June 7, 2019 - Wawa, ON to Manitoulin Island, ON

June 7, 2019

We packed up camp right away this morning and decided to hit Tim Horton’s in Wawa for coffee rather than fussing with making it in camp. We got there and holy Toledo, we have NO IDEA where all the traffic came from but it was jam packed with line ups outside the door. We managed to get there just before the worst of it and sat and watched the chaos ensue as we drank our coffee. It was nuts! And there’s nothing in Wawa so even the staff had no idea where everyone was coming from. 

We fueled up at the Esso and chatted with our gas attendant who is originally from Newfoundland. He gave us a good tip to go and see Old Woman Bay about 30kms south of Wawa so we did. It’s a lovely spot. Among the signage there, were warnings to kayakers about how quickly the lake conditions can change and how cold the water is. Back in Rossport, our server, Heather, (who is an avid kayaker) talked about how careful they have to be on the Great Lakes. She said that if you end up in the water, you have just minutes to get back out before hypothermia sets in so tipping your boat is a very dangerous thing. 

It reminded me of the Gordon Lightfoot song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald...

“The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down

Of the big lake they called 'gitche gumee'

The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead

When the skies of November turn gloomy”

Truly, Heather said this is the case, especially during the storm season. Not far from Old Woman Bay, we crossed the Chippewa River where it flows into Lake Superior. It made me smile to be in such an iconically Canadian place. 

The road all along the east side of the lake is a spectacular motorcycle route and the views open up and you see more of the lake. Today it warmed up a bit (a perfect 24 degrees) and the skies were clear blue. The lake was so calm that it was hard, at times, to see where the edge of the lake and the sky joined on the horizon. 

We stopped to buy gas in Batchewana Bay at The Voyagers’ Lodge and Cookhouse and, without a word of a lie, they have world famous apple fritters. We were told that last year, they sold 12,000 fritters and this year, they’ve already sold 6000 and their goal is to sell over 20,000. They’ve got 2 full-time fritter makers and, if you haven’t tried one, you really must. It’s worth the trip to get one. One of the local campsites summed it up best with their name: Betchewana Stay in Batchewana Bay! 

We made very good time today - all the stars were in alignment. We found fuel when we needed it and didn’t get bogged down in too much traffic. The ride was spectacularly beautiful and the weather was perfect. We hustled through Sault Ste. Marie and carried on east. From The Soo, we came out of that really coastal terrain and into lovely farmland. Everything is so lush and green with all the rain they’ve had. We rolled through lovely little village after lovely little village and managed to make up the lost time from yesterday. We hung south at Espanola on Highway 6 and made our way onto Manitoulin Island. 

We stopped at the Green Acres campsite which was OK but we were mostly put off by the man who either owns or runs the place. He was a crabby old fart and completely unhelpful. I asked about the ferry off the Island and no he didn’t know the schedule and no they don’t have wifi and there was no effort made to help us figure out what time the ferries leave tomorrow.  He says he’s been there for 29 years and maybe it’s time for him to do something else. He doesn’t seem like a very happy fellow. 

The campsite is OK but it was very waterlogged due to the heavy rain so it was a very good thing we weren’t tenting on the ground. The bathrooms were OK but no hand soap, no paper towel, no water taps in the tenting sites... it was just a bare bones site which, for the price we paid, was disappointing. The best part about this campsite was the mother duck who had a nest of eggs under a tree about 10 feet from our tent. We didn’t know she was there right away when we pulled in but she didn’t seem too worried about us and was content to sit on her clutch of eggs through the night. 

Today was also the first day we’ve had to do serious battle with bugs. Around 6pm, the black flies came out and the only saving grace was that it got very cold in the night (probably near freezing) so they didn’t plague us while we slept which was great. 

Funny Tidbit:

A couple days ago, Lynn and I were heading to the wash house in a campsite:

Me: I’m going to have a shower but I don’t think I’ll wash my hair. I hate having wet hair in my helmet.

Lynn: How will you do that?

Me: What do you mean?

Lynn: You can’t have a shower without getting your hair wet...

