July 16, 2010 -We are improving at escaping the city on Friday evenings. Tonight, we leave at 3:00 PM sharp and drive up the scenic Trafalgar Rd route but make the mistake of turning left into Mount Forest. Mount Forest is hosting a festival and the streets are packed with revellers and beyond this tiny village there are numerous lane reductions as we snake our way North. It seems that rural two lane bridges all need to be upgraded this weekend and therefore downgraded to single lanes. We wait for the make shift traffic lights to allow our build-up of cars to pass through. But we make it through in far better time than the hiways 403/410 route and stop at Kettles outside of Markdale for dinner.
Kettles seems like one of these iconic stops, like Webers on Hwy 11, as every time we have passed on previous trips, the parking lot is full and the place, bustling. The sign out front provides options: if you can not get a seat, by golly, the Take Out is open. When we arrive, it is busy and we wait in a six person line for a table for two. The fish and chips are copious, good but not excellent. The pie is copious but OK. The pastry is grainy like my pastry – nothing special. Our impression is that Kettles stakes its reputation on American sized portions. To Olivia, however, it’s all good and there are no leftovers on her plate.
With bellies full, we are off and pull into Lion’s Head around 7:30 AM. We are staying at Taylor Made B&B. Barbara and Dave are our hosts. These people epitomize hospitality and the place is full reflecting their gregarious business sense. There are no cats but there are plenty of dogs on board with drift around much like Victorian children – seen but not heard. We are given a choice of a traditional Bavarian breakfast of meats, cheeses, breads or Dave’s famous waffles. We choose the Bavarian breakfast with a promise to Dave we will do the waffles on Sunday morning.
The B&B is a large renovated back split with generous use of blonde pine and neutral decoration. We share a bathroom which is not a huge deal. The other older mother daughter team we are sharing with do not "hog the bathroom". The other guests have en suites on their rooms. There is a small guest fridge freezer in which we place our water for the next day.
Olivia and I take an evening stroll down to the dock in Lion’s Head, along the path and out onto the wharf. It is a mellow cottage country evening and the brilliant stars, a reward for the zero light pollution mandate in the region, manifest in the dusky purple sky. We stop for ice cream at the corner store and then back to our room to prepare for the next day. There is no issue with scheduling a 7:45 AM breakfast – name it Barbara and Dave are happy to comply.
July 17, 7: 42 AM
When we come down we are told we are 3 minutes early. Dave and Barbara are perfectionists and want to make a good impression. The table is laden with a feast of meats, cheeses, yogurt, Barbara’s home made breads, jams and mueseli. Olivia immediately plugs into the mueseli and wants to make it at home. This is a change in palate for my daughter. Traditionally, she gravitates to the most disgusting sugar loaded cereal available or some close facsimile there of (e.g. if not available, a suitable alternative would have been toast laden with the New Zealand honey offered on the table). Happy in the change in diet, I say nothing but inwardly marvel at the transformation. Dave provides soft boiled eggs served with quaint little plastic egg spoons. The rest is family style dining where we pass the cheeses, meats and breads around the table. The other two couples who join us for breakfast in our time slot, are thirty-somethings out to explore the area or hike portions of the trail. Breakfast is delicious and we leave the table topped up on protein and carbs.
We meet our hiking group two blocks away at the Lion’s Head Beach area. There is a small farmers market that revs up at 9:00 PM. As tables are set up and the locals lay out their wares, I am regretful that we will not have the opportunity to graze through the offerings. If only it were starting a half-hour earlier!
Our group then moves cars to the main streets, roads with ample free parking and carpool to Burrows Bay.
We then embark on one of the most scenic and interesting hikes on the Peninsula trail. For those who want a summer weekend snippet of the best the area has to offer, I would recommend a B&B stay at Taylor Made, the farmers market and a hike around the Lion’s Head starting at Burrows Bay. The entire hike is one of the shortest hikes at 14 km and there are numerous scenic lookouts, potholes, and all the geological variety the area has to offer.
Olivia scores her Marlin Perkins moment when we encounter a 4-ft water snake downing a round goby. Of course, I know not what type of fish this is but Olivia announces to the group the name and its status of "invasive species" in Ontario. Surprised, I look at her to see if she is pulling our collective legs (as do a few other group members). "I took it in school", she tells the staring group. "We cover invasive species". I think good on the school system - not bad for Grade 6.
During our hike, we see rock climbers lined up like little ants on the edge of the escarpment. Below, we encounter a boat stranded on the rocks with a group of young people trying to drag it in the surf. John calls the local OPP at the harbour for assistance.
This is the good thing about carrying cell phones. But I also get a call from work for assistance on our way to the point. I am suddenly a pariah and this is not welcome from the group. Sotto voce comments are tossed about. As I continue to hike and talk at the same time, the cell service abruptly fades and finally, becomes non-existent. If you hike and need to be in constant contact with the outside world, this should be a consideration before taking on sections of the Bruce.
