Day Six: Holy shit do we ever pack a lot into a day!

Near Inglis Falls.

Boy.  Where to start.
Let's start with first world problems: I left the charger to my Blackberry Priv at my sister in law's place in London.  Just realized this with 50% battery left in Owen Sound.  It's a problem because I use my Priv for all my photos.
So, the morning started with us trying to find a charger for my phone in Owen Sound.  We ended up in a mall and the Wireless Wave there didn't have it, but thankfully the Telus store there did.  About $70 later I now have a second charger.  What a dummy.  I hate when I make mistakes like that.
We grabbed breakfast at Tim Horton's like good little Canadians, and then went to the Tom Thomson Museum.  I really encourage you to click on the link (or - if you are ever nearby - to go) and check out the Current Exhibitions section.  I can't tell you how totally amazing the With a Destiny exhibit was.  It just blew our mind.
The Tom Thomson exhibit was also fascinating, delving into his early life, show casing the progression of his art over the years, lightly touching on the isolated life that he led, his connection with nature, his influence on the Group of Seven, and his tragic death.  I left wanting to know so much more about him.
After that we went to Mill Dam, which was the first fish ladder built in Canada.  And the heat was just starting to ratchet up.  Today there was a heat warning and just ambling along the river there we were already sweating.

Assholes don't just exist on land.  Collingwood.

We then headed over to Inglis Falls, and just in time as the parking lot was starting to fill up.  It was a beautiful waterfall and there were also some super old cars there, early 1900s, which was pretty neat.  They were travelling together and apparently doing a tour.  One of them had a New Jersey license plate which was pretty impressive that they had traveled so far.
After that we made the mistake of doing a three kilometre trail loop into the park whereupon we were attacked by black flies.  I've experienced horseflies before and I fucking can't stand them.  They have attacked me on runs and even when I've been out cycling in the demo forest.  Haven't experienced black flies until today when they went after us in the forest.  Holy shit.  So there's a heat wave on and just to get rid of them we just both start running.  I was going bat shit.  They just buzz around your head and bump into your ears and hair and they drive me insane.  We left the forest and I thought we had left them behind but then I looked back and there were like five or six of them just buzzing around Michael.  I ran for the nearest bathroom since I had to use it anyways, but Michael was outside and they started biting him so we just ran for the car.  We had intended to go and check out some other waterfalls but that sort of put us off for the day.
Next stop was Collingwood.  It was really busy coming into the town and that was because there was an Elvis festival going on.  It was mental.  We passed by one parking lot that wanted $20 to park, but we found free parking.

Right before we changed into our bathing suits!

Gah: it was so hot and so busy.  Colllingwood has been the biggest, most happening town we've been in since we left London.  It's a bit like Ontario's Whistler in that it's a ski resort in the winter, and they seem to be doing things (golf, festivals, boating) to attract people in the summer.  It was a really nice town.
We checked out the waterfront where we saw this douche in a cigar boat trying to park it.  He had some bullshit dog that looked like a pit bull cross on the stern and it was just barking at everything like crazy while his trashy girlfriend/wife looked on.  Anyways, it was as loud and obnoxious as any car with those stupid mufflers or any of those asshole's bikes that you can hear from a goddamn mile away. Anyways, the best part was that he couldn't parallel park it.  We were almost all the way down the promenade, listening to the roar of this idiot's motor as he tried in vain to pull up to the dock.  It just went on and on and was such an epic fail that I wanted to go and record him with my phone just so he could see me standing there recording his idiocy.  Anyways, finally he gave up and went in search of a slip that he could pull directly into, which is when I posed for an awesome picture just to thank him for shattering the harmony of an otherwise idyllic walk.

Griffin Gastropub.

On we went to Wasaga beach which is HUGE.  It's on Lake Superior and it just seems to go on forever.  We dipped our feet in, then went back to the car and changed into our swimsuits and went swimming.  One of the things that has been prevalent on this trip (besides the heat) has been the wind.  It is windy here, and this beach was no exception.  I haven't been swimming in probably a couple of years, and the water here was surprisingly choppy.  At first I was a bit dismayed that the buoy demarking how far we were supposed to swim was so close but once I got close to it and the bottom dropped away and the swells were pushing me forward but them pulling me rather strongly back I understood it.  We swam to shore and out a few times and I was pooped when we were done.  It's not like swimming in a pool or even in West Van: you have to work!
Anyways, it was so nice to cool over and chill out on the beach for half an hour, before hopping back in the car.
Michael's Android sent us on some crazy back roads as we headed on our way to Huntsville.  At one point we were on a gravel road and I was like double and triple checking the map because it just seemed kind of crazy that that would be a recommended route, but it was cool.
Got some gas and then stopped at Griffin Gastropub in Bracebridge for an excellent meal.  Super funky pub.  There was even a guy there wearing a Hornby Island shirt which is one of more remote Gulf Islands in BC.  Talk about a small freaking world.
Finally ended up in Huntsville where we will be for two nights.
We shall see what tomorrow brings!