We left Stratford, Ontario this morning at 9am and we arrived in Greenfield, Indiana just after 8pm - another 750km. The good news is we have done 60% of our driving.
After leaving Stratford, we drove to Pinery Provincial Park on Lake Huron. They call this Ontario's West Coast and I can see why. After having a look at campsite #298, where we didn't camp last night, we went down to the lake. It looked like we had arrived at the ocean,huge breakers were rolling onto the shore.
It was an easy entry into Michigan over the Port Huron toll bridge. Going through customs was a breeze. I almost had my orange confiscated, but when the border patrol guard saw that it was from Florida, not Canada, he let me bring it across. Global warming hasn't sped up our production of citrus fruits in Canada yet.
We were on our way through the USA and Ed says, "Isn't this great Deb?" We really are having a great time. Ed started to reminisce about his days working for the Minisitry when there was money for travel junkets and he was in Indiana to look at a high tech steel mill. During that trip there was no GPS and they had to phone for directions. Our GPS has become our trusted (for the most part) companion. We would be lost without her!
In Michigan and Indiana we have stayed on Hwy 69 all of the way. Driving the first section through Michigan you would think you were still in S. Ontario. As we got further south and into Indiana we started to see more and more cornfields and fields planted with soybeans. (Indiana is encouraging its farmers to plant more corn and soybeans and its residents to use biofuels made from them. According to the Lonely Plant guidebook, less corn for the hogs means higher meat prices)
We didn't get an opportunity to go into any of the larger cities and all that we have seen off the highway are the rest stops and the town of Auburn (which is more of strip mall with fast food restaurants and gas stations).
This part of the odyssey has become the Tour de Rest Station. Driving along the interstate there are rest stops every 60miles. Along the Trans Canada Hwy when you came upon a rest stop there was usually a view, a couple of picnic tables and a couple of outhouses. Along the Interstate, the rest stops are modern and clean. There are vending machines and large areas for you to walk your pet. They are easy to enter and exit and have separate lanes for cars and trucks. Each rest stop is sponsored by a different branch of the military and each one is named for a serviceman who has lost his life. They are a welcome refuge for a weary traveler.
My dad used to call me the bathroom inspector.Some things don't change.
When we got to the KOA we decided against camping and took a cabin, similar to the one we had taken at Sault Ste Marie. This KOA is popular because of it's proximity to the Indy 500site. It is also borders on the Interstate so it sounds like we are at the Indy 500. We took a stroll around the campsite, came back to the cabin, sat down at the picnic table had a beer and pretended we were at the races. It was just beginning to get dark when I noticed little sparks in the air. Fireflies! This is the first time I have ever seen them. What an unexpected gift.
We really are having a wonderful time.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The Road from Ottawa to the Pinery - Interupted
This was a day with a false start, serveral interptions and an unexpected finish.
After a hearty breakfast of pain dore (french toast) Randall and Diane bid us adieu. On our first left turn out of their neighbourhood we discovered our left turn signal was not working. We pulled over and Ed made a quick call back to Randall to find the nearest Volkswagon dealership. He entered the coordinates into the GPS and away we set. The dealership was fairly close and as it turned out it was just to be a loose connection.
When it came time to take our mid-morning break we thought that we would be able to pull over at one of the Service Centres that used to be all along the 401. I don't know what happened but all we saw were Closed across the Service sign or Open in July 2010. We pulled off at the exit for Shannonville. A great place if you are looking for tax-free cigarettes. There were several gas stations and stores promoting this purchase. (We didn't buy smokes, but we did stop at Deb's Restaurant & Service for gas & to use the bathroom)
We continued driving the 401 looking for a rest stop for the lunch which Diane had packed for us. Again, no Service Centres, so off another exit (we missed the name of the town we were going to because of a technical discussion regarding the IPOD) and ended up eating our lunch in parking lot somewhere.
Driving along the 40l,along the overpasses, starting just east of Trenton, we started to see rows of people, many dressed in patriotic red and white, firefighters standing on their trucks, police officers, veterans in their uniforms and large Canadian flags waving and draped over the railing. This lasted until well into Toronto. They were all waiting to honour the motorcade that was bringing home the two medics who had died in Afganistan. It was very moving seeing this. In the west, I feel very detached from the conflict that is going on in Afganistan and Iraq. Going through the towns with the Canadian Forces Bases and seeing so many reminders of our military actitivity makes it a little more real.
Around 3pm Ed felt that he needed a break from driving so we pulled off at another exit to switch seats. They had blocked the west-bound access to the 401 because of the motorcade en route, causing us to detour to get back onto the highway. This detour took us along the side highway. We don't know if it took us that much out of our way, but it was actually a much more pleasant drive. More picturesque than the 401, less traffic and far fewer trucks.
The plan was for me to drive til the next rest stop. That came in Stratford 3 1/2 hours later. We were now driving through Onterrible! The traffic through Toronto is fast and furious, 4 lanes, a meridian, 3 more lanes. The drivers are agressive and I am a girl from Victoria. Shelbourne Street is my highway. Things slowed to a standstill around Missasaga. There was a 3 car accident just past Milton (which is just west of Toronto). Our plan was to arrive at Pinery Provincial Park around 5pm - it was now approaching 7:30pm.
Our night in the wilds was becoming less and less appealing (to me - Mr. Wilderness was still keen). Ed made another phone call to my brother, this time for the name of a hotel or B + B in Stratford.
We arrived at our B + B, D & K Shady Nook around 8pm. We had been in Stratford in 1994 with the girls. On that trip my brother and his family joined us to see the Pirates of Penzance. (That trip also had its exciting moments when a tornado touched down just behind his house and took out 14 trees)
We put our bags in our room and strolled into town for dinner at Molly's Irish Pub.
Tomorrow is another day. Breakfast, prepared by our hostess Kathy is at 8 and then we are off to the USA. It's camping tomorrow night at the KOA in Indianapolis.
Traffic permitting.
After a hearty breakfast of pain dore (french toast) Randall and Diane bid us adieu. On our first left turn out of their neighbourhood we discovered our left turn signal was not working. We pulled over and Ed made a quick call back to Randall to find the nearest Volkswagon dealership. He entered the coordinates into the GPS and away we set. The dealership was fairly close and as it turned out it was just to be a loose connection.
When it came time to take our mid-morning break we thought that we would be able to pull over at one of the Service Centres that used to be all along the 401. I don't know what happened but all we saw were Closed across the Service sign or Open in July 2010. We pulled off at the exit for Shannonville. A great place if you are looking for tax-free cigarettes. There were several gas stations and stores promoting this purchase. (We didn't buy smokes, but we did stop at Deb's Restaurant & Service for gas & to use the bathroom)
We continued driving the 401 looking for a rest stop for the lunch which Diane had packed for us. Again, no Service Centres, so off another exit (we missed the name of the town we were going to because of a technical discussion regarding the IPOD) and ended up eating our lunch in parking lot somewhere.
