This week has been dedicated to getting out of the house. ROAD TRIPS!!! Monday I took a road trip to Bobcaygeon, Ontario (where I pretty much grew up). And yes, this is the Bobcaygeon that the Tragically Hip sing about – it is an actual place!
Brief history:
“Bobcaygeon is a community on the Trent–Severn Waterway in the City of Kawartha Lakes, east-central Ontario, Canada.
Bobcaygeon was incorporated as a village in 1876, and became known as the “Hub of the Kawarthas”. Its recorded name bob-ca-je-wan-unkcomes either from the Mississauga Ojibway word baabaagwaajiwanaang “at the very shallow currents”, giishkaabikojiwanaang “at the cliffed cascades” or obaabikojiwanaang “at currented rocky narrows”, or from the French beau bocage “beautiful hedged farmland”. The first lock in the Trent-Severn Waterway was built in Bobcaygeon in 1833.
The town is situated on three islands, along with the main land.
Bobcaygeon’s chief industry is tourism, particularly related to recreational fishing. Bobcaygeon is a hub for the region, providing many of the services unavailable in the smaller neighbouring communities.” – Wikipedia
I left the house around 12:30pm after feeding the pups and made an afternoon out of the trip. I took the back country roads which were all scenic. Nothing but sun, water and forest to distract me while driving. It was nice to see so many people out biking and jogging taking full advantage of this incredible day.
On the way out I drove past the Petroglyphs Provincial Park which I will have to check out one day. Here is some information on the park:
“Petroglyphs Provincial Park is a historical-class provincial parksituated in Woodview, Ontario, Canada, northeast of Peterborough. It has the largest collection of ancient First Nations petroglyphs (rock carvings) in Ontario. The carvings were created in the pre-Columbian era and represents aspects of First Nations spirituality, including images of shamans, animals, reptiles, and, possibly, the Great Spirit itself.
The location of the site was kept hidden from non-First Nation people until 1954, when it was rediscovered accidentally by a prospector (Everett Davis)[1] of the Industrial Minerals of Canada. The immediate area of the petroglyphs has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.[2]” – Wikipedia
I think spending a morning photographing the park would be a beautiful experience and an awesome blog to share with everyone in the future.
Continuing on my journey I drove through Buckhorn and Noggies Creek where the little bait & Tackle shop (Pirates Cove) is still up and running (30 years later). Located just next to the bridge on County Road 36. I remember buying penny candies (YES – 1 Cent candies) from this store after paddling over from Bellhaven Trailer Park.
Driving over the bridge and around the bend on the left is Bellhaven Trailer Park which from the ages of 6 years old to 19 years old was where we spent our summers and weekends (Less so for me when I got a job at the age of 16). Dozens of kids running around playing manhunt, fishing, swimming from morning to dusk, bonfires, corn roasts, boating and tournaments was how we grew up. It literally was the best of times!
What I noticed driving through Bobcaygeon was how nothing really changed. A few new builds but businesses and homes all stayed the same. Shops still around 20 years later. I was driving down memory lane. The pet store where the cockatiel mocked the old man laughing – still there. Pick N Save – still there. Bigley Shoes – Still there. Absolutely nothing has changed. The only change was how crowded it was for a Monday afternoon.
After revisiting my childhood I continued on my journey to Fenelon Falls, Ontario (which I’d never been) to check out a little antique store called Gr8 Finds Market. This little shop is actually two shops combined with multiple vendors.. Small, quite traditional for an in town shop. Laid out well and priced ok. I ended buying a little step stool for my main bathroom so I can reach the higher shelves. It’s old and chippy but it is a well built piece.
I walked the Main Street and along the water which was nice since it was not overly hot. However, I did forget to take pictures… sorry! You will just have to go and check it out yourselves 😛
Once my time in Fenelon Falls was complete it was time to make my way home. I decided to take the longer way home which would allow me to stop in some smaller towns along the way. On my cork board in the city I have a large map of Ontario and I mark every town I visit (this started 10 years ago). I will be adding over 20 pins since Covid-19 struck. Day trips are the only thing keeping me sane right now. I will take a picture of the map and add it for everyone to see once I head back to Toronto for work (still no date yet).
Here is a list of the towns I stopped in on the way back to Havelock: Woodview, Fowlers Corner, Cavan, Bethany, Keene and Cameron. They were all equally nice with century homes and shops lining the main streets. My trip came to an end around 5:15pm. Home sweet home just in time for dinner. Another fun successful afternoon spent touring the sites and getting to know Ontario. Our province is so big and there is so much land and water to enjoy. The few little pins I add to my board will barely cover the map. I still have SO much more to see.
Get out and experience what our great province has to offer while you have the time.
Stay safe!
🙂
My Country Farmhouse 