Day 3 - July 29
If I ever wondered WHY I make Bonnie come along on these adventures, today reminded me of WWWHHHHHYYY! Oh, she’s good company. She’s also a good navigator. But, there’s more.
Today we did our best ever with the fifth wheel - 470.3 miles - from Sudbury, On., to Marathon, On. We saw perhaps 100 lakes and ponds over tons of hills, traveling along the east and north shores of Lake Superior.
We hit the road at 8:40 - that’s better! Along the way we did hit an elevation of 1539', but much or the time we were in the 600 foot range, with our campground tonight - on the shore of Lake Superior - at 603'.
Now, about Bonnie’s super hero qualities.
I have this thing about paying for gas. I won’t go to Exxon/Mobil - or Esso as they still call it up here. Well, I did yesterday, the OTHER time I almost ran out of gas. Did I say "OTHER" time?
Well today, we were headed into some town, and I was running a bit low. Happy Days, we came around a corner and there was a gas station, but it was an Esso. :( Along with being the biggest, they are also the greediest! While everyone else is charging $ 0.959 / liter, they’re at $0.999. Now, I know that’s only 20 cents/ gallon, but it’s the principle of the thing.
Bonnie suggested that I fill up anyway. No way! I put in half a tank and said I’d pick up some more at a more reasonable station.
Did I mention that this part of the world is quite rural? Not Casco or Naples or Waterford rural, but RURAL! Not that that fact is an excuse!
So..... there are NO gas stations from Sault St. Marie to Wawa, Ontario!!! If you have a tank of gas you’re all set, but with only half a tank you are in big trouble. This time Bonnie said she’d guard the truck while I walked! (For those of you unaccustomed to our ritual stories, in the Mohave Desert, when the truck started dinging with low fuel, at over 100 degrees, I said I’d guard the truck while Bonnie went for gas!)
We made it 20 miles after the low fuel light came on, but the next town was 25 miles further on.
Here’s where the super hero stuff comes in!
We approached a sign denoting the regional headquarters of the Lake Superior Provincial Park. The sign also had a "?" for questions. My co-pilot suggested that we might stop there and ask about any possible gas stations closer than Wawa. Genius!
We went in on bended knee and the two young ladies in charge said to pull around the side and they’d get us enough gas to make it to WAWA!
YEA!
The other crazy thing is that they apparently do this on occasion, so they have a policy all in place. All they ask is for a donation. We paid the full price - in AMERICAN currency - and were thankful at that.
I’ve decided to keep my co-pilot on for sure!!
Friday, July 31, 2009
The ride so far has been great. Steve and I have been enjoying the CDS that Dan and Julia made for our trip! The first one starts with Ann Murray's " Canada." How can you beat that?
The ride through eastern Ontario is different from the White mountains of NH and the green hills of Vermont. Much of Ontario reminded me of Sara Orne Jewitt's " Country of the Pointed Firs." Some parts of Ontario look a lot like coastal Maine up where Elaine and Steve Nutter look.
Want to hear some irony? I figured that we would be enjoying some of the best of the world's water. After all, isn't Canada noted for its great water? One of our first campgrounds ( in Sudbury) passed out notices that they have an advisory from the Department of Health that a boil water advisory is in effect.They have had so much rain that they have bacteria in their water. The good news is that because of the rain, everything is spring-like lush.
Our days have been like post cards. It seems as if every third home has a camper in the yard. Just like in Maine, in Ontario, the tiger lillies are blooming, as is the Queen Ann's Lace and the golden rod. The reddish rocks of Ontario remind us of Prince Edward Island, and the red roofs on the tidy farmhouses are like the houses in Quebec. Love the colors! Some of the landscape reminds us of the Rangley area in Maine, too. In all, it feels a bit like home -- only different!
The most amazing part of driving through Ontario is that every time we crested a hill, we saw a sparking lake -- some bigger than others but all beautiful. Each day we saw hundreds of lakes. At first I paid attention to the names of them, but after a while, I just decided to admire them. At one point, we climbed a hill and saw no lake. The two of us looked at each other and said, "Where's the lake?"
Oh, I got a great picture of a Canada goose in Wawa which means "wild goose" in Ojibway. This is a BIG goose. You'll see the picture when we download our pictures. ( Right now we are just typing furiously since we just got internet access for the first time all week!) The big goose was made to commenorate the Trans-Canada Highway which was finished in 1960. Whenever you see a big goose, a big bison, or a big anything, you have to take a picture, right?