Driving along the 40l,along the overpasses, starting just east of Trenton, we started to see rows of people, many dressed in patriotic red and white, firefighters standing on their trucks, police officers, veterans in their uniforms and large Canadian flags waving and draped over the railing. This lasted until well into Toronto. They were all waiting to honour the motorcade that was bringing home the two medics who had died in Afganistan. It was very moving seeing this. In the west, I feel very detached from the conflict that is going on in Afganistan and Iraq. Going through the towns with the Canadian Forces Bases and seeing so many reminders of our military actitivity makes it a little more real.
Around 3pm Ed felt that he needed a break from driving so we pulled off at another exit to switch seats. They had blocked the west-bound access to the 401 because of the motorcade en route, causing us to detour to get back onto the highway. This detour took us along the side highway. We don't know if it took us that much out of our way, but it was actually a much more pleasant drive. More picturesque than the 401, less traffic and far fewer trucks.
The plan was for me to drive til the next rest stop. That came in Stratford 3 1/2 hours later. We were now driving through Onterrible! The traffic through Toronto is fast and furious, 4 lanes, a meridian, 3 more lanes. The drivers are agressive and I am a girl from Victoria. Shelbourne Street is my highway. Things slowed to a standstill around Missasaga. There was a 3 car accident just past Milton (which is just west of Toronto). Our plan was to arrive at Pinery Provincial Park around 5pm - it was now approaching 7:30pm.
Our night in the wilds was becoming less and less appealing (to me - Mr. Wilderness was still keen). Ed made another phone call to my brother, this time for the name of a hotel or B + B in Stratford.
We arrived at our B + B, D & K Shady Nook around 8pm. We had been in Stratford in 1994 with the girls. On that trip my brother and his family joined us to see the Pirates of Penzance. (That trip also had its exciting moments when a tornado touched down just behind his house and took out 14 trees)
We put our bags in our room and strolled into town for dinner at Molly's Irish Pub.
Tomorrow is another day. Breakfast, prepared by our hostess Kathy is at 8 and then we are off to the USA. It's camping tomorrow night at the KOA in Indianapolis.
Traffic permitting.
Monday, June 28, 2010
A Rest from the Road - 4 Days in Ottawa
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Ottawa is a great place to visit. This is my 5th time here. The joke was I would come out to visit my brother every 5 years, whether I needed to or not. As the years go by, I realize that we don't have the luxury of time anymore. So I am happy to have the opportunity to see him and Diane, if only for 4 days.
We started the day on Sunday by sleeping in. What a treat not to have to hurry up and be on our way. Ed and I went to Mass at St. Patrick's Basilica. They didn't have a choir but they did have a pipe organ. At the end of the mass, the priest said that it wasn't usual for them to do this, but since it is Canada Day on Thursday, they would sing O Canada. What a fitting way to start our visit in the nation's capital. We met Randall and Diane and had lunch at Lapointe's in the Byward Market. It is the oldest fish shop in the city. When we were driving through Northern Ontario we saw a lot of fish and chip stands offering Pickerel. That seems to a regional specialty, so pickerel and chips lunch for Ed and I had maple glazed salmon and market greens.
After lunch we strolled around the Parliament Buildings. In the evening we took a picnic and went to the RCMP Musical Ride Sunset Ceremonies at the Rockcliffe Stables. At the end of the ceremonies, as the honour guard lowered the flag, we sang O Canada. A perfect way to close the day.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Today we were on our own in Ottawa. While Ed explored the exhibits at the Canadian War Museum I went to the National Art Gallery. Natalie and I had visited the Canadian War Museum when we here 5 years ago and I was interested in seeing the POP exhibit at the art gallery. I was also interested in seeing the works by the Group of 7 - having just driven through the countryside that they had painted. Ed took most of the day to visit the museum and that gave me time to return to the Byward Market then stroll along Sparks Street Mall. I was happy to come across the CBC boutique where I bought my first souvenir of the holiday - a Coronation Street Rovers Return t-shirt. Not too Canadian, buy just my style.
The temperature today is 31.5C. This is a big change from what they have been having and after a drive through the Ottawa rush hour, it was good to be back at brother's.
We enjoyed a glass of wine and a delicious stir-fry for dinner.
It has been good to be here now with my brother and Diane. And not just because of the comfortable bed and the chance to do some laundry. My brother and I have lived in different cities for over 30 years. It has been good to see him, even if just for a few brief days. But I know that even though we are miles apart he is with me.
Tuesday we are on our way to the Pinery Provincial Park, near Sarnia, on the shores of Lake Huron in Southern Ontario. This will be another wilderness experience. No WIFI, no mod cons. Let's hope there is also no rain.
Ottawa is a great place to visit. This is my 5th time here. The joke was I would come out to visit my brother every 5 years, whether I needed to or not. As the years go by, I realize that we don't have the luxury of time anymore. So I am happy to have the opportunity to see him and Diane, if only for 4 days.
We started the day on Sunday by sleeping in. What a treat not to have to hurry up and be on our way. Ed and I went to Mass at St. Patrick's Basilica. They didn't have a choir but they did have a pipe organ. At the end of the mass, the priest said that it wasn't usual for them to do this, but since it is Canada Day on Thursday, they would sing O Canada. What a fitting way to start our visit in the nation's capital. We met Randall and Diane and had lunch at Lapointe's in the Byward Market. It is the oldest fish shop in the city. When we were driving through Northern Ontario we saw a lot of fish and chip stands offering Pickerel. That seems to a regional specialty, so pickerel and chips lunch for Ed and I had maple glazed salmon and market greens.
After lunch we strolled around the Parliament Buildings. In the evening we took a picnic and went to the RCMP Musical Ride Sunset Ceremonies at the Rockcliffe Stables. At the end of the ceremonies, as the honour guard lowered the flag, we sang O Canada. A perfect way to close the day.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Today we were on our own in Ottawa. While Ed explored the exhibits at the Canadian War Museum I went to the National Art Gallery. Natalie and I had visited the Canadian War Museum when we here 5 years ago and I was interested in seeing the POP exhibit at the art gallery. I was also interested in seeing the works by the Group of 7 - having just driven through the countryside that they had painted. Ed took most of the day to visit the museum and that gave me time to return to the Byward Market then stroll along Sparks Street Mall. I was happy to come across the CBC boutique where I bought my first souvenir of the holiday - a Coronation Street Rovers Return t-shirt. Not too Canadian, buy just my style.
The temperature today is 31.5C. This is a big change from what they have been having and after a drive through the Ottawa rush hour, it was good to be back at brother's.
We enjoyed a glass of wine and a delicious stir-fry for dinner.
It has been good to be here now with my brother and Diane. And not just because of the comfortable bed and the chance to do some laundry. My brother and I have lived in different cities for over 30 years. It has been good to see him, even if just for a few brief days. But I know that even though we are miles apart he is with me.