Me: Um... yes you can... you just don’t put your head under the shower.

Lynn: No. How? Water will splash up and get your hair wet anyway.

Me: Well, not really and it’s not that WET, it’s more damp than wet...

Lynn: But it’s still wet though.

Me: .... are we really having this conversation? This is a dumb conversation.

Lynn: Yah, it sort of is.

Me: OK. So can we not have it then?

Lynn: OK. 

Me: That’s one of the things I really like about you.

Lynn: Oh yah? What’s that?

Me: We get to not have dumb conversations... 

June 6, 2019 - Thunder Bay, ON to Wawa, ON

June 6, 2019

We left Thunder Bay and headed along the northern shore of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. It’s so immense, it very much feels like we’re on the West Coast. The day was overcast and surprisingly cold. When the highway dipped down along the shoreline, the temperature dropped to 9-10 degrees. When it climbed up higher and headed inland a bit, the temperature peaked around 18. Not a very warm day but we were grateful to have missed all the rain that apparently had come in the days before we arrived. 

We learned an interesting fact. All traffic going across Canada HAS to go along the Trans Canada between Nipigon and Thunder Bay. There’s no other road through. Consequently, it’s an extremely busy section of road but there are surprisingly few gas stations. We managed to make it into Nipigon but Lynn was on fumes. I have no idea why, for all the traffic that comes through this area, there aren’t more places to buyfuel. 

Heading east, the road skirts the coast and here and there, you begin to get lovely glimpses of the lake and shoreline. The road is single lane, for the most part, so it’s impossible to travel very fast. With all the truck traffic, you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride and not worry about pushing it. 

We swung in and saw the Aguasabon Falls which is part of a waterway of a hydro dam. Big falls and a gorge that dumps into Superior. 

We also stopped in White River where the bear cub was adopted by a Canadian soldier and ended up in the London Zoo who captured the heart of A. A. Milne and inspired his Winnie the Pooh stories. 

We were held up for about 40 minutes at a construction area because they had crews blasting rock along the highway. During our wait, we chatted with one of the construction crew and he told us to swing into Rossport to a little cafe there to warm up and have a coffee so, after we got through the blast area, we did. We found Serendipity Garden Cafe and ended up staying for lunch we had the fresh lake trout, caught in the bay that morning. Kathy, the manager, told us that they have a fellow int he village who fishes solely for the cafe and they serve whatever he happens to bring in. Today was the lake trout and it was perfection. 

Back on the road, the weather darkened and got colder. We had to stop to put on more gear. We road through Schreiber and Terrace Bay and not far past the turn to Marathon, the road heads inland and got noticeably warmer. 

This whole are is made up of hilly terrain, blanketed in thick forest. There is a lot of birch in this area and the birch leaves are just starting to unfurl. Their lacy lime green canopies are tucked like fans in between the arrow point spruce and fir trees, making the hillsides a painter’s study in greens. Spring has definitely been late in arriving (according to the locals) and apparently, we are on the leading edge of the good weather. They’ve had heavy rain for the past few days and the waterline has gone up significantly. If you think about the size of the Great Lakes, that’s a LOT of water to raise the waterline! 

We had intended to make Pancake Bay today but, between being held up for rock blasting and then stopping a time or two to warm up, we didn’t make as many miles as we had hoped. Consequently, we decided to pack it in in Wawa. We found a campsite and then went into the town of Wawa and took a chance on Lai’s Chinese Restaurant which turned out to be very good. 

Back in the campground, we had a neighbour come by with his camera before we were even off our bikes, wanting to see how our tent trailer opened up and asked to take pictures. For some reason, people are very fascinated by it. :) We decided to take a serviced site because we knew it would be cold and, in the end, we were glad we did. We used our little interior car heater in our tent for the first time and were VERY happy to have it. It dropped to freezing in the night. 

June 5, 2019 - Whiteshell, MB to Thunder Bay, ON

June 5, 2019

Leaving Whiteshell, we headed east and quickly came to the Ontario border. What was interesting is that the terrain immediately changes so perhaps the change in landscape was what compelled the division of the provinces here. Hard to say but the change was immediate and noticeable.

