Booth’s rock trail starts one kilometre south of the Rock Lake Campground Office. After skirting two small lakes, it climbs to the top of a large cliff known as Booth’s Rock – where the trail gets it’s name funnily enough, descends the far side of the lookout and loops back to the starting point. The trail is 5.1kilometres long and fairly rigorous but may be easily covered in a couple of hours by an active person. From the cliff top you will have a magnificent view of Rock and Whitefish lakes and several hundred square kilometres of Algonquin Park will lie before you.

The trail guide for this trail tells you many things about how man has once again changed and is – or could change Algonquin Park and some of its hidden treasures. Not always for the worse though. On one side for example, it talks about Rosepond Lake. People have always found Rosepond Lake to be particularly intimate and enchanting. Hidden away from the rest of the planet by its whispering cordon of gaunt and lonely Black Spruce, the little lake lives a life of its own. The delicate orchids and the cool, deep moss near the water’s edge, the basking frogs and the furtive schools of minnows all seem to be as remote and secure from man’s troubled world as they could possibly be…
And yet, the truth is that Rosepond Lake is not nearly so safe as it may appear. The highly industrialised North American societies smelt ores and burn coal and oil in enormous quantities, The trouble is that we try to get rid of the smoke and gasses created – by releasing them up giant chimneys into the atmosphere. The pollutants may indeed travel hundreds of kilometres from their sources but eventually they do come back down to earth. Usually washed out of the sky by rain and snow – which is why, even here in Algonquin Park, the rain is often so acidic that no fish could live in it.
The only thing that has saved the park lakes so far is their ability too neutralize the acid rain that falls into them. The worry is that this ability may eventually be used up and the acidification of the lakes would follow. This danger has reduced thanks to the new U.S. and Canadian air pollution controls but some sensitive lakes can still be overwhelmed, at least temporarily, and damaged by acidic melt water when the snow melts each spring. 48,000 lakes in Ontario, including hundreds in Algonquin Park are sensitive enough that very little would be needed to push them over the edge and down the path to outright acidification. It wouldn’t matter that Rosepond Lake seems to be remote and cut off from the rest of the world. It would die all the same because of man-made pollution originating far away – and are we really ready to say good bye to these beautiful life filled lakes?

The flip side of coarse is how man has altered things for the better through studies and better understanding nature. The trail guide tells of how certain parts of the trail you walk on actually were very very different just a hundred years ago, the trees having been burnt or cut down for logging purposes, and the ground simply littered with more shrubs than trees – conservation having played its part into creating some of the forest that you find yourself in. The leaflet again touches on the plight of wolves. When Algonquin Park was established in 1893, protection was given to most of the Park’s animals. However, wolves were considered vermin, by even most conservationists. The object of ‘wolf management’ at the time was their extermination, and snares were set throughout the Park. Although some 50 to 60 wolves were killed every year, their numbers remained relatively stable. In 1958 the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources began a program of research into the life of the wolf. This, and other recent work, has helped to clear away many of the fantasies told about wolves and to establish that they are a fascinating and natural part of the environment.
This knowledge came too late to save the wolf from extinction in much of the world.. the UK being one such example.. Even today, wolves are only protected in only a handful of places and they are gone or vanishing from most of their former range in Europe, Asia and North America. Today, Algonquin Park is one of the very last accessible places where the wolf can said to be common. Even so, you probably will not see one, but if you are in Algonquin Park this month (August) each year, you may hear a pack. It was descovered in the wolf research program that wolves will howl in answer to human imitations of their voice. Every August Algonquin Park makes a special effort to locate a pack near the highway and then take visitors to see them. The response of Park visitors to these “public wolf howls” leaves little doubt that the wolf itself is converting its deadly enemy – man – into its most appreciative listener.

The trail its self of coarse boasts amazing views, but like almost all of my trail articles – i don’t want to spoil the surprise by putting up photos of it, I’d rather you head over yourself and get your own photos! The views on this trail are so good that people make an annual trip up the trail to marvel at the spectacular view of the Algonquin landscape. Some people have never seen landscape like it and actually assume that the country stretching out to the horizon is ‘primeval wilderness’ though, as the trail guide explains – as pretty and seemingly untouched as it looks now – thanks to the preservation of the Park, even from these views, you can see locations where for example there was once there was a saw mill.

And – as i always say, Remember.. if you’re going to park up anywhere in Algonquin Provincial Park or do any of the trails, you’ll need to pull up at the gates (big buildings just off the side of the road either end of Highway 60) and go in to get a Permit. These are $16.00 currently but the rates do change depending on the time of year, so remember to check out their website (linked at the bottom of the article!)

Make sure you’ve picked up one of the Algonquin park news papers (aka the Information Guide) while you’re getting a permit, they’re free and they’re very .. VERY useful to use the map on the back so you know where you are going!

