Leaving the lodge is always so hard but with the weather was really starting to turn up there and some things I had to take care of in the south it was time to go. With warm hugs and I will see you again I headed back south.
First stop was for gas at Serpent River. A great little spot with an awesome trading post and cheap gas! Love the weather rock!! So cute!!
Now there really is only one or 2 ways back to southern Ontario. You could take the ferry from Manitoulin Island to Tobermory but I really am not much of a boat person so it is always my last thought or go around the lake. Once that choice is made you can take Hwy 69 from Sudbury or Hwy 11 from North Bay. Interesting fact about Highway 11. It is the 2nd longest highway in Ontario starting in Barrie and ending at the Minnesota border.
I decided Hwy 11 just because I came up Hwy 69. Lol! I had been down and up both highways many times but what was in the area that I had never seen. Was there anything odd or unusual that I had missed when I did not have time to stop.
Oh boy did I hit pay dirt!! How did I find it? I googled odd and interesting things to see! Lol!
My Google search brought up a place called Screaming Heads & Midlothian Castle in Burkes Falls. Screaming Heads, a castle?? Near Halloween, I had to find out what this was about! I had passed by Burkes Falls many times but never had I gone into the town. After doing no research only to read that it was a field of artistic sculptures I set my GPS and started off! Left turn, right turn all good so far with paved roads to lead the way. A sign said gravel road ahead. Hmmmm It had been raining for days so hopefully gravel not dirt. It was not gravel but luckily they were grading the goat path it had turned into so it was a fairly easy drive!
Turning into the driveway I was not sure what to expect. I had seen the pictures in the advertisement but this was way cooler than I even first thought!
As I pulled into the driveway I was met with sculptures that indeed looked like Screaming Heads leading a path to a spider web gate that led to a castle. Unfortunately the castle was closed for viewing because of covid but it will be worth the trip back to see it when this is all over! I could not see much from the back but if you looked close there was something very cool in different places scattered all through out. The face on the turret of the castle was so very neat! As was the little soldier inside the gate wall as well as the screaming head on top.
I wanted to see as much of the castle as I could so I wondered around the front to see what I could see from there. As I was driving in you could see the front of the castle just behind the walls. As I was walking up the road I had to stop for a Peacock crossing! Hahaha! Oh so pretty!!
You could not see much because of the big stone walls but what I could see just made me want to see more. A two headed dragon on the columns, a very cool gateway with a knight guarding the entrance and a bust so she could not see the evil!
Oh I wanted to see more!! But it was closed due to covid! I was waiting for the Peacock to poop on the sign!! Hahaha!
This was just the start of the exhibit. Over 10 acres of sculptures and trails was to be explored. As I headed off towards the sight of screaming heads in the fields and into the woods I wondered what this was all about? What was the meaning of the sculptures or what did they represent? Maybe it was interpretive and you got your own meaning from what you felt as you walked through! Maybe it was fate that I found a field of screaming heads in the year that I would like to scream my head off!! Lol!
Who created this and why?
Peter Camani who is a retired secondary school teacher had an extraordinary hobby. Since the mid 70’s he has been building his vision of creating a castle to live in while working on his craft in a natural setting. What has devolped is a beautiful and artistic walk through a field of sculptures that open your senses to the creativity of the human mind. I will tell you as I walked through the sculptures even jumping through a screaming head it had a calming effect. Like I did not have to scream they would scream for me. It was interesting as well as intriguing!
As I walked up the path I came to a circle of screaming heads. One circle inside the other as if they were all coming together for a common cause. A path led into the woods where I found beautiful little cottages spread out among the trees. How tranquil and beautiful.
After a walk in the woods and a few ohhh maybe not this way moments I saw screaming heads through the trees. It was pretty wet from the rain and the leaves and grass was very wet. I almost fell but luckily went the rest of the tour without a wet butt!! There were 2 woman on the path who gracelessly said they would help if I had fallen!! Lol! Ahhh so nice to find nice people in a nice place!
There were these little buildings here and there along the path. I loved the arch of the doorway as I almost expected the door to open and a knight to emerge.
As I walked through and viewed the stone sculptures including a wild horse, a few bunnies as well as giant hands looking like they were waving hello, there were also dome like structures painted blue or silver made from what looking like piping. It was all so intriguing I can not wait to go again!!
Check out the tour on my youtube channel! See I did not fall!! Hahaha!
There rest of the trip south was pretty smooth and I was excited to see my kids, grandkids and and my friends!
Oh I did make 1 cool find! I found this mug in Sudbury! A purple mug with my spirit animal the wolf! I love wolves and Purple!
I do not need love or wifi just the call of the open road and a whole new Chipmunk Adventure!! Well maybe a little wifi to share them with you all!!
Thanks for coming along on my Chipmunk Adventure!
See you next time!
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Great story and some cool sites!
It is a very neat place! Can not wait until the Castle is open.