Roatan Honduras
2017 saw us travel to Roatan and the Dominican Republic, and explore some provincial parks at home.
April was Roatan with family, our 4th time there, although this time our trip coincided with holy week, which was a different experience. The usually calm little island was crazy with locals from the mainland, in fact we were told about 40,000 people had come across to celebrate. The beach was the busiest we’ve ever seen it. A fun week of relaxing with kids and grandkids, getting a chance to see and hold Sloths (oh so cute! She even smiled for the camera).
https://www.facebook.com/DanielJohnsonsMonkeyandSlothHangout/
Lake Ontario Flooding
We returned from Roatan ready to launch our boat, the Foxy Lady, only to find that Toronto Island was sinking, literally. The inordinate amount of rainfall that we received in the spring caused water levels to rise the highest they’ve been since 1993. Beaches were washed out, the lake was encroaching on the city, parts of the island were under water, even cutting off access to some areas of the island. Our dock was under water, in fact it was about 6-10 inches under water, and the shore power pedestal was almost under water. We were put onto a finger dock in the middle section of the Marina that was not as badly affected by the flooding, so we were at least in for the season. Rubber boots and shorts was the fashion requirement for this year.
Canada 150th Birthday Celebration
July 1st, Canada day was a special celebration this year, as it was Canada’s 150th birthday, Toronto celebrated with 2 fireworks shows, one from the CN Tower, the other from a barge in the harbor. the view from the island was superb.
Camping in Ontario
We got out camping twice this year, the first time to MaCrae Point provincial park just out side of Orillia ON, with friends that we do an annual “Glamping” weekend for the long weekend in August, where we try to out do one another with food, recipes and unique things we’ve found, and of course wine and some special Rum.
The 2nd camping trip was to Bon Echo provincial park in eastern Ontario, a place that we have wanted to go for a long time. We went in September, and it was cold, but beautiful. The 100m high Mazinaw Rock on the lake, that is the iconic image of the area, and the 200+ native pictographs that are approximately 1000 years old or more are fascinating, along with it’s rich history and eventual donation to the government of Ontario for use as a park in 1959.
Samsara Dominican Republic
November saw us back on a plane heading south, this time to Samana, Dominican Republic. Our first time back in the DR in 7 years, and first time to Samana after having looked at it time and time again. We weren’t disappointed. It’s lush, green, out of the way so you don’t get the craziness of Sosua, nestled into a bay and the Los Haitises National Park on the other side of the bay. Add a bonus visit by dolphins on the way to the park, an all day excursion on ATV’s through the hills and beaches, and a beautiful resort, it was a nice way to end off the years travels.
Camera Gear
Just before heading to the Dominican, we purchased a new Camera, a Canon Rebel T6i . The main idea was to get another good video camera, and a newer DLSR. We Also picked up a Rodes mic with the “dead cat” wind screen and a handful of SD cards. Samana would be a perfect place to play and learn the new camera. The higher Megapixel count will be nice for getting some hi res images. we were also looking to grab a few more batteries for our GoPro, however they don’t sell batteries for the GoPro3 anymore. We currently have 2 batteries which will suffice, however a couple more would be nice. Time to upgrade the GoPro ? Maybe for next year. If you’re in the market for SD/MicroSD cards and you live in Ontario, check out Costco. They have 64Gb and 128Gb MicroSD/SD cards (with adapter and reader) for $24.95 (64Gb) and $49.95 (128Gb). We’re going to load up on those for sure.
2018 Boating
As we head into the new year, the first event that we’ll be going to is the Toronto International Boat Show where we’ll be looking for a new dinghy. Our old Quicksilver dinghy has a leak at one of the valves and does not want to seal, so it’s time for the new one. We’d seen a couple in the stores as we wandered around during the year, and we’re hoping for some good deals at the show. Any suggestions, anyone have good/bad experiences or recommendations ? Let us know in hte comment section.
2018 Travels
So what’s in store for next year? Well, we’ve been tossing around a couple of ideas, some back packing trips in Columbia or the UK? Getting away from the resorts, maybe an AirBNB type accommodations, camping of course, maybe get to Wilson NY on the boat, or maybe just explore more of our own back yard here in Canada, or a US road trip? Time to start researching and dreaming and eventually planning. What kind of trips are you planning for 2018? Let us know in the comments section
We hope you have a wonderful 2018.