Tuesday we are on our way to the Pinery Provincial Park, near Sarnia, on the shores of Lake Huron in Southern Ontario. This will be another wilderness experience. No WIFI, no mod cons. Let's hope there is also no rain.
The Road from Sault Ste Marie to Ottawa
Saturday, June 26, 2010
While the leaders of the G20 are sitting around the fake lake in Toronto, we are driving around great lakes of Ontario. Our first stop on Lake Huron was in Blind River. Here I learned the difference between the Subway restaurant in the east and the Subway in the west. To allow for the large amount of snow in the east, there is a step up in the entrance to the restaurant (which we don't have in the west). If you don't step up, you can easily trip. (at least this time I wasn't carrying the camera)
Today we are trying a training technique from Ed's running group - 10 and 1's. We drive 100km, then rest 10 minutes. One of our stops was in Massey. We were driving along when I told Ed to pullover. There at the side of the road was a Mennonite couple with a baked goods stall. I knew that there was a large Mennonite population in the Kitchener/Waterloo area. And I had been told that anything that the Mennonites make is good. So we stopped and I bought a pie to take to my brother. (The pie was good, but not as good as Maureen's pies). We found out from a volunteer in the museum in Massey that the Mennonites are taking over farms in this area that people have walked away from. There are small townships all along this part of the highway and each seem to be different from the last. Tall water towers and church spires are visible long before you come into the town.
The scenery varies with almost every curve along the highway. We see mining operations, sawmills, farms, ranches and dozens of lakes. This is cottage country and we can see how this area would be a welcome retreat.
After a quick bite to eat at the Petawawa McDonald's! we were on the home stretch.
(Yes you can eat healthfully at McDonald's. I had the grilled chicken breast with southwestern salad, hold the dressing, Ed had his annual Angus burger and fries. He is good now until next year)
We left Victoria on June 19 and after 7 days of driving and 4850 kilometers were finally arrived in Ottawa. We were received with open arms and big hugs from my brother and Diane. It is good to be here.
While the leaders of the G20 are sitting around the fake lake in Toronto, we are driving around great lakes of Ontario. Our first stop on Lake Huron was in Blind River. Here I learned the difference between the Subway restaurant in the east and the Subway in the west. To allow for the large amount of snow in the east, there is a step up in the entrance to the restaurant (which we don't have in the west). If you don't step up, you can easily trip. (at least this time I wasn't carrying the camera)
Today we are trying a training technique from Ed's running group - 10 and 1's. We drive 100km, then rest 10 minutes. One of our stops was in Massey. We were driving along when I told Ed to pullover. There at the side of the road was a Mennonite couple with a baked goods stall. I knew that there was a large Mennonite population in the Kitchener/Waterloo area. And I had been told that anything that the Mennonites make is good. So we stopped and I bought a pie to take to my brother. (The pie was good, but not as good as Maureen's pies). We found out from a volunteer in the museum in Massey that the Mennonites are taking over farms in this area that people have walked away from. There are small townships all along this part of the highway and each seem to be different from the last. Tall water towers and church spires are visible long before you come into the town.
The scenery varies with almost every curve along the highway. We see mining operations, sawmills, farms, ranches and dozens of lakes. This is cottage country and we can see how this area would be a welcome retreat.
After a quick bite to eat at the Petawawa McDonald's! we were on the home stretch.
(Yes you can eat healthfully at McDonald's. I had the grilled chicken breast with southwestern salad, hold the dressing, Ed had his annual Angus burger and fries. He is good now until next year)
We left Victoria on June 19 and after 7 days of driving and 4850 kilometers were finally arrived in Ottawa. We were received with open arms and big hugs from my brother and Diane. It is good to be here.
The Road Through Northern Ontario - Day 2
Friday, June 25, 2010
This leg of the journey has been another marathon, and fittingly, there is a town called Marathon halfway between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste Marie.
Some people may refer to this part of the country as Onterrible, but according to the profile on the town of Rossport, this is one of Canada's most spectacular drives. Hundreds of kilometers of highway wind around the north shore of Lake Superior through the boreal forest,around inland lakes, over rivers and streams. The area is rich in mineral deposits and the small town of Dorion has experienced an economic boom in mineral exploration, particularly for uranium deposits.
We are still in Red Green country. This is the place for hunters, fishers, kayakers and conoers. We are following the trail that the voyageurs came along. (Voyageur literally means "traveller"). We are also in the same part of Northern Ontario where members of the Group of Seven including Tom Thomson, Arthur Lismer, A Y Jackson, & Lawren Harris would come to sketch. They would return to Toronto in the winter to paint.
At 6pm we stopped to see the Agawa Rock Indian Pictographs 2 hours out of Sault Ste Marie. The weather had started to change and there was a soft rain. At the head of the trail were signs, in red, warning of the hazardous trail conditions and the potential for loss of life due to slippery cliffs. Those types of signs make me nervous and I would have rather gone back to the car, but Mr. Wilderness convinced me to carry on and even though we couldn't really make out any pictographs, we were rewarded with some incredible views.
After a late start in the morning and a couple of construction delays, we finally arrived to a rainy Sault Ste Marie. We pulled into the KOA. Ed was keen to set up camp in the rain. But he could tell by the look on my face - like my cat had died - that perhaps the cottage option was the better choice. It was simply a log cabin with bunk beds and a double bed - the washrooms/showers were still a good walk across the compound - but given the weather conditions, it was paradise. We were able to get a good night's sleep and a shower in the morning. After a comfortable, dry sleep and a shower in the morning, we felt ready for another day on the road.
This leg of the journey has been another marathon, and fittingly, there is a town called Marathon halfway between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste Marie.
Some people may refer to this part of the country as Onterrible, but according to the profile on the town of Rossport, this is one of Canada's most spectacular drives. Hundreds of kilometers of highway wind around the north shore of Lake Superior through the boreal forest,around inland lakes, over rivers and streams. The area is rich in mineral deposits and the small town of Dorion has experienced an economic boom in mineral exploration, particularly for uranium deposits.
We are still in Red Green country. This is the place for hunters, fishers, kayakers and conoers. We are following the trail that the voyageurs came along. (Voyageur literally means "traveller"). We are also in the same part of Northern Ontario where members of the Group of Seven including Tom Thomson, Arthur Lismer, A Y Jackson, & Lawren Harris would come to sketch. They would return to Toronto in the winter to paint.
At 6pm we stopped to see the Agawa Rock Indian Pictographs 2 hours out of Sault Ste Marie. The weather had started to change and there was a soft rain. At the head of the trail were signs, in red, warning of the hazardous trail conditions and the potential for loss of life due to slippery cliffs. Those types of signs make me nervous and I would have rather gone back to the car, but Mr. Wilderness convinced me to carry on and even though we couldn't really make out any pictographs, we were rewarded with some incredible views.
