225 kilometres travelled today. 5,044 km travelled total. High temperature was 21c.
I've been parked for two-and-a-half hours at the ferry dock in South Baymouth waiting for the afternoon sailing. I managed to get a good nap in, badly needed, and to set up the tent to dry it out from last night's rain. The geology/geography of Manitoulin Island is interesting. I'll have to come back some time and learn about it.
Manitoulin Island geology. Layers of limestone are visible everywhere you go on the island.
The sailing from Manitoulin Island to the Bruce Peninsula was uneventful. Fog obscured most of the view from the deck of the Chi-Cheemaun and a strong wind blowing in from the southwest kept me inside for most of the crossing. It was cold on deck. As the ferry pulled into the dock at Tobermory a dark thunder cloud was moving in with the wind. What a surprise.
I was frustrated with the situation and further frustrated because I let it frustrate me. I'm not sure why I let it frustrate me. There was a time in my life when I was more resilient to obstacles and I rolled with the punches. Now I fight them and in my head I let worst-case scenarios get the better of me. At that moment, coming off the ferry, I was picturing another thunderstorm in the future.
So I land at Tobermory. Frustrated. Like a child, I'm piqued that I'm not the first one off the ferry, even though I was the first car on. I tear through Tobermory, barely glancing at the town, and head, single-mindedly, for Bruce Peninsula National Park. In front of me a group of motorcycles pull over not minutes from the ferry. Some of the riders didn't put rain-gear on when they had the chance. In my mind I flip them the bird for not having the sense to put their slicks on while they were at the ferry. Ten kilometres down the highway I miss the turnoff for the campground - I am a notorious u-turner, just ask Meaghan. Back on track I turn up the road to Cyprus Lake campground and the first sign I come across says 'campground full.'
WTF? It's a Monday, and the season is still 10 days away from getting into high gear. Whatever. Five kilometres farther down the gravel road I arrive at the registration office. It is closed and the instructions for what to do under the circumstances aren't really clear. I head into the campground area anyway to see exactly how 'full' the park is. Tamarack is one of three campgrounds and there is not a soul to be found anywhere. Not a tent, trailer or car to be seen. So much for the campground being full. Unless it is occupied by ghosts and phantoms.
At this point, as the knuckles on my hand grasping the steering wheel lost some of their whiteness, I realized I had been racing to this point in a heightened state of urgency when there was no urgency.
I went back to the registration office for a more thorough examination of the various postings. I could hear thunder in the distance. It figures. Considering the plethora of campsites available I decide to wait out the rain and head back into Tobermory for a closer look and if possible, find some beer.
The liquor store was closed. No pop to be had either.
Tobermory is closed. Quite literally, every shop, diner, ice cream stand, and general store has a 'sorry, we're closed' sign hung in its window or door. I did find a liquor store but, of course, it too was closed. The only place I found open was a Greek pub. At least it was advertised as a pub. There were no cars in the parking lot.
I walked into the plain interior of the 'pub,' though it didn't resemble any pub I had ever been in, expecting to be turned away: "sorry, we're closed. I just haven't gotten around to putting the sign in the door and shuttering the windows." Instead, I found a woman sitting alone at a table in the dining room, among two-dozen empty tables. She instantly rose to greet me with a smile. I waved to her casually and told her she didn't have to get up.
"Is there any place in town I can get a six-pack," I asked.
Her smile faded slightly. "No," she replied. At this point, considering the emptiness of the place, I expected her to implore me to sit for a meal, but there was nothing more said. The place was truly empty. In my travels to this point I passed through a number of ghost towns, but this was the first one to actually be populated yet still have no sign of life. I found it mystifying that a town that relied so much on the tourist trade would shut down completely at six o'clock.
I did, however, find a post office where I mailed postcards written on the ferry, and I found the library to which I'll return tomorrow to learn more about the town.
Once again I headed out of town toward the park. This time though I paid closer attention to the community through which I was passing, and I realized I had to re-evaluate my notion of what Toermory is all about. Alng the way I passed at least half-a-dozen shops and inns that will not open this tourist season. Tobermory, at its town centre, seemed vibrant if not a little sleepy. One or two kilometres down the road though and a different story was being told. One place I passed looked like it was once a restaurant. It had closed signs in a couple of its papered over windows and the white washed clapboard siding was in need of more white wash. Grass grew wild around the building and garbage was piled against the wall.
As I approached the campground, for the second time, the rain seemed to have passed and the sky was brightening. I toured Birches campground this time and found what looked to be a nice site. There were barely a dozen other campers set up in the area, and considering the surplus of empty sites, I didn't see a need to encroach on anyone's privacy.
The campground is 'full' of phantoms and ghosts. I caught one scampering through my site, chasing squirrels.
It is a nice site. Minutes from the lake, like most of the sites, it is hemmed in tight by fir and birch trees. Interestingly, all the sites have two picnic tables. This, together with the warnings at the front gate that boisterous revellers will be evicted, I presume this is a bit of a party campground for weekend partyers up from Owen Sound or maybe even Barrie. Regular shrieking in the distance seems to partly confirm this.
The sun is fully gone. The only evidence of its passing a faint glow on the horizon. Stars now fill the sky in place of clouds and all the frustration I felt earlier is gone, replaced by a sense of wonder and awe and a desire for tomorrow to come. I am ready to explore.
Sunset over Cyprus Lake.
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