Also saw some great art in Wawa. Artists have commemorated the women of Wawa by painting old doors with the women's stories and with photographs of their faces. The "bodies" are just paintings and are decorated in real jeans, shorts, dresses. The doors are lined up in a row by the sidewalk. It is quite an installation. I wonder if we could pass this idea along to artists at home?
We have been entertained by the Inukshuks along the road, too. These are piles of rocks that people have put on the roadside boulders. The Inuits created these years ago to "guide" the caribou so the the Inuits could hunt them. They also used the rocks as markers or to remind them where the best fishing was or where they had hidden food. Today, people make Inukshuks to entertain, to be artistic or to be decorative-- depending on their perspective. Any way you care to look at them, they are lots of fun to see as you drive along the Trans-Canadia Highway in Onatario and Manitoba. We kept saying, " Look at that one. Look at this one!"
So far, my favorite campground has been Neys Provential Park in Marathon, Ontario. In our camper, we looked right out at Lake Superior. It sounds like the ocean as the waves dash on the scattered driftwood and granite rocks. We were just steps away from the beach. Sounds good, huh? It was.
In Thunder Bay, we found the International Friendship Garden. Various ethnic groups have come to Canada. To show appreciation, these ethnic groups have designed and have made beautiful gardens. The Netherlands, Scotland, Lithuania, Germandy, China, Canada -- many countries are represented here. We took lots of pictures there as well. Some night when we have internet access again, we will post those pictures as well.
Manitoba started out looking like Ontario, but by the time we had passed through it, it looked more like the plains. It is so interesting how that works. We saw fields of canola -- just miles of growing sunshine.
Today we stopped at the Forks ( where the red and the Assinibo8ne Rivers meet) in Winnipeg. It was raining so the afternoon wasn't calendar perfect, but it was fun. The Aboriginal gatherings there took place 6,00 years ago. Then came the fur traders, the railroad and riverboat workers and the immigrants. Today we came.
We have been through two time changes -- Central and now MountainTime -- the clock says it is just 10:00, but to us it feels as if it is 11:00 so we are off to bed. Sorry we haven't been in touch, but we have been in Provincial Parks with no internet access. We may just update once a week or so. We are having fun seeing Canada. We are almost to the Canadian Rockies! Now, that will be a kick!
Miss you all. Hooe You all are having some good adventures in Maine! :-)
Bonnie
The ride through eastern Ontario is different from the White mountains of NH and the green hills of Vermont. Much of Ontario reminded me of Sara Orne Jewitt's " Country of the Pointed Firs." Some parts of Ontario look a lot like coastal Maine up where Elaine and Steve Nutter look.
Want to hear some irony? I figured that we would be enjoying some of the best of the world's water. After all, isn't Canada noted for its great water? One of our first campgrounds ( in Sudbury) passed out notices that they have an advisory from the Department of Health that a boil water advisory is in effect.They have had so much rain that they have bacteria in their water. The good news is that because of the rain, everything is spring-like lush.
Our days have been like post cards. It seems as if every third home has a camper in the yard. Just like in Maine, in Ontario, the tiger lillies are blooming, as is the Queen Ann's Lace and the golden rod. The reddish rocks of Ontario remind us of Prince Edward Island, and the red roofs on the tidy farmhouses are like the houses in Quebec. Love the colors! Some of the landscape reminds us of the Rangley area in Maine, too. In all, it feels a bit like home -- only different!
The most amazing part of driving through Ontario is that every time we crested a hill, we saw a sparking lake -- some bigger than others but all beautiful. Each day we saw hundreds of lakes. At first I paid attention to the names of them, but after a while, I just decided to admire them. At one point, we climbed a hill and saw no lake. The two of us looked at each other and said, "Where's the lake?"
Oh, I got a great picture of a Canada goose in Wawa which means "wild goose" in Ojibway. This is a BIG goose. You'll see the picture when we download our pictures. ( Right now we are just typing furiously since we just got internet access for the first time all week!) The big goose was made to commenorate the Trans-Canada Highway which was finished in 1960. Whenever you see a big goose, a big bison, or a big anything, you have to take a picture, right?