Right away, the flat prairie gave way to rolling, boney hills and exposed bedrock. Suddenly, it felt like we were back in BC. We left the endless grain fields behind and in their place came equally vast expanses of mixed, dense forest. We had also entered the Lake of the Woods area and this reminded us a lot of the Interlakes area near 100 Mile House in BC. So many little lakes with twisty, curvy shorelines and dotted in amongst the dense trees are cottages of all shapes and sizes with little docks poking out into the water. 

Frequently, there were signs saying to watch our fuel as services were sparse so we drove into Kenora to find some gas. Lynn’s mileage is fairly poor given he’s hauling our trailer so we have to be mindful of our range. Kenora is a hub of the cottage country in this area and is on the north end of Lake of the Woods. It’s a very picturesque place. 

Southeast of Kenora, the road winds it’s way through more and more rolling hills covered in black spruce and swampy meadows. This whole area, heading towards Thunder Bay, is a fisherperson’s dream. Thousands of lakes flank either side of the highway and thousands of boats and RVs are evidence of the fishing mania out here. 

We pulled into the gas station at Upsala and I had a flashback to our trip across Canada six years ago. On that trip, we came along this route in reverse and had stayed at a campsite in Lac Des Mille Lac (Lake of a Thousand Lakes!) which is a beautiful little spot. Until nightfall, that is. And then came the witching hour - about 10 Billion black flies and mosquitos showed up as soon as the sun came down and we spent several hours fighting them off. Finally, we packed up camp in a mad rush and left in a desperate bid to free ourselves from the vicious harassment. When we spotted the Upsala gas station and cafe, we stopped for breakfast and when Lynn pulled his helmet off, about a dozen mosquitos flew out of his helmet!! 

Today, we revisited the Upsala gas station and cafe and had lunch there, reminiscing about the horror of our past visit. If you’re through this way, they do make a mighty fine grilled corned beef sandwich.

Leaving the bugs of Lac Des Mille Lac behind, we made our way to Thunder Bay. We’ve been through this way a few times and every time, I’m touched by the memorial on the spot where Terry Fox had to finish his run because his cancer came back. We passed it again today and once again, I’m reminded and grateful of his contribution to cancer research and treatment. Not far past this spot, we found a campsite at the Thunder Bay KOA. 

June 4, 2019 - Neepawa, MB to Whiteshell, MB

June 4, 2019

What a night we had! As we were getting ready for bed last night, Lynn thought we should put the rain fly on the tent just to be safe. Thank God we did. By about 11pm, that storm that had been following us for the past 2 days suddenly showed up. With a vengeance. 

By prairie standards, I don’t know if this was a big storm or not but by our standards, it was a DOOZEY! The thunder rumbled in the distance and then crept closer and closer and then the rain started. And then it picked up. And THEN - all hell broke loose. The lightning lit up the sky like fireworks and went off continuously for over an hour. It crashed and boomed, it cracked and sizzled. The wind whipped and the rain came down in a torrential downpour. It went on like this, unabated, until 1am. 

Luckily, we were snug as little bugs in our pop up tent trailer and that rain fly kept us dry. We eventually fell asleep and woke up to sunny skies and a sopping wet world. Lynn thought, after the fact, that it would have been cool to put a cup out on the picnic table to see how much rain fell. Turns out, we didn’t need the cup! The storage tub we have our camp kitchen in has holes where the handles attach to the lid. We discovered this when we went to make coffee. Absolutely everything was drenched (all our tea towels, wash clothes, BBQ lighters - the entire contents of the camp kitchen!) and there was about 3/4” of water in the bottom. Now we know!  The plastic tub that looks like it should be water proof most definitely ISN’T. 

By the time we dried everything off and got it all back together, we were late getting on the road so it was just as well we had a shorter way to go today. Before we left Neepawa, we took a few minutes to seek out the home of Margaret Laurence who was a well known Canadian author who wrote (among other things) The Stone Angel. She was the recipient of two Governor General Awards, was awarded the Companion of the Order of Canada, established the Writers’ Trust of Canada and, in 2016, was designated a National Historic Person. How could we not go see her house? It’s a lovely brick home originally built by her grandfather. While we were there, a bus load of people were on a guided tour. 

