We’ve returned from a getaway to Ontario – a needed trip into the north country away from city life.  We drove north of Dryden to Route Lake Lodge where we were met at the landing by Glen who motored us and our gear across the lake to the lodge.  With our cabin perched on the rocks right at the edge of Route Lake we had a panoramic view of the south end of the lake.  Here the terrain is rocks and trees –  both coming down to the water’s edge.  The weather was unseasonably warm and the winds blew constantly during the day creating whitecaps on the lake.  But we were able to find lovely protected bays, sand beaches that extended around points for perfect lunch stops, and towering cliffs that dropped straight down into the depths of the lake.  We were serenaded by the sound of the water lapping the rocky shoreline, an occasional boat motoring by, honking skeins of geese headed south, and the loons’ haunting cry.  The sunrises were painted orange from the smoke and haze of the fires in western Canada and the US.  The night sky was dark and sprinkled with stars – numerous and plentiful, with the Milky Way high above.  The hospitality of the lodge owners Glen and Shirley, the beauty of the area, and the “escape” from the city was just what we needed.