Life of Dudley [Killbear]

Date: August 9-17, 2015

Launch Point: Killbear Provincial Campground

Destination: Anywhere

Crew: Michael Mitchener & Dudley

Conditions: Summer

I spent about a week at Killbear this year and had Nessie on the water a few times.  While Georgian Bay can be fast and rough, most paddles were calm with relative smooth waters (at least the times I choose to canoe).  I met some canoers who had been out the day before and had had troubles getting back to our bay due to strong winds.  At one point they were being pushed against the rocks and used their paddles to keep the canoe safe.  With this in mind, I kept an eye on the weather and picked my times.  



While Dudley isn't a big fan of canoeing, he was out and about for a few rides and reluctantly enjoyed himself although his preferred position is tucked between my legs when on the water. 



Killbear is beautiful, you should go there.  Cheers.

An Urban Urban Voyage (Port Lands Ship Channel]

William Self

Date: August 2, 2015

Time: ~5:30 AM to ~8:00 AM

Launch Point: Trusty Cherry Beach

Destination: Port Lands Ship Channel

Crew: Michael Mitchener & William Self

Conditions: Light and variable winds with smooth seas in a very protected channel. 

Sightings: 1 sleek mink, many ducks, a haunted boat, 3 freighters, a SWAT team, 2 power plants, many dog walkers and dogs (of course), 1 star in the making, a couple on a board, and a "you shall not pass" drawbridge.

William Self

After reading about the latest plans for the Port Lands including the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project, we thought we'd explore the before view of Port Lands waterways before they gentrify the joint.  This also seemed like a true urban voyage and different from some of our more nature-oriented past trips around the Spit and Toronto Islands.  

Michael Mitchener 

Initially we thought we'd put Nessie into the water off Commissioners near Carlaw but realized that would involve a 5 foot drop into the water and wouldn't bode well for our camera equipment (or Nessie).  The rowing club near this location has a dock in the water but it's locked up behind a fence.  Not put off, we headed to our trusty launch location, Cherry Beach.

Michael Mitchener

The moon was full and still prominent in the sky as we put Nessie into the calm water about 5:30.  We took a few pictures and jumped into the canoe and headed out.  It was another beautiful morning, very calm and quiet as we rounded the point and saw our first view of the city.   

Michael Mitchener

Passing by the old Rochester Ferry dock, we noticed a large group of people dressed in black gathered on the edge of the pier.  I'm guessing they were police officers involved in some sort of training exercise.  Thankfully they took little notice of us as we passed by.


William Self

Next on the route was two large docked freighters.  Nothing makes you feel smaller than passing one of these towering bad boys in a 15 foot canoe.  They are freakin' huge and must extend 8-10 stories above the water.  They didn't seem to be going anywhere so we passed by fairly close in awe. 


William Self
  
After that we headed towards the Cherry Street drawbridge noticing a sign on the bridge that stated:

CAUTION
BRIDGE UNMANNED
Commercial vessels only
Small craft access by prior
arrangements only.... 416-462-1260

Toronto Port Authority

We quickly evaluated our options as a non-commerical vessel with no appointment, and put our heads and paddles down and went for it.  Luckily, we entered the channel unchallenged.  


William Self

The ship channel is amazing.  It's huge, sheltered and full of potential.  We were shocked how much distance we had covered once we reached the turning basin and looked back to the drawbridge.  It must have been quite the feat of engineering to build the channel initially complete with turning basin.  


Michael Mitchener 

Today, there are numerous industrial sites, power plants, and salt piles which make for interesting photo subjects.


Michael Mitchener 

Once we reached the turning basin, we turned but to be honest, we had lots of room to maneuver.  I'm not sure what they were thinking when they built the basin (obviously not Nessie). 

Michael Mitchener

Michael Mitchener 

Heading back to Cherry Beach, we hoisted Nessie onto the car, and headed to the Mercury Espresso Bar on Queen Street for a couple cortados and scones on the patio.



Michael Mitchener 

It was great to get out to a new spot for a change of scenery and a new perspective on the Port Lands.   

 
William Self

Port Paparazzi [Toronto Islands]

Michael Mitchener

Date: July 5, 2015

Time: ~5:30 AM to ~7:30 AM

Launch Point: Cherry Beach

Destination: Toronto Islands

Crew: Frank Lemire, Michael Mitchener & William Self

Conditions: Light and variable winds with smooth seas. Small short period wind waves. 

Sightings: 3 dipping dogs, 2 sleeping swans, blue heron, and a Peregrine Falcon under a bridge.

William Self

We had our inaugural paddle of the year on Sunday, making a run out to the Toronto Islands.  Nessie received a rare polish on Saturday in preparation for the big event (and I swear, she was a bit faster on the water because of it).  This also included a tung oil buff on her woodwork.

 

Michael Mitchener

We decided to go big and aim to be on the lake at sunrise which required a 5:00 AM pickup time with us on the beach about 5:20 AM.  We had time for a quick quaff of Scotch whiskey and our first run of the season blessing of the boat.  We debated heading to the Island or out to the Spit and decided to head to the Island.

Frank Lemire 

The Island was dead calm with no activity at the airport or ferries running at this point so we felt like we had the place to ourselves (other than one early-riser boater having a cup of coffee on deck in the marina).

William Self 

We managed a decent circuit of the various channels and lagoons before heading back to our starting point.  Caffeine deprived at this stage, we loaded up Nessie and headed up to the Mercury Espresso Bar on Queen Street for warm service and excellent coffee.

William Self 

As always, we had a lot of fun, took many pictures and managed to get a bit of a workout at the same time.  Cheers.

