18 OCT 2018: Many years ago a friend was looking for a destination for a family road trip.  Colleen said she and her husband pulled out a road map of Ontario – she closed her eyes and let her finger land on the map.  She looked up at her husband and said, “We are going to Manitoulin Island.” At the time, I marvelled at her spontaneity, having never heard of the island.  Colleen was thrilled, and a few weeks ago I chose the same location for a weekend get-away and with both my eyes open.

We planned the trip for the chilly Thanksgiving weekend, one week before the ferry (MS Chi-Cheemaun from Tobermory) would stop for the season.  We were able to get one of the last reservations for the midday sailing and the last room at Twin Peaks B&B.

Manitoulin Island is the largest fresh water island in the world and the sailing through Lake Huron is a pleasant two hours.

It was a 30-minute drive from the harbour in South Baymouth to our Manitoulin accommodations in Mindemoya.  We arrived at Twin Peaks to find trees on the driveway lush with apples and a welcoming veranda surrounded by puffy hydrangeas.

Our hostess Cheryl greeted us when we arrived and took us to the delightful Coach House. She suggested we drop off our luggage and come back to the house for tea.

I knew we were the only guests present as ours was the only car in the driveway so as I was getting the tea, I boldly willed Cheryl to give me a tour of her beautiful home. Yes, those same psychic abilities that failed me when it came to packing rain gear that morning got me in the upstairs suites  to see the luxurious Victorian bedrooms each with an en-suite bathroom.

Cheryl and her partner Ron opened their B&B only a year ago, but even more surprising – they bought the property after having dated for only six months. I decided they were probably the most competent people ever, knowing they did their renovations and business planning on weekend commutes from Sudbury until they were ready to open their charming front door, eight months later.

Our first evening we had a hankering for white fish, which is a local menu item on the island.  We drove north to Gore Bay to dine at Buoy’s Eatery on the waterfront. On the way we drove past a soccer field populated with white-tailed deer. They were munching on the grass and some of them leisurely walked along beside our car, as we were minutes away from the restaurant.

Buoy’s Eatery was packed and our server managed every table with charm and humour.  It was the second last night of business as they were closing for the season and they apologized for being out of draft. No matter, we had just shared the road with a herd of deer and we were still bathing in serotonin. Bottled beer was fine.

The next morning (after poached eggs on toast with bacon and roasted potatoes) we headed out to Kagawong to check out the Bridal Veil Falls hoping to catch the salmon run. What a shoal they gave us!  The waterfall is 35 feet in height and the shallow waters in front was filled with dozens of Chinook salmon swimming in circles. With their fins just above the water they looked like a shiver of sharks. Some were leaping out of the water against the white backdrop of the falls, providing many photo opportunities.

Beyond the falls is an easy trail on both sides of the river valley. After the walk we headed out with no pre-determined destination.

Manitoulin Island has about 200 farms.  We were in Misery Bay when we drove past a field with a vast number of animals, which I initially thought were sheep. When two flew away, I recalibrated and surmised they were herons.  A woman in a car pulled up beside us and told us they were in fact Sandhill cranes on an annual stopover for rest and fuel before crossing the Great Lakes to the southern states.

Manitoulin Island annually draws photographers to the area to see the leggy redheads.

Before we went home to our B&B we stopped in Gore Bay to check out the Split Rail Brewing Company. Good friends Andrea Smith and Eleanor Charlton opened their business three years ago with a lager and two ales, one of which is inspired by the local fruit, hawberry. The brewery pub was packed so we picked up a six-pack to take home.

Some restaurants were closed for the season and the ones that were still open ended the day at 8:00 or 9:00 pm, so we picked up dinner and spent our last evening in Manitoulin, cozying up in front of the fireplace of our B&B.

You need more than a weekend to enjoy Manitoulin Island.  It may be small, but it has big bragging rights in the nature department, starting with its 108 lakes. How about the fact that Treasure Island (in Lake Mindemoya) is the largest island in a lake on an island in a lake in the world. Try to put your finger on that!