After a late start in the morning and a couple of construction delays, we finally arrived to a rainy Sault Ste Marie. We pulled into the KOA. Ed was keen to set up camp in the rain. But he could tell by the look on my face - like my cat had died - that perhaps the cottage option was the better choice. It was simply a log cabin with bunk beds and a double bed - the washrooms/showers were still a good walk across the compound - but given the weather conditions, it was paradise. We were able to get a good night's sleep and a shower in the morning. After a comfortable, dry sleep and a shower in the morning, we felt ready for another day on the road.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Road Through Northern Ontario - Our Night in the Wild
Thursday, June 24, 2010
By the time we has visited the Terry Fox Memorial it was after 8pm. We knew that we were quite close to the campsite and since we hadn't stopped to get anything to prepare for meal, and given the time, we decided to pull into a truck stop gas station near the park turnoff for dinner. It was a step backward in time. I am sure that the decor and menu is the original - no lattes or fine dining. Ed had a hot dog and diet coke and I had a toasted clubhouse sandwich and a cup of joe. It was now just after 9pm. We thought that we had better start making tracks to the campsite. We checked with the waitress to make sure that we were at the right turnoff to the park. Heading down the road we thought that it was just a few kilometers to the campsite. Then we saw the sign, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park - 26km. When we finally reached the Park, we found the ranger's office closed, but there was a sign on the window confirming our Camp Site reservation and a booklet for the park with a map of the sites. We couldn't find our campsite listed due to the impending darkness but headed toward the general campsite direction. We saw the sign, Campsites - 12km. We had already driven over 700km that day, but the last 12 were definitely the longest of the trip. I am not the biggest fan of camping or wilderness for that matter. I am much more comfortable in a large urban jungle surrounded by shops and Starbucks. I like my comforts not my comfort stations. Ed looked as if he had finally found what he had been looking for. Who knew that he was actually Mr. Wilderness! There was still enough daylight to find our way along the secluded winding, steeply-graded in some sections, gravel road. I was on animal lookout. I stopped counting the deer after 17.
Luckily, #311 was the second site in. There was a small clearing for the car, then a path through the forest another 50 yards to where we would erect our tent. Luckily because we were further north, and on the western side of the time zone, we had enough light to see our way through the path and get the tent set up. There was a fire pit and firewood, so while Ed made several trips back and forth to the car to get our luggage, supplies, bedding, cots...... I made a fire. Sitting by the fire, listening to the loons, drinking a beer, deep in the Canadian wilderness there was only one thing I could think of - the cry of the wild from Bob and Doug McKenzie "coo coo coo coo coo coo coo chooo".
We woke up the next morning to find that our campsite was right on the shores of Lake Superior. It really was amazing. I was glad that Ed had selected this for our first true wilderness experience. As we were driving out of the park we saw foxes, deer, rabbits, squirrels and a partridge (not in a pear tree).
By the time we has visited the Terry Fox Memorial it was after 8pm. We knew that we were quite close to the campsite and since we hadn't stopped to get anything to prepare for meal, and given the time, we decided to pull into a truck stop gas station near the park turnoff for dinner. It was a step backward in time. I am sure that the decor and menu is the original - no lattes or fine dining. Ed had a hot dog and diet coke and I had a toasted clubhouse sandwich and a cup of joe. It was now just after 9pm. We thought that we had better start making tracks to the campsite. We checked with the waitress to make sure that we were at the right turnoff to the park. Heading down the road we thought that it was just a few kilometers to the campsite. Then we saw the sign, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park - 26km. When we finally reached the Park, we found the ranger's office closed, but there was a sign on the window confirming our Camp Site reservation and a booklet for the park with a map of the sites. We couldn't find our campsite listed due to the impending darkness but headed toward the general campsite direction. We saw the sign, Campsites - 12km. We had already driven over 700km that day, but the last 12 were definitely the longest of the trip. I am not the biggest fan of camping or wilderness for that matter. I am much more comfortable in a large urban jungle surrounded by shops and Starbucks. I like my comforts not my comfort stations. Ed looked as if he had finally found what he had been looking for. Who knew that he was actually Mr. Wilderness! There was still enough daylight to find our way along the secluded winding, steeply-graded in some sections, gravel road. I was on animal lookout. I stopped counting the deer after 17.
Luckily, #311 was the second site in. There was a small clearing for the car, then a path through the forest another 50 yards to where we would erect our tent. Luckily because we were further north, and on the western side of the time zone, we had enough light to see our way through the path and get the tent set up. There was a fire pit and firewood, so while Ed made several trips back and forth to the car to get our luggage, supplies, bedding, cots...... I made a fire. Sitting by the fire, listening to the loons, drinking a beer, deep in the Canadian wilderness there was only one thing I could think of - the cry of the wild from Bob and Doug McKenzie "coo coo coo coo coo coo coo chooo".
We woke up the next morning to find that our campsite was right on the shores of Lake Superior. It really was amazing. I was glad that Ed had selected this for our first true wilderness experience. As we were driving out of the park we saw foxes, deer, rabbits, squirrels and a partridge (not in a pear tree).
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Road Through Northern Ontario - Day 1
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The road through Northern Ontario started for us in Winnipeg on Thursday morning.
Winnipeg is the longitudinal middle between the east and west coasts. Contrary to what many people who live in Toronto say, this is central Canada.
Driving conditions were good and the weather was perfect - sunny and warm. Once we left Winnipeg our focus was on our destination for the night, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park campsite, Ontario. We made one last stop at a truck stop between Winnipeg and the Ontario border for gas and coffee. We were greeted by some of the largest flies I have ever seen. Manitoba an ojibwa word meaning land of many mosquitoes and horseflies. (Actually, it is either a cree or ojibwa word meaning "strait of the spirit")
We stopped just inside the Ontario border at a tourist information kiosk. Here we picked up the official road map of Ontario. This map really helped us on our long journey through Ontario. Among the usual geographic information, it also shows where all of the rest stops are located. These rest stops were a much welcomed oasis.
Our first stop in Ontario was Kenora on the Lake of the Woods to find a bank machine for Ed and a coffee for the road for me. Just out of town we stopped a viewpoint to get a better look at the lake. There we met a young woman cycling across Canada from Vancouver to Newfoundland. She had given herself 3 months to complete the journey. We had seen several cyclists on the road and each time we did we would remark what a tough ride it would be. Not only because of terrain, but because at many parts of the highway there was very little room on the shoulder for the cyclist, making it even more dangerous. She seemed very determined to finish her journey. She said that her bike had a complete overhaul in Winnipeg and that she was going to take a week off with her family in the Georgian Bay area. After talking with her, my 9 hours in a car seat seemed very luxurious compared to her long days on a bike seat.
Driving this stretch of the highway I kept thinking back to the song I sang in elementary school,
Land of the silver birch, Home of the beaver, Where still the mighty moose wanders at will, blue lake and sandy shore
That is the road to Thunder Bay.
When we were first planning this trip, we'd hear the comment "it's a long drive". Ontario's motto is "Yours to Discover", and it is, we have discovered, a long drive.
