SLEEPING UNDER THE STARS
FREE CAMPING
Places to stop along the Great Lakes in Ontario
Aubinadong River
N 46°38'25.9" W 83°25'23.7"
46.64053 -83.42325
The Aubinadong is a tributary to the Mississagi River and a Non-Operating Provincial Park. Originally, I was driving up highway 129, between Thessalon and Chapleau. A beautiful stretch of highway written about in motorcycle magazines and spoken of by other travellers. Like another famous highway 129 this is Ontario’s very own dragons tail. It’s such an awesome ride that its part of two of Algoma’s preplanned motorcycle touring routes, The Grand Algoma and the Island North Tour and is a destination all to itself. I was heading to Aubrey Falls, another unmaintained Provincial Park farther along and apparently quite a party place. Initially, I just pulled in because I was tired and needed a nap, but I was enthralled with the beautiful free camping sites I’d found and this new location right next to this shallow, rocky dark water river. I’m really not much of a partier anyway, so camping here was my new plan. All the other travellers I met there were transient, not staying more than a single night and gone in the morning. I’m sure the crazy storms we had were influencing their decision making, but I was there about a week and a half, until food and water got low. My campsites all seemed to hold up to the weather. The river is a winding casual downstream kayak ride with islands strewn randomly. I tried my luck fishing here, but the end result was I lost a lure and a caterpillar drowned. My first time fishing on one of my trips, I’d just bought a rod and licence with Youtube as my teacher. Riding my bicycle up and down the highway exploring, I was truly dismayed by the incredible amount of plastic bottles that have collected in the gutters on either side, tossed by passing motorists. Some people’s children. I had to turn a blind eye to enjoy the rest of the beauty round me. There was a shit ton of that, so I basked in it. The highway is so lightly travelled by vehicles it’s a comfortable, safe ride with the occasional wave of greeting from the cars.
2023 the flies were so bad you hear the click clack off them bouncing off the windows and I saw the second biggest bear I've ever seen. A super healthy looking young male I had to brake my car for as he casually sauntered across the road. of course when i went to take his picture, he did what wildlife tends to do, got shy and ran.
© sleeping under the stars 2021