Also saw some great art in Wawa. Artists have commemorated the women of Wawa by painting old doors with the women's stories and with photographs of their faces. The "bodies" are just paintings and are decorated in real jeans, shorts, dresses. The doors are lined up in a row by the sidewalk. It is quite an installation. I wonder if we could pass this idea along to artists at home?
We have been entertained by the Inukshuks along the road, too. These are piles of rocks that people have put on the roadside boulders. The Inuits created these years ago to "guide" the caribou so the the Inuits could hunt them. They also used the rocks as markers or to remind them where the best fishing was or where they had hidden food. Today, people make Inukshuks to entertain, to be artistic or to be decorative-- depending on their perspective. Any way you care to look at them, they are lots of fun to see as you drive along the Trans-Canadia Highway in Onatario and Manitoba. We kept saying, " Look at that one. Look at this one!"
So far, my favorite campground has been Neys Provential Park in Marathon, Ontario. In our camper, we looked right out at Lake Superior. It sounds like the ocean as the waves dash on the scattered driftwood and granite rocks. We were just steps away from the beach. Sounds good, huh? It was.
In Thunder Bay, we found the International Friendship Garden. Various ethnic groups have come to Canada. To show appreciation, these ethnic groups have designed and have made beautiful gardens. The Netherlands, Scotland, Lithuania, Germandy, China, Canada -- many countries are represented here. We took lots of pictures there as well. Some night when we have internet access again, we will post those pictures as well.
Manitoba started out looking like Ontario, but by the time we had passed through it, it looked more like the plains. It is so interesting how that works. We saw fields of canola -- just miles of growing sunshine.
Today we stopped at the Forks ( where the red and the Assinibo8ne Rivers meet) in Winnipeg. It was raining so the afternoon wasn't calendar perfect, but it was fun. The Aboriginal gatherings there took place 6,00 years ago. Then came the fur traders, the railroad and riverboat workers and the immigrants. Today we came.
We have been through two time changes -- Central and now MountainTime -- the clock says it is just 10:00, but to us it feels as if it is 11:00 so we are off to bed. Sorry we haven't been in touch, but we have been in Provincial Parks with no internet access. We may just update once a week or so. We are having fun seeing Canada. We are almost to the Canadian Rockies! Now, that will be a kick!
Miss you all. Hooe You all are having some good adventures in Maine! :-)
Bonnie
Steve's First Blog Attempt - 7/31/09
Steve’s Journal - Alaskan Adventure - 7/27/09 -
Bonnie and I have been staying in some amazing Provincial Parks, but they have NOT had internet access.
We’re trying to catch up on "the blog," so here’s a feeble attempt from Steve........
Day 1 - July 27 -
We departed Waterford at about 12:15 PM after Bonnie went to her doctor’s appointment and I went to the pharmacy. (Sounds like two old timers, doesn’t it!) We gathered up twenty slugs who were multiplying at amazing rates in Waterford and told them we were going on a field trip.
It was an uneventful journey through New Hampshire and Vermont and it only sprinkled twice! My big fear was going through customs. I remembered the last time we tried and Bubba almost got us busted for telling the border guard that his wife was a loaded weapon! I knew we had about 4,850 miles to go and didn’t want to spend a night in the slammer.
So, the Border Agent asked us all the questions - even about loaded weapons - and I was VERY polite. Then he asked me for our registration and I started to sweat just a bit. Then he asked us about weapons - including pepper spray - and the sweat increased. (For those of you who are wondering what the heck I’m talking about, Brian and Faye know that Bonnie’s big fear is bears, so they gave her a bear pepper spray for the trip.) All right. I lied! So what did the agent do? He mentions that tourists say they have no guns and other weapons and then the minute they check - viola! Then he has to arrest the tourist.
SWEAT!
Then, he lets us go.
Whew!
But not our registration.........
We drive 100 yards - oops! meters! I notice the absence of our vehicle registration, know we have 12,000 or so miles to go, and wonder out loud what we should do. Enter Wonder Woman! Bonnie says she’ll walk back to the booth and ask for what’s rightfully ours. ( I forgot to ask her if she wanted the pepper spray.)
Most of the way back to the booth she’s met by one of the agents who was earlier taking a smoke break - but that’s another story. He tells her that we can’t park there. She explains that we aren’t parking, we just want our registration back! He retrieves it and says he’s sorry, it’s a Monday!
And WE were worried!
