Hillman Marsh Conservation Area- Essex Region, ON

 

      It was actually the husband who suggested a hike today. Not that I wasn't thinking it with such a beautiful day like today, that had no plans, but his suggestion was enough to confirm those plans for me today. It wasn't until I started driving with the hubby and the two little guys in the van that I asked, "So where are we going?" I jumped online (www.ontariotrails.on.ca) to figure the answer to that while we got some fuel. On my quick search I found a place just outside of Wheatley, ON (I really have no idea what town it is officially in) called the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area. The main things that won me over out of the many choices of Conservation Areas in the Essex Region was I saw it was near some form of water and it had washrooms. Win!

      When we got there we did have to pay $5, but it was worth it, especially when you know the money goes back in to the conservation areas. There was some picnic tables, some choices to start different trails, and a nature building (that was closed- but it did have an observation deck on the back).

View from observation deck

       All of the trails there are wide and grass or stone. We didn't have the wagon today as it was in the shop (in the backseat of our van), but the sit-and-stand stroller did well enough- not ideal- but it worked. We had a marsh on one side, wild flowers on the other. Now this trail goes through the marsh according the map and so you have water on both sides of you- unfortunately there was a sign saying we couldn't go that way due to hunting that takes place on certain days, Saturday being one. Lame.

       We were still able to do some of the marsh that had a boardwalk so you could walk out on it for a bit. I never had a fear of boardwalks in the middle of water though until today. Having your 3.5 year old that has no fear, who will walk without looking, randomly walk backwards, or even just run to find something to throw in the water for that matter is insanely frightening on those things. Luckily we were able to stay dry today, but there were definitely some times when it got close (at least felt like it was). It was probably thanks to the fact that I remembered an extra pair of pants for him this time that he stayed dry. 

     We got to see tonnes of little critters on our walk which included 3 praying mantis, 8 frogs, lots of butterflies, and a 2-3 foot long snake. It was getting to the point where I wasn't sure where to point my camera with the added beautiful nature all around us. We were also lucky enough to catch quite a few Monarch Butterflies in the area as they are low in numbers sadly this year.

Praying Mantis

Monarch Butterfly

    Not only did we get to see lots of neat things but we also got to hear them. At one point there was a tiny boardwalk over a mucky pond area and it was surrounded by trees and filled by Blue Jays and other song birds. I attempted to take a recording of what we could hear, which also includes the 3 year old in the background, which is him trying to be quiet to the best of his ability. Sadly I am not skilled enough (or more realistically just not patient enough) to figure out how to add the audio- I did try, but no luck; I will have to look into that when I have some free time next.

      We kept hiking after a little visit with a mother and son who were 'trail'ing (sorry I couldn't resist that one) behind us most of the way. It was getting pretty warm outside and there was a lack of shade which intensified the heat. As I said the trail was a bit hard with the stroller, especially while pushing two kids in it. There was a lot of sweat, heavy breathing, and sore tired muscles happening, and I wasn't even the one pushing it. My husband is a champ. We saw a few more frogs on this part of the trail and introduced the oldest boy into the terrifying world of flying grasshoppers which covered the trail in some parts. In case you are wondering what the 1.5 yr old was doing- he was busy trying to stay awake in the stroller the whole time but the bumpy travel made him super sleepy.


Eventually we hit another 'No Hiking' sign due to hunting so we had to retrace our steps back and headed to the car, excited to sit for a bit.





      
 We didn't sit for long though as down the road there was a little beach that we drove by earlier that we knew we had to come back to visit. The waves were big today and crashing and spraying against the rocks. There was a bit of a ridge so it made two levels of the beach that was pretty cool. Both boys had a blast at the water edge, with one doing his best to not leave a single rock on the beach by throwing them in the lake, and the other one digging and trying to sneak the odd bit of sand into his mouth (which he succeeded with doing a couple of times).

Both boys were asleep by 7:30pm tonight- which is a near record for them both being down and so early. That is just how much fun we all had today. What a great trail. Next time we will be sure to come though on a day that is safe to walk the rest of the trail!
 

South Point Trail, Rondeau Provincial Park

 

     On a Saturday morning that was promising a beautiful autumn day there was practically no other choice but to go out for a hike. We decided to make a day of it so we headed off to Rondeau Provincial Park. The day fee is only $16.00 so

not a bad price to pay for endless trails and time on the beaches. You have the lake on one side of this Provincial Park and the bay on the other.

     Our first stop was to the beach near the Visitor’s Centre to grab some maps and take a break from the same Veggie Tales song playing for the whole car trip there. The three year old kept bugging to go somewhere near the water first. He got upset when he saw us pass the bay outside his brother’s side of the car, even when we reassured him the lake was out his side of the car window. When we told him that we were going to the lake next his response was, “…and then we can throw sticks and rocks in to that water?” – Now his insistence made sense, can’t believe we missed that one.

      The beach was a beautiful sight. The bright blue water met the horizon that had a matching blue sky and the beach kept going for as long as the eye could see. Some teens were having a get together and playing guitars and singing songs which added to the ambiance of it all. Our oldest boy was able to fulfill his every wish when it came to throwing stuff into water- it is like what he has been building up to since I started these trails. The youngest, having to be the exact opposite of his brother was in his glory playing in the sand. The husband was in his element looking for interesting rocks to try and show uninterested boys. I had a blast just playing around with my camera and capturing my little family discovering so many things.

       When it looked like it was time for a volleyball match for the teens we used it as a great excuse on why we had to leave the beach and head to a trail. We decided to try a trail we haven’t been on yet at Rondeau called “South Point Trail”. It was a beautiful trail. It was a bumpy paved wide trail so lots of room for any type of stroller or wagon and great for bikes. I would suggest taking bikes if you are with kids as it will cut a lot of the time. The boys stayed in the wagon long enough to eat a granola bar then it was time to explore. 