Before you go on any of these trails, remember to have brought with you, proper walking equipment – for example decent walking shoes with a good degree of tread, and comfortable clothes suitable for what ever the weather may be on the day you go on the trail. Another thing you’ll want to factor in is the bugs! If it’s forecast to be warm, chances are you’ll be up against the Mosquitoes and or Black Fly – so bring your bug repellent! .. When i was there last month the blackfly were swarming – and they can leave a nasty bite, so a deep woods type anti-bug spray is advised.

So that’s the Booth’s Rock Trail and some of the things it tries to show you in the trail guide, as well as of coarse it giving you some amasing views – so like all the trails, if you’re up for a walk – don’t miss this trail! Remember with the views, also come cliffs – so if you take your kids on this trail – try to make sure they dont run off!

For more information about Algonquin park – remember to check out our Algonquin Provincial Park section
And you can also visit Algonquin Park’s official Website.

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The Lookout Trail, situated 39.7 kilometres from the West Gate, is a 2.1 Kilometre loop which climbs up through a young Algonquin forest to the top of a high cliff, follows the cliff brow for 100 metres, and then descends back down to the parking lot.
In addition to the spectacular view from the cliff top, the trail affords several good opportunities to observe a variety of Algonquin Park’s geological features.
As you walk along the trail, you are surrounded by life. There are trees and shrubs and then, down in the dead leaves and decaying wood on the forest floor, millions of microscopic plants and animals create the organic soil which sustains the forest. It is only on the trail path itself that we can even glimpse the underpinnings of this great living system; thousands of hikers have worn away the soil and exposed jumbled assortments of rocks, sand, and gravel.

Rocks and gravel may not seem particularly awe-inspiring to most, but when you stop and think about it, everything we come in contact with, even our oceans and lakes – is ultimately sitting on such mundane stuff. What’s more, rocks, sand and gravel go to make up the living layer of soil which supports all life, including our own. There is, in fact, hardly anything more fundamental in our world and all its life, than the rocks we normally take so much for granted – and lets face it – these exposed rocks – have seen much of the park’s history, from the first peoples that inhabited the area until today – when you get to add yourself to the rock’s history. This trail asks questions such as “How were the rocks formed..?” “Why exactly are there boulders and gravel strewn along the trail anyway?” and “How was the lookout created?.. in the middle of a forest?”

This trail takes us back in time, just over 11,000 years – to explain exactly how the landscape was shaped. As the guidebook explains, ‘four times in the last one million years, the Earth’s climate has undergone major cooling trends’, each followed by a warmer – tropical period. It has been suggested that contrary to popular belief, since we have – in geological terms, just come out of a glacial period, that the Global Warming that is so wildly reported as being purely a result of human activity – is actually simply the natural cycle of the warming after the cold glacial period. Still, When the cooling trends occurred, there were places in Canada where the summers were so short and cool that the snow from the previous winters never completely melted before the snow began to fall again. The result was that snow piled up, year after year until it was thousands of metres thick. By this time, the stupendous weight of the accumulation had transformed the snow to ice – just like when you pack a snowball until it becomes like a rock.. only imagine the force being millions of times stronger. With the snow packed into ice, it began to ‘flow’ outwards from the centres of heavy snowfall. Over thousands of years, several of these slowly moving ice sheets or glaciers joined and continued to spread until almost all of Canada and much of the northern U.S.A. were deeply covered by ice. The fourth and last ice sheet here in Algonquin – melted back from the highway 60 area of Algonquin just 11,000 years ago. Before that, as much as three km of glacial ice, towering into the clouds crushed the very trail you walk on. The forces slowly carving into the landscape as they moved, and all the debris that it calved off of the landscape – is what you are now walking on – the gravel, pebbles, sand – - and even the boulders you’ll see – all dropped when that glacier melted back – and some of it could have been carried many kilometers in its journey until being dropped, buried, exposed and stepped on by you – walking this trail.

As you can imagine – with a title like The Lookout – this trail has a spectacular view – so as you’re walking this trail, appreciating nature, learning about how the landscape was sculpted – you’ll come across the cliff – giving you large panoramic views over the hills, forests and lakes.

And – as i always say, Remember.. if you’re going to park up anywhere in Algonquin Provincial Park or do any of the trails, you’ll need to pull up at the gates (big buildings just off the side of the road either end of Highway 60) and go in to get a Permit. These are $16.00 currently but the rates do change depending on the time of year, so remember to check out their website (linked at the bottom of the article!)

Make sure you’ve picked up one of the Algonquin park news papers (aka the Information Guide) while you’re getting a permit, they’re free and they’re very .. VERY useful to use the map on the back so you know where you are going!

