Red Deer Log Cabins

It appears the issues with Google, which has been an ongoing situation for 17 months, are finally resolved.  We still need to see if they can change back the name of the body of water to the west of the campground to read "Moore's Creek".  Someone over there decided it was part of the Madawaska River...it is a distinctly separate tributary, spilling from Moore's Lake.

Over 100 emails and I have no idea how many phone conversations later, the ghost posting of Red Deer Lodge & Campground (name change 5 years ago, somehow the property moved over to Highway 17) is eradicated from the system.  I think the GPS problem is fixed, but we won't know until someone has trouble...or not.  Maybe now I won't get any more phone calls from people asking me if I am sure my place is not on Highway 17.  Maybe now I won't get people following GPS lost down a dirt road facing a locked gate.  Maybe.

My blog must be so jealous.  Since I have started a Facebook page it is getting all of the attention because of all the alerts and whatnot.  Wear me out much?  On the other hand, thanks to everyone who is posting pictures and making comments and clicking on things.

Mushrooms are trying to grow, but we really need rain.  There has been enough dew lately to make a few.  Last 4 predicted rain events are not worth measuring, a few drops. It rained heavy close by though because the Falls is just roaring!  That means the top of the ridge must have gotten substantial amounts of rain, where Moore's Lake is, to create such an outflow so late in August.  Lots of times the Falls is just down to a trickle by now.
Anyone who can get into the deep forest will likely be able to pick happily and heartily.

Water level in the Madawaska River is a bit high.  The riverfront tentsite is not completely dry (no standing water though) in one spot.  I noticed a wet lawn mower tire a couple of very limited spots in the grounds when I cut grass yesterday.  Yes, some of the grass here survived the drought.  A lot of sites only had one cut this season because of the shortage of precipitation.

Cabins are maybe full for the long weekend; one is not confirmed (#4).  Still a bunch of tent sites and a couple of serviced sites to be had.

So call, ,or fill in the form, and you too can be camping this weekend.  Oh, a second 1/2 day canoe prize was claimed.  Find the contest on the website, and enter to see if you are a winner.

Some of these places may be going a bit overboard, by asking clients to take a vow of silence, or not speak during certain times (people used to go to ashrams or cloisters for that).  My movement toward quiet was provoked by clients appreciating being able to get away from dueling stereos, revving ATVs, and drunken revelers partying all night.  There are lots of other places to do those things. 

This is not a library; happy sounds of children playing, people enjoying a good laugh around the campfire, etc are good things!  ATVs are not turned away, but they are not allowed to run through the grounds for fun.  People can play amplified music, but it must be turned off at 11 pm.  The suggestion is that your music should not infringe on anyone else's enjoyment of their spot here.
Make noise during the day, when the world is awake.  Let everyone sleep at night.

Slowly over the years, guests have been playing amplified music less and less during their stays, even during the day.  This has nothing to do with my client guidelines and personal preferences.  I love music!  I don't like to be forced to listen to someone else's, particularly rap and country, for extended periods of time though.

Once again, my format is ahead of the curve.  You can have the luxury of quiet here, especially if you vacation off peak times.  As I cannot control the public waterway, or the highway, these background sounds are likely during the daytime, especially during long holiday weekends and late July/early August.  When the sun goes down though, likely you can hear the waterfall, a km away.   I have been asked by some what highway is so busy at night; it is the only sound in their auditory library that relates to the white noise they hear from the falls.

The luxury of quiet without the luxury pricetag.  Good deal?

The grass is cut.  That's done.
The not so good thing is the tires on the tractor are still getting wet, so the river is still high.  It means the trail to the waterfall is still flooded, badly.

There were many years when the trail was flooded in the spring, and it wasn't safe to go into the bush but for the bugs until August.  Some years the trail has been passable for the entire season.  For the last 2 years the trail has been under water.  Between drenching rain (the drought is over, no fire ban for the last 2 years either) and the river being kept high by OPG (Ontario Power Generation), the trail doesn't have a chance.

The tires being wet also means 2 campsites are flooded and consequently offline:  the waterfront tent site and the original group site.  Even if its dry when you arrive, OPG opening the floodgate at Whitney OR a 5 minute drench could mean you are floating by morning.  That's how much the river is still going up and down with the management.

It also means that on a warm humid evening there are still mosquitoes.  Their breeding ground has never dried up this year.  The deer flies are still murderous in the bush too, which is much later than their typical season.  Hiking in the forest isn't fun this season.  It's much better to travel by water or hike in the open.  By water is the only way to see the falls this season, don't know that September will be any better.

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).

Well, we've got blackflies.  Seems a week late to me.  Or Victoria Day was incredibly early.
A light breeze, sunny, mid 20s...it's all good.  The bugs aren't even noticeable down by the river.

Pickerel!  Yum!  Season is open and fish are being caught.

It's been a long day of preparing for tourists.  The water is finally in the system.  This is only possible because the lines are just below the ground a few inches.  Yesterday I had a snag, where there was still frost ground around a pipe leading to a cabin.  There is still frozen ground 3 feet down; the installation of gas tanks at the corner store has ground to a halt because they can't dig yet.

Fish are jumping!  Under a mackerel sky at sunset, which was a red glow in the northwest sky, as the rest was under cloud.

Lots of bird sounds, far too many for me to identify.  Birders, where are you?  I think there is a pileated in the grounds.  I have been hearing him for more than a month, and today I saw the characteristic hole in a tree.  The old weather forecasting tree beside the office window is DEAD, and that is what the woodpecker has been working on.  Strangely I haven't seen him yet, just a case of not looking at the right time.  Either he is working on a couple of trees, or there is more than one in the 'hood.

The creek was running backwards today.  The dam at Whitney is letting water into the system.  Last night, under the stars, the falls was ROARING.

This is the time of year that you can catch them in the river.  In other words, lake trout can be caught while shore fishing.  The water is still cold in the river, from the freshet, and so the trout are up in the river looking for food coming over the falls with the runoff.
No need for big boat and downrigger.  Just some yummy treats.  Worms work well.

Someone with Wave Runners has discovered this bay, and is using it as a wave pool.  I hope it's not someone who is around all summer.

Every wild bird nested in the reed bed just went for a huge ride, and so did all the frog eggs.  Guaranteed to kill...

Toys are great, in the right environment.  Take the wave runners out on Bark Lake.  Nothing smaller.  They were created for ocean riding.

People say they care about the environment.  It's a subject taught in school now.  People need to care for the environment, not about it.  People need to understand their fun kills things they need to care for.  It's not something another person can do for them.

Just had another rainshower.  Very pleasant outside.  Warm, not hot.

In response to questions/comments re: Memorial Day

1. Wild mushrooms.  It's too early, and the weather isn't exactly mushroom weather, it is too cold!  I did see some gyromitra esculenta (false morels), but those are the ones that have to be cooked specially, and are not for everyone.  No sitings of morels.  Next likely bloom is chanterelles, but the weather has to get warmer.

2.  Moore's falls is rockin'!  Lots of water coming over, we just had buckets of rain again the last couple of days.  There were kayakers here already to ride the falls, before the Victoria Day weekend.  The river level is high this year; maybe you heard about the flooding in Bancroft, Whitney, and Huntsville?  Serious downpours the 20ish of April, washed out a lot of trails in Algonquin Park, tons of flood damage (they thought the dam at Whitney was going to blow), but it was all ok here.  Also, the sinkhole that swallowed a car opened up on Hwy 62 just north of Bancroft again.  I don't know about Algonquin Park, but everything else has pretty much been put back in order.

3.  Spring Peepers are singing their little hearts out.   Makes it hard to hear the falls at night!