“But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.” – Stephen King, Salem’s Lot

As we are about to slip into another Canadian winter, I thought I would take one last, long, adoring look back at autumn before she blushes and rushes away. I love Stephen King’s description of autumn as an old friend settling into your favourite chair. For me, autumn seems to awaken all the senses after a summer of luxurious, blissful sleep. I can hear the leaves crunch. Smell them burning. Hear the wild geese cry. Feel the warmth of a favourite cozy sweater. Taste tart, refreshing, hot apple cider. And my eyes are assaulted with a riot of colour…deep blues, bright oranges, dark reds and vibrant yellows. The air crackles with adventure!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving I decided to hop in my car and seek out such an adventure. The day dawned bright and clear and so I headed north with a destination in mind to reach by mid-afternoon: the Dorset Lookout Tower overlooking Lake of Bays. I hadn’t visited this stunning part of the Haliburton Highlands for at least 10 years and longed to climb the steep steps up to witness the heralded vista of fall colours before they disappeared for another season.

On my drive north, I passed through Simcoe County and decided to take some back roads, hoping to see one of my favourite fall views: gracious farms, barns and tree-lined laneways. I was not disappointed!

Once in Dorset I found my way to the tower (you cannot miss it!) as it soars 100 feet above the forest canopy and climbed to the top. The view was quite simply breathtaking! The blue sky stretched for miles and the stunning Lake of Bays twinkled in the autumn sunshine. The Dorset Lookout Tower was first built in 1922 and served as a fire tower. The current tower, built in 1967 reaches 465 feet above Lake of Bays, affording a 360 degree view of the gorgeous Haliburton Highlands. The tower is so tall that you can buy a t-shirt commemorating the climb!

The Tower shouldn’t be your only stop in Dorset, however. The village itself is walkable and has many points of interest from the classic Robinson’s General Store (voted Canada’s best country store!) to the historic town dock, home of The Lake of Bays Marine Museum and The Bigwin, pictured below. The SS Bigwin is the oldest remaining steamship built in the early 1900’s to bring vacationers to cottage in The Muskoka’s. The Bigwin began its life in 1910 as the Ella Marie but shifted to The Lake of Bays by 1925, re-named the SS Bigwin, tasked with bringing folks to the famous Bigwin Island Resort. By “folks” I mean the likes of Winston Churchill, Clark Gable, Louis Armstrong and Greta Garbo! When the resort lost its steam (pardon the pun) in the mid 1900’s, the SS Bigwin was left to partially sink but thanks to the generous work of cottagers, residents and a variety of organizations the lovely ship was restored and now sails Lake of Bays again in the summer, starting out from the Dorset dock. I know what I will be doing next summer!

As the sun was starting to set, I turned my car south and west and started the long drive home, back to Toronto. On my way, I drove through another stunning village, this time in the heart of the Muskoka’s called Torrance. Here I stopped to pick up some “barley sandwiches” as my Dad called them…a growler of craft beer from the Clear Lake Brewing Company. The long and winding road between Torrance and my route south to Toronto on Highway 11 was a fantastic find! Even with the dying light, autumn’s colours shone bright to light my way home.

Like and old friend, I’m grateful for my autumn tour that sunny Saturday as the memory of that day will stay with me throughout the cold days of winter, reminding me that adventure awaits. All you have to do is step out your front door and begin!