Year 3 Week 3

July 2 to 8, 2006

Neys, Ontario to Lorette / Winnipeg, Manitoba

Year 3 week 3

 

Sunday ; Neys to Thunder Bay, Ontario

Today started out foggy with light rain, but as we drove toward Thunder Bay the sky cleared, and it was a very pleasant afternoon and evening.

We drove west, then south on Hwy. 17 along the shore of Lake Superior. This is one of my favourite areas to drive. Rugged wilderness, lakes, granite rock outcrops, thick forest, Lake Superior's beautiful shoreline ... and enough Northern Ontario black flies / "no see-ums" for everyone !

We were one of the first vehicles to come across a single vehicle accident, so we stopped to offer assistance. As full time RV'ers, we carry everything needed to live, so we have more to offer than most motorists. The female driver of a tractor trailer lost control, left the highway, slid down into a steep ditch without rolling, and finally came to a stop on the edge of the forest. She was badly shaken, but unhurt. The O.P.P. officer who arrived a minute or two after us was glad that she kept the rig from rolling, since he noticed the hazardous cargo signage on the trailer indicated that it was hauling radioactive waste. As we walked back to our rig, the end of a thick cable on the cable and post guardrail on the side of the road stabbed me in the leg, ripping my jeans and scratching my leg.

We arrived in Thunder Bay and found our way to Chippewa Park where we had intended to stay. We were so unimpressed, we left. We drove 16 miles west of the city, almost to Kakabeka Falls, and checked into Happy Land Campground. Just before we got to the campground, we almost hit a black bear cub that dashed across the highway in front of us. We set up in our campsite, then spent quite awhile chatting with our "next door neighbour" from Louisiana.

Finally ... Wi-Fi !

 

Monday ; Thunder Bay, Ontario

Today was a nice, sunny, warm day.

We spent the morning and afternoon running errands. Refilling with diesel, refilling a propane tank, buying supplies at RV dealers, shopping at Canadian Tire, A&P, and Wal-Mart. We spent the evening visiting with my cousin Helen Petersen, her husband Bruce, their daughter Carey, and Carey's 2 Golden Retrievers, Skyler and Ember. We had dinner, then viewed my travel photos.

 

Tuesday ; Thunder Bay, Ontario

Today was another nice day. This morning Joanne prepared lunch to take to the Petersen's. We had invited the Petersen's out for lunch, but Bruce is recovering from 4 recent surgeries ( ! ! ! ), and has some dietary restrictions that preclude restaurant meals. Joanne made a chicken and potato soup, and a chocolate mousse dessert. I taught the "next door neighbour" children from Louisiana about wild raspberries and wild Saskatoon berries that I found here in the campground.

We stopped at an RV dealer on the way to the Petersen's for lunch, and bought some supplies. We had lunch with Helen and Bruce, then spent the afternoon continuing to view my travel photos. It's always such a pleasure to visit with Helen and Bruce. Unfortunately, Carey was away for the day attending a dog training event with Skyler and Ember.

 

Wednesday ; Thunder Bay, Ontario

Today was sunny and very warm. I slept very late this morning. I've been quite sick for the last couple of weeks, and I guess my body needs some extra resting / healing time.

I spent most of the day doing maintenance and special projects. I finished applying pinstriping to the truck. It looks good. I removed the sacrificial anode from the water heater, flushed out all the mineral deposits inside the water heater, and replaced the sacrificial anode. I repaired the broken day / night shade on the living room slide. I tried, unsuccessfully, and with considerable frustration, to repair the TV antenna cable. I'm going to have to buy a new coaxial cable end connection. I'm trying to fix this persistent TV reception problem by trial and error, and I don't really have a clue what I'm doing. I reconciled the bank statements. I updated my investment files.

 

Thursday ; Thunder Bay to Ignace, Ontario

Today was sunny and hot.

We said goodbye to our Louisiana neighbours and left Happy Land Campground heading west on Hwy. 11 / 17. We stopped 3 times as we drove today, looking for blueberries. No luck. We stopped for the night at Davy Lake RV Park on Davy Lake in Ignace.

After getting set up in the campground I napped for a short time, hoping that a nap would help me feel less ill. It didn't ! I reset all the clocks and watches to Central Daylight Time, then we went hiking down the snowmobile trails into the forest, once again looking for blueberries. We found very few. Looks like it's not going to be a great year for blueberries. We walked to the lake, where Bo went swimming. We had a tennis ball play session to dry him off before I barbecued supper.

 

Friday ; Ignace to Rushing River Provincial Park, Ontario

Today was sunny and hot.

This morning I did Lanoire's 30,000 km. scheduled service inspections. I had the 24,000 km. scheduled service done recently at Belleville Dodge, and the 30,000 km. scheduled service was inspections that I could do myself. We left Ignace heading west on Hwy. 17. We stopped in Dryden to shop at Wal-Mart, have lunch, fill with diesel, and shop at Canadian Tire.

Around Eagle Lake we stopped at a spot that looked likely for blueberries. Finally, we found a decent patch of blueberries, and a darker berry that looks almost like blueberries. They grow low to the ground like blueberries, and are sweet, like blueberries. I thought they were Saskatoons, but Joanne disagrees. We picked blueberries, and the darker mystery berries, for about an hour, filling a couple of 2 pound margarine tubs.

We turned south onto Hwy. 71 before Kenora, and drove to Rushing River Provincial Park. My earliest memory of Rushing River is of camping here with my family 45 years ago, when my brother was an infant. After setting up in our campsite we went for an obedience session with Bo, then walked down to the rapids where Dogtooth Lake empties into Rushing River. We all cooled off in the shallow rushing water.

We barbecued supper, then went for a very long walk through the campground to campsite no. 112. This is where we placed the ashes of our dog Misty into Dogtooth Lake in 1987. As we walked, I picked about a half dozen blueberries, and just as I was tossing them into my mouth, a wasp landed on them. I popped the blueberries and the wasp into my mouth. YIKES ! I spit fast. Close call ! And what a waste of perfectly good blueberries.

We visited the nature museum in the campground. I learned that Ontario does indeed have rattlesnakes. The endangered Massassauga Rattler. And that's what I saw a week and a half ago on the shore of the Magnetewan River.

 

Saturday; Rushing River Provincial Park, Ontario to Lