Saturday, July 23, 2011

Flirting with the Past: The Sauble Beach of Ontario, Canada -- 1



The Sauble Beach, in the Bruce County of Ontario, Canada, is eleven kilometres (seven miles) long. Located in the eastern shore of the Lake Huron, it is the second longest freshwater beach in the world -- the first one being the Wasaga Beach (14 kilometres or nine miles long) of Ontario on the shores of the Georgian Bay. It usually takes three hours’ drive from Toronto to reach there.

Readers of the The Toronto Star daily voted it to be the “Number one beach in Ontario,” whereas readers of the weekly Maclean’s Magazine voted it to be “One of Canada’s top ten beaches.” This summer-only-beach is privately owned by the Saugeen First Nation (aboriginal people called Chippewas or Ojibwes).

The Sauble River brings in a huge amount of white sand and deposits it in the lake. The waves then collect this sand and bring it to the shore creating sandbars over stony surfaces. Because of these heavy sand deposits, the beach is shallow and its water is warm, turning it to be one of the safest beaches for children.

The Sauble Beach is suitable for sunbathing, waterbathing, swimming and walking. The wind and tide make it easier for people to sail, kayak, kiteboard and windsurf.

About 2,000 people live permanently in the town of Sauble Beach. In the long weekend of the Summer, the population explodes to about 100,000. Accommodations like bed-and-breakfasts, hotels and motels, cottages, and camping sites are available for overnights or the season.

It was August 16 and 17 of 2010 when we visited the Sauble Beach and fell in love with it. We stayed in a motel and sunbathed and swam as well. We found the sunset to be really gorgeous and having a surreal effect. Feelings and emotions run high with the multicolour setting of the sun. Many young people are said to propose and accept marriages during the sunset on this beach! I was enamoured so much with the beauty of the beach that I even composed a poem immediately after my visit.


The welcome signboard at the gate of the beach

Another signboard inside the beach announcing
its ownership by the Saugeen First Nation


The designated parking area inside the beach

Sunbathers soaking in as much sunlight as possible

More sunbathers at their leisure

Sunbathers' paradise

Bathers deciding to jump into the lake water

Two elderly strollers on the beach

Continuous stream of waves slaps at the beach sand

The beauty of waves soothes one's heart and mind

A distant view of bathers in the lake

In some places, water from waves gets clogged in the sand
and gradually leaves topsy-turvy marks


A small seagull in search of food in the receding water on the sand

A big seagull soaring above the trees

More seagulls in the beach area

A signboard on the beach seeking people's cooperation
in saving the sand dunes
that are vital for the longevity of the beach

Photos (Sauble Beach, Ontario: August 16 and 17, 2010) © Jerome D'Costa



(Continued)


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