Enjoying a private island in Canada’s Haliburton County

Over the summer, I went on a trip to Canada. The trip was eight hours by car but we stopped at my Aunt Kate’s house in New Paltz and stayed overnight. The drive felt like it took forever. From my brother’s screaming to feeling sick, it was the worst car ride ever.

We finally arrived at the marina and took a boat over to our family’s very own private island in the middle of Kennisis Lake in Haliburton County, Ontario.

We reached Blueberry Island. Our Uncle (Matt) Moose and Aunt Karen McGowan were already there. They have owned this private island for almost 40 years and they stay there every summer and invite family members to enjoy this beautiful private place. It is about a mile in circumference, so it is not that big, but it has a main house and a guest cabin that we and many of my mom’s relatives visit each summer.

The next morning, I woke up at 6 and went swimming. The water was cold, but of course it didn’t stop me. The island has no electricity and no running water. Don’t ask how we went to the bathroom! I got out of the water and started to explore. There were many rocks and trees but only one spot that was absolutely breathtaking — The Point. The Point is one huge rock by the water. I felt as if I were in heaven.

Uncle Moose and Aunt Karen are the best cooks. Every night they cooked up something delicious. BLTs one night, tacos another. It was outstanding. At that point I was in love with Canada. The weather was pretty perfect. It only rained the second night we were there.

One day, my mom, Aunt Karen and Uncle Moose and I went into town by taking the family motorboat. We went food shopping and went out to eat. At the restaurant we ordered poutine. Poutine is French fries with gravy and cheese. Also, in the supermarket, we bought ketchup-flavored chips, which were actually pretty good. I had so much fun and I can’t wait to go back this summer.