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At 8:45 AM sharp, we were at Georgian Bay Aviation ready to fly. Our tour/pilot, Andrew King was waiting with chart in hand also ready to go. Ueli climbed in the left seat, Andrew directed the course and Joan had the camera in hand. The area in and around Parry Harbor was some of the most beautiful we had ever seen anywhere. The area consists of 30,000 islands and most are only accessible by boat or plane. Massive homes complete with their own floating boat houses/hangers (guest house on top) set on the beach of an island. It seemed as though most homes had their very own island. The wide range of architecture and size was amazing. Starting with a small shack and then the more conventional A-frame house and finally single to multi house villas of every shape and color. Of course those with the extra bucks had one to several tennis courts nearby. If the island was too small the courts were built on a nearby island with a bridge or boat connection. As we saw it, most of the shallow water in wintertime is frozen solid and once it reaches one foot in thickness, it is strong enough to take the trusty snow mobile which is the prime means of transportation, except aircraft with skis. An island is only considered an island if there is a tree growing on it. Inland, most islands were covered with dense forest, while along the coastline, the islands were solid rock of every color, shape and size. Resorts abounded everywhere and many camps for children were scattered throughout. Andrew knew most of the "Rich and Famous" homes, pointed them out and had a story to tell about each one. After a few hours, Andrew took out his cell phone and called his Uncle to ask if he and his wife could hop in their boat and meet us on a nearby lake. What fun it was to merge the floatplane and boat together to meet and have a chat with these lovely people. Of course we took several pictures of one another and were sent off with fresh pastries and fruit. Next, lunch! Andrew suggested a wonderful resort called Elmhirst set along a moss colored lake. It resembled a grand English mansion. We docked the plane, walked up the meandering stone paths and stepped inside for a feast. After an hour of dining at a table covered with white linen, we were told that is was time to see more exciting things. With a front scheduled to pass during the night, it was time to go.
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Our
Floatplane Waiting for us the Cessna 180 at Parry Harbor |
Getting
Ready Fueling up and briefing by Andrew |
Joan
at the Controls A great feeling we have been waiting for |
Home
under Construction Some of the large homes understandably take their time being built in remote places. |
No
"One size fits all" One person's boat house is the other's mansion. |
Elk
Hunting Checking the marshy wetlands for moose. |
Equal
Right This turning bridge was not turned for us so we could conveniently land there. |
Normal
Locks Most lakes are connected by canals permitting house boats to roam. |
Elevator
Lock In Peterborough is one of the oldest still functioning elevator lock. |
Country
Strip Park wherever you can. If the plane does not fly anymore leave it for spare parts donations. |
A
Meteor Impact? Lakes develop different names out of imagination. Could this be from a Meteor? |
No
Landing possible Some waterways are too shallow to land. There's danger of collision with a moose. |
Found
the Restaurant! Elmhirst Resort with landing dock in front and grass strip in the back. |
Great
Time on Floats That's the way to go for lunch. |
Watching
the Plane While lunch is being prepared we can review our flight. |
Green
Mussels Eating light - lunch of green mussels on a spicy tomato sauce. |
Put
on the Lid Decadent layered chocolate pillar - sheer bliss. |
Ready
to Go? There is lot's more to see. |
Nice
Boat House Plenty of space for the fishing boat and enough clearance for a floatplane. |
Live
on and off the Land Use what nature offers and build your impressive log home with a modest boat shed. |
Choice
for a Home Site One of the 30'000 islands should suite your needs. |
Venice
of the North Canal Grande for every one. Make sure you have the larger or faster boat than your neighbor. |
Quality
Standard A life style that calls for a tennis court. Make sure you have enough balls to replace those over the fence. |
Get
Home All Right To find your way home - look for a lighthouse next to the front door with helipad on top. |
Yard
for the Goat Found a rock - plant a little lawn for your four legged friend. |
Parry
Harbor Home town of Parry Harbor in sight. It was a great flight! |
Back
at the Dock Thanks to Andrew for showing us all those specialties and the many splash and goes. |
Visit Next Web Page | ||
Road Trip: Parry Sound - Ottawa | ||
Response and suggestions are appreciated to [email protected] This page was serviced last on September 24, 2004
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