But no one mentions what a scenic drive it is. It is not just trees. It is dozens of lakes, curious looking rock formations, home of the largest moose, the largest goose, the largest nickle, and the birthplace of Winnie the Pooh (White River).
Our driving marathon today finished at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, just east of Thunder Bay. This is also near where in 1981 Terry Fox had to give up his dream to run across Canada and where they have erected a memorial statue in his honour.
Over the past 29 years, I have used Terry Fox as a source of inspiration to help me surmount challenges I have had to face. I would think "if Terry Fox can run across Canada on one leg, then surely, I can do this". As he ran across Canada, I watched the television reports of his run, amazed at his ability and tenacity to run the 26 miles every day despite the physical, mental and emotional pain. He had a goal and he was determined to keep going.
Our trip across the country is becoming more than just a holiday to see Canada. It is giving us an opportunity to revisit some very meaningful memories. It is also a time for us to create new memories and share new experiences. For the past 30 years our lives have revolved around children, work and house. We have forgotten what it is like to just be the two of us.
Camping at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is a new experience. We haven't done this before.
The road through Northern Ontario started for us in Winnipeg on Thursday morning.
Winnipeg is the longitudinal middle between the east and west coasts. Contrary to what many people who live in Toronto say, this is central Canada.
Driving conditions were good and the weather was perfect - sunny and warm. Once we left Winnipeg our focus was on our destination for the night, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park campsite, Ontario. We made one last stop at a truck stop between Winnipeg and the Ontario border for gas and coffee. We were greeted by some of the largest flies I have ever seen. Manitoba an ojibwa word meaning land of many mosquitoes and horseflies. (Actually, it is either a cree or ojibwa word meaning "strait of the spirit")
We stopped just inside the Ontario border at a tourist information kiosk. Here we picked up the official road map of Ontario. This map really helped us on our long journey through Ontario. Among the usual geographic information, it also shows where all of the rest stops are located. These rest stops were a much welcomed oasis.
Our first stop in Ontario was Kenora on the Lake of the Woods to find a bank machine for Ed and a coffee for the road for me. Just out of town we stopped a viewpoint to get a better look at the lake. There we met a young woman cycling across Canada from Vancouver to Newfoundland. She had given herself 3 months to complete the journey. We had seen several cyclists on the road and each time we did we would remark what a tough ride it would be. Not only because of terrain, but because at many parts of the highway there was very little room on the shoulder for the cyclist, making it even more dangerous. She seemed very determined to finish her journey. She said that her bike had a complete overhaul in Winnipeg and that she was going to take a week off with her family in the Georgian Bay area. After talking with her, my 9 hours in a car seat seemed very luxurious compared to her long days on a bike seat.
Driving this stretch of the highway I kept thinking back to the song I sang in elementary school,
Land of the silver birch, Home of the beaver, Where still the mighty moose wanders at will, blue lake and sandy shore
That is the road to Thunder Bay.
When we were first planning this trip, we'd hear the comment "it's a long drive". Ontario's motto is "Yours to Discover", and it is, we have discovered, a long drive.
But no one mentions what a scenic drive it is. It is not just trees. It is dozens of lakes, curious looking rock formations, home of the largest moose, the largest goose, the largest nickle, and the birthplace of Winnie the Pooh (White River).
Our driving marathon today finished at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, just east of Thunder Bay. This is also near where in 1981 Terry Fox had to give up his dream to run across Canada and where they have erected a memorial statue in his honour.
Over the past 29 years, I have used Terry Fox as a source of inspiration to help me surmount challenges I have had to face. I would think "if Terry Fox can run across Canada on one leg, then surely, I can do this". As he ran across Canada, I watched the television reports of his run, amazed at his ability and tenacity to run the 26 miles every day despite the physical, mental and emotional pain. He had a goal and he was determined to keep going.
Our trip across the country is becoming more than just a holiday to see Canada. It is giving us an opportunity to revisit some very meaningful memories. It is also a time for us to create new memories and share new experiences. For the past 30 years our lives have revolved around children, work and house. We have forgotten what it is like to just be the two of us.
Camping at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is a new experience. We haven't done this before.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
So long Saskatchewan, Hello Manitoba
Today's travel was short compared to yesterday's driving marathon, which gave us the opportunity to make a few stops at some of the small towns between Regina and Winnipeg. The scenery is still very interesting to us. It is so unlike what we see in BC. The wide open spaces dotted with weathered old barns and grain elevators next to modern structures. Silos, feed pellet manufacturing plants, fertilizer terminals, fields of yellow canola (not mustard as I mistakenly had thought). Solitary farmhouses miles away from their nearest neighbour. You can see how, for the farmers, the trip into town was for more than just getting supplies. Prairie life is very community driven. My grandmother was a teacher in a one-room school in Bridgeford, Sask. It was at a church social that she met my grandfather, a young farmer, newly arrived from England with his two brothers to farm.
We listened to the local radio stations, hearing the latest farm reports, research on developing a leaner pork, and a public service announcement directed to those who may be suffering added stress and anxiety caused by the flooding to their farms. They were being counseled to talk to someone about their feelings and try not to resort to alcohol or drugs. Farming is hard work and the the weather this year has not been good. It was a late planting season, with a very narrow window, and if they haven't planted yet, it is too late for this year. The latest weather conditions are just another of the hardships they have to face.
My main challenge during this trip was not what you may think, being with Ed 24/7 (or vice versa), but how to maintain a healthful eating and daily fitness routine.
Before the journey I was worried that spending 9 hours on my bum might bother my back and hips (and make them wider). I bought a wedge cushion to sit on and that has helped. And I have developed a series of low back and ab exercises I do when I am in the passenger seat. Little does Ed know that while he is driving, I am exercising my ass off! I also brought along a flexband. I try not be be too distracting as I do my upper body workout and then a few pilates bend & stretch leg presses. Ed says he doesn't mind the exercises, it's the smell of the flexband that gets to him. During our rest stops, I do my body-break routine: picnic table push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, leg circles and add a few sun salutations. I try to be as discreet as possible as I call out, "take a shot me doing this exercise Ed".
It is actually pretty easy to maintain a healthy diet on the road. There are lots of places to buy fresh fruit, veggies, whole grain sandwiches - or fixings for sandwiches. Breakfast is usually homemade granola and yogurt. Going ethnic for dinner gives you lots of choices for "clean" eating. Steamed veggies and seafood & veggie combos. But let's not forget, this is a holiday and when traveling you have to sample some of the food indigenous to the area. In the town of Grenfell we stopped at the R & T Bakery where we enjoyed freshly baked cinnamon buns and bought a couple of prairie classics - butter tarts, to have for our afternoon snack. I have had to give up my old buddy Starbucks for this part of the journey but I have picked up another fellow to travel with, Tim Horton. On the road this afternoon, we pulled into a Tim Horton's just outside of Brandon. We were surprised to see that also getting their double, doubles were 3 army tanks carrying soldiers from a nearby CFB. On the back of each tank was a sign, Student Driver. You don't see that very often at the Shelbourne Street Tim Horton's in Victoria.
