Just catching up? Read yesterday’s post right here.
The cool thing about Kenauk Nature is that it feels remote, but it isn’t very far from civilization.
That being said, it was a bit of a rough road up to Twins Lake, but we felt safe and secure in our vehicle. I seriously doubt our Prius would have made the drive (which may be a barrier to my glamping goals, unfortunately).
This was the scene that greeted us when we arrived:
We had this whole lake all to ourselves! It was perfectly tranquil.
That tiny person in the distance is an angler that has celeb status in the world of fishing, Jamie Pistilli. Our group split up into two boats and, lucky us, he was our guide.
We piled in, and with a bit of gentle instruction, we all took turns with the rods. Those who weren’t actively fishing, alternated between staring out at the water and chatting.
The sun beat down on us, with occasional breezes cooling our skin. It was heavenly.
The fish nibbled but weren’t exactly willing to let themselves be reeled in, if you know what I mean. However, the nibbles were promising. This meant there was stuff happening under the water.
In the other boat, Ashley Rae, who is a professional angler, caught the first fish. Here’s Ashley with Tori McNeeley of Ottawa Life Magazine and writer/photographer Justin Hoffman.
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you may have already seen my fish! [You can click the image below to enlarge.]
In my previous post, I mentioned that fishing was very relaxing until the moment it suddenly becomes very exciting.
Everything happened very quickly but here’s how I remember how our boat’s catch went down. Someone hooked a fish and passed me the rod. I reeled it in for a bit, fumbling the whole time (“what am I supposed to be doing here exactly?”), and then Jamie saved the day and gave the final heave-ho and voila, we had a fish! Unfortunately, the poor thing was dropped, twice. Once on the floor of the boat and once in the water.
This photo by Justin perfectly captured the excitement… as well as the moment the fish went flying out of my hands (you can actually see it in the photo if you look closely):
I got a lot of congratulations for catching the fish but it was totally a team effort. What I did do, however, was manage to get fish juice all over myself and stink up the car afterwards (sorry Ford)!
The experience was, in a word, amazing. I am so glad I had the opportunity to “catch a fish” for myself!
I should also mention that it died when it hit the water (sorry, fish) and so we brought it back to Chateau Montebello, where it was cooked and served to us at dinner. (I’m pretty sure it had a heart attack. Who wouldn’t?) But I am getting ahead of myself.
We started with cocktails on Montebello’s terrace:
It’s truly a gorgeous space, with lots of cozy seating, planters, and sun umbrellas. It was always service with a smile here, which was so welcoming. At every turn, the staff was friendly and kind.
At seven we proceeded to dinner, which was outdoors (!). Everything was delicious, including our fish.
Take a look at this series of photos of everyone trying to get a shot of the final fish dish! There are a few to click through. The last one in the group is of the cooked fish before we dug in.
After dinner, we gathered around a fire and sang a terrible version of a great song (FERNANDO, by ABBA, if you must know) and kicked back and simply enjoyed the evening. Most of us went to bed at a decent hour. I walked back to my room through the grass in my heels and aerated the dewy lawn. (My shoes were full of dry grass the next morning. Go figure.)
The next morning there were multiple cups of coffee and trips to the breakfast buffet. Have I mentioned that the food here is amazing? We sat by the outdoor pool and soaked up the sun for a few hours:
… until it was time to pack up and take our leave.
The clouds started to roll in as we left; we took the ferry on the route home and back to reality. It was a fitting end to a lovely weekend away.
*In the interest of 100% transparency it’s important that you know that I attended this overnighter at the invitation of Ford Canada but my thoughts are entirely my own.
