August 5 -8: Killarney, Little Current and Hotham

On the 5th we motored 42 miles to Killarney.  What a great resort area. It is a popular tourism destination for campers, ecotourists and visitors interested in fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing and kayaking. And has lots of huge yachts in the harbor. Most guests drive or boat to the area, but a few flew in by seaplane and helicopter!

The Killarney Mountain Lodge & the Sportsman Inn are owned by the same group and both have marinas.  We stayed at the Sportsman Inn and hiked or should I say rock climbed to the Killarney Light House; rode our bikes around the resort and town; went for a swim in the pool; had a great chat with a couple of Torontonians; and celebrated our 39th anniversary early by going to the Ranch House at the Lodge for dinner.  We met fellow loopers as well, of course!

The Killarney Lodge property also has the world's largest paddle, "the Big Dipper."  It was built to honor those who served their country. It includes a time capsule to be opened in 2222. It is made from Eastern White Cedar, native to the area, and is 110.5' long with a 17' blade.

On the 7th we motored 24 miles to Little Current.  Waited a 1/2 hour for the swing bridge to open and then moored easily into the town docks.  Walked to the grocery store, and around town, and chatted with the local fishermen. It is a quiet little town with a postindustrial history of coal mining, iron ore and lumber. Much to Don's delight, the Evinrude family has a vacation estate nearby and a 118' yacht, circa 1950's.  That's big even by today's standards. For you non-boaters, Ole Evinrude was the 1st person to commercialize in volume outboard marine engines.

Today, we motored 25 miles to Hotham Island (part of the Benjamin Islands in the North Channel.) Hotham Island is located in the midst of unspoilt nature in crystal clear water.  We anchored, were immediately invited for dock tails by a local resident and sat out a thunderstorm! Luckily, we managed to get in a swim and cleaned some of the boat before the storm!

Ranch House at Killarney Lodge
Sportsman Inn
1st Seaplane
Beautiful Helicopter
2nd Seaplane
On the hike
Rock Climbing
Lighthouse
View from the Lighthouse
A Viking Cruise ship & our friends boat
The Big Dipper
Little Current
Hotham Island Anchoring neighbors
A frog in the road!




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