Before you go on any of these trails, remember to have brought with you, proper walking equipment – for example decent walking shoes with a good degree of tread, and comfortable clothes suitable for what ever the weather may be on the day you go on the trail. Another thing you’ll want to factor in is the bugs! If it’s forecast to be warm, chances are you’ll be up against the Mosquitoes and or Black Fly – so bring your bug repellent! .. When i was there last month the blackfly were swarming – and they can leave a nasty bite, so a deep woods type anti-bug spray is advised.

So that’s the Lookout Trail, remember to keep kids close as the cliff doesn’t have safety rails – but if its a nice day, like its forecast to be tomorrow, it’d provide you with some amazing photo opportunities.. Remember to let me see them if you do!!

For more information about Algonquin park – remember to check out our Algonquin Provincial Park section
And you can also visit Algonquin Park’s official Website.

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Today’s featured trail is the Centennial Ridges Trail.

The Centennial Ridges Trail is a 10 kilometre loop which takes you along two high, parallel ridge systems and features some of the park’s most outstanding scenery. It is a very demanding trail that visits five separate cliffs and involves much climbing. At the highest point you will be 170 metres (560 feet) above the parking lot, but because the trail has several major rises and descents, the total vertical distance you will have to climb during your outing is approximately 360 metres (1,200 feet). It’s not advised to head out on this trail unless you are in good health and good physical condition. And with this Trail its absolutely essential that you wear sturdy, ankle-supporting boots, and give it six hours to take on this challenge!… And of coarse, if you do happen to have kids who are as adventurous as you – the cliffs are not fenced, so keep them close to you at all times.

The trail was opened in 1993 as part of Algonquin’s centennial celebrations and, at its various lookouts and scenic viewpoints, it honours 11 representative historic people who have helped shape the present day park and make it so famous as a place to understand and appreciate the natural world.

At one of the posts along the route, you learn that the first person to propose a 20 to 30 township sized reserve in the area now occupied by the park was Robert W Phipps, Clerk of the forestry in the Ontario government’s Department of Agriculture and Arts. Strongly influenced by growing concerns in North America’s agricultural and forestry’s experts that the continent’s wood supply and climate were being endangered by the rapid, wholesale clearing of forests, Phipps insisted that it was crucial to stop agricultural settlement and land clearing in this part of Ontario. “When covered with extensive woods”, he wrote “the principle heights of land form reservoirs which supply the sources of numerous rivers, give moisture to the numerous small lakes and watercourses.. below them, and preserve throughout the whole country a fertility, invariably much impaired when the forests are removed.” Powerful lumbermen of the day were quick to support the idea of a forest reserve as well. From experience elsewhere, they knew only too well that the encroachment of settlers meant loss of forest through clearing and increased forest fires, so they readily agreed with Phipps’ believe that the land in question “in forest forever should remain”.

Of coarse, the history isn’t the main thing you’d be doing this trail for.. the views and challenge are of coarse the main attraction – and there really are some spectacular views – landscapes of forests, rivers, hills all able to be viewed in the six hours you’ll spend on this trail – but as ive said it’s not a trail for the light hearted..

And – as i always say, Remember.. if you’re going to park up anywhere in Algonquin Provincial Park or do any of the trails, you’ll need to pull up at the gates (big buildings just off the side of the road either end of Highway 60) and go in to get a Permit. These are $16.00 currently but the rates do change depending on the time of year, so remember to check out their website (linked at the bottom of the article!)

Click on the image above to see a full panoramic of one of the marshes along this trail

Make sure you’ve picked up one of the Algonquin park news papers (aka the Information Guide) while you’re getting a permit, they’re free and they’re very .. VERY useful to use the map on the back so you know where you are going!

Before you go on any of these trails, remember to have brought with you, proper walking equipment – for example decent walking shoes with a good degree of tread, and comfortable clothes suitable for what ever the weather may be on the day you go on the trail. Another thing you’ll want to factor in is the bugs! If it’s forecast to be warm, chances are you’ll be up against the Mosquitoes and or Black Fly – so bring your bug repellent! .. When i was there last month the blackfly were swarming – and they can leave a nasty bite, so a deep woods type anti-bug spray is advised.

And that’s Centennial Ridges. Or at least the briefest glimpse into this large winding trail. I don’t want to get into too much detail with it – simply due to the fact that you really have to see this tail for yourself to be able to appreciate it fully – which is one reason I’ve not included any of the epic views in this article! I’ll leave taking pictures of those – up to you!

For more information about Algonquin park – remember to check out our Algonquin Provincial Park section
And you can also visit Algonquin Park’s official Website.

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The Beaver Pond Trail winds two kilometres through rugged Algonquin terrain, offering excellent opportunities to observe the roll of the beaver in the park environment. You may or may not actually see beavers during your walk, but everywhere about you will see signs, informing the observant hiker of their presence, activities and influence.

