Algonquin on my Mind
In August 53 years ago, I discovered Algonquin Provincial Park for the first time. The awe inspiring landscape resonated with me and has kept drawing me back to the park for more than five decades. My affinity for the park was cemented at the age of 16 when high school friend Mike Turner invited me to join his family on a three-week vacation to their family compound on a pine-studded island in the middle of Cache Lake. If my memory serves me correctly, the site consists of four rustic frame cabins, the original structure having been built by Mike’s grandfather in the 1920's, two boat houses and a pine needle-covered basketball court pounded into the dirt by generations of teenagers playing hoops. Propane gas provided the lighting and ran the cook stove, and water came from a hand pump. The island has served as a rendezvous place for four generations of extended family, some of whom hailed from California, and an aunt in her eighties who travelled from France eac...