Hilton Beach, ON, CA
We stayed one night in Hilton Beach Marina, a very active marina and RV resort in yet another, quaint but sleepy village. At the extreme northwest end of the North Channel, the village is on the picturesque “bay” formed by the St Joseph Channel.
The day started off threatening some lingering storms and strong winds, but the sky eventually cleared, the winds calmed and it turned into a spectacular afternoon on the water. Plus as we were preparing to depart, we looked over the side of the boat to again be greeted by another VERY LARGE large snapping turtle, about 4 feet long. We are not sure what the deal is with turtles in Canada, but Ann has decided to embrace these repeat turtle sighting as a sign. In many Indigenous traditions around the Great Lakes, particularly among the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe people, the turtle is associated with Mother Earth, Creation, Longevity, Wisdom, Patience and Living in Harmony with the Natural World. As it relates to our travels, she has interpreted this to mean we are to Keep Moving Steadily, Be Patient, Trust the Journey, and Stay Connected to the Earth and where we are. This seems like an great mantra - and if we have a third turtle sighting, we may have to change the name our boat to Turtle. JKJK
We got off the boat and took a walk around the village, and as with other Canadian towns and villages, they show great pride in their history. Some of the highlights shown on the marina map included a cute little library, a two-cell jailhouse the size of a garden shed and other historic buildings sprinkled here and there throughout the ½ mile walk. Since it was Monday, of course everything but the general store (founded in 1885) was closed up tighter than a drum. We also saw several private gardens that were overflowing with flowers and fresh vegetables, which is a common sight throughout the areas we have been visiting - thanks to lots of sun, cooler temperatures and a fair amount of rain throughout the summer.
The sunset was gorgeous AGAIN, which is always such a nice ending to close out another great day :)