The Beaver is considered one of Canada’s national symbols, up there with the moose, the maple leaf and ice hockey – so this Trail is perfect if you want to enjoy a hike through the Algonquin landscape, while learning more about these special creatures. The trail takes you round in a circuit, visiting ponds, lakes, rivers, dams and meadows – and these features were not necessarily there all the time, As the trail guide explains to you, Beavers have had a significant impact on the landscape they live in.. an impact so significant that their effect on the environment is second only to humans as far as tailoring the landscape to their own needs.

At post two on the trail you visit a typical beaver pond – one of thousands in Algonquin Park. It is such a common place sight in fact, that we sometimes forget what an extraordinary thing it is. By damming the stream,. the beavers have actually changed the environment to suit their own needs – from a forest with a stream trickling through it, to a wide open pond, one or two meters deep.

In summer, the pond provides the beaver with a safe refuge from predators, since it is much more at home in water than on land. In winter, the advantages conferred by the pond are even more vital. Because the water in the pond is a metre or more, it does not freeze to the bottom and the beaver can swim under the ice to get sticks from the food pile accumulated the previous autumn, return to the feeding chamber of the lodge and leisurely eat the food, all in perfect safety from predators.
Because beaver ponds (especially small ones like the one at post two) are not continuously occupied, the lodge may or may not be in use at the time of your visit. If abandoned the lodge will appear as a collapsed, grassy knoll projecting from the water. An occupied lodge can usually be told by its greater height, the fresh mud and sticks plastered on the outside and the absence of grass.
Occupied or not, the lodge began as a large mound of sticks and mud piled up by the beavers. When the pile was about one metre above the water the beavers cut a tunnel from well below the surface of the water, up through the pile, to the waterline. There the beavers rounded out a feeding platform a few centimetres above the water and formed a higher sleeping platform floored with shredded wood to make a soft bed. Except for the very top of the lodge, the entire outer surface is plastered with mud – so when the winter arrives the dome becomes a thick, hard frozen layer of insulation against the cold and predators – complete with a breathing hole at the top.

I’m not going to go into much more detail about the other features you will see on the trail, as it’s much better for you to pick up the guide book and actually walk this trail yourself to get the full benefit of it – and of coarse, seeing it with your own eyes as you will the lodge i have talked about above – is significantly better than just having someone on a blog telling you about it right?

As on almost all the trails, the guidebook is $0.50 which you can pay for at the pipe immediately where you pick up the booklets at the start of the trail.

And – as i always say, Remember.. if you’re going to park up anywhere in Algonquin Provincial Park or do any of the trails, you’ll need to pull up at the gates (big buildings just off the side of the road either end of Highway 60) and go in to get a Permit. These are $16.00 currently but the rates do change depending on the time of year, so remember to check out their website (linked at the bottom of the article!)

Make sure you’ve picked up one of the Algonquin park news papers (aka the Information Guide) while you’re getting a permit, they’re free and they’re very .. VERY useful to use the map on the back so you know where you are going!

Before you go on any of these trails, remember to have brought with you, proper walking equipment – for example decent walking shoes with a good degree of tread, and comfortable clothes suitable for what ever the weather may be on the day you go on the trail. Another thing you’ll want to factor in is the bugs! If it’s forecast to be warm, chances are you’ll be up against the Mosquitoes and or Black Fly – so bring your bug repellent! .. When i was there last month the blackfly were swarming – and they can leave a nasty bite, so a deep woods type anti-bug spray is advised.

So, that’s Algonquin Park’s Beaver Pond Trail – take it steady and see what more you can find out about these industrious creatures while you do!

For more information about Algonquin park – remember to check out our Algonquin Provincial Park section
And you can also visit Algonquin Park’s official Website.

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If you’ve been following me by Twitter you will probably have spotted a retweet about this offer yesterday! The offer is $129 for a one night short break in Niagara Falls. It treats you to a Deluxe Cityview Two-Bedroom Jacuzzi Suite with a fireplace and includes a $40 dining voucher for Romano’s Macaroni Grill for your dinner at the hotel, Full buffet breakfast for two, valued also at $40, and Two passes for a winery tour and tasting at Peller Estates, also valued at $40!

The offer is being run through TravelZoo.com and to have a look at full details of the offer click the following link: http://www.travelzoo.com/ca/hotels/ontario/1021136/

These rooms are available now through until June 15th, but you must book by the 10th May and these rooms are likely to sell out quickly, so the sooner you book the better! If you are flying to Toronto to stay there or near and around Niagara Falls – planning a trip there, this is not an offer you should miss! If your journey is particularly long and don’t fancy driving back at night – stopping at a hotel is very much recommended. Not only do you get to avoid a night time drive, you get to enjoy the atmosphere and the vibrancy of the colourful Falls when they’re lit up at dusk – and at all time you have the peace of mind of knowing that you’ve got an incredibly comfy and cosy suite to head back to for a good night’s sleep.