Norah Meets Nessie [Toronto Islands]

Michael Mitchener

Date: August 4, 2014

Time: ~7:00 AM to ~9:30 AM

Launch Point: Cherry Beach

Destination: Toronto Islands

Crew: Michael Mitchener, William Self & Norah Self

Conditions: Light and variable winds with smooth seas. Small short period wind waves. Winds: SW 3 to 4 knots. Seas: E 0 feet at 3 seconds.

Sightings: 3 minks, several rowers, cows, ponies, birds, dogs, water taxis, ferries, planes, herons, and thousands of ducks.

 
William Self

Believe it or not, today was the first trip out with Nessie this year - sad but true.  It was also the first trip out for Norah Self with Nessie although not her first canoe trip.  T'was a beautiful morning with near calm seas and warm temperatures.  As this was the inaugural run of the season, we toasted Nessie and safe travels with a very wee dram of scotch on the beach before heading out on the water with Norah comfortably seated mid-canoe and Bill at the rear.



Michael Mitchener

Given the calm morning, we decided to head over to Toronto Islands and crossed the Eastern Gap with the rising sun behind us.  The city had a slight fog covering it that added to the view as we paddled by the Ward's Island ferry terminal and passed through the marina.  A few boaters were up getting organized otherwise it was a sleepy Civic Day that we had mainly to ourselves.  We detoured on our way to Centre Island to see if we could spot a beaver at a dammed up inlet but alas, the damned beaver wasn't around.  Luckily we were able to spot a few minks along the way to compensate.


Michael Mitchener
 
We passed by Far Enough Farm and saw many animals and birds but not a lot of people and noticed that the overhead chairlift had not been put into service.  It was kind of sad to see that this ride has likely been a victim of cut-backs.  Noting the darkening sky and predicted mid-morning rain, we decided to turn-around at Centre Island and took an alternative route back by the RCYC and through the inner harbour.  Boat traffic was picking up some at this point but still a quiet holiday Monday.


William Self

Arriving back at Cherry Beach, we stretched our legs, took a few pictures and gathered our stuff before heading back to Nessie's lair and then over to Red Rocket on Danforth for a coffee and scone.  All in all a thoroughly enjoyable if not somewhat Scottish first run of the year.  I hope to get out about 20 more times before the frost arrives but we shall see.  Thanks Bill and Norah for a great morning. 

 
Michael Mitchener

Rouge River

Lily Pad Peril, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Photo featured as BlogTO's Photo of the Day 

Date: September 1, 2013

Time: ~7:45 AM to ~10:15 AM

Launch Point: Rouge River Park

Destination: As far up the river as possible

Crew: Frank Lemire, Michael Mitchener & William Self

Conditions: Slow current, slight wind and warm temperatures.

Sightings: Four kayaks, one canoe, several fisherman, three trains, a couple white birds, a few herons, many lily pads, and more golf balls than you can count.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

We decided to explore the Rouge River today located in Scarborough which enters Lake Ontario at Rouge River Park.  While William had visited the park before, none of us had navigated the river by boat and we were looking forward to exploring the Rouge to see how far north we could travel.

Marsh Tree, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

There were a few fisherman with lines in the river when we arrived and setup but after pushing off and heading upstream we were all on our own.  Almost instantly, you felt like you were outside of the city surrounded by trees, marsh and the sound of insects.  

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

The river is slow to start with and it was an easy paddle as we moved into the marshy delta.  We saw several birds including cranes and a large white bird that sort of looked like a heron (apologies to birders).  While you could see the odd home up on the banks of the river, there is not much on the river itself other than the odd neglected dock, or ruins of an old cottage.

Beware of Snakes, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

The river moves slowly and was fairly easy to paddle as long as we kept to the outside banks on the curves where the deep water is.  There are many low hanging trees over the rivers and a surprisingly large amount of golf balls visible through the water along our route (we never figured that one out).

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

After awhile we could hear the drone of the 401 and we soon passed underneath the 14 lane highway.  The superstructure supporting the highway is substantial and while you zip by on the highway without considering the Rouge River below, it would have been no small task to build the bridges at the time.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

Soon after the 401, the current picked up and we found ourselves dodging boulders and running out of water at times.  While it may have opened up ahead, we decided to turn Nessie around and head back down the river.  We realized that there was a significant current as the river helped us along as we paddled.  Passing a few kayakers on our way, we ended up back at the mouth of the river and explored some of the marshes and lily pads before calling it a day.

Railway Bridge, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Untitled, a photo by William Self on Flickr.

While it was a longer ride home than we're use to from other urban voyageur trips, it was worth the extra distance and we hope to return to the Rouge in the fall to check out the fall colours along the river.  The morning ended with a coffee and scone at the Last Drop Cafe.  All in all a great morning.

Post Paddle, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

For more images from this trip, please visit Frank Lemire's photoset.

Nessie Adrift [Killbear]

Nessie Adrift, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

I took Nessie to Killbear for a few days and enjoyed the time on the water. Georgian Bay is "big" water and can get fairly rough but we picked our days and had some great trips. Killbear is as beautiful as always.

Canoe Landing

Tom's Canoe, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Photo featured as BlogTO's Photo of the Day.

I had planned to go canoeing for real this weekend but that didn't work out so I went for an urban adventure instead and checked out Tom Thomson's Canoe at Canoe Landing Park. It's a sculpture by Dougland Coupland and worth a visit.

Portage, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Red Canoe, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.

Canoe Landing, a photo by Michael Mitchener on Flickr.