A Couple of Road Trips

With the final few weeks of summer left, and time for all the kids to head back to school I wanted to make the most of the last long weekend of the summer. For most people it's a three day weekend, but unfortunately for me I had to work Labor Day. With my two days off I wanted to enjoy myself, and what better way than to take a road trip. The weather for this weekend was perfect, so I wanted to be near the water. I gave it a little thought, and decided to head out to Rice Lake. It's not a long drive, but then again I wasn't looking to spend all my time in the car, or on the highways. I used to camp at Rice Lake around 12 years ago, but I have not been back since. I spent a few hours cruising along the roads that follow the lake, and took in all the sites. There was one small problem I found, and that's there were no public places to have a picnic. The lake is so commercialized now that everywhere you go there is a resort, or private marina, so as I headed away from the lake I found a great little conservation area, and that was a perfect place for a picnic lunch. What made it even better was I had the whole place to myself. At the end of the day as I puffed on my pipe I felt very satisfied with my first trip. After a great night's sleep (all the fresh lake air, and sun) I was up early Sunday, and planning my second day trip. This time I headed up to Beaverton on Lake Simcoe. With perfect blue skies, and light traffic on the roads I was in heaven in no time. I drove around a little to see the town because I have never been there before, and what a beautiful town it is. Lots of public access to the lake filled with families enjoying picnics and fishing. I decided to follow the roads up north to the north shores of Lake Simcoe, and I couldn't believe my eyes. The communities up there are like entering a different world... it's just that beautiful. It reminded me of the inner-coastal waterways of Florida. Immaculate grounds, homes, parks, and everyone owns a boat. People out enjoying the weather cycling, power walking, walking their dogs, kids playing in the parks with family and friends, and not just hanging out looking for trouble. I had no problem finding the perfect spot for my picnic lunch. You know when your enjoying yourself so much that you just don't want it to end? that's how I was feeling up there, but as they say all good things must come to an end, so I had to end the perfect day with the perfect dinner....pizza and a cold beer. Here are some of the pics I took. I try not to invade peoples privacy, so I didn't take many of their homes, but trust me they're breath taking. Enjoy!