Treating yourself has just got a lot more affordable!

If you want more updates about the Hilton Niagara Falls Hotel, you can follow them on twitter here: @Hilton_Niagara

And remember you can always follow me on Twitter here:@canadatrip

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If you haven’t been to Canada yet, you’ll almost certainly walk into restaurants and find something on the menu called Poutine. Now, don’t be scared of its particularly unique name! Poutine is actually something that most people in the UK can relate to.. We have all (well.. most of us) gone to the chip shop and got either Chips with Gravy, OR Chips with Cheese .. Well .. although technically it wouldn’t be technically correct – if you had cheese and gravy on the same tray of chips, that is almost poutine! Now, i say almost because for it to be truly poutine, the cheese needs to be cheese curds, not just your normal cheese.

As you can see from the picture, poutine is definitely not the most elegant looking of foods, but lets face it, it beats the looks of mushy peas now doesn’t it! Besides, Canadians have always been known for their no-nonsence approach, and food in my opinion should always be about flavour, and not looks.

The dish originated in rural Quebec, Canada, in the late 1950s. Several Québécois communities claim to be the birthplace of poutine, including Drummondville (by Jean-Paul Roy in 1964), Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and Victoriaville. One often-cited tale is that of Fernand Lachance, from Warwick, Quebec, which claims that poutine was invented in 1957. Lachance is said to have exclaimed ça va faire une maudite poutine (“it will make a damn mess”), hence the name. The sauce was allegedly added later, to keep the fries warm longer.

So, since in the UK fresh cheese curds are difficult to find, how do you make poutine in the UK? If you were fancying making and trying your own poutine, it’s actually not too difficult. my suggestion if curds are hard to find, use a cheese like Mozzarella (torn into small ‘curds’) or Cheshire or Lancashire cut into small cubes, then pour your sauce over them.

You can either make your own real meat gravy from your Sunday roast, or use tinned gravy granules (OXO or that nice Bovril granule mix), a touch of tomato sauce and a dash of pepper (black), or if you like a touch of oregano and garlic that is fine, depending on were you go in Quebec the poutine sauce can change.

The most important thing you should know, is the chips are supposed to be soft in the middle and crispy on the outside, and to make sure they keep their texture for as long as possible, take the chips to the table and put the gravy on immediately before eating!

So when you’re in Canada next, you’ll see it on the menus. And sometimes, someof the best places to get it are at the chip trucks you’ll see in store carparks or by the road – so why not call off and try out the genuine stuff? Comments would be welcome for places to get the best Poutine!

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Science North is an interactive science museum in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The complex, which is Northern Ontario’s most popular tourist attraction, consists of two snowflake-shaped buildings on the southwestern shore of Lake Ramsey, just south of the city’s downtown core, as well as a former ice hockey arena which includes the complex’s entrance and an IMAX theatre. The snowflake buildings are connected by a rock tunnel, which passes through a billion-year-old geologic fault. This fault line was not known to be under the complex during the construction of the building in the early 1980s. Where the walkway reaches the larger snowflake, the Inco Cavern auditorium is frequently used for temporary exhibits, as well as for press conferences and other gala events.

Inside the main building, a 20-metre fin whale skeleton recovered from Anticosti Island hangs from the ceiling.

The complex also features a boat tour, the Cortina, which offers touring cruises of the scenic Lake Ramsey. The Jim Gordon Boardwalk also extends from the facility to the city’s Bell Park along the western shore of the lake.

A common thing that everyone agrees with when they have been is that there is so much to do, and fantastic for families – kids simply love the place! On Trip Advisor it also comes up with 4.5/5 for recommendations and through reviews, actually beats the Ontario Science Centre for satisfaction as well as quality and upkeep of the exhibits. One of the reviews from last summer giving it 5/5 says:

We spent a Sunday afternoon at Science North but I wish we’d planned for the whole day because there was so much to see and do. Ongoing films, live demonstrations, animal feedings, interactive displays, workshops, just a really great variety of fun and learning for the whole family. This attraction is just as much fun for the grown-ups as it is for the kids. My daughter is 3 years old and her favourites were: 1) the build and race your own race-car tracks, 2) the animals (porcupine and skunk especially), 3) toddler treehouse play area, 4) the animatronic dinosaur exhibit, and 5) the nature exchange. In addition to watching her have a great time, I also enjoyed the genetics exhibits and the sports interactive displays (clock your slapshot, etc.) for my own curiosity. Tip: have you ever been curious what it feels like to lie on a bed of nails? You can try it out here!

So, what exactly is there here? Well.. simply put.. a lot. If you go, you’re really best setting a day aside for this place as an afternoon simply wont give you enough time to see everything there is to offer!

