Sparrow Lake

Last week my family had our first vacation in over two years!  My grandfather rented a cottage for us just outside of Gravenhurst.  As a child my grandpa would always take me to Balsam Lake every summer for nearly 15 years.  My memories of those holidays are definitely some of my most memorable.  So early this year when my grandfather approached me and asked if Jordan and I would like to return to Balsam Lake nearly two decades later with our own family, the idea was certainly a favourable consideration.  However after a few days of discussing with my husband the options, I decided my memories of Balsam were best left as memories.  My husband and I wanted to begin creating our own special traditions.  And so, in early February we began the long (and often frustrating) cottage search.  After weeks of researching rentals and resorts, we finally narrowed it down to one.  Our week in Muskoka was finally booked and the count down began!

The week prior to our departure, we were beyond busy trying to get everything organized and packed but after countless trips to the Dollar Store, Canadian Tire and the Grocery Store, 3 late nights baking and meal prepping, catching up on laundry and packing 5 bags - everything seemed to come together in the final hours.  We left one hour behind schedule but still managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the Muskoka Store (one of my fav stores) and only 1 washroom break - It was mommy that had to go -ha!  We arrived on time and only forgot a few minor things.  Unpacking the car only took half as much time, baby proofing the cottage was another story.  Within a few hours we had settled in, our guests had arrived and we sat down to enjoy a wonderful family dinner overlooking the lake.

Here are some trip highlights (in no particular order) and of course several photos...there were so many I couldn't choose!

• Watching my youngest wave hello to literally every boater that passed by our cottage (the sign of a true cottager at heart)
• Swimming endless hours with my daughter...back and forth, back and forth (our little mermaid) - and the weeds didn't even faze her!
• Afternoon naps on the hammock
• Movie nights with my hubby and stargazing until past midnight;)
• Perfect cottage weather!
• The Muskoka Store - a true cottage highlight for mommy
• Muskoka Coffee...pretty much the only coffee I'll drink aside from Timmies
• Knowing our dog Cody thought he was in doggie heaven...he spent all his days swimming and chasing chipmunks
• Spending quality time with our extended family
• Becoming quite comfortable driving along the longest (and most dangerous) cottage road ever!
• Playing baseball off the dock with our oldest son
• Meeting random strangers in the middle of nowhere and realizing that we're connected in more ways than one!
• Paddle boating with my grandpa...you're never too old!
• Knowing we only broke a few glasses...and can be expecting a return on our $300 damage deposit
• Campfire smores, late night swims and ice cream cones almost daily!

On a side note...

5 years ago I was asked to do some goal setting for a job position I had with lululemon.  It was a pretty detailed report that asked me to consider my short and long term goals over the next 10 years.  Although I would have to read everything over in order to remember what I wrote back then...one goal in particular has never changed.  While technically I still have several years to achieve it, I've never wanted it more.  My vison 5 years ago was waking up on Canada Day at our family cottage in Muskoka and eagerly awaiting the arrival of our entire family...who were joining us at the cottage to enjoy the first long weekend of summer!  Our past week at the cottage was the closest I've ever been to achieving that goal.  It truly was an amazing week...so many memories made!

Here is the link to the rental agency where we found our cottage: http://www.vacationtimemuskoka.com/

A few pros and cons...and some lessons learned.

PROS

• The rental agency helped us to narrow down our search and make recommendations based on our preferences.
• Renting a cottage (as opposed to a cottage resort) allowed us to share the cottage with our entire family and made us feel much more at home with the added privacy - everything was ours to use (the dock, beach, boats etc...).

CONS

• We had to pay a $100 administration fee to the agency.
• All of our questions and concerns were made through the agency.  We weren't allowed direct contact with the owners until final payment was received.  This was challenging because we always had to go through a "middle man"...it was often time consuming.
• We had a lot of baby proofing to do once we arrived...the cottage was very cluttered with things that belonged to the owners.  It was also a challenge trying to put everything back in place when we left.

Some lessons learned...

• We had agreed to hire someone to clean the cottage upon our departure (in order to leave it as it was found).  However, we regret paying up-front for this service as the cottage was not left very clean when we arrived.  My hubby and I felt strongly that we could have saved $100 by cleaning the cottage on our own.
• When looking at the location we didn't think to ask what the roads were like once you got off the highway...it turns out the final 10km was a half lane dirt road with very dangerous turns and several hills.  Some people wouldn't even be comfortable driving on it.  Thankfully we decided to drive my husband's truck!  It's also important to consider distance to the nearest town in case of emergency.  We were only about 30 minutes to Gravenhurst, but there was literally nothing between us and the closest hospital, grocery store, convenience store etc...

Will we return??  Overall I loved it, but my hubby is inclined to try something new should we decide to return to Muskoka next summer!  Right now we're happy to be home sweet home and getting ready for our next summer adventure!

Have a great weekend!