From here, we headed towards Highway 1 and Winnipeg. Leaving Neepawa, we were met with the odious scent of their massive hog processing plant on the outskirts of town. What is even MORE odious is the stench of the hog trucks themselves. We met many on their way to and from the plant and Sweet Mary, Mother of God, the schtank almost makes you gag and lingers in the air for a kilometre or more. Ugh... 

Anyway - We weren’t sure what to expect as far as city traffic in Winnipeg but we got onto the Perimeter Road and were surprised by how little traffic there was. This was good because there was quite a bit of construction on the road. Heading east, towards Ontario, the land flattened out again into far reaching prairie. Most homesteads have great stands of trees and bushes surrounding the perimeter of 3 or 4 acres, creating sheltered areas for houses, shops, grain silos, gardens and yards. I would imagine that they also provide some sense of “containment” or boundaries in an otherwise boundless land that is only otherwise held together by great ribbons of asphalt , rail tracks, hydro lines and telephone wire. 

Our destination was Whiteshell Provincial Park today, on the eastern edge of Manitoba. We made it in good time and we have almost the entire park to ourselves. We’re staying at Falcon Lake and the beach is beautiful. There are walking trails all through the area and a little fishing jetty. 

Oh! Not to forget, wishing Erica and Naomi a very happy birthday today and happy anniversary to Mark and Tania. XO 

June 3, 2019 - Saskatoon SK to Neepawa, MB

June 3, 2019

Leaving Saskatoon, we got back on the Circle Route and out onto Highway 16 East again. The prairie opened up and we were back into wide open spaces where the tallest thing on the horizon is the Coop Gas Station Signs for a long way. 

Eventually, we got to Quill Lakes and we were stunned by how HUGE they are. It looks like suddenly, you are at the edge of the ocean. The water goes to the horizon and there is a distinct coastal feel to it. Years ago, my friends Craig and Amy wrote a song about if the West Coast of BC had THE BIG EARTHQUAKE and sloughed off into the ocean and Alberta became the new west coast. One of the lines of the song came to me today as I stood at the shores of Quill Lake - “Holloway, Holloway, to the land and sea! Sailing to the Alberta, the coast of the Grand Prairie...”

This is also a Mecca for birds. Holy Moly. There are more birds out this way than you can shake a stick at. In fact, at Quill Lake, there is an International Bird Conservancy which we think our birder friends, Sandy and Rita, would probably love to visit. 

The other thing we really took note of today were the HUMONGOUS pot ash plants the size of small cities and some of the graineries where they load grain onto railcars. The grain silos are so big, they make the trains look like toys and these graineries are dotted throughout the prairie. It’s hard to imagine how much product comes out of this area every year.

As we rode through the rolling land, many of the fields had stubble of last year’s crop, laid out in neat parallel lines with draftsman’s precision. In between the lines, new growth is just starting to pop up. Apparently, the planting is all done but the crop has been slow to sprout because there hasn’t been much rain. 

We stopped at Wynyard and hunted out the bakery. Fantastic buns and fresh coffee. 

We decided to push on and try to make Neepawa so that tomorrow wouldn’t be such a long day. We’re both feeling a little fatigued after 4 days of steady riding. The first week of a big trip like this is always a bit of an adjustment. I’m finding I need to take a few Advil with my morning coffee to get my back and hips ready for the coming day. By the end of the week, though, I’ll be back in riding shape. 

We hit Russell, Manitoba and stopped to fuel up. The temperatures soared in the past hour and it was now 35 degrees. And muggy. Really muggy. We decided to keep going and from there on out, those cumulative storm clouds formed a big thunderstorm cel which, while still in the distance, sat on our right shoulder for the following couple of hours. We could see it start to unleash it’s heavy load of rain in great purple streaks. 

