I hadn’t been in a couple of years, so I thought it was time to make a visit again. Also, it’s a darn good excuse to eat some delicious pie as well as buying one to take home. I took Highway 2 which is much prettier than the 401, and it was only about a half hour’s drive. If you drove East from Toronto, you most likely saw it from the 401 driving towards the County. If you were coming from the Ottawa and Quebec direction you didn’t get to see what I’m writing about. But, which ever direction you came from, the Big Apple is worth a visit.
Now chances are, the place is going to be crowded when you visit, but I think that’s sort of part of the road side attraction charm. Also, plan your trip so that you are hungry enough to at least have a piece of pie, or maybe enjoy some BBQ from the BBQ wagon outside during the summer.

I had a slice of Mumble Crumble apple pie, but as you can see, there all sorts of pies to choose from. In fact, the first thing you see as you walk in to their venue is the pie making department of their huge building.

Nothing succeeds like success, and let me tell you this place is successful! People were lined up to buy the usual burgers, fries and sandwiches to eat there, as well as buying everything from pies, pies and more pies, jams, candy apples and home decor to take home. There is even cider!

I didn’t see many people leaving empty handed. I for sure was not one of them as I bought a couple of loaves of Apple Bread and a Mumble Crumble Apple Pie. Aside from eating the Apple Bread as toast, I thought it would make a great grilled cheese sandwich, and one of my friends suggested using it for French Toast! Perfect!
Don’t over eat though, because there is family fun to be had there too, and you don’t want that “I ate too much” feeling. While you are there, you can climb to the top of the Big Apple for a panoramic view of the area, as well as see their up and coming apple orchards.

There is also a carousel that has just been installed and should be operational shortly.

The mini golf was very popular as well as the mini train.

I would think there is enough to do there to keep you busy for a good couple of hours by the time you eat a little something and have a walk around the place. Look them up online for directions, it’s a fun afternoon out, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, a good excuse to eat some delicious pie!

I was very happy when one of my Toronto friends called to tell me that she, her sister and mother were coming to the County for a day trip. They wanted to meet up for lunch. Great! Lunch at Lake on The Mountain Resort – FANTASTIC! I love that restaurant! I mean aside from the great food, I love having lunch on a patio when the weather permits. And, their patio is wonderful, in that if you sit facing one way you see the Lake on The Mountain, and if you sit facing the other way, you get views overlooking Lake Ontario.

I arrived a little early, and once seated at a table on the patio I had a look through their menu. There is a good selection of food, but I must admit, I pretty much always have their cheeseburger. My friend enjoyed her cheeseburger as well, her sister was also pleased with her Asian Salad as well as their mother with her Tourtiere . The prices are reasonable as well.

How the lake came to be on top of the mountain is a mystery. Did a meteor hit the earth leaving behind a crater big enough to form the lake?

Also owned by the same company is the Miller House, which is just across the street. With a different menu from the Inn, you will have a hard time deciding which restaurant to go to! The view from the Miller House is also spectacular. I took a quick photo from their patio too.

So the choice is yours. Which will it be? Lake on The Mountain restaurant, or the Miller House restaurant? A tough decision, but don’t worry too much as you’re in a win – win situation!

This Pike caught by one of our guests was 32 inches!

Who likes to fish? Lots of people do, and there are many a hardy soul who like to do so in the winter as well! Yes, I mean ICE FISHING! Now although Ice Fishing is not my thing, you can see that it is definitely a popular winter pastime. All you have to do is look out the front windows of either Bay House or the Bunkie, and you will see that the Bay is dotted with Ice Huts during the cold winter months. Fishing is a real passion for many people, and as you can see from the photos in this blog post, that the fish do indeed bite in the winter! Both these beauties were caught by two of our guests, just about a kilometer straight out on to the Bay from our water frontage . Both fish are Pike, and both guests released the fish back into the Bay after taking these envy worthy photos.

This Pike was 35 inches.

Both fish were lucky enough to be put back in the Bay. Will you catch them next time? So don’t think the Bay is only good for a summer vacation, because as you can see, that just isn’t so!

We are very lucky indeed to be situated near 3 Provincial Parks! Of course everyone knows about Sandbanks, and many nature lovers look forward to visiting Presqu’ile, but surprisingly, many people don’t know about North Beach. And, maybe that’s a good thing! You see, it seems that once any one visits North Beach, they get hooked and never go visit the other Park Beaches in the County. I always joke and say “Tell everyone it’s horrible, and you won’t like it!”. Now that may seem mean, but hold on, as there’s a method to my madness. North Beach is just as beautiful, but nowhere near as crowded as Sandbanks. Now that’s a good thing right?

So go ahead and dive into the waves at North Beach…

But… get ready… because there is  another bonus to visiting North Beach.  Aside form a beach with plenty of wave action, North Beach also has a side with a Bay for those of you who prefer a more tranquil place to splash around in.

