After 20 years of marriage we decided to do more than our usual celebration of delivery food dinner. Our initial plan of going to Quebec City was discarded on account of Covid, so we opted for a nice, outdoorsy trip of hiking on the Bruce Peninsula. This was our first trip out of town where we left the kids at home alone. Lucas was responsible for getting himself to and from work on his own. David was responsible for buying a birthday present for his friend (with Michael) and then walking over to the party (with his friend Peter). In the meantime, Chris and I took the day off work to make the 4 hour drive up to Tobermory without any traffic. We stopped on the way at Kettle's Back Home Cookin' outside of Owen Sound for lunch. That roadside stop was honestly our best meal of the trip!
We arrived right on schedule at our AirBnB for the weekend and it was literally breathtaking. Right on Warner Bay just south of Tobermory.
We soon discovered our host was a fellow Lambethian (Chris's home town) as he showed us the property. He and his father live in the upper levels while Chris and I had exclusive use of the ground floor. There were kayaks at the ready although Chris and I were too chicken to get in the water at 8oC. Next time for sure!
We took some selfies at the closed boat tour dock and then Chris channeled his inner Roy Kent when I tried to take more selfies at the town sign. Guess what expression he is yelling in the photo.
I guess there are only two restaurants still operating in late October, so we went to the Tobermory Brewing Company and Grill. It was pretty busy and we were still pretty full from lunch so we opted for some beer and appetizers. Both were delicious. The group next to us had ordered a rack of ribs and a half chicken dinner which smelled sublime, so we decided to return the next night when our appetites would be back at full strength.
We went back to the airBnB after messaging our host that we would be arriving in 15 minutes. As prearranged, he started a nice roaring fire and had the firepit circled with tiki torches as we pulled in the driveway. After settling in with some blankets and some wine, our host came out with some Sambuca for a toast. We chatted for a bit to discover more of our connections. Del had gone to the same elementary school that Chris had, albeit 10 years earlier. As they talked about common friends and acquaintances it turned out that he used to frequent a park down the road from where my parents lived in Rodney. The park was across the road from the pioneer church where Chris and I had gotten married. He was floored that anyone else had spent time in New Glasgow in southwestern Ontario. Such a small world!
The view at the Grotto
The Grotto
Being careful not to fall into the Grotto
We returned to the brewery to find a bit of a line. After waiting about a half an hour past the posted re-opening we were seated (the group behind us had a much longer wait for the next table as groups in the know had been waiting inside having drinks during the kitchen closing and were able to have first dibs on the tables as they reopened). Unfortunately our meals did not measure up to the deliciousness that we had smelled the night before and I guess the initial dinner rush kept the wait staff a little on the inattentive side. Can't win 'em all! That night we skipped the fire (it was too cold!) and we stayed inside. We were celebrating our 20th anniversary that was on Oct. 20th, so it was our champagne anniversary. We splurged on a pricey (to us) bottle and celebrated as the rich and famous might have.
Shortly after this picture we realized that we had overshot the lookout and had to retrace our steps. I think because the weather was bad, there weren't enough other people on the trail for the cue as to where the look-out was. We were the only people on the lookout and we had only seen two other groups on the trail getting there.
Selfie on the lookout. Yes, we were very wet. We saw the flash of someone taking our photo from one of the earlier look outs and we waved like fools at him.
I had booked our reservation at the Grotto for noon the next day to allow for a leisurely breakfast and the weather was forecast to be nicer in the afternoon. We reintroduced ourselves to cribbage to pass some of the time, a game we had played for hours when we had first moved to Geneva and hadn't yet figured out bit torrents. Our host dropped by with some local, fresh butter tarts to help fuel our days activity.
Marr Lake on the way to the Grotto
Boulder Beach as we reached the shoreline
Selfie at the arch
Our lunch spot
The grotto was pretty busy for a late October day. I can't imagine how busy it must be in the middle of summer. We were able to get to several lovely vantage points and watch the different approaches of the other visitors. There were a few of the cautious, a couple of extreme fear, and more than a few who seemed to think they were mountain goats. I could see why there was a rescue buoy nearby. We had a lunch reminiscent of our Geneva days: torn baguette pieces paired with cheese. Within moments we were joined by the only seagull on the beach. The bird spent the next 15 minutes watching our every move, to the entertainment of the couple behind us. I wanted a longer hike, so we bypassed the return loop and continued on the Bruce trail for another kilometer or two before turning back to the car.
More "boulder"s. My ankles survived!
Flowerpot and Bears Rump islandsI found the next white fletch, we were on track!
Tuckered out, we returned to our base and rested while enjoying the sun and the bay. Our host came out with a carrot cake in honour of our anniversary that we stored away to share with the kids when we got back to Toronto. We were still working on finishing the butter tarts!
We went back to town for dinner. Unfortunately, the kitchen did not open until later on Saturday than it did on Friday so we took a stroll along the waterfront and found the Northern terminus of the Bruce trail. I snapped a selfie in honour of my brother, Dave, who did an end to end, through hike a few years past.
We returned to the brewery to find a bit of a line. After waiting about a half an hour past the posted re-opening we were seated (the group behind us had a much longer wait for the next table as groups in the know had been waiting inside having drinks during the kitchen closing and were able to have first dibs on the tables as they reopened). Unfortunately our meals did not measure up to the deliciousness that we had smelled the night before and I guess the initial dinner rush kept the wait staff a little on the inattentive side. Can't win 'em all! That night we skipped the fire (it was too cold!) and we stayed inside. We were celebrating our 20th anniversary that was on Oct. 20th, so it was our champagne anniversary. We splurged on a pricey (to us) bottle and celebrated as the rich and famous might have.
The next morning we packed everything up and bid our host farewell. He took some pictures for his guest album before we left. 
The rain had started by the time we pulled out and was intermittent the whole drive to Lion's Head Provincial Park. We decided to hike in the rain and were very happy that we did. The path was very wet but there were lots of rocks to make the hiking less slippery.
Watch out for the muddy bits
Soft rock pock marked by water
Lots of moss covered everything
Glacial pothole!
First view at the top of the cliff. This hike was much more fun and challenging than the Grotto. Even with the intermittent
rain AND hail!
rain AND hail!
Shortly after this picture we realized that we had overshot the lookout and had to retrace our steps. I think because the weather was bad, there weren't enough other people on the trail for the cue as to where the look-out was. We were the only people on the lookout and we had only seen two other groups on the trail getting there.
This is what we would have looked like to our photographer friend, except October instead of July and grey clouds and water instead of shining turquoise!
The panorama function on my phone can not convey the outcroppedness of our perch. You will need good imaginations, or to do the hike yourselves one day! We were getting too much vertigo to stay much longer.
As I had predicted, as soon as we were almost exactly halfway through the hike, the rain started to pour. The hail became more constant and started to accumulate. I had chosen a different path back to the car which was less difficult but more muddy. It also, turns out, not to be a real trail. Or rather the first km was a real side trail but to return to the parking lot we had to diverge onto a less marked access path. I did a lot of cross checking that we were still going the right way according to my app. My fingers started to go numb and my phone was getting pretty damp.
Once we rejoined the main trail, there were more groups hiking along too. It got almost crowded for the last couple kilometers.
The drive back to Toronto was relatively uneventful and we were pleased to see the kids when we got home. The house was still standing and all children were accounted for! A very successful weekend!
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