Red Deer Log Cabins

A lot of the business here is return clients, who have an obvious love for the place.  Then there are the new clients.  Sometimes I can tell I have the right people before they arrive.   It can be very subtle, but the signals are there.  Some people treat me as a friend, instead of a servant, before we have met.  This shows respect.  Some people ask all of the right questions.  This shows a consciousness of the world around them.  Some people indicate that their break from regular life is all about simple, real relaxation.  This shows wisdom.
 
There are also those who convince me that they want to be somewhere else while in the process of making the inquiry.  If the top things on their lists are discounts, big screen tvs and a shopping mall nearby, I realize they want this place to be just like every other place out there, that goes to great lengths to support the illusion that there is no difference between rural and urban places.
 
Why bother?
 
If you want this place to be Algonquin Park, don't come here, go to Algonquin.  If you want this place to be all inclusive, don't come here, go to an all-inclusive resort.  If you want this place to compete with places that do not offer space, cleanliness, and peace, why ask for a discount?
 
There are some things that money cannot buy. 
 
The cachet of Algonquin Park roofed accommodation is very expensive.  The cachet of Algonquin Park camping is very suburban (lots of cars passing your site).  For the better alternative, try Red Deer Log Cabins.  
 
It's not for everyone!  That would make it incredibly average.  Sort of like (gasp)  Holiday Inn.

 The weather report is fabulous.  Only one site left with electricity, but a bunch of room yet for tent campers.  Cabins are full. 
Some blackberries and wild raisins are ripe.  The mushrooms are fruiting in a big way. 

I expect Algonquin will fill, so if you are making last minute plans, be sure to make a camping reservation.  It will likely be an Algonquin overflow type of weekend.

Fishing has been really good the last while.  Even newbies are catching some.  Perch have been abundant of late, along with the regular bass, bass, and bass.  Pike is a given too.

So often there is rain in the forecast that does not materialize at this location.  The problem is that the meteorologists are using data from Bancroft and from Lake of Two Rivers and extrapolating to get the result for Madawaska.  Both of those locations often get hammered, and all I get here is a few drops.
It is very dry here.  Most of the rain in the last month has missed this spot.  So... if you are thinking of getting away from the city, but don't like the weather forecast for the area, consider again that it is (often) not raining here.
That being said, I expect a little rain today because there was no dew this morning.  It is raining in Algonquin Park and in Bancroft right now (I can see it in the sky), but I have yet to feel a drop.
Sometimes it is raining at the town of Madawaska, just pouring, but I have nothing here.   Madawaska is 2 km by road and 1 km by water (or as the crow flies).
It's a magical little spot.  It seems there is something special about the way the river runs between the hills here, and somehow the rain is pushed to either side, on a regular basis.

I've got some new clients that breathe new life into that slogan.  Nature lovers love it here.  I love hearing why they like it so much.
This place is everything your regular trailer park is not.  I also had some German folks who went into Algonquin to see the sites there, and came back loving this place even more. 
People have great family vacations, they actually play with their children instead of sending them off to get hurt on a plastic playground.
A couple of likely long term friendships were made this past weekend.  It is so great to see all the smiling, shiny faces when people are leaving.  Hopefully they can hang on to that feeling for a while after they get back to their everyday lives.

So there was no overflow camping here because of that.  The place is 5 sites from full without them.  Numerous people are here who I have not seen for a couple (or 10) years.
Just goes to show that people remember where the good times are.....
Oh, and it poured in Bancroft and Algonquin Park, but it only spit a little bit here.

Went to the corner store this evening just before closing.  Other years, Highway 60 has been a stream of traffic on Fridays.
The road was DEAD!.
Canoe outfitter has everything rented, so they are doing well apparently.  But a serious traffic shortage overall.
Then one of the Campapalooza Moms dropped in to pick up things that were left behind.   She had just driven through Algonquin Park, and also noted that the traffic was very light.

Well...my cabins are full...campers still on the way too.  Normal Friday here.

On the topic of what my clients say:

The new word I am hearing from the description fed back to me is 'Canadiana'.  This term has replaced 'rustic', which has become a common term in decorating usage as a new/old motif.  Rustic never did mean 'run down', which unfortunately was the popular usage/comprehension of the term.

But I digress.

Numerous itinerant Europeans were here this past weekend, in motor homes, because the million trailer hookups in Algonquin were full (one family stopped here first, then checked out Algonquin and came back to register on Friday.  As in, ahead of the frenzy for the last spots). 
Every one of them said the same thing.  This was the Canadiana they sought and had not found other places on their trips, because of the commercialization of the industry.  Even Algonquin was too much like a suburb of a city.

The organized campgrounds in Algonquin hold more people than live in the town of Madawaska, in closer quarters.  So does Riverland.
Here, #1 on the menu is the environment.

Many international visitors look for Canadiana on their trips, much as I wanted to find a 'real' castle to stay in when in Scotland.  So many that offered lodging had completely 'updated', americanized and indistinct.  Could I tell I was in Scotland once I walked indoors? 