As we head back around the point, the cell service kicks in again and I am able to contact work to sort things out. Despite the group’s reaction, in a grander sense, I find the freedom from cell service liberating. My red neck streak is gratified to know that there are still places where technology has not penetrated Mother Nature.
We finish in Lion’s Head and after getting a lift to Burrows Bay to fetch our car (which is only a few km’s away – shorter than our actual hike), we are back to the B&B for a shower and freshening up. It is only 3 PM by the time we get back. The shower is momentarily busy but we chat with those milling about in the spacious, bright kitchen. Another guest has caught a salmon and wants to BBQ it for the group. Wine is poured. Our hosts want to get breakfast plans out of the way and Dave eagerly awaits orders for his famous waffles. Unfortunately, Barbara’s Bavarian breakfast has made such an impression and offers such a deluxe variety of options; we want a replay of our morning’s feast. Dejected, Dave is determined to make waffles anyway. Someone will eat them.
Of the several recommended options Dave provides, we have pizza at the Corner Store. The bar type seating is difficult for those of us with long legs and we end up sitting side ways. The food is nutritious and tasty. Olivia points out that she believes the pizza dough has been previously frozen but enjoys her meal regardless. We wander back to the B&B.
Dave’s 12 year old daughter arrives. The tweenies hook up and have a good chat. Olivia joins the hosts for a second dinner and goes for an evening walk with Barbara, Dave’s daughter and the dogs. Barbara says Olivia is crazy with energy, even after a day of hiking. I tend to agree. I, on the other hand refreshed and tired, curl up with my book and read in bed.
Another couple from our hike group has scored a night at Taylor Made. They marvel at our ability to secure two nights in a row. I tell them that I planned our stays several months in advance. They are more of the last minute club type of planners and found it was difficult to find places to stay.
July 18
We team up with another couple who is staying at the B&B and decide we
will follow one another to the end and car pool together. Again the morning spread is bountiful and Dave has his waffles on the table, which his daughter very much enjoys.
We start our hike right down by the beach in Lion’s Head and make our way along the shore. This includes a long stretch along Isthmus Bay Road which is strung with a sporadic line of "For Sale" signs. I wonder if the economy or the waterfront taxes are driving this sell off – or maybe both.
There is a great cave feature not far out of Lion’s Head.
We head in land through a cedar and then deciduous forest. Someone shouts from the front, "Rattle Snake. Pass it on." announcing our first encounter with the fabled Massasauga Rattler. I am expecting a curling, writhing, aggressive beast – head poised to strike as we approach the spot. It’s a pretty fat snake, is my first impression. And it is not even cagily hidden in a rock face where the unwary hiker could inadvertently disturb it. The snake is laying across the path like Burt Reynolds in his PlayGirl heyday - just lying there. I search the length of the body to locate the end so that I can get a visual on rattling tail, as I am not hearing anything. As well, the head is very small compared to the body – so small in fact, that one really has to focus on which end is which to determine which is the rattle end and which is the tiny triangular head end. Olivia comments on the small head as well. "THAT could bite you?" The group forms a circle around the snake albeit at a respectable distance. A hiker gently touches the snake with his pole. This is not in line with our hiker’s code and the person was not a "regular" with our group. The snake delivers a half-hearted semi-rattle, which I try to memorize so that I know what to listen for should we encounter a rattler again. It’s not enough to make a lasting impression. We decide that our first encounter was a non-event but are still very thankful for the sharp eyes of our trail leader who would have been the first to encounter the snake and throw up the warning for the group.
Not far along, we have a bear sighting but by the time the group balls up to prepare for the encounter and activate the bear bells, the critter is no where to be seen.
Again, the hiking weather is perfectly superb. We hike along Smokey Head, the cliffs rimming the Bay, the rocky expansive shores of Georgian Bay, back to our cars and then home. Today’s hike is closer to 16 km.
I would like to mention that the following weekend, during a jaunt to the Elvis festival in Collingwood, my curious husband decides we should take a road trip to Lion's Head. (OK I may have gone on a bit about how incredibly beautiful the little town is, nestled in a bay lined with spectacular cliffs.) We go to Marydale’s Café for lunch where I have one of the best pub fare meals of my life. I have a chicken BLT wrap – which is the most delicious bacony wrap experience going. We finish off with a piece pie, which is made on site. The pie is "The Best". Upon first bursting into the crust, I wonder if the chef has stumbled upon some unique hybrid crust, somewhere between phyllo and traditional pastry. The Chemical Engineer in me takes over and I have to have this recipe. I ask the waitress if the base is lard or shortening. She goes to a posted recipe on the wall and says that the cook posts the recipe right there. They all prep batches ahead of time – and the base is shortening. I imagine myself moving to Lion’s Head and taking up as a waitress at Marydale café to learn the art of the chef. But in reality, the disclosure of the shortening is a hint I can work with. I resolve to mine the recipes and ancient pastry manuscripts from my Grandmother. As my winter project, I will bake many shortening based piecrusts. I will bake pies like this.
Honestly, you have to visit Lion’s Head. I will be back to Marydale’s – you can count on it.
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