We had a good run into Neepawa and were really delighted to discover that it’s an incredibly quaint little town! It reminded me a lot of Grand Forks and Nelson, BC, with it’s 19th century houses (mostly brick) and streets lined with 100 year old trees that meet in the middle, forming  verdant canopies. Their Lion’s Club established a gorgeous municipal park, complete with almost 10 kms of pretty walking trails along the river and a campsite. The campsite is the nicest one I think I’ve ever stayed in. The grounds were right on the river and beautifully kept and joined the walking trails. After dinner we walked the trails for a ways. It was a lovely evening. 

June 2, 2019 - Wabamun Lake, AB to Saskatoon, SK

June 2, 2019

Well, it was quite the night at Wabamun Provincial Park campsite. Turns out, it’s a party campsite for some and there was a group of young folks celebrating a birthday.... until 4:30am. Very loudly. And by that I mean with very loud rap music coming through thumping speakers and lots of drunken yelling. Suffice it to say, we didn’t get much sleep although I was grateful for my earplugs. 

We headed out towards Edmonton and skirted the city on the ring road which turned out to be a quick way to dodge traffic. We continued through the prairie and, in the distance, translucent storm clouds began to accumulate, melting into the horizon haze in deep hues of bruised purple with electric pink and orange edges. The air became increasingly sultry - that hot, humid, thick air that smells like storm and you can sense some static in the air. It was far away but we wondered when it would catch up to us... 

At one point, we passed an ENORMOUS Ritchie Brothers auction site and there were literally acres and acres of no end of farm equipment all line up and ready to go; tractors of all sizes, combines, trucks, trailers, swathers, tillage equipment, seeders - the list goes on. Lynn rubber-necked until I thought his head would pop off, trying to see it all. It was a good thing we didn’t stop or I swear he would have tried to tie *something* onto the bike rack... :) 

Eventually, we started to see a big coulee and realized it was the North Saskatchewan River which led us into North Battleford. It was really pretty - the coulee was so lush and green, like a garden of Eden in the bottom of the river valley. Up and out the other side, the ground gained some elevation and became more hilly. There are a ton of waterways in this area - everywhere you look there are little ponds, lakes, marshlands... and even more water birds. Geese and ducks dominate but also, blue herons, white egrets and shore birds along with predatory birds circling above. 

We pushed on into Saskatoon and stayed at the Gordon Howe Municipal Campsite. Of course, with a legend like Gordie Howe being a hometown boy, one can imagine that almost everything is named after him. This is a stunning little campsite with “bathrooms as luxurious as the Taj Mahal” according to Gordon the manager (no - not THE Gordon...) I haven’t been to the Taj Mahal so I can’t confirm his comparison but I will say they were very new and clean.

We talked to a few neighbours and turns out, both of them are only from an hour away. One couple come every year for a couple months as a “get away” and the other couple came for a month to be closer to their grandsons so they can get to their baseball and lacrosse games. It seemed kind of funny to only travel an hour and then stay for 2 months! We’re on the opposite schedule. We travel 8 hours and only stay a night! 

Random Things I Forgot Until Now:

1. The sheer JOY of a really good shower when camping. 
2. Never pass up an opportunity to pee  when on a motorbike trip (thanks to Annikki Egolf for this one.) 
3. Always wear sunscreen even in a full-face helmet.
4. It always takes longer than you think. (This applies to absolutely everything.) 

May 30 - June 1, 2019 - Valmount, BC to Wabamun Lake, AB

May 30 - Jun 1

Well, we were delayed by a week because our dear sweet pug dog Stella was sick. She was diagnosed with liver failure and we had hopes that, with some treatment, medication and a change in diet, she would pull through. Alas, on May 27, it became clear this wasn’t going to be the case. Consequently, on May 29 we had to have her put down. It was a devastating day but we can’t say enough about the vets and the staff of the Animal Care Clinic in Williams Lake. They were kind, compassionate, patient, understanding and accommodating and they made the best of a truly terrible situation for us. By the end of that day, we were emotionally exhausted so we took an extra day to pack (May 30) and we finally left on May 31. 

