Skunks, sky and sunset

We had ended Thursday with yummy BBQ steaks and bison sausages cooked by Shelley, and started Friday with another Canadian cooked breakfast (different bacon though!) A rather lazy start to the day after the long drive to Owen Sound, we were entertained by black squirrels and chipmunks in Shelley and Beth’s backyard. After some discussion about what we would do that day, we finally headed off to Bruce Peninsula with Beth acting as tour guide.

We drove the scenic route to Wiarton where we stopped for lunch at the aptly named Three Friends Cafe. After a brief refuel we drove up the Bruce Peninsula and turned off at the Halfway Log Dump road and stopped for a scenic walk through the woods to the lake shore and a view of the Niagara Escarpment. Even with Deep Woods insect repellent (which is supposed to be effective against mosquitoes, black flies, deer flies, stable flies, biting midges, ticks, and chiggers) the three of us we bitten mercilessly.

We didn’t spot any wildlife on the short walk (but we did practice our bear scare tactics should we encounter a black bear which are known in this area). The lake shore was very rocky and had unusual rock formations and we had a great view of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. After again facing the nasty deer flies we were back on the road to the very picturesque town of Tobermory where we ate fish and chips and ice cream and browsed some of the shops.

Next stop was to be Sauble Beach to watch the sunset over Lake Huron, but we hadn’t timed our trip right and had to stop off at Red Bay where we did have a glorious view of the setting sun. It was getting late so we headed off home to Owen Sound. Two foxes ran across the road in front of us, luckily they were far enough away from the car.

Near Wiarton we saw a black object lying on the road and it wasn’t until we were almost on top of it that we realised it was a freshly dead skunk. The smell was terrible and stayed in the car all the way home. Not even open windows and air freshener made a difference.

We hadn’t managed to see the night sky until Owen Sound, and Shelley was able to point out the Big Dipper to us. We are not sure what other stars we were looking at but the night sky did look quite different from that viewed in the southern hemisphere.