Tonight we are staying with Kate and James in Winnipeg. Even though they are undergoing major home renovations, they have opened their home to us. Ed has set the tent up on the back deck, but I have chosen to try to steer clear of the mosquitoes and have my cot set up in the living room. I will spend the night with George, their tabby cat. They had already had their dinner by the time we had arrived. They told us about Italian restaurant within walking distance. What better way to see a new town than to walk through the neighbourhood. Dinner tonight was a fire roasted pizza topped with basil, wilted arugula, buffalo mozzarella and goat cheese. For starters, I had the roasted beet salad topped with walnuts & goat cheese and Ed had a vary interesting version of a caesar salad. Accompanying all of this was a delicious cold Italian beer.
We listened to the local radio stations, hearing the latest farm reports, research on developing a leaner pork, and a public service announcement directed to those who may be suffering added stress and anxiety caused by the flooding to their farms. They were being counseled to talk to someone about their feelings and try not to resort to alcohol or drugs. Farming is hard work and the the weather this year has not been good. It was a late planting season, with a very narrow window, and if they haven't planted yet, it is too late for this year. The latest weather conditions are just another of the hardships they have to face.
My main challenge during this trip was not what you may think, being with Ed 24/7 (or vice versa), but how to maintain a healthful eating and daily fitness routine.
Before the journey I was worried that spending 9 hours on my bum might bother my back and hips (and make them wider). I bought a wedge cushion to sit on and that has helped. And I have developed a series of low back and ab exercises I do when I am in the passenger seat. Little does Ed know that while he is driving, I am exercising my ass off! I also brought along a flexband. I try not be be too distracting as I do my upper body workout and then a few pilates bend & stretch leg presses. Ed says he doesn't mind the exercises, it's the smell of the flexband that gets to him. During our rest stops, I do my body-break routine: picnic table push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, leg circles and add a few sun salutations. I try to be as discreet as possible as I call out, "take a shot me doing this exercise Ed".
It is actually pretty easy to maintain a healthy diet on the road. There are lots of places to buy fresh fruit, veggies, whole grain sandwiches - or fixings for sandwiches. Breakfast is usually homemade granola and yogurt. Going ethnic for dinner gives you lots of choices for "clean" eating. Steamed veggies and seafood & veggie combos. But let's not forget, this is a holiday and when traveling you have to sample some of the food indigenous to the area. In the town of Grenfell we stopped at the R & T Bakery where we enjoyed freshly baked cinnamon buns and bought a couple of prairie classics - butter tarts, to have for our afternoon snack. I have had to give up my old buddy Starbucks for this part of the journey but I have picked up another fellow to travel with, Tim Horton. On the road this afternoon, we pulled into a Tim Horton's just outside of Brandon. We were surprised to see that also getting their double, doubles were 3 army tanks carrying soldiers from a nearby CFB. On the back of each tank was a sign, Student Driver. You don't see that very often at the Shelbourne Street Tim Horton's in Victoria.
Tonight we are staying with Kate and James in Winnipeg. Even though they are undergoing major home renovations, they have opened their home to us. Ed has set the tent up on the back deck, but I have chosen to try to steer clear of the mosquitoes and have my cot set up in the living room. I will spend the night with George, their tabby cat. They had already had their dinner by the time we had arrived. They told us about Italian restaurant within walking distance. What better way to see a new town than to walk through the neighbourhood. Dinner tonight was a fire roasted pizza topped with basil, wilted arugula, buffalo mozzarella and goat cheese. For starters, I had the roasted beet salad topped with walnuts & goat cheese and Ed had a vary interesting version of a caesar salad. Accompanying all of this was a delicious cold Italian beer.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Road to Regina
We woke up early this morning to the sound of very large rain drops on the tent. That is the last thing you want to hear when you are camping. It was still dark, so I decided to just lay there hoping that the rain would stop, and wouldn't you know it - it did. By 6am the sun was shining and we were off to a good start for Day 3.
Ed and I de-camped, packed the car and headed out. Before leaving Fort MacLeod, we thought that we had better refuel. Who would have thought that a gas station in Alberta would have run out of Supreme gas?
Heading east thru Alberta we put Asleep at the Wheel on the IPOD. This was the perfect background music to travel through cowboy country.
Our destination today was Regina. Due to heavy rain and flooding along the TransCanada Hwy, we knew we would have to detour after Medicine Hat. The detour took us 130 km out of our way, but it gave us an opportunity to visit a small Saskatchewan town we would not have gone to. Think of the tv show, Corner Gas, and you can picture Burstal. Only not so Hollywood pretty. They too have suffered from the recent rains and have only been dry since this past Sunday.
Both of my parents grew up in the prairies during the depression and visiting Burstal gave me an idea of what life may have been like during the dirty 30's. It has not been beautified in anyway and if you changed the year of the trucks, you might think it still was the dirty 30's. It has a couple of motels for construction/farm workers, a Chinese restaurant, a hotel with a beer parlor, a gas station/general store and a post office.
Dad always referred to Saskatchewan as the "bald headed prairies". He joined the army at 17 and couldn't get out of Moose Jaw fast enough. I don't think I ever heard him say a kind word about the province.
I don't understand what he was talking about. Prairie landscape is anything but dull. It is always changing, undulating, rolling and curving. It is dotted with giant grain elevators and concrete storage towers. Fields of new green wheat, and fields of vibrant yellow mustard. Cattle, horses, llamas, elk. Prairie dogs darting across the highway, some making it, some not. Road kill, and lots of it - foxes, badgers, porcupine, skunk and of course, gophers.
I became somewhat nostalgic driving through Saskatchewan. Not from my time spent here, but thinking about my parents and what it may have been like for them. As I was waxing on, Ed said that it was like driving along with Stuart McLean on the Vinyl Cafe and all we needed was every once in a while to have someone singing from the backseat.
Finally, after 9 hours on the road we arrived in Regina. First on stop, 3222 Rae Street. This is the house my grandparents moved to after leaving the farm. It is strange to feel so connected to a place so far from home.
We are spending the night at the Turgeon International Hostel. It is a historic house converted into a guest house. It is another new experience for us. It is clean and quiet and centrally located. What more could we ask. Dinner tonight was Thai food, followed by a walk on a warm evening by the beautiful Wasacana Lake in front of the parliament buildings, along with a few hundred other strollers, joggers and skaters.
For those of you wondering - where's the pictures? They are on the way.
Tomorrow, Winnipeg.
Ed and I de-camped, packed the car and headed out. Before leaving Fort MacLeod, we thought that we had better refuel. Who would have thought that a gas station in Alberta would have run out of Supreme gas?
Heading east thru Alberta we put Asleep at the Wheel on the IPOD. This was the perfect background music to travel through cowboy country.