The entire camping industry has gone through a huge infrastructure shift, as in providing more comfort/amenities.  Industry surveys claimed that people wanted more services, higher amperage for bigger motor homes, free wifi, laundromats, etc.  The sacrifice has been the camping environment; trees have to be removed to install infrastructure, sites are graded flat and graveled so the fridge in the trailer will work without leveling blocks.  No grass to cut.  Higher energy costs; both infrastructure and usage require that more units be put into a smaller space for profit...people don't want tree branches touching their rolling stock.  Some rigs cost much more than my house; their occupants can be very demanding (and often ask for discount on a price that is already below the industry mean). 
Is a 42 ft motor home camping?  These rigs are getting taller too, requiring more tree pruning.

This industry is helping destroy the Canadiana that the international traveler is looking for.  We have the same problem here as the rest of the world.  We have become americanized; not sure who that is supposed to be helping. 

One of the Dutch families should be checking back in any moment.  They went to the Park yesterday and said they might be back, then emailed.  It's great when people who are in Canada for only 3 weeks want to come back!

Ok, now I AM bragging...

I was up very early, so went for a little tour through the area, to look at the parking lots of various tourism properties before everyone was up and moving around.
The busiest place is the most expensive one.
All but one small business accommodation property had between 0 and 50% occupancy.  The one different one was close to full (probably 10 of 12 units).  A different other property that is affiliated with the expensive one was 50% full.  It's in such an ugly spot, I don't get it, follow the 'garbage disposal' signs to get there.
It's the middle of July, a Saturday night/Sunday morning, and there is no crush of tourists.  Right next to Algonquin Park, in Whitney!

On the other hand, the cabins are full here for the upcoming holiday weekend, but there STILL IS LOTS OF CAMPING available for August 1 to 4 (or 5; seems a lot of people have a flex this holiday too).

I just tried to map a route from here to Sudbury on Google Maps, and it still insists that Madawaska is near the town of Renfrew.  This is not correct.  I thought they had fixed this, but NO!  I have sent them another trouble report.  This has been going on for most of a year.  Dumping the browser cache has no effect on the map results either.
Please follow the information on my How To Get Here page for directions.  GPS is based on Google information, so following your GPS will still get you lost on a dead end dirt track east of the town of Maple Leaf, on highway 28, and nowhere near here.
Speaking with someone at Algonquin Park administration the other day, it turns out Algonquin Park has the same problem.  People following GPS to go to the East Gate at Whitney are not achieving their destination.  Different dead end on a different dirt road...just as scarey if you are driving in the dark.  Since cell phone coverage is spotty, due to geographical characteristics of the area, once you are stuck on that dead end, you may not be able to call for help.

As far as I know, you can still get free road maps from the Ministry of Transportation.  No cell signal required!

Here comes the last long weekend of the season.  Looks like we are getting good weather for most of it.
There will be turkey in the air...I mean the aroma of roasting ones.  Might see a wild turkey by the side of the road, or a clutch of them.  They have been much more visible this year than in the past, lots of sightings.
Anyone driving through Algonquin Park in the dark tonight, be aware of moose!  They can sneak up on a car pretty quickly.  In other words, it isn't safe to "book it" through the Park after the sun goes down.  In my 24 years here, there have been 3 very late arrivals due to collisions with these grand creatures.  These unfortunate incidents all happened on the stretch of hwy 60 inside Park boundaries.  That being said, moose are not restricted to the park, so collisions are possible on all local roads.
Also, anyone on highway 60, keep in mind that there have been lots of speedtraps, especially on the long weekends, this season.

Thanks to everyone who has been part of the experience here in 2013, tourists, volunteers, and regular clients.  I will be taking bookings for the next while, weather permitting, but soon it will be time to plan and book your 2014 getaways.

It's a first!  I just had people book a campsite for the rest of the day, because they cannot find a fish at Rock Lake, or Lake of Two Rivers, etc.
I've been sending people to Algonquin Park for years, for all kinds of things that are not provided here, like interpreted hiking trails, restaurant, art museum, TED talks, book signings.  It's the first time I have had something that Algonquin Park does not have.  Fish!  There are fish here.  Oh, except in the old days, when Algonquin had very few sites with electricity; I used to get lots of RVs, Europeans on tour.  Now that the Park's organized campgrounds have been contracted out to a private interest, they have more than enough sites with electricity and water.
I can take down the sign that says "Algonquin Park Overflow".  Ok, so I already knew that.  Kewl though that someone, who is camped in Algonquin, spotted habitat here for fish, and is fishing right now, as the weather change rolls in.  Hope he gets a big pike!

Reading around on the internet, I found this post on a travel forum.

"All the cabins I looked at had much more then we need, like TV, wifi, even a housekeeping. Are there any simple rustic cabins on the lake with canoe/kayak that you would recommend?"

The person thought a housekeeping cabin is a unit with housekeeping service.  Something makes me think this is not a rare situation with those shopping for vacation...

For those who don't know, "self-catered" and "housekeeping" mean the same thing in the accommodation industry.  It is a type of accommodation, not a service that comes with accommodation.  It means that basic amenities are provided (appliances, furniture, pots, dishes) and are yours to use, but are to be left clean upon departure.  Leaving your dirty dishes behind in a "housekeeping" resort is contrary to the contract for rental.

Language is a continually shifting thing, but there has been no replacement, to date, of this term in the accommodation industry.