First Level

* IMAX 3D – Science North has a 3D IMAX theatre. The theatre originally opened in 1994, and was converted to 3D in February 2009.
* Planetarium – In June 2009 Science North added a planetarium. It has an 8 metre dome and 36 seats.
* 4-D Inco Cavern – a 4-D Bush Plane Adventure Ride that soars through the Arctic archipelago.

* TD Canada Trust Toddler’s Treehouse – a children’s educational play area

Second Level

* Nature Exchange – visitors collect and research natural items from the wild and are swapped for points in a database. The points can be used to “purchase” other natural artifacts from around the world (i.e.: Rocks, sea shells, fossils, etc.)
* Lapidary Lab – Visitors learn how to cut, grind and polish rocks to turn them from ordinary stones into works of art.
* F. Jean MacLeod Butterfly Gallery – This glass-enclosed gallery is home to more than 400 butterflys from 30 different tropical species.

Third Level

NOTE – The third level is currently undergoing a complete renewal and is scheduled to reopen in March 2011. All the animals normally featured on third floor can be visited in the special exhibits hall near the Whizards gift shop.

The exhibits on the third floor are divided into four main areas:

* Northern Forests – In this area you learn and see animals who live in northern forests. Animales include two owls, a porcupine (Quillan), a skunk (Rosy), flying squirrels, bats, mice, and snakes.
* Rivers and Lakes – In this area animals that live in rivers and lakes are featured. This includes a beaver (Drifter), and many different types of fish.
* Wetlands – In the wetlands area visitors meet frogs, snakes, and learn about the complex wetlands ecosystems.
* Discovery Theatre – The discovery theatre is in the centre of the third and fourth levels of Science North. Here staff (Bluecoats) perform live science shows on different topics for visitors.

The popular stream table is also found on the third floor.

Fourth Level

* BodyZone – In BodyZone you learn about DNA and how it makes you unique, and now our body works. There are also many exhibits allowing you to measure your performance, such as the race track. The Club Genome object theatre entrance is also in BodyZone.
* Racetrack – Build a race car and run it on the figure 8 track. This area also features a K’Nex table, a LEGO play area, and the ball wall.
* FedNor CyberZone – The focus of CyberZone is on computer and communications technology. You can mix your own music at the DJ station, play with green screen technology, and create stop-motion animation movies.
* Space Place – This lab focuses on astronomy and space exploration. Exhibits include a 6-foot (1.8 m) gravity well, a microgravity drop tower, exhibits on SNOLAB, and information on Canadian space exploration. The entrance to the “Between the Stars” object theatre is also found in Space Place. This show explores the topic of dark matter – why we know it exists, and how we are trying to detect it. Between the Stars opened in June 2010 and is designed to appeal to all age ranges with a cartoon character named String Man narrating the story of a topic that is quite complex.
* TechLab – Technology and engineering area where you can create your own circuits, take apart old electronics, and play with pulleys and gears.

Object Theatres

Special film and video exhibits which change over time; current exhibits include

* The Climate Change Show — narrated by Rick Mercer and talks about the change in climate. This show is currently being updated and will reopen in March 2011.
* Club Genome — talks about DNA
* Legends of the Great Lakes — This 16 minute show focuses on the bald eagle, the sturgeon, and the woodland caribou. The information is presented as a story that a father tells his daughter before they go to sleep while camping on the shores of Lake Superior.
* Between the Stars — This show is on the science of dark matter. It lasts 16 minutes and features holographic technology, creating a 3-D effect. The main themes on the show are an exploration of the evidence for dark matter, what it might be, and how scientists are trying to detect it at SNOLAB.

Outdoor Grounds

* Polaris Boulevard – is a line which reaches from a large sundial right up the side of the building which points directly at Polaris (the north star).
* Terra – You’re literally on top of the world when you stand on this one-millionth scale world model, outdoors near Science North’s main entrance. At sunset and sunrise, you can watch the Earth’s shadow move across Canada. The benchmark at the centre of Terra is: 46° 28′ 12.00″ N and 80° 59′ 45.70″ W.
* a sculpture honouring local bush plane pilot Rusty Blakey.
* Lily Creek – a marsh located opposite to the centre, Lily Creek is home to many species of creatures.
* The Northern Forest – This outdoor exhibit features many of the tree species grown in northern Ontario that Domtar relies on for its sawmills and for the manufacture of pulp and paper at the Espanola mill.

Science North is only 1 hour 45 minutes from North Bay if you happened to be staying there to see Algonquin, Muskoka and the surrounding area. So with so much to offer – Science North is certainly not something you will want to miss on a family holiday to Northern Ontario!

