We’re back in our happy place, the beautiful shores of Lake Huron.
You may remember our stay in Inverhuron Provincial Park last fall. We are for a one night stay. Despite the shortage of available campsites, we were able to snag a great site by the water.
A path leads from the campsite directly to private pebble beach. We sat and watched the invisible sun set under cloudy skies. It was still beautiful and serene despite the lack of drama.
It rained on and off all night, but we were toasty and dry inside the van.
The next morning was still grey with more rain in the forecast. We drove down to the sandy beach on the far end of the park and went for a walk until the rain forced us back to the safety of the van. As you can see there weren’t too many people on the beach that day.
Kincardine is a short distance away and was our next destination where we had a few hours to kill. The weather mostly cooperated and we were able to sneak in a walk on the beach, a stroll in town, and another walk on the beach (this time in the opposite direction).
Our first walk on the beach was cut short by the rain so we went back to the van to wait it out.
Finally there was a break in the weather and we explored some of the quaint downtown streets.
We came across Paddy’s stone.
Paddy thought that this conglomerate is a large meteorite. Click on the photo below to enlarge it and read the story.
For a small town, Kincardine has some encouraging signs of diversity
and tolerance, which we find appealing.
There are some signs of quirky, modern vibe
next to heritage preservation
and grandeur of the past. They all seem to live side-by-side in harmony.
This time we came to the lighthouse from a different direction and walked around it a bit. The lighthouse is home to a marine museum, but it is Covid-closed now.
Still, there is a lot to see on the grounds alone.
Several plaques illustrate the history of the lighthouse.
Just outside of the garden, on the sidewalk, there is a plaque that tells the tale of the Phantom Piper. We mentioned in a previous post that in the summer a piper plays every Saturday at dusk from the top of the lighthouse. Now we know why.
After reading this story, we felt that we may be able to tolerate the chaos that comes out of this instrument a little better. Click on the photo below to read the story of the Phantom Piper.
Down at the harbour The Pathfinder graced the dock.
The pathfinder is a Brigantine that was used as a training vessel for youth for many years until its retirement a few years ago.
Here it is in it’s full-sail glory.
Credit: Canadianyachting.ca
Apparently today it’s a pirate ship.
The next boat over is a fishing boat.
Gary M. left all of the opening of his fishing boat wide open and we were able to peek into the guts of his fishing boat.
There is a lot going on in there,
and despite the apparent haphazardness, we are sure that everything is in its place and ready to do its job.
Back to the beach for one last walk before moving on.
One has to admire the forces of nature rearranging themselves,
so we helped with our own arrangements just because we could.
This was just a short visit and we already miss the beach.
Stay well, stay tuned and we’ll see you again soon with another backroads tale!
Looks like a wonderful place to visit, and very balanced if you know what I mean
It is, and you are correct 🙂
You must be so happy to be out exploring again. Nice to see a small town that appears to be open minded.
Right? We loved th evibe in this small town and I forgot to mention that we had some of the best sushi meals ever!
Glad you managed a visit, no matter how short. It is always good to get away. Stay well. Allan
Indeed it is! Thanks for coming along!
I’ve missed reading about your adventures in these quaint little towns. I especially enjoyed reading about Paddy’s Stone (I had to laugh, imagining Paddy’s neighbors thinking, “Now where can we get a meteorite like that?)🤣 The Phantom Piper is a great story too. Of course, it’s hard to know how much of these are myth vs. reality, but it’s fun to imagine.
I love these stories and you are right, who know how much of it is true. The other side of the coin are the stories that we haven’t heard because they are hidden or forgotten?
It’s great you were able to get away again. The story about the piper is so interesting. Have fun 😊
So nice to be out again! Maybe we’ll even be able to see you again soon 🙂
So, second try with this comment. The first try I couldn’t get it to connect to WordPress.
What are the water temps in the big lake this time of year?
I appreciate being able to read the historical markers without having to cross the (closed) border! Although it’s a bit of a tease to have to visit to see what the geologist had to say about Paddy’s stone…
It was a bit chilly for this time of the year, but not terribly cold. Having said that, it depends on what you’re used to…
I hope you can come over soon and read all of these plaques firsthand! Most of them contain more than silly folks collecting treasures 🙂
A love little arrangement you made in the last photo! Despite the overcast skies, it looked to be a fulfilling visit not too far from home!
It was a fun visit for sure and I love playing with beach glass 🙂
What conclusion do you draw from this meteorite?
That it isn’t one 🙂
OK, so that means the real one is still out there
There you go! Now we have something to look for 🙂
We were supposed to camp at the Pinery this weekend but wussed out because of the rain. We drove to Inverhuron on Sunday. I can’t believe I’ve never visited before, the beach is gorgeous!! The water was cold, but felt refreshing since it was so hot and humid outside.
It’s a real gem and the campground is nice too. I haven’t even heard of it before our trip last fall. Ontario’s best kept secret 🙂
Nothing beats being on the road again! Soon borders will open…more to explore.
Yes! I can’t wait!
Beach-hopping sounds great, even in the rain. I would love to find your sculpture in the sand! Thanks for sharing those interesting stories. Especially the bagpipes call the ship into shore.
I loved that story too! Thanks for coming along and if you don’t find my glass sculpture make your own 🙂
Love the cairn pic and glad you found an awesome campsite. That always makes it better!
A good campsite does make everything so much better! Luckily, there are lots of them to be found!
My apologies for the late reply; my WP reader was not updating your feed, so I was not aware of your latest posts. I had to re-follow you, and it seems to be working now. Hope all has been well!
It does that sometimes…thanks for following again 🙂 All is well, if you read on you will see that we have some news :). Also, I have a water post for you!
Thanks, I think I am all caught up!