Tidbits

Sleepover at Ikea - Maybe this is the only way to get to the $1 early enough…
A ramen bath - Japanese spa with special baths resembling instant noodles. I wanna play!
Old age homes for dogs - 1) Old dogs don’t like to be abandoned at strange places. 2) Playing with young puppies will probably cause the older dogs to die faster due to exhaustion.
A remote-controlled pigeon - Oh the poor thing…
An article on a brilliant method of teaching grade schoolers about bats and rabies. I smell a lawsuit.
Will trade beer for Crumpler bags. Tempted by the beanbag and messenger bags…

Willie the Groundhog is an Albino??

September 27, 2005, 4:05 am

Back from self-declared long weekend! Even though it was rainy and grey on Sunday and Monday, the worse of the storm was on Sunday night, when we were comfortable tucked at a cozy bed-and-breakfast at Lion�s Head. A quick itinerary:

Day 1:

Got up at 7 am, arrived at Tobermory around noon. Wanted to take glass-bottom boat tour to Flowerpot Island, but all the tours were cancelled due to high winds and waves.

Went to Cypress Lake area of Bruce Peninsula National Park. Hiked to the Grotto (blue water inside giant sea cave, very cool) and a bit of the Bruce Trail along the Niagara Escapement at Georgian Bay. Went to Singing Sands Beach, walked in Lake Huron. Sand did not sing, not even a whistle.

Back to Tobermory and dinner at the Grandview Motel restaurant. Whitefish is the specialty, local fish of Georgian Bay. It is very bland. Never have it jus broiled, yuck. Stuffed with crab is good. Their Ginger-Lemon salmon though, is awesome. Stayed overnight at the �Adventure the Bruce Inn�, very new establishment, opened in Spring 2005. Paper thin walls though.

Day 2:

Got up at 8 am to try for the 9:30 tour to Flowerpot Island. Surprisingly, they don�t run on a perfect, sunny day, but have no trouble dropping you off on an island on a grey morning with the threat of thundershowers.

Saw two shipwrecks, the �Sweepstakes� and �The City of Grand Rapids�. Basically rotten wood in shallow water, one of the wrecks is practically sticking out of the surface of the water, you can see it from shore, only it�s private property. �Glass-bottom boats� are such a sales gimmick. It�s just a tiny window that you can view from, not the entire floor. On to see other islands in the Fathom Five National Marine Park.

Got dropped off at Flowerpot Islands. The flowerpots themselves were sort of short. And it was raining. They had cool compost toilets though. You just drop sawdust down the hole, and it�s surprisingly clean and odour-free. Ride back to Tobermory on a Zodiac Hurricane boat, pretty fast, got most out of money. Had fish and chips back in town. Breaded whitefish of course. Again, not impressed. Dropped off at �Cha Mao Zah�, a Teepee hostel, if you will. The people there were rather white. Bought smoked lake trout. Onwards to Lion�s Head, to �Taylor-Made Bed and Breakfast� for the night. Lion�s Head is tiny. Has cute lighthouse.

Day 3:

Went cave hunting. First commercial place, Greig�s Caves, was closed on weekdays. On to Wiarton. Saw the world�s tallest groundhog statue. I�m sure it was the worlds only as well.

Saw Wiarton Willie and his house. Apparently all the past Willies were abinos too. Maybe I just watch too much American television and their boring brown Phil. Went to Bruce Caves. Found a single cave. Too lazy to find rest of them. Back to Owen Sound. Visited Mill Dam & Fish Ladder. Jump fish jump! Inglis Falls. Not bad, not bad.

On the way back to Waterloo, detoured to Eugenia Falls, stupid trees, obscured all the nice view. Teased by glimpse into fog covered valley of fall-coloured trees. McGowan Falls, it�s a dam. Got back to Waterloo in time to cook dinner.