The Canada Day holiday on July 1st created a perfect four-day weekend for Andrea and I to do a little exploration of Algonquin Park, a vast network of lakes, rivers and trails in the Canadian Shield.
We I set out from Ottawa on Canada Day morning and got to the park in the early afternoon, so we found a hiking trail through the woods to a lookout above Cache Lake:
 |
| Cache Lake |
 |
| The Skymount lookout |
In the past the park has been a hive of industry and tourism, with logging, a major railway, and large hotels; now the forest has covered most of the signs - this was the bed of the railway:
 |
| Grant Lake - also called Gem of the Woods |
We drove onwards into the park to find our first campsite, by the highway at Canisbay Lake:
Dinner of chicken and vegetable kebabs with baked potatoes cooked over a wood fire.
 |
| Canisbay Lake at sunset |
On Friday our canoe adventure began at Canoe Lake. This is one of the busiest points in the park, with many people setting out on trips from here. It was also the favourite location of Canadian painter Tom Thomson, and the place where he met his end.
Given that we were concentrating on not doing likewise, there aren't many photos of the trip from Canoe Lake to our campsite on Tom Thomson Lake, but we did come across a loon family that consented to being photographed:
 |
| Loons |
 |
| Campsite on Tom Thomson Lake |
 |
| View from our campsite to an island in Tom Thomson Lake |
And after a bit of a forage, we had some firewood...
...to cook dinner!
The wind died down, which gave us the chance to get out on the lake for a leisurely paddle to a calm corner of the lake:
On our full day in the park interior, we set out on a circuit of eight lakes, six portages, and one meandering creek:
 |
| Leaving Tom Thomson Lake through Bartlett Lake |
 |
| Portaging! |
 |
| Frog |
 |
| Waterlillies |
 |
| Andrea portaging! |
 |
| Somewhere in the vicinity of Willow Lake |
 |
| We lunched on an island in Sunbeam Lake |
 |
| Creek between Vanishing Pond and Blue Jay Lake |
After getting back to the campsite, there was only energy left to make dinner, and then watch the sun set.
We thought this one looked like a Canada Goose!
Our third day on the water was all about getting back to civilization, and paddling against the wind there weren't many opportunities for photos!
By this point, the end was in sight!
 |
| Approaching the Portage Store on Canoe Lake |
and once back on dry land, we celebrated with ice cream - it has never tasted so good!