So, Day #! We only drove 290.6 miles from Waterford to Riguad, QC, driving 6 hours and 10 minutes, reaching an elevation of1485 feet - BUT - we made it to Canada!!
Day 2 - July 28 -
We were a bit pokey this morning, so we didn’t get going until 9:40. I told Bonnie that wouldn’t do! She said she’d be up and running earlier from not on! :) All right. So I’m a kidder!
For the first 1/3 of the day we were just above river level, 250 - 300 feet. There were some wonderful fields of corn, among other crops. Then we headed a bit up hill and eventually reached 1064 feet. We passed hundreds of small "ponds" where we expected to see moose at every turn, but the stayed clear of us - probably the slugs warned them!
One of the highlights of the day was when a car slowed down beside us in Ontario. The driver pointed to her Red Sox "thingy" hanging from her mirror - understand that we do have a Red Sox spare tire cover on our camper. I flashed her the peace sign, the rear window opened and some young hands waved to us, and we were on our way! Red Sox Nation is WIDE!!!!
So, Day #2 - Drive time - 7 Hours. 392.7 miles
Campground - Elev. - 810' Highest Point - 1064'
Bonnie and I have been staying in some amazing Provincial Parks, but they have NOT had internet access.
We’re trying to catch up on "the blog," so here’s a feeble attempt from Steve........
Day 1 - July 27 -
We departed Waterford at about 12:15 PM after Bonnie went to her doctor’s appointment and I went to the pharmacy. (Sounds like two old timers, doesn’t it!) We gathered up twenty slugs who were multiplying at amazing rates in Waterford and told them we were going on a field trip.
It was an uneventful journey through New Hampshire and Vermont and it only sprinkled twice! My big fear was going through customs. I remembered the last time we tried and Bubba almost got us busted for telling the border guard that his wife was a loaded weapon! I knew we had about 4,850 miles to go and didn’t want to spend a night in the slammer.
So, the Border Agent asked us all the questions - even about loaded weapons - and I was VERY polite. Then he asked me for our registration and I started to sweat just a bit. Then he asked us about weapons - including pepper spray - and the sweat increased. (For those of you who are wondering what the heck I’m talking about, Brian and Faye know that Bonnie’s big fear is bears, so they gave her a bear pepper spray for the trip.) All right. I lied! So what did the agent do? He mentions that tourists say they have no guns and other weapons and then the minute they check - viola! Then he has to arrest the tourist.
SWEAT!
Then, he lets us go.
Whew!
But not our registration.........
We drive 100 yards - oops! meters! I notice the absence of our vehicle registration, know we have 12,000 or so miles to go, and wonder out loud what we should do. Enter Wonder Woman! Bonnie says she’ll walk back to the booth and ask for what’s rightfully ours. ( I forgot to ask her if she wanted the pepper spray.)
Most of the way back to the booth she’s met by one of the agents who was earlier taking a smoke break - but that’s another story. He tells her that we can’t park there. She explains that we aren’t parking, we just want our registration back! He retrieves it and says he’s sorry, it’s a Monday!
And WE were worried!
So, Day #! We only drove 290.6 miles from Waterford to Riguad, QC, driving 6 hours and 10 minutes, reaching an elevation of1485 feet - BUT - we made it to Canada!!
Day 2 - July 28 -
We were a bit pokey this morning, so we didn’t get going until 9:40. I told Bonnie that wouldn’t do! She said she’d be up and running earlier from not on! :) All right. So I’m a kidder!
For the first 1/3 of the day we were just above river level, 250 - 300 feet. There were some wonderful fields of corn, among other crops. Then we headed a bit up hill and eventually reached 1064 feet. We passed hundreds of small "ponds" where we expected to see moose at every turn, but the stayed clear of us - probably the slugs warned them!
One of the highlights of the day was when a car slowed down beside us in Ontario. The driver pointed to her Red Sox "thingy" hanging from her mirror - understand that we do have a Red Sox spare tire cover on our camper. I flashed her the peace sign, the rear window opened and some young hands waved to us, and we were on our way! Red Sox Nation is WIDE!!!!
So, Day #2 - Drive time - 7 Hours. 392.7 miles
Campground - Elev. - 810' Highest Point - 1064'
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Testing!
Hi!
This is Steve's attempt to see if he is capable of posting on this blog.
Time will tell.
This is Mom and Dad's new Blog!
Hi everyone, and welcome. Soon this page will be filled with Alaskan goodness!
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