For more information about Science North, admission prices and how to get there, take a look at their website

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As you can see, its quite a contrast to the grey-sky photos on my previous Gravenhurst article!
The Sunset Grill was as good as last time, and this time i made sure to have the peameal Bacon sandwich – along with a coffee. It was the first time I’d gone to Gravenhurst with my partner in crime – and although i did mention that the coffees were free-refill he had a hot chocolate – that although very nice – my free refills did make him jealous! Where as i had my sandwich with the trademark chunky veggies (raw carrot and cucumber sticks with a dip) – he had a toasted bagel as something lighter.

It was an absolutely beautiful day, with not a single cloud marking the brilliant blue sky – and with it set as the background to the vivid colours of the leaves – reds, oranges and yellows standing out of the regular dark greens from round the shores of the lake. And although there was a chill to the wind, the sunshine still had a nice warmth to it.

Gravenhurst really can be what you want to make of it. If you want to have a relaxing walk or sit by the lake – its got the benches all set up for you – in some really nice spots – that seem to be designed to give you a little privacy but plenty of exposure to the lake’s beauty. If you want to enjoy its attractions however – there are plenty to visit! And if you’re staying in Gravenhurst, Muskoka has attractions all over – and you’re only an hour away from Algonquin Provincial Park!

Of coarse, if you’re staying in this town, why not have a look at some of the other places we’ve already featured such as the Sunset Grill and the Muskoka Boat Heritage Centre

The hotel we’d recommend would be the Marriot which is located right by the Muskoka Boat Heritage Centre, but you can have a look for other hotels and the best prices at www.ebookers.com and searching for Gravenhurst, ON

Your closest airport would be Toronto, so remember to check out the latest offers from Canadian Affair since they’re always the cheapest carrier over to Canada (and I’ve flown 14 times with them now!) Have a look what I’ve had to say about them in our Canadian Affair Review for 2010

So there you have it! A superbly pretty place, full of attractions, places to eat, see and the perfect base to head further afield!

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Gray wolves are slender, powerfully built animals with large, deeply descending ribcages and sloping backs. Their abdomens are pulled in, and their necks heavily muscled. Their limbs are long and robust, with comparatively small paws. The front paws have five toes each, while the back paws have four. The forelimbs are seemingly pressed into the chest, with the elbows pointed inward, and the feet outward. Females tend to have narrower muzzles and foreheads, thinner necks, slightly shorter legs and less massive shoulders than males. Wolves are very strong for their size, possessing sufficient strength to turn over a frozen horse or moose carcass.

They are also capable of running at speeds of 34-38 miles (56–64 km) per hour, and can continue running for more than 20 minutes, though not necessarily at that speed. In cold climates, wolves can reduce the flow of blood near their skin to conserve body heat. The warmth of the footpads is regulated independently of the rest of the body, and is maintained at just above tissue-freezing point where the pads came in contact with ice and snow.

Their sense of smell is relatively weakly developed when compared to that of some hunting dog breeds, being able to detect carrion upwind no farther than 2–3 km. Because of this, they rarely capture hidden hares or birds, though they can easily follow fresh tracks. Captive wolves are known to be able to detect what foods their handlers have eaten by smell. Their hearing is sharp enough to register the fall of leaves in the autumn period. The legend that wolves fear the sound of string instruments may have a basis in fact, as captive wolves in the Regent’s Park Zoo were shown to exhibit signs of intense distress when hearing low minor chords. Their eyesight is not as powerful as that of dogs, though their night vision is the most advanced of the Canidae.

In popular literature, wolf packs are often portrayed as strictly hierarchical social structures with a breeding “alpha” pair which climbs the social ladder through fighting, followed by subordinate “beta” wolves and a low ranking “omega” which bears the brunt of the pack’s aggression. This terminology is based heavily on the behaviour of captive wolf packs composed of unrelated animals, which will fight and compete against each other for status. Also, as dispersal is impossible in captive situations, fights become more frequent than in natural settings. In the wild, wolf packs are little more than nuclear families whose basic social unit consists of a mated pair, followed by its offspring. Northern wolf packs tend not to be as compact or unified as those of African wild dogs and spotted hyenas, though they are not as unstable as those of coyotes. Southern wolves are more similar in social behaviour to coyotes and dingoes, living largely alone or in pairs. The average pack consists of 5–11 animals; 1–2 adults, 3–6 juveniles and 1–3 yearlings, though exceptionally large packs consisting of 42 wolves are known. Wolf packs rarely adopt other wolves into their fold, and typically kill them. In the rare cases where strange wolves are adopted, the adoptee is almost invariably a young animal of 1–3 years of age, while killed wolves are mostly fully grown. The adoption of a new member can be a lengthy process, and can consist of weeks of exploratory, non-fatal attacks in order to establish whether or not the newcomer is trustworthy. During times of ungulate abundance (migration, calving etc.), different wolf packs may temporarily join forces. Wolves as young as five months and as old as five years have been recorded to leave their packs to start their own families, though the average age is 11–24 months.

