polish language. They are presently building a museum dedicated to him and the Arrow that is due to open soon. I think I'll have to make a trip back up there to see it. |
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Another landmark of the area is the Wilno Tavern, located about 10km to the east of Barry's Bay. It is well known for its excellent Polish fare and is a popular stop for riders from Toronto to Ottawa and beyond. We stopped there with the intent to have lunch one day, but they did not have an outdoor patio nor were they willing to let Hector go inside. Angie brought out a menu so that we could sit at the picnic table near the back of the lot, but that idea was canned once I saw the prices on the menu. $8.99 for two perogies?! I don't care how good their food is, there was no way I'd be paying a King's ransom for eats. |
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Right across the highway from the tavern was an interesting looking park, so I headed over there to sit with Hector in the shade of the trees while Angie checked out a local art gallery. The park was built by donations from the descendants of the original Polish settlers; every family that donated towards it had a large granite stone engraved with their names and those of their descendants, then placed in a circle around the park's centerpiece (which I believe was some sort of mining winch, as seen in this pic). There were many displays of culture and heritage and a small museum on site, which unfortunately wasn't open the day we were there. |
| Although we didn't do much travelling in the area, preferring to sit on our private beach instead during the heat of the day, wherever we went the people were friendly and talkative. There are many twisty roads in the region and we were told by more than a few locals that much of their tourist income is from riders passing through. It seems to be a very bike friendly area and well worth a visit should you ever find yourself up that way. | |
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