May 31 

We travelled through 100 Mile House and down through the Interlakes to Little Fort. The weather was perfect (28 degrees) and everything is so green right now, it’s heavenly. One of my favourite views through there is Lac des Roches from the pull-out at the top of the hill. On this day, it looked magical with it’s curvy shoreline and little islands, emerald green in the deep blue sparkling water. My sister Anna is in Ireland right now and on this day, Lac des Roches looked like one of her photos from Donegal. Stunning. 

In Little Fort, we fueled up and had an enormous burger at the High 5 Diner which has been there since the 60s. It’s a bit of a landmark in this area and definitely worth the stop. 

Heading north, we carried on through increasingly deep valleys and the mountains on either side became bigger as we worked our way into the foothills of the Rocky Mountain Range. We made a quick stop in Clearwater to see Lynn’s son-in-law, Mark, who is working in the area. After a quick visit, we continued along through Avola, Blue River and into Valemount. We skirted the eastern edge of Wells Grey Provincial Park and remarked that we will have to come back some time and spend a week or so in this area. So many hiking trails, waterfalls and spectacular views to explore. Some of the mountain peaks were high enough to still have some snow. 

In Valemount, we stayed at  the Yellowhead Campsite and were lucky enough to score a lovely little spot right on the river. We weren’t even off our bikes yet and a neighbour came by - a friendly fellow from Australia who was fascinated to see how our pop-up tent trailer worked. He chatted with us for a minute and asked if he could video us set it up. Sure - why not? So we and our little Lees-ure Lite will be immortalized in some stranger’s home videos somewhere in Australia. 

June 1

This morning, we were packing up when another camping neighbour, (ALSO from Australia) came by and asked if she could take pictures of our bikes. Apparently, Harleys are really popular down there and she said her brother will go crazy to see her pictures. She was thrilled when Lynn offered her to have a picture of herself sitting on his trike. And so, we’ll be part of someone else’s photo album down there too. 

On our way, we turned onto Highway 16 and shortly, we were floored (once again) by the spectacular vista of Mount Robson. Seriously - it never gets old. Every time we go through there I’m blown away as much as I was the last time. Today was picture perfect - Mount Robson was unobstructed by weather (which can often be the case.)

Off we went to Jasper where we stopped for a look around and a coffee. 

We had GREAT coffee and fresh pastry at the The Spice Joint Jamaican Cafe. We chatted with the owner, Dwain, about the unbelievable amount of beetle kill in the area. The entire valley is red with dead pine and spruce. Having been in the epicentre and come through the awful 2017 wildfires in central BC, we are particularly sensitive to fire risk and Jasper looks to us to be an inferno waiting to happen. Dwain agreed and said it’s the topic of conversation amongst the locals continuously. It’s really sad to see that the damage is so extensive. 

Heading towards Hinton, the valley widens and, on either side, towering mountain ranges jut up into the sky like giants’ teeth. Several are clearly striated and you can see how the molten rock roiled up into the formations they’re in today. To me, these ranges bear resemblances to Tombstone National Park in the Yukon and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. 

By the time we reached Hinton, we were out of the Rockies and out into the beginning of the Alberta prairie. The land flattens  out and mountains turned to rolling green hills, beautiful in their own right. The highway straightened out and we were able to set out cruise controls and make some good time. Today, we came as far as Wabamun Lake where we’re  camped at the Provincial campsite. It’s a pretty big campsite - over 270 spots - so it’s a little like urban camping but it’s heavily treed so it’s fairly private. 

Fun Fact - Lynn shared a trick with mosquitos with me today.

Lynn: See that mosquito? Watch.

Me: Um... OK.

Lynn: Watch this. Wait until he’s got his beak sunk right in...

Me: You mean you’re going to willingly let it bite you?

Lynn: Yah - just watch... OK. See how his beak is sunk right in? Now - if I take a couple of deep breaths and hold it in, he won’t be able to back out... 

*Lynn takes two deep breaths and holds it and then pokes the mosquito who CANNOT BACK OUT!!

Kathy - Mind blown. :O