Day 63 & 64: Mid-Adventure Retreat-Georgian bay (the kozas)

It has been two months since we started and none of us have seen a person we knew before the trip, and with the exception of a few biker friends made along the way, we have rarely had multiple conversations with the same person (so it has been a lot of time with just us'ns, and believe it or not we we still like each other!). Also we have never had a day away from the bikes. So to break up the pattern and the trip, we planned a short visit with the Kozas who live in Orillia and have a cottage on an island in Georgian Bay. We knew Cullie and Jackie were "Extreme Parents" because Acadia Recreation Management
and Community Development had already bestowed that title upon them (for lovingly supporting three kids in the same university program at the same time... Try that for an emotional and financial challenge), and we knew all three kids were extremely nice and competent (Alan had taught all of them and Mike went to Guyana with Alan and Ginny). But beyond the plan to show up on the day, we had know idea what was in store for us. Little did we know we were in for some "extreme hosting".

We arrived at the Orillia house after a short morning ride to find that folks were out doing errands preparing for our cottage trip. We immediately decided that we could skip the cottage because the house was spectacular with a beautiful swimming dock on the lake just 15 metres from the patio. When Cullie arrived home 30 minutes later, Ginny was already asleep in a comfy chair on the dock. But Cullie would not entertain staying put.. he promised we were in for a much bigger treat in Georgian Bay. So we bid our bikes adieu and tumbled into the car for the first time since early May. An hour later we tumbled out and hopped into the boat in Parry Sound which Jackie was skippering.





A beautiful half hour boat ride to the outer archipelago of the 30,000 islands in Georgian Bay brought us to the island with a magnificent "cottage" that perched on top and blended into the landscape of rocks and trees.


Well, there was a wonderful one bedroom cottage but there were four other small sleeping cottages, each uniquely nestled in it's separate surroundings. To put it simply, we were in heaven.





To add bit of back story, the Koza's bought the cottage for a song (though songs are still not cheap in Georgian Bay) because it was in the recession in 2008 and because it was a physical disaster, having been neglected for many years to the point that most thought some of it should be torn down and there was no permitted toilet facilities or reasonable water or electricity. So last summer Cullie gathered anyone and everyone he could find, and for three months ten to fifteen people worked twelve hours a day "renovating" the place.


It was not just the madness but also the method behind it since Jackie is an interior deigner and did an incredible job. One is always using one thing or another and remarking, "that's a smart idea" or "we should do that at our house". They ended up with a magnificent, luxurious and comfy locale that everyone can be proud of.


Among family, friends and laborers, the new verb coined was to be "cullied". This means you were talked into this great deal where you were paid well by the day, and given room and board in a spectacular spot. The catch was that you were worked until you were dead- almost literally. Of course imagine the work tearing out everything and rebuilding it on an island where everything had to be brought in or out on their small workhorse motor boat, from siding to kitchen cabinets to beds. Wow.

So we did not lift a finger for 24 hours... an afternoon swim in the crystal clear water, gourmet meals, cuddling with Molly and Maggie (the two cutest dogs in the world),


an evening bonfire...





Then a boat tour of the bay the next day with a wonderful swim in the centre of the Umbrella Islands, a newly minted marine conservation area in the middle of the bay.


We heard about the geological, cultural and social history of the Bay, and like any great storyteller, it was a bit hard to separate Cullie's fact from fiction (Cullie learned that the rock of the island was gneiss, not granite, thanks to Shane). And all through the adventure there were lots of laughs and stories around the table.

On the way back we motored by the "cottages" of the Eatons and the Moncks, to drop a few names, not the least bit envious of their locales. By late afternoon it was time to boat back to town and then back to Orillia to prepare to start early Friday morning on the next stage of the trip. After such an amazing and relaxing retreat, can we get back to our hard life on the road? How will we deal with the "oppressive" heat they are predicting for the next few days? Stay tuned.



Distance: 8.05 km
Time on bike: 0:31:05
Average speed: 15.5 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 4970 km
Start: 9:00 am
End: 10:15 am
Wind: none
Conditions: sunny


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Georgian Bay, Ontario