There's only a couple of roads out of the main town of Tolsmaville, and taking one of those while driving yesterday, I noticed a ruined house up in the woods only a few kilometers out of town.

I made a mental note to return sometime in the coming days.

It was another fine morning on Cockburn, although it didn't look like I was going to get that mountain bike fixed for any autumnal bike rides out here.

So I simply slipped away from camp on foot, enjoying the southward walk on the gravel road out of town. I passed a few hunting camps and exciting turnoffs, but kept focused on getting to this house a half-hour away.

I'd later describe where I went and it was odd that everyone seemed unable to put their finger on this house. Even upon returning here in 2021, Isy was like, "I have never noticed this house before."

There was a healthy drop via a floor hole in the side room, although the main living room seemed somewhat safe and sturdy. Being out here by myself, I wasn't about to jump up and down to test the floor, especially since I could see the fieldstone basement from where I stood and that was good enough for me.

I climbed up the stairs too, but didn't see much up there either, since I wouldn't leave the relative safety of the staircase to explore any of the rooms. The house was mostly cleared out and much more interesting outside anyway, with its greyed cedar shingles amongst the encroaching vegetation.

There seemed to be some old roadways to the property, so I wandered back into the bush to find these...old sheds? Even older cabins?

Either way, these were relics, built to remain standing after many years weathering rough winters up here.

Regardless of what these ruins were in a past life, I loved checking them out while crunching on leaves and moving easily through this peaceful forest. The alders and blowdowns of the thick Newfoundland forest have given me an even greater appreciation for a pleasant, Great Lakes, walking forest.

Heading back to the cabin, it was time to wash up and that meant it was time for the outdoor shower, which you can see on the left.

The temps were hovering around the upper 50s (~14°C), but things were fine with the sun shining on ya and warm water pouring out of the showerhead. Heck, it was pleasant enough that one could say, have a cold one while washing up out here in the buck.

I am not one of those dudes who thinks shower beers are up there with the greatest things in life, but maybe I've been doing it wrong, because outdoor shower beers on a cool fall day? Hoo boy, that'll play.

For the afternoon, we went for a spin down to the south end of the island and one of Isy's favourite spots: Sand Bay.

Isy was strongly tempted to swim, while I was having no part of it. In the end, neither of us went swimming and instead it was a slow stroll along the shore.

Back in town, some of the cousins were trying their hand at fishing various docks and wharves. Even though I had little interest in fishing, it was a gorgeous evening and it was nice to simply walk around parts of Tolsmaville which I hadn't yet checked out too thoroughly.

This is the main dock area, where the flooded channel in front is usually a wide, concrete roadway. You can see why I wasn't too hung up on leaving my bike behind.

Afterwards it was back inside for more cards, where we played some family card game that I'd never heard of before. Isy was unimpressed with how I was organizing my cards and didn't hesitate to let me know, leading her cousin Maxime to declare that I would be the first person to come to Cockburn and not find it relaxing, haha. Nicolas offered that they could find me a nicer girlfriend back in Montreal, lol.

The next morning, I went for another stroll around Tolsmaville, failing yet again to spot any birds beside nondescript sparrows that are hard to identify in their fall plumage.

Walking the town's back road, I may have failed to spot any Evening Grosbeaks or Red Crossbills, but I did spot this old house on its last legs, relying on the surrounding tall birches to keep it standing.

There weren't even rooms left to the inside and the only human remnant may have been the metal pieces from this old stove.

I'd later tell Isy's father about checking out this house and he said it had been abandoned since the late 80s, when he first saw it and would note how much closer it was to falling down with each passing year.

The cousins were going out hunting, which left Isy, Kingsley and I with a free afternoon and evening.

Loading up the Mazda ranger with the dog and hunters' orange gear for safety, Isy and Kingsley rode up front, while I laid out in the back bed, sprawled right across with a couple fingers of bourbon.

We went down to the First Nations area again, where I raced into the woods as it was getting into the evening and I was worried about how much good light we would have.

The biggest and most impressive building here was the church, although it was another case of there being nothing to indicate its use remaining inside. There was a large cross wedged into the nook of a nearby tree though.

It was hard for me to accept two facts here: that the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation hadn't used these buildings in decades & that they weren't historic recreations. These were such authentic and historic buildings, it was hard to believe they were simply falling into ruin here, slowly log by log, winter by winter.

The Zhiibaahaasing First Nation were historically based only here on Cockburn Island, but the isolation of Cockburn meant that many of its members had long ago moved away into Ontario and various states of the midwest. This left their Cockburn property only used for the occasional ceremony or if any members wanted a camping adventure.

In the 1990s, the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation finally received land for a reserve on the much more accessible Manitoulin Island, allowing them to build up their sense of community with events that their members could attend. They also gave themselves notoriety and a presence through the construction of the world's largest peace pipe, dream catcher, and pow wow drum.

Aside from a proper exploration of this old village, the other top priority of the weekend was going to the only dock on the west side of the island where you can peer off at Michigan, a mere 3km (1.86mi) away.

Except that I forgot to pack the can of gas that Isy asked me to pack and we didn't have enough fuel to make it to the dock now. Maybe I should have worried a bit less about cocktails and more about being prepared! Bah!

So instead, we stopped at another abandoned house back in town.

Things were working out with coming here after Canadian Thanksgiving, as there were very few people out here that didn't come over in our boat.

There was a lot more stuff left behind in this one and while I know island isolation can lead to older dishware/clothes/furniture, the items here still felt like they came from a time long ago.

Well, except for that red leather jacket.

I guess if that house supported by the birches can last nearly 40 years, this one should stand until the 2060s. On the other hand, someone had been scavenging wood off the front and there were fewer trees around for support and windbreak.

The last night was a quiet one, as they tend to be, especially as we planned to leave before sunup.

I was left feeling a bit of regret in not being more focused and thorough with checking things off the to-do list, but Isy's cousins were all awesome and it was like hanging out with an old group of friends. I'd had a great time checking out random beaches and abandoned houses, but there were other times where I didn't want to miss good times back at camp.

Isy also helped me reduce my regretful feelings by pointing out that as long as we're dating, that I'm going to be coming out to Cockburn every few years.

The boat trip back was even smoother than the trip out, and with the cousins needing to race towards Montreal as they'd already stayed a day later than planned, they were almost immediately gone. Isy's brother and other cousin were already out of sight as well, as they boated back to Cockburn.

Fine times on Cockburn, which by the way, is pronounced Coburn, lol.

We'd make a trip out of heading back to Newfoundland, so there's still more to come.

Continue to Part 4...