When the Bobcaygeon Road worked its torturous way north to Dorset, and then on to Dwight and beyond, it was not a smooth bit of pavement. In fact, much of the road where it crossed wet areas was corduroy. That, for those who haven't had to build bush roads lately, means that trees were felled and laid across the road to create a (bumpy) surface that would support wagons.
And those wagons were, more often than not, pulled not by horses, but by Oxen.
We've got Oxen pulling sleighs and wagons still, in the Lake of Bays. Just up the Limberlost Road, in fact. Andrews' Oxen will take you out for a sleigh ride with attitude, behind Spark and Star. Lovely, patient beasts they are, too, and willing to shift a wagon load of folks in the summer or a sleigh full or revellers come winter.
They are, in fact, a little piece of living history.
Lots of people have gone for sleigh rides (and great fun they are, too) with teams of horses, often the big blonde Belgians, strutting their stuff and looking very fine. Less folks have had the Life Experience of meeting, greeting, and riding behind oxen. It's worth going.
Doors Open Lake of Bays, on June 13th, will be inviting people up the Limberlost Road to see certain unusual and historic buildings -- perhaps on your way, you might like to drop by to see the Oxen... At the very least, consider what the trip would be like, not in a modern automobile, but with your luggage and food piled high on a wagon, over a corduroy road... The car simply wouldn't be able to cope. Star and Spark, on the other hand... well, those chaps would just soldier on.
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