Bathtubs & Drones!

Bathtubs & Drones! - June 19th, 2015

Whenever we are due to get our car serviced (in Sault Ste. Marie), we try to make an early appointment and add a trip to Lake Superior to make a complete day of the journey. We are never disappointed. 

The mist over the many lakes up here is always a sight to behold - and is one of the reasons we like to leave early. 

Early morning mist over Horne Lake

Today, we made Bathtub Island our destination. We had been told about this little gem of the North two years previously, when we were visiting the nearby Pictographs.  At that time, when we first waded across the water dividing it from the mainland, the water was warm  - but the same cannot be said for today!

Found just south of Katherine Cove, on Hwy. 17, Bathtub Island gets its name from the depression on one end of the island that fills with water from the waves. Approached through a short trail through the trees, you are met with lots of sand dunes through which you pass to get to the sandy beach. This beach stretches for well over a kilometre along the shore of Lake Superior to just past the Sand River. 

Anticipating a nice, sunny day (though cool, with expected temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius), we made sure we packed our bathing suits and towels, a couple of snacks, and our books so we could settle in for several hours. We already have a couple of beach chairs which we keep in the trunk of our car during the summer. ('Be Prepared' - as my scoutmaster used to say!).

We noticed that there were several people already in place when we arrived, so we ventured to a more secluded area to get changed, then chose our spot, staking our territory by the action of firmly planting the chairs in place! 

Just before we were ready to cross the shallow water space to the island, we heard a sound like the buzzing of a large insect. Looking up, we found the source of the sound - it was a drone! This was the first time we had seen one in real life, and we made haste to chat to the young man who was controlling it. Curtis generously shared his knowledge about drones, how they worked, cost of purchase and running costs etc. It was interesting to know the the model he had was capable of traveling 2 km from its control panel, and that it could travel really fast. The landing gear was raised when in flight so that the camera could have a 360 degree, unfettered view. It was fantastic! 


We learned that it runs on lithium batteries, which usually last for about 15 minutes. Curtis has only had his 'new toy' for a couple of months, but he has already put in 100 hours of flying time. We watched him fly it for about 10 minutes and then exchanged e-mail addresses so he could send us some pics and short movies that he took of us! We loved the way he could make it fly out over the lake and around Bathtub Island, while looking at the view from above on his iPad, attached to the control panel. 

Leaving him to his fun, we braved the coldness of the lake water and made our way over to the island. The water didn't reach our navels, so it was only the lower part of our bodies that went numb! 

The wispy clouds made for a very photogenic view of the panorama that surrounded us. It's such a beautiful spot, and the natural 'bathtub' is magical, though rather cooler than the first time we visited. Mark was hoping for some time for us to have the island to ourselves, so we went back over to the mainland to bide our time. 

One of our pleasures is to sit in nature and quietly read our books. This was the moment when I realized that I had left my reading glasses in the car! Having come to terms with the reality that I had robbed myself of this pleasure, I decided to replace it with another and went for a long walk along the water's edge until I reached Sand River. On the way, I met a man and his son who had been fishing. We got chatting, and found that they lived in Barrie - just around the corner from where we used to live before we moved to Elliot Lake! Small world! 

Upon my return, I found Mark still engrossed in his book. When I asked him how long I'd been, his response was, 'About 3 chapters!' Mark is always quick on the uptake! 

By now, although there were several people on the beach, the island was un-peopled and ready to be claimed! Once again, we braved the cold water, and made our way over. Where the rocks meet the water, it can be a little slippery.
For about 45 minutes, we had the island to ourselves and were able to explore it from different angles. It truly is one of the most amazing places, and we've pledged to return here in August, when the water has had a chance to warm up a bit more. 

This short panoramic video captures the beauty of the island and surrounding area. 

On the way home, we saw some wildlife - a bear, a couple of moose, and a deer (much to Mark's delight). A stunning sunset followed us as we approached the turning for Elliot Lake. 

Courtesy of EarthSky

We were treated to a magnificent view of a crescent moon, with Venus and Jupiter appearing above it in a clear evening sky. Our phone/camera doesn't take pictures well at dusk, so this is taken from the EarthSky website. 

It was a fitting end to another perfect day. 


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