“At the mouth of one of the several channels that empty the French River into Georgian Bay lies a region of rugged terrain like none other for miles around. You can almost hear notes from the old western “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” carried along the breeze as you overlook the mouth of this outflow, aptly name the Bad River.

We had eyed a small red triangle on our map that denoted a campsite a short ways upriver. It seemed like a good plan that morning, so Al and I headed in the general direction from our campsite several miles west of there. Strong winds caused us to slip along back channels after which we found ourselves at the sprawling maze of rock fingers that is the mouth of the Bad. Our strokes became less effective as we pressed on, a sign that we must be nearing the main channel. A good sign, that is, until we realized that my research wasn’t exactly complete. Quick calendar check…oh yeah, it’s spring.

It became obvious that with the swelled condition of the river we didn’t stand a chance of reaching the upriver site. About this time we caught sight of a small group of buildings nestled at the back of a bay, so we steered out of the current toward the old dock leading up to them. It turns out that this used to be the famous Bad River Fishing Lodge. Although it was now private camps, Larry Henderson, the most recent of the original lodge proprietors happened to be there and invited us in. With no chance of reaching our planned campsite, and the afternoon wearing on, Larry‘s offer to stay there the night was most welcomed.

The high outcropping that we were now on top of offered up a fine vista of where we had just canoed through. But more than that, it presented a vantage point from which to take in a fabulous view of the unique Bad River geology. The sun was lowering as I began to run my brushes along the canvas. Warm rays stroked the scene dramatically while the high spring waters ran eventually to the bay.”