How Rivers Run -- The Oxtongue River

 Brian took these last Spring, 2012. It's going to be interesting to compare them with this summer's, post flood.

This is the Oxtongue River, curling and swirling its way to Dwight Bay. That's Dwight, up in the top of the photo, just left of centre.

Rivers are constantly remodelling themselves. You can see, on the left side, where the old oxbows and swales remain from previous river routes.


This is a good look at the delta at the River mouth, and how far out into the Bay the sand and silt accrue.



You can see from this that once upon a time the mouth of the river entered Dwight Bay more to the left of the photo.  Who knows? Post flood, it may be doing so again.

This last, taken in Fall (obviously) is one of my favourites. The old river trails, swales, oxbows, ponds are all clear to see.

Go with the Flow

Dave and Megan spent a gloriously sunny afternoon canoeing down the Oxtongue River last weekend.





This is a beautiful river, with virtually no development along the shoreline, and plenty of spots for wildlife and birds to hang out.

We have an access point at the end of one of our hiking trails, where we can put in a canoe, or kayak.  It is a short paddle upstream to the base of Marsh's Falls -- the only section where you paddle against the current.  From the Falls, it is all downstream, all flat water, all good.

Upstream of Marsh's Falls, it is a bit of a different tale. This river starts in Algonquin Park, spilling over the Tea Lake Dam.  There are large stretches of the river that make a wonderful day's outing starting close to Tea Lake.

 Working it's way down to the Lake of Bays, it plunges over Ragged Falls,  This is one of our smallest Provincial Parks, but well worth the visit. There are over 9 distinct forest communities in this compact space, along with the most dramatic of waterfalls and plunge basins.  Canoes can put in at Oxtongue Lake and paddle upstream to the base of Ragged Falls,

Still not done with descent, the river comes through the Hog's Trough narrows, and the Oxtongue River Rapids -- the site of a beautiful picnic area and a favourite year round with artists. 

Elbow Falls, which takes its name from it's 90 degree angle (not recommended for trying to run the falls... truly not recommended) is the last of the waterfalls before it reaches Marsh's Falls.

The lower portion of the river is designated as an Heritage area by the Township.  After the quiet paddle downstream, you have the option of following the shore to Thompson's Portage, carrying across this narrow isthmus and returning to Bondi Village Resort; or paddling up to Dwight Beach, and calling us for pick-up... 

This river trip is a favourite experience for many of our guests. Thanks Megan for the photos from your day!

Now, that's what we call a View!

I know this picture is a little late, a little out of season -- our gorgeous autumn colours have given way to the more monochromatic palette of early winter. Still, I just got it from our ace photographer, Brian -- and it is too beautiful not to share!

You can see Bondi, with our horseshoe-shaped bay (we take our name from the famous beach in Sydney, Australia, which has a similar shape). In the bottom right corner, you can see our neighbours, over at Lumina, another of the great north Muskoka family resorts. Like ourselves, the Hungerford family is moving into the fourth generation operating their resort. They operate from May to October, as a full meal plan resort, and are popular not only with families, but with wedding parties. Their dining room is open by reservation to outside guests as well.

In the background, you can see Dwight Beach -- that long strip of sand that is one of the finest beaches on the lake, and open to the Public. The Oxtongue River is also clearly visible flowing into Dwight Bay on the right hand side, from its headwaters in Algonquin Park.

The dark shadow on the mountain to the left of our bay leads up to our Lookout Point. The way the sun is playing with shadows here, you can see it is quite a climb. Our Lookout provides a wonderful view back to the resort.

But when we're talking about a view... you can't beat this one.

Catching a Whale

Even if Grace isn't much bigger than the rock bass she pulled in, there is nothing like catching your very first fish! Luckily Dad was there to bait the hook, and to gently remove the rock bass and release him back into the lake for another child to catch!

There are plenty of bigger fish in the lake -- with over 300 miles of shoreline and depths dropping to close to 300 feet in places, this is big water, and a haven for trout. The Andrew Daniels Fish Stewardship Program is currently working to improve spawning beds and restore streams. This is an intiative to commemorate the memory of one of the most dedicated fishermen ever seen on our lake: Andrew always knew where the fish were. As part of their program they have produced a great 'fish ruler' that goes on the gunnel of the boat, letting you easily tell which fish are 'big enough', and which fish should go back into the water. Sometimes, it's the big ones that need to get away, in order to continue to spawn and keep the fish population healthy! These rulers, along with posters showing all our Lake of Bays fish, can be purchased at local stores and marinas.

Pierre's uncle Jamie helped him pull this pike out of the Oxtongue River on their first day here at Bondi. It might be bigger than Grace's rock bass, but for excitement, we think they were pretty much equal.

A River Runs Through It

Muskoka is all about canoe trips. A popular day's outing for many of our guests is to canoe down the Oxtongue River, from Marsh's Falls, and then portage home to BONDI VILLAGE. It takes about four hours, depending how long you spend swimming, exploring the river, and watching for wildlife. We transport the canoes to Marsh's Falls -- the last of several waterfalls on this river as it works its way to Lake of Bays from Tea Lake in Algonquin Park. There is little sign now at the Falls that once Captain Marsh had a thriving saw mill and boat building works there in the late
1800's. The lake steamer S.S. Mohawk Belle was built here. The mill burned in 1900, however, and was never rebuilt.

Today, we had guests from the Netherlands, on only their second ever experience in a canoe, take on the trek. Jacqueline, william, Robert and Maurits looked like old hands.

The Oxtongue River is a wonderful canoe experience -- it's flat water, and you go with the current, so it is easy paddling. There is no development along the shoreline -- it is a very pristine river. Recently, the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation acquired 100 acres spanning both sides of the river and put it into a Conservation Trust to ensure that it remains in its natural state.

Sometimes when you reach Dwight Bay, all that lovely sheltered paddling comes to an abrupt end, as the winds can pick up on the big lake, but there is always the option of paddling to nearby Dwight Beach and calling for us to pick you up if the lake is too rough for your comfort level. If the day is calm, however, it is a short paddle along the shore to a short portage, and a truly Muskoka canoe trek experience that brings you right back to the beach at BONDI.

Our family who took on the flat waters here today are heading to Ottawa next, and we've recommended that they try another river -- the mighty Ottawa. Flat water? Not so much. The Rafting trips offered on this river are superb -- it is a warm water river, unlike some of the big rivers running straight off the glaciers that offer rafting trips -- and it has rapids second to none. One of our favourite summer outings is rafting on the Ottawa. Companies like OWL, River Run and Wilderness Tours all provide professional and entertaining raft trips.

After all, we think everyone should get to check out rivers that flow smooth, like the Oxtongue, and rivers that leap and plunge about...