Wolves howl to assemble the pack (usually before and after hunts), to pass on an alarm (particularly at a den site), to locate each other during a storm or unfamiliar territory and to communicate across great distances.

Pups almost never howl, while yearling wolves produce howls ending in a series of dog-like yelps. Howls used for calling pack mates to a kill are long, smooth sounds similar to the beginning of the cry of a horned owl. When pursuing prey, they emit a higher pitched howl, vibrating on two notes. When closing in on their prey, they emit a combination of a short bark and a howl. When howling together, wolves harmonize rather than chorus on the same note, thus creating the illusion of there being more wolves than there actually are. Lone wolves typically avoid howling in areas where other packs are present.

Wolves appear prominently in the folklore and mythology of human cultures. In Norse and Japanese mythology, wolves were portrayed as almost god-like. In Japan (where wolves were known as ookami or “great god”) grain farmers worshiped wolves at shrines and left food offerings near their dens, beseeching them to protect their crops from wild boars and deer, while the wolf Fenrir of Norse mythology was depicted as the son of Loki. Certain cultures portrayed wolves as part of their foundation myths. In Roman mythology, the Capitoline Wolf nurses the future founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. In the mythology of the Turks and Ainu, wolves were believed to be the ancestors of their race, while the Dena’ina believed wolves were once men, and viewed them as brothers.

So, what if you were wanting to see a wolf? Or hear the wolves howl? Well I can only really suggest places if you should be going to the Muskoka/Algonquin regions of Ontario, however if you search google for zoos or wildlife parks near where you will be staying – you’ll no doubt find a place which you can go visit!
Muskoka Wildlife Centre has a couple of wolves – these being the ones in my photos. They can often present extremely close encounters – and opportunities to capture photos similar to mine on this article. However if you’re looking to encounter wolves out in the wild, it’s probably best you go to one of the organised ‘Public Wolf Howls’ in Algonquin Park.

At post 6 on the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Park is Wolf Howl Pond. This pond was named in the early 1970s when the meadow at the far end of the pond was used by a pack of wolves for several summers as a ‘rendezvous site’. A wolf rendezvous site is a sort of temporary headquarters used by wolves when the pups have become too big for the den but are still too small to travel and hunt with the adults. Because wolves tend to occupy such places for long periods of time, the discovery of a rendezvous means that park staff can take visitors out to hear wild wolves howling with a rather high expectation of success. Back in the 1970s several thousand people participated in ‘Public Wolf Howls’ and heard at that very location the incomparable sound of wolves howling under starry skies, in response to the imitation howls given by park naturalists.

Public wolf howls are still held each August whenever a rendezvous site is found at an accessible location and they continue to have a high rate of success. If you get a chance to go on such an expedition, they highly recommend that you do! there are few ways better of making contact with Algonquin Park’s most famous animal and listening in on its family life, not in a zoo or on television, but in that animal’s true environment.

If you’re interested in going on these Wolf Howls, remember to ring up the park and find out if these are going on to arrange your visit.

More recently obviously, Canadian wolves have also been featured in the animated film Alpha and Omega – Wolves who live in Jasper Park in Alberta.

If you are looking at how to get to Canada to see wolves – remember to check out Canadian Affair. It’s the company i always book my flights with when i fly to Canada and it really is the provider of the lowest cost flights, and it doesnt cut back on quality of service – including 2 inflight meal services and using Thomas Cook as well as the Canadian Airline Air Transat (both of whom i have flown with!) so dont forget to have a look before booking with anyone else! And here’s a link to the Special offers that many miss, so you dont have to go looking!

So there you go! Wolves, one of the many fantastic animals who call Canada their home!

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The Cinema comes complete with a snack-bar, toilets and even a kids play area so while you wait for the sun to set you can let your kids go to the play area, which is thoughtfully placed just below the screen so you can sit in your vehicle and watch the kids without having to strain your neck or turn your car around!

The very reasonable ticket Prices at the cinema are as follows:
Adult (2 Movies) $9.00
Adult (Add Bonus) $10.00
CARLOAD THURSDAY $15.00
DUSK ‘TILL DAWN $12.00
DISCOUNT TUESDAY $5.00
Child (6-12) $2.00
5 and under FREE

And if i was you, i’d also take the opportunity to use their 50c popcorn topup!

If you’re in Canada, you really must get yourself to one of these fantastic drive in cinemas, its an amasing unique experience, and it’s something you’ll remember for years to come! So if you’re in the Muskoka region, take a drive past, check out the films and head along at sunset!

For the most up-to-date information about prices, what’s on and what’s happening at the Muskoka Drive In – remember to look at their website! http://www.muskokadrivein.com/

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