Here we are in December. Life gets in the way, the baby won’t nap… excuses, excuses… Onto part 2 of our trip to MacGregor Point! See part 1 here.
The next morning, we set out to hike the 3.5km Tower Trail.
This trail encircles a man-made wetland area and includes an observation tower and a bird blind. I must say, Kory has become rather more relaxed over the years… He realizes now that getting 2 kids up, fed and ready to hike can be a slow process (and that the best birds are long since hiding once we get going). Lyssa went up in my wrap and Em walked, ran and rode daddy’s shoulders.
In case there was any doubt that we were nearing the end of summer, the Poison Ivy along the trails was sporting bright white berries. Kory had a terrible reaction a number of years ago, so we tend to be overly cautious.
We’ve been to the observation tower several times now, and each time we’ve watched and heard Kingfishers. I wonder if it’s one family that continues to breed here over the years… Kory was able to spot a pair of Sandhill Cranes bathing way across the wetland! Em grew tired of the tower fairly quickly, so we marched on. We did see a couple Monarch butterflies feeding on the Goldenrod.
And Em, who has a great ear and eye for woodpeckers, pointed out this giant hole.
We continued to the bird blind, now in the heat of the day. It was pretty quiet from a wildlife perspective, but a great place to enjoy a snack.
After the hike, we went back to the campsite to enjoy a late lunch (that is, beg the 3 year old to please eat so we can get going!). We finally made it to the beach by late afternoon. The beach at MacGregor Point is perfect for kids – relatively shallow and calm. The bottom can be a bit mucky/squishy between your toes, and it usually takes a few minutes before I feel comfortable.
Lyssa and I sat and played (that is, she belly crawled everywhere while I tried to limit her sand consumption) while daddy and Em swam and dug holes. It was overcast, which was perfect with a baby. Funny how my beach going preferences have changed over the years!
MacGregor has an awesome play structure just off the beach. Em loves it! She was a bit grumpy with all the bigger kids running around though.
Rain was threatening, so we packed up from the beach and headed back to the campsite. It’s so nice to have the pop-up camper when the rain hits! It ended up just being a sprinkle and we enjoyed our dinner under the tarp.
The next day, the forecast called for rain at MacGregor Point, so we decided to pack up and do a day trip to Tobermory. More on that in an upcoming post.
On our last day, we woke up to beautiful weather. No one wanted to leave. We went out to do a morning hike around the Visitor Centre. Earlier this year, I happened upon a post from CBC Kids on Facebook that linked to a Summer Scavenger Hunt.
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how our 3 year old would respond. I didn’t know if she’d get bored or frustrated or just not quite see the point. Oh man, this hunt was SO AWESOME!!! I highly recommend it. We let Em take charge. She carried the paper and pen, chose the trail, and truly led the hike. She diligently circled everything that we found on the sheet.
It was such a great experience! My heart was full and I felt so proud watching her take charge and explore nature!
For me, it was the best part of our trip. CBC Kids has a scavenger hunt for all seasons and I certainly plan to use them in the future!
After the hunt, we reluctantly went back to pack up our campsite and begin the drive home.
