August 1 Friday, South Lake Campground, Minden, ON

A quieter sort of a day, didn’t get away until 10ish. Decided to head north to Beaverton on the southern shore of Lake Simcoe and Jilly presented us with a great route through some interesting countryside, bypassing the main roads. Spotted an antique shop in Pefferlaw, an enjoyable browse, and I picked up an excellent Readers Digest Atlas of Canada, much more detailed than the other maps we have, all for $10. Lake Simcoe is huge, maybe a bit bigger than Taupo, and as usual headed to the boat ramp. Interesting with little 2 storied cottages built beside the water way…boat storage underneath and house above! Made lunch while we sat and watched the comings and goings. Sunderland was another smallish town, bought enough supplies to last the 3 day holiday weekend. It is one of the biggest holidays in Ontario, being mid summer, and everyone heads away. There was a small farmer’s market, bought some more blueberries…very sweet at the moment, and aren’t they meant to be good for you?
Took another cross country tour courtesy of Jilly to Minden, through more rugged country with the rocky outcrops and wet swampy areas with dead trees in pools of dark water…so typical of Canada.
Were told by some people we were chatting to in Beaverton, that the ice cream made in this region called Kawartha Lakes Ice Cream is the best. Spotted a little place on the shores of Head Lake selling it, so of course we needed to sample it…and it was good. Had a long chat with the lady in the shop, her and her husband go to country and western show weekends, and have a booth selling mugs and buttons, with photos they take of the customers, print them on the spot, and put them on the products. She said there was a big weekend coming up, and they would make about $20,000. Quite intrigued, as couldn’t imagine anyone buying them in NZ.
Had to stop at the next town, Kinmount where there was another millpond and dam, and the community were restoring the old mill. Seem to be drawn to these ponds…and there are plenty in this area, a means of powering the sawmills for the early settlers, in these heavily forested areas
We had heard that unless we booked ahead for the long weekend, we were unlikely to get a campsite, so made a booking at this camp for 3 nights. It is something a bit different to what we have been used to, with a large number of permanents, and lots of children and young families. Very run down, and the people in the camp seem a bit rought, but it will be fine, as we are keen to spend a few days staying put, doing a few things around the RV, and having some time out. Both of us are feeling quite tired, and will be in bed soon after 9!

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