MacMullin Lake

MacMullin Lake
Photo 13 of 34: MacMullin Lake
Taken 2008 June 11 from the Grand Mira North Road
5.8 km (3.6 mi) south of the bridge over the Mira River at Victoria Bridge
GPS 45°47.02?'N 60°18.39?'W

4.7 km (2.9 mi) from its junction with the Fleur-de-Lis Trail (Fourchu Road) in Gabarus Lake, the Grand Mira-Gabarus Road ends at the Grand Mira South Road, which continues west to Victoria Bridge and north to Grand Mira South. It is easy to miss this junction coming from Gabarus Lake, as it is unsigned in that direction, and miss it I did, continuing on towards Grand Mira South. Here, however, I will pretend that I turned west onto the Grand Mira South Road and followed it to its end, where it meets the Grand Mira North Road 1.1 km (0.7 mi) later; at the end of the bridge (as I actually did the following day), I then turned left onto Grand Mira North Road and continued south. This road, which becomes a gravel road at Victoria Bridge, follows a generally southwestern course as it passes through Upper Grand Mira on its way to North Framboise across the border in Richmond County. 7.9 km (4.9 mi) later, however, this road became sufficiently rutted that I made a U-turn at Middle Lake without reaching the county line and headed back north: the last house on the road, house number 8100, was 3.4 km (2.1 mi) north and that was also where the utility wires stopped, so, had I gotten myself into trouble, it would have been a long walk back! The area maps all show the road continuing on to North Framboise, and I might have been able to make it through (I was already about half-way there when I turned around), but if you wish to make the attempt, I would recommend using a vehicle that is capable of negotiating ruts without scraping bottom—mine does not do that very well.

As I drove this quite pretty road through and around the hills, I passed several lakes and ponds on the way, though most of the views were shrouded from the road by trees. At a few places, it was possible to see the water; this view of the northern half of MacMullin Lake was one such. As best as I can make out from the Nova Scotia Groundwater Interactive Map, the water of MacMullin Lake flows south through Middle Lake, Lauchies Pond, and Giant Lake (which, interestingly enough, is smaller than MacMullin Lake), forming the Northeast Framboise River as it exits Giant Lake and crosses into Richmond County. So, while a very pretty spot and very characteristic of this area, this is not the source of the Mira River.