A Morning Walk In Historic And Scenic Mattawa, Ontario
It was the 66th year I awoke on our beautiful planet. My birthday was a big event as a child and for most of my adult life. I have had my share of happiness and sadness during those many birthdays more sad than happy these past few years but you, my first time readers can learn more about that by exploring the many blog posts in the archives. This birthday I was in Mattawa Canada and it was a beautiful morning. 
I awoke before the sunrise in my room at the Le Voyaguer Inn and was soon out and exploring the quiet streets of Mattawa. I didn’t see a single person as I walked through the deserted streets. Not a single motor vehicle passd me either. It was pretty main street, like a Norman Rockwell drawing. I enjoyed the feeling of being alone in the quaint and quiet town. 
I was now familiar with it’s street and walked past the closed businesses and sleeping homes to the park,
at the confluence of the historic and scenic Mattawa River and 
Ottawa River. It was a much cooler morning than the heat I experienced in the town on the previous afternoon.
A mist rose over the Ottawa River. I finally saw some folks awake , a couple of fishermen on the river. 
They made me think of the Native Americans who hunted and fished this areas for many generations before the Europeans arrived changing their life style forever. And as I noted in my previous blog ,Samuel De Champlain and many other famous explores followed the Ottawa River to in confluence with the Mattawa River and then followed the Mattawa River to the vast Great Lake region . 
The sun had risen before I started my walk but it was obscured by the hills along the river. It appeared above the hills as I approached the Mattawa Island Conservation Area. 
On the way I saw a few birds singing in the cool morning air including this yellow warbler, 
and red-eyed vireo. It amazes me to see these birds, that are so familiar to me on my hikes near my home in Northeastern Pennsylvania, knowing they winter in Florida, Central and South America and the Caribbean. 
I walked onto the island where I again saw a few common grackles on the shore of the river.
The beach were I saw the teenagers swimming the day before was not deserted, 
well except for a few Canada geese. 
I walked on the short trail in the woodlands on the island., 
and enjoyed the sweet aroma of the honeysuckle flowers. They are an invasive species and they are very common in the wetlands near my home. They are one of the few invasive species I like because of their beautiful and fragrant flowers. 
Wild strawberries were are blooming along the trail. It was good to see plants and animals that I knew from my hikes in Pennsylvania. 
I saw a few song sparrows, and 
this black capped chickadees with a mouthful of insects. It must have a nest with some youngsters nearby. 
After some more exploring on the island , I walked back into town, It was still deserted I, walked past the closed shops, 
and wooden statues of the famous local explorers.
I enjoyed exploring the small town, finding the local high school, 
and a lot of well kept homes. It seemed every every yard had a lilac bush. I loved their fragrance that filled the morning air. 
I found this businesses advertisement on my walk, these happen to be my initials, a good omen on my birthday.
.
It was a delightful walk but I had a lot of driving ahead of me. So I returned to my hotel, quickly showered, changed and packed. I was on the road again by 8:30 a.m. I hope I can return to this quiet, friendly town. 
I was hungry, I am always hungry when I am on the road, and I drove about an hour into the town of North Bay. North Bay is where the Mattawa River begins at Lake Nipissing. I saw on my Google maps there was a small diner, the Fifty’s Diner and I decided to eat here. It was a good decision. 
I loved the 1950’s themed diner as soon as i walked through the doors. There were a lot of locals engaging in their morning chats, and a pleasant waitress who greeted me and assured me the food would be delicious. There were pictures of famous 1950’s celebrities on the wall,
and I had to sit beneath this one. I knew that Marilyn Monroe shared my birthday and I took it as another good omen.
I enjoyed a hearty birthday breakfast and a pleasant conversation with my waitress. T he cook came out and we talked about my birthday and travels on the planet I was blessed to have during my lifetime. Here is a link to a photo gallery on my blog website with more photos from my morning hike . Mattawa Ontario morning hike June 1 2023 
After breakfast I was on the road again. It was still a 3 1/2 mile drive to Cochrane my next stop on my way to James Bay. It was a nice ride through the Canadian woodlands and farm lands. I arrived in Cochrane around 2 p.m. and was ready to explore this small town. 
“A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor—such is my idea of happiness.” —Leo Tolstoy
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” Jawaharlal Nehru
Categories
Recent Comments