So you decide where you want to set up for the day to enjoy your vacation, or visit both sides! There isn’t much in the way of shade there, so if you have a beach umbrella you should probably bring that along too. There is a canteen there, but it looks like most people come for the day with picnic cooler and games in tow. There is also a washroom and lots of parking. So make a point of visiting North Beach for yourself, but remember to tell everyone “Oh, don’t go there!”, as maybe we really don’t want everyone to know about this beautiful gem!

Yes, it’s nice to go to the Sandbanks, Presqu’ile and North Beach Provincial parks, but since you will be spending at least a week at Bay House, why not take advantage of the fact that it isn’t that far to the Thousand Islands Area? Take the 401 East to Gananoque, and with a drive that is just a little over an hour East from Bay House, you could be exploring the Thousand Islands on one of the tour ships from Gananoque Ontario.

If you bring your Canadian passport with you, you can even cross over the toll bridges in to the States. From there you can also take a boat tour from Alexandria bay on the Uncle Sam Boat Line.

Both boat lines offer tours that include an opportunity to stop and visit Boldt Castle. Boldt Castle is an official point of entry into America from 10 am to 6pm in the summer, so as long as you have your Canadian Passport, you can enter from a Canadian Tour ship. Give Gananoque cruises a call to find out more 1.888.717.4837

Boldt Castle http://www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo

If you do decide to cross over the toll bridges to the States (the scenery as you cross the bridges is beautiful, and you can even park your car and walk up the bridges to take spectacular photos), the Uncle Sam Boat tours also offers a cruise to Singer Island Castle and will drop you off and pick you up again in a couple of hours.

Have a look at their website to learn a little about this castle that was built as a hunting lodge. http://www.singercastle.com/

The Uncle Sam Boat Line is in Alexandria Bay, which is a tourist attraction in itself with many restaurants and shops to visit.

The Thousand Islands area is definitely worth a visit, and since it isn’t a long drive from Bay House, you should make a point of using one of your vacation days to explore the area. All those people from the 1800’s to now can’t be wrong!

Here is a sampling of some of the Island cottages. I took these photos when I went on an Uncle Sam Boat tour last year.

So as you can see, there is lots to see and do in this pretty part of the world! Remember to check our blog from time to time as we report on the many sights to be seen out here!

Although it may be starting to show signs that winter is probably just around the corner, the beach in Wellington, Prince Edward County is always beautiful. We stopped by yesterday on the drive home from taking the dog to the vet. The waves were quite busy and the air was very crisp. There is a new Tim Horton’s in Wellington, so no doubt there will be many people grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting in their car (this time of year) and admiring the rolling beauty of the beach.

Even though it is starting to get cold, we still like to roll down the windows, at least for a minute anyhow, and listen to the waves.  Very relaxing, but the the cold wind forces one to roll the windows back up!

It is about a 1/2 hour drive from our location to Wellington. These photos were taken from the Beach Street beach in Wellington. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Just a quick post to let you know that it looks like the swans are starting to gather up for their flight South. This was the view from my porch yesterday. Although it is nice to see all the swans a swimming, I’m pretty sure that it means fall is definitely on it’s way here! That means some nice photographs of the local colours for you are on their way!

Who can resist a great lunch with a beautiful view? We can’t, so whenever we get a chance, we choose one of the County’s restaurants and have some eye candy along with our meal. A couple of weeks ago we chose The County Cider Company for our lunch destination. Although their ciders are delicious, as I was driving, I stuck to water. Mom did partake in a half pint of one of their ciders and reported that it was up to standard as usual.

The County Cider company is a re-purposed barn with a kitchen area built onto the side of it. It even has a stone pizza oven.

We were seated on their patio, which has patio chairs and tables with umbrellas, but as you can see, there is also picnic table seating as well – all with beautiful views of the vineyard and the lake! And yes, even though our short term waterfront units are completely furnished, and you can do your own cooking in the kitchen or on the gas BBQ, if you will be staying in one of our units during the warmer months, you should make a point of having lunch in one of the  County’s many restaurants!

I think the geese are telling me it’s going to be an early winter! The last few mornings I have been awakened to the sounds of the geese honking outside my bedroom window here on the bay of Quinte, and they definitely have a lot to say to each other.  I know they get together and start to practice their formations for the long flight south, but come on, this is a little early! I mean really, it’s only August, do you really think you need to get organized and start getting together already? But, I suppose you know best, and I had better get used to the idea of an early winter! I don’t know if they are getting together in Belleville and in Trenton proper as well, so I will have to ask around. But it seems that right here on our piece of the Bay of Quinte, we are the place to be if you are a Canadian Goose! I will let you know when the ducks start to get together as well, so stay tuned. At the present time, the mummy ducks are still swimming with their quite grown up babies in formation.

We decided to treat ourselves to a little change of scenery for lunch the other day. As Presqu’ile Park is only a short drive from home, we decided to take a picnic lunch and enjoy the views.

We chose a quiet shaded picinic table away from the beach, but here is a picture of the beach should you be a sun lover.

But, maybe you prefer to walk on one of the many trails in the park.

If you’re looking for someplace local to enjoy a day off while staying in one of our units, maybe Presqu’ile Park might be the place for you!