"A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July
In Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by..."
Excerpt form "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Caroll
The initial impression that you form about people and places can very much depend on the context in which you first encounter them.
For example, if you happen across a coral reef while in the Caribbean, although beautiful in its own right, you are expecting it to be there, so it may very well fad into background in rather short order.
Now, if you were to stumble onto something "coral reef like" in, for example Northern Ontario, what my be common place elsewhere suddenly transforms in something rather extraordinary, and such is the place know as Wonderland.
When I first heard about Wonderland, given its coordinates, my first thought was that the description was somewhat exaggerated and the name rather pretentious if not down right goofy. As it turned out, the more information I received, to quote Alice, "It just go curiouser and curiouser".
Your journey through the looking glass begins by travelling along narrow crystal clear stream. Long strands of aquatic grass stretch out horizontally just below surface, gently swaying in the current creating the illusion that you are drifting over an underwater prairie as you pass, and clusters of waters lilies and wildflowers provide occasional splashes of colour along the way.
Making your way into Wonderland is not that difficult as task, although the local beavers have conspired to throw a few challenges your way. The first challenge these industrious rodents have created consists of small dam that can usually be overcome by getting your boat onto plane and hitting it dead centre. With any luck and if you don't have second thoughts and slow down just before initial contact is made, you should skip right over the top. If you happen to throttle down beforehand, you will likely run aground and have to get out and push.
As for the second challenge, I would not recommend using the same approach. The beavers decided to get serious, and constructed a far more substantial structure and no manner of Evel Knievel type stunt is going to get you safely across. Fortunately there is a boat waiting just on the other side, so all you have to do is tie up, hop over, and you will have made your way through the looking glass.
During my first visit I was welcomed not by a grinning Cheshire Cat or maniacal March Hare, but rather by a magnificent Osprey, which based on a seemingly endless chorus of high pitched cries, appeared less than enthusiastic to see me.
With the nest of young to feed, the last thing my " official greeter" wanted was any competition for the resident population of speckled trout that happen t ply these waters, but as I soon was to discover, there were more than enough to go around.
Wonderland is a series of 5 interconnected ponds that are fed by underground artesian springs. Each pond features deep, cool, clear water with colours that vary from deep blue to teal and azure. One of the ponds is completely ringed by trees that come right down to waters edge. The reflections of the trees combined with numerous deadfalls that are visible beneath the surface of the water combine to create a hypnotising mosaic of shapes, images and colours.
By now yo must be wondering where the earlier allusion to the coral reef fits in. A must see during your sojourn through Wonderland are the underwater artesian springs that feed the ponds. The build up around the springs' outlets create an effect reminiscent of the coral reefs you will come across Caribbean and South Seas, albeit on much smaller scale. Each time the wind slightly ripples the surface of the water, the shapes and colours change. It's much like looking through the lens of a kaleidoscope - each time you change its position a new and equally beautiful image is created.
Wonderland is not just a figment of someone's over active imagination. It really does exist, and in place that you would least expect to find it - but as to its exact location - you'll just have to ask Alice.
Harold Ball