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Friday, July 23, 2010

A No-Camera Cruise

I was really looking forward to our 3- Hour Outer Island Wilderness Cruise on the Island Queen yesterday out of the harbor in Parry Sound.  I charged up my camera battery and made sure it was all set.  Too bad I didn't check the memory card.  No card, no pictures...ugh! * To my surprise, the first picture I took gave me an error message and when I looked I saw I had left the card back in the Roadrunner still in the card reader.

Have you ever done that??

After I got over that realization, I was determined to enjoy the cruise anyway.  Which I did.  We all (Pam and Kelly and I) did.
*photo taken from Kelly's iPhone
We arrived at the marina at 12:25 PM for a 1:00 PM cruise and there was already a long line to board.  It is a big boat (seating 550) so we were able to find a good seat on the second deck.  We wanted to get one on top but they filled pretty quickly.

A couple of weeks ago, we took a cruise on a vessel in Tobermory.   This one was considerably bigger (and the largest sightseeing cruise ship) and the ride was a lot smoother.  The first thing I noticed was the water.  This is not the crystal clear waters of Lake Huron.  It is the dark waters of Georgian Bay.
We followed the green route.  The cruise started out of the harbor and went past the Stockey Center and Bobby Orr Hall of Fame, then past the Canadian Coast Guard Base.  The base is one of the largest on the Great Lakes and is home to helicopters, boats and ice breakers.

Each spring, over 100,000 tons of salt is shipped from Goderich and Windsor and off loaded at the Salt Dock near Parry Sound (#3 on the map).  The salt is used for winter treatment on roads throughout northern Ontario.

There are many islands nearby and the big ship went slowly through some pretty narrow straits.  Many of the small islands are owned and provide a great setting for a cottage:
*taken from Kelly's iPhone
This cottage was about the most expensive looking house we saw.  It was a beautiful structure.

We went past the Big Sound, Hole in the Wall, and Depot Harbour as we went in a counter clockwise route on the cruise.  We passed Palestine Island (#8) where Irving Berlin vacationed many times.  At the end of the cruise, we went under swing bridge.
It was built in the 1800's to connect the mainland with Depot Harbour on Parry Island.   The cruise ship blew its horn signaling we were approaching and the bridge master stopped traffic and swung the bridge around to let our ship through.  The Wilderness Cruise was well worth it and a great way to spend the afternoon.

After the cruise, we returned home for dinner and cooked chicken on the grill.  It was a nice evening, so we all went on a walk through the nearby woods on an ATV trail.
Earlier in the day  we heard chainsaws and found out what they were working on:
The trail came out of the woods 30 yards from the Roadrunner:
Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!

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7 comments:

  1. That looked to be a great cruise - too bad about your camera though as I'll bet you would have taken a lot of great photos! In answer to your question, I've never forgotten my 'picture card' but I have forgotten to bring my camera!!

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  2. Looks like a great time was had by all! The thing I hate, is when we make plans to visit something great and we get there and there are signs everywhere saying no photography allowed!

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  3. Your description of your cruise made up for the missing "card"...Sounded wonderful! The good ol' iphone...ya gotta love the emergency camera!! Thanks for the cruise!

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  4. Yes, we have left the memory card out of the camera before. You could just kick yourself when you do that. Hey, but it happens. The iphone did a good job.
    Nice cruise....glad you all had a good day. :)

    Mike & Gerri (happytrails)

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  5. What a nice afternoon cruise to see the area. Sorry about your memory card you would have taken some great pictures.

    We were recently in Yellowstone and I had taken pictures all afternoon with my camera when all of a sudden I got an error message....NO Memory card. I was so made why didn't it tell me that right off the bat.

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  6. I haven't left the memory card behind yet but give me time. I have taken the camera with me only to find that the battery was dead.

    Looks like a great cruise.

    --Rod

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  7. Ooohh!!! That would make me mad! I'm impressed you figured out a way to improvise using the I-Phone. I think I would have been too mad to come up with a plan B.

    Nellie

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