      After a lesson on why we had to stay on the trail (poison ivy) we came across what looked like an avid hiker- or at least he was dressed like one, who offered to go into the woods and get a frog to show us. While I knew I was going to get the “He’s allowed to get off the path” look, how can anyone resist that offer? Sure enough a couple of minutes later he came back with a little frog. Sadly two minutes is long enough for the older one to lose interest so he was busy drawing happy faces in the trail, but the 1 year old loved the frog and giggled as it hopped away. 

                              

      After a really long time of trying to keep the boys moving on the trail, which is so hard when all they understandably want to do is explore we were able to coax them back into the wagon with more granola bars. At that point hubby and myself walked as fast as possible knowing we were still a couple of kilometres away from the destination which looked like it might be near water (we weren’t really sure). It was a lovely quick walk where we were actually able to hold hands and chat, and hear the water getting louder with promises of our proximity getting closer.

      The long trail (approximately 3.1km) was worth it! It ended on its own private little beach area. Waves were crashing, sailboats were way out on the lake and migrating birds kept flying overhead. The boys and the hubby went back to their previous beach roles as did I. We stayed there for around 30 minutes until our very cautious three year old suddenly decided to throw that caution into the win and ran right into the water. He got up to his waist and came right back out laughing his head off. With a little reminder about safety while holding back our own little smiles we prepared him that we had to go home now as I forgot to pack extra pants- ALWAYS PACK EXTRA PANTS! 

 

      We emptied out his boots (yes we are the cool parents that take their kids to the beach in rain boots, keep in mind it was cool outside!) and he got full range of the wagon and a blanket to cover him up. 

      The one year old was against being confined in a little red wagon so stayed on his Daddy’s shoulders. Doesn’t seem like a hard walk right? Keep in mind hubby was carrying 30 pounds and I was pulling about 45 pounds for 3.1km. It took everything in me to keep going. At one point we were holding hands again but less of a romantic ‘hold my hand because everything is perfect and I want to share this moment with you’ and more of a ‘please drag me to our van’ hand hold.  

        We made it to the van with a kid asleep in the wagon and one asleep as soon as he sat in the car. WIN! The trail was a beautiful walk, long, but beautiful. The private beach part was the prize at the end (middle?) of it. I think we were on that trail for approximately 3 hours, it is a sad fact but true. But the most important thing is we all had a blast and created tonnes of memories, so for that, I love this trail, and the park as a whole, and would do it again for sure (but I would remember to pack extra pants this time).

Children's Animal Farm, Canatara Park, Sarnia ON

I would like to just spend a couple of minutes to dedicate this trail to one of the most important people I have ever known, my Auntie Val. As I have mentioned in previous posts I had a family member who was ill. It was with cancer. Two months to the day we found out she passed away last Sunday peacefully and surrounded by her loved ones. My Auntie Val was one of the sweetest, loveliest people I have ever known. It is through her and my Nana that we were first introduced to the Children’s Animal Farm. Whenever our family would go to visit them in Sarnia it led to many trips here in the spring and summer where we would go with stale bread to feed the many ducks, and carrots to feed the farm animals. (Although feeding is not allowed anymore) This place is where some of many wonderful memories with both my Nana and my Aunt took place and somewhere where we share and make new memories with the next generation. My husband and I took our two boys here a couple of weeks ago where I came back to show pictures to my Auntie Val so she could see how little has changed and how much this next generation loves going as much as we loved going with her. Thank you Auntie Val for being such an inspiration in all of our lives and we truly will miss you and love you forever and we will continue to bring the next generation to the Children's Animal Farm and make sure your's (and Nana's) memory lives on. 

 

       For those who have never heard of this Animal Farm it is set in Canatara Park in Sarnia, Ontario. It was established in 1964 and has all of your average farm animals. There is a big barn you can walk through that situates in the middle of a large pathway that circles around to view the outdoor animals such as horses, llamas and goats. There is also a little waterway that circles around it as well that is always full of ducks and geese. Recently just outside the farm part they have added bikes mounds, a huge park, and lots of running around space and places for picnics on the ground or sheltered picnic tables.

     
        It was on this last trip that I learned an awful lot about our 3.5 year old and almost 2 year old. The two year old spent the whole time running around constantly testing his reflexes (as well as ours) by putting his fingers or face through the fences to see the animals. At one point he was trying to climb the fence that surrounded the horses, and if we let him he also would have swam with the ducks. You may wonder how we are able to do anything or go anywhere with two crazy wild boys but please note I only explained our almost 2 year old. The 3.5 year old is the exact opposite. He spent the whole time in the wagon. We kept offering to help him out but he kept replying that he was fine just in the wagon and wanted to watch from in it. We also had a big celebration of his bravery at the fact he finally let us go through the barn. Now don't get me wrong, he had a blast, he loves this place; I think this trip was the perfect example of when we explain that the youngest lives in the moment, while the oldest analyses it.

 

      One of my favourite parts of this is the trails that lead from outside the entrance of the Animal Farm to the other side of Canatara park near the lake. While these trails aren't a long walk by any means it does still give the hiking experience of dirt trails, surrounded by trees, flowers, and the water way. They are also different directions you can take that lead you to different exits into Canatara or the big pond that is also near the Children's Animal Farm. 

     This is our favourite place to go for a FREE day out with the boys. We can see farm animals, play at the park, have a picnic, walk through a nature trail then head to the beach. Add that all with the fact it holds special memories with the fact you are making new ones and you can't go wrong!

Here is their website for more information: http://www.childrensanimalfarm.com/