It was time to change the oil, filters and fuel filters, and Sound Boat Works just across from where we were staying had all the parts, so we went over there and had that done. We spent the rest of the day in Parry Sound, the town.

Parry Sound has about 17,000 people, although much of the surrounding area also uses its stores and schools. It has a nice main street. Our last three stops have been Orillia, Midland and Parry Sound. In Orillia, near Lake Simcoe, the downtown was pretty nice even though a Walmart had opened up at the other end of the main street. The downtown in Midland had a lot of closed stores and did not look very lively, which locals put to the new Walmart there. No Walmart in Parry Sound yet, and the downtown was maybe the best of the three.

Sue and Sharon spent afternoons on Tuesday and Wednesday downtown. On Wednesday Paul and I hiked up to a tower on a nearby hill. There’s a museum there as well, but we were a little late for that. We did climb the stairs up the tower to look at the bay and the city. Parry Sound is the nicest looking small town from above. Most of what is visible in any direction is trees. The largest patch of town in the trees is the old downtown. A smaller patch of Uptown (my designation) at the other end of the main street is also visible. The residential part, assuming it exists, is nearly all hidden beneath the forest.

Winter does come in pretty strong here. All boats move away or are out of the water as the lake freezes about a foot and a half deep. Then they have snowmobile races and other things you can do on a large expanse of ice.

The big railroad bridge built in 1907 is a big part of the scenery here, and nearly any painting or picture of the town I’ve seen seems to have it in the background. Several trains come across it every day.

Light rain this morning. Better weather predicted for tomorrow. We’ll be off at 6 to see more of the bay.