Our destination today was Regina. Due to heavy rain and flooding along the TransCanada Hwy, we knew we would have to detour after Medicine Hat. The detour took us 130 km out of our way, but it gave us an opportunity to visit a small Saskatchewan town we would not have gone to. Think of the tv show, Corner Gas, and you can picture Burstal. Only not so Hollywood pretty. They too have suffered from the recent rains and have only been dry since this past Sunday.
Both of my parents grew up in the prairies during the depression and visiting Burstal gave me an idea of what life may have been like during the dirty 30's. It has not been beautified in anyway and if you changed the year of the trucks, you might think it still was the dirty 30's. It has a couple of motels for construction/farm workers, a Chinese restaurant, a hotel with a beer parlor, a gas station/general store and a post office.
Dad always referred to Saskatchewan as the "bald headed prairies". He joined the army at 17 and couldn't get out of Moose Jaw fast enough. I don't think I ever heard him say a kind word about the province.
I don't understand what he was talking about. Prairie landscape is anything but dull. It is always changing, undulating, rolling and curving. It is dotted with giant grain elevators and concrete storage towers. Fields of new green wheat, and fields of vibrant yellow mustard. Cattle, horses, llamas, elk. Prairie dogs darting across the highway, some making it, some not. Road kill, and lots of it - foxes, badgers, porcupine, skunk and of course, gophers.
I became somewhat nostalgic driving through Saskatchewan. Not from my time spent here, but thinking about my parents and what it may have been like for them. As I was waxing on, Ed said that it was like driving along with Stuart McLean on the Vinyl Cafe and all we needed was every once in a while to have someone singing from the backseat.
Finally, after 9 hours on the road we arrived in Regina. First on stop, 3222 Rae Street. This is the house my grandparents moved to after leaving the farm. It is strange to feel so connected to a place so far from home.
We are spending the night at the Turgeon International Hostel. It is a historic house converted into a guest house. It is another new experience for us. It is clean and quiet and centrally located. What more could we ask. Dinner tonight was Thai food, followed by a walk on a warm evening by the beautiful Wasacana Lake in front of the parliament buildings, along with a few hundred other strollers, joggers and skaters.
For those of you wondering - where's the pictures? They are on the way.
Tomorrow, Winnipeg.
Monday, June 21, 2010
The Road to Alberta
"On the road again"........That is our traveling theme song.
We have arrived in Fort MacLeod, our destination for the second day of our Odyssey. It is 10pm, we have the tent set-up, the beds are made, the citronella candle burning and have almost used a full bottle of "natural Buzz Away". One of the first things on our to-do list tomorrow is buy industrial strength, Deep Woods OFF. Forget about non-toxic. We are being eaten alive.
If the journey yesterday was a trip down memory lane, this was a road less travelled. We were listening to CBC's This is Canada, and hearing lyrics from a song by the Tragically Hip, "we are making new memories and sharing the way together". That describes our trip today.
Points of interest along the way today - scenery, scenery and more scenery. From deep green valleys to rocky mountains, the world's largest truck, rows of wind turbines, 4 elk, 1 prairie dog, the Frank Slide.
We changed the voice on our GPS. "Jack" was beginning to sound like the Dustin Hoffman character in the movie "RainMan" - re-calculate, re-calculate. We are now traveling with a Julie Andrews sound-alike. She does not sound quite as irritated with us when we decide not to follow her directions.
The highlight of the day today - driving past the Pincher Creek area, viewing the wind turbines, not realizing that Ed was increasing his speed until the flashing lights behind us pulled us over. This is Ed's first ticket in 30 years. The last ticket he got was when we were driving back from Banff on our honeymoon. How's that for a coincidence?
Our solstice supper was at the Silver Grill Chinese restaurant. We had fresh shrimp with broccoli and mushrooms, beef chow mein and steamed rice. Surprisingly, it was very tasty, followed by pumpkin soft serve ice cream for me, and blueberry soft serve ice cream for Ed from the Igloo ice cream stand (25 flavours of soft-serve ice cream). Also, as we were walking around Fort MacLeod we found a heritage alley listing prominent people from Fort MacLeod. It turns out Joni Mitchell was born in Fort MacLeod. Now I know why we are here.
....and the seasons, they go round and round, the painted ponies go up and down, we're captive on a carousel of time, we can't return, we can only look behind from where we came, and go round and round in the circle game.
We have arrived in Fort MacLeod, our destination for the second day of our Odyssey. It is 10pm, we have the tent set-up, the beds are made, the citronella candle burning and have almost used a full bottle of "natural Buzz Away". One of the first things on our to-do list tomorrow is buy industrial strength, Deep Woods OFF. Forget about non-toxic. We are being eaten alive.
If the journey yesterday was a trip down memory lane, this was a road less travelled. We were listening to CBC's This is Canada, and hearing lyrics from a song by the Tragically Hip, "we are making new memories and sharing the way together". That describes our trip today.
Points of interest along the way today - scenery, scenery and more scenery. From deep green valleys to rocky mountains, the world's largest truck, rows of wind turbines, 4 elk, 1 prairie dog, the Frank Slide.
We changed the voice on our GPS. "Jack" was beginning to sound like the Dustin Hoffman character in the movie "RainMan" - re-calculate, re-calculate. We are now traveling with a Julie Andrews sound-alike. She does not sound quite as irritated with us when we decide not to follow her directions.
The highlight of the day today - driving past the Pincher Creek area, viewing the wind turbines, not realizing that Ed was increasing his speed until the flashing lights behind us pulled us over. This is Ed's first ticket in 30 years. The last ticket he got was when we were driving back from Banff on our honeymoon. How's that for a coincidence?
Our solstice supper was at the Silver Grill Chinese restaurant. We had fresh shrimp with broccoli and mushrooms, beef chow mein and steamed rice. Surprisingly, it was very tasty, followed by pumpkin soft serve ice cream for me, and blueberry soft serve ice cream for Ed from the Igloo ice cream stand (25 flavours of soft-serve ice cream). Also, as we were walking around Fort MacLeod we found a heritage alley listing prominent people from Fort MacLeod. It turns out Joni Mitchell was born in Fort MacLeod. Now I know why we are here.
....and the seasons, they go round and round, the painted ponies go up and down, we're captive on a carousel of time, we can't return, we can only look behind from where we came, and go round and round in the circle game.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Our First Day on the Road
Sunday, June 21, 2010
We are on our way. We spent our first night on the mainland at Ed's mother's house, aka "Club Ed", in Richmond. After a light breakfast we were off to an early start. Our plan today was to be in Nelson around 6pm. That meant that we had about 737kms to travel.
Today's journey turned out to be a trip down memory lane. Over the years, Ed and I have driven that stretch of the highway many times for many reasons. Starting in 1976, the road to Hope. That is where I had my first job teaching and in August 1976 Ed drove me to my interview at the Hope School board for the position of Grade One teacher at Coquihalla Elementary school. I got the job and spent the next year taking that same road back and forth from Hope to Richmond/Victoria almost every weekend.
When we drove past Bridal Falls, we remembered the time when the girls were small and we took them to visit Flintstone Village. It was pouring rain that day but the girls were so happy to be there that the weather didn't matter. Today, as we drove past it was grey, cloudy and dreary looking. Flintstone Village isn't there anymore. Now it is Dinotown. We arrived in downtown Hope for a much needed break to stretch our legs and buy gas. On a whim I bought a Gold Rush lottery ticket in honour of the Gold Rush days along the Fraser River and was thrilled to win $2.o0. I think I will buy a ticket in every town that we stop in. Let's see if my luck holds out. Also in Hope, I did my first "Body Break" - 25 jumping jacks and 10 curb push-ups.
We stopped at the rest stop in Merritt - 2 bus loads of Chinese tourists and 2 working toilets - we spent more time at the rest stop than we had planned.
We took the turnoff for Peachland, Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos looking for a fruit stand and a place to stop for lunch. The highlight of this part of the trip was listening to CBC's Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe and hearing our good friend Maureen's story being read on air as part of his story exchange. We applauded after the reading and I felt so proud to be her friend.
Just past Oliver we stopped to take a picture of the aftermath of the recent slide. As I was climbing up an embankment to get a better shot of the slide impacts, I too had a slide and landed with the digital camera in the mud. We are not sure how this will effect our future photos. We haven't uploaded any shots yet so hopefully the pictures will still be the same.
On the drive from Osoyoos to Castlegar, Ed was remembering his years working at for CPC. When the weather was bad and they couldn't fly in or out of the Castlegar airport they had to take a bus or drive the 4 hours to get to the Penticton airport.
We got to Castlegar and stopped at the Brilliant Dam Expansion project. Ed can look back with pride at the time he spent helping negotiating legal and finance agreements.
We arrived in Taghum, just outside of Nelson around 6pm and were warmly welcomed by Pam and Russ, our hosts for tonight. Pam and Ed worked together at CPC, and they said we could set up our tent in their backyard or if we preferred, they also had a spare bedroom. I gratefully accepted their offer of the comfy bed over our camp cot, Ed also choose this option. They took us on our tour of their property, accompanied by their four legged family, Gracie & Chester, then back to the deck to enjoy a much welcomed cold beer. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of bbq chicken, greek salad, rice pilaf and strawberry/rhubarb shortcake and ice cream for dessert. Ed and Pam had lots of stories and laughs sharing their times working for the good ol' power corp.
Choosing the indoor sleeping option proved to be the right choice - later in the evening, while writing this post, a thunder storm passed over, lots of rain, thunder and lightning. We have had a good variety of weather today, from sunny skies, fog through the Coquihalla Pass and then the light show in the evening.
(We lost our modem connection for the night so I am posting this Tuesday morning.)
Tuesday, June 21, 2010 - Summer Solstice
I was awakened this morning by a four-legged alarm clock - Gracie the 2 year old West Highland Scotch Terrier came into the bedroom to say hello. She reminds me of the Westie I used to have, MacDuff. I took her on her morning walk around her neighbourhood. There are beautiful views of the Kootenay River from the the top of the street. This is really beautiful country and I can see why Pam and Russ love it here.
We are on our way in a little while. Next destination, Fort MacLeod Alberta.
We are on our way. We spent our first night on the mainland at Ed's mother's house, aka "Club Ed", in Richmond. After a light breakfast we were off to an early start. Our plan today was to be in Nelson around 6pm. That meant that we had about 737kms to travel.
Today's journey turned out to be a trip down memory lane. Over the years, Ed and I have driven that stretch of the highway many times for many reasons. Starting in 1976, the road to Hope. That is where I had my first job teaching and in August 1976 Ed drove me to my interview at the Hope School board for the position of Grade One teacher at Coquihalla Elementary school. I got the job and spent the next year taking that same road back and forth from Hope to Richmond/Victoria almost every weekend.
When we drove past Bridal Falls, we remembered the time when the girls were small and we took them to visit Flintstone Village. It was pouring rain that day but the girls were so happy to be there that the weather didn't matter. Today, as we drove past it was grey, cloudy and dreary looking. Flintstone Village isn't there anymore. Now it is Dinotown. We arrived in downtown Hope for a much needed break to stretch our legs and buy gas. On a whim I bought a Gold Rush lottery ticket in honour of the Gold Rush days along the Fraser River and was thrilled to win $2.o0. I think I will buy a ticket in every town that we stop in. Let's see if my luck holds out. Also in Hope, I did my first "Body Break" - 25 jumping jacks and 10 curb push-ups.
We stopped at the rest stop in Merritt - 2 bus loads of Chinese tourists and 2 working toilets - we spent more time at the rest stop than we had planned.
We took the turnoff for Peachland, Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos looking for a fruit stand and a place to stop for lunch. The highlight of this part of the trip was listening to CBC's Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe and hearing our good friend Maureen's story being read on air as part of his story exchange. We applauded after the reading and I felt so proud to be her friend.
Just past Oliver we stopped to take a picture of the aftermath of the recent slide. As I was climbing up an embankment to get a better shot of the slide impacts, I too had a slide and landed with the digital camera in the mud. We are not sure how this will effect our future photos. We haven't uploaded any shots yet so hopefully the pictures will still be the same.
On the drive from Osoyoos to Castlegar, Ed was remembering his years working at for CPC. When the weather was bad and they couldn't fly in or out of the Castlegar airport they had to take a bus or drive the 4 hours to get to the Penticton airport.
We got to Castlegar and stopped at the Brilliant Dam Expansion project. Ed can look back with pride at the time he spent helping negotiating legal and finance agreements.
We arrived in Taghum, just outside of Nelson around 6pm and were warmly welcomed by Pam and Russ, our hosts for tonight. Pam and Ed worked together at CPC, and they said we could set up our tent in their backyard or if we preferred, they also had a spare bedroom. I gratefully accepted their offer of the comfy bed over our camp cot, Ed also choose this option. They took us on our tour of their property, accompanied by their four legged family, Gracie & Chester, then back to the deck to enjoy a much welcomed cold beer. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of bbq chicken, greek salad, rice pilaf and strawberry/rhubarb shortcake and ice cream for dessert. Ed and Pam had lots of stories and laughs sharing their times working for the good ol' power corp.
Choosing the indoor sleeping option proved to be the right choice - later in the evening, while writing this post, a thunder storm passed over, lots of rain, thunder and lightning. We have had a good variety of weather today, from sunny skies, fog through the Coquihalla Pass and then the light show in the evening.
(We lost our modem connection for the night so I am posting this Tuesday morning.)
Tuesday, June 21, 2010 - Summer Solstice
I was awakened this morning by a four-legged alarm clock - Gracie the 2 year old West Highland Scotch Terrier came into the bedroom to say hello. She reminds me of the Westie I used to have, MacDuff. I took her on her morning walk around her neighbourhood. There are beautiful views of the Kootenay River from the the top of the street. This is really beautiful country and I can see why Pam and Russ love it here.
We are on our way in a little while. Next destination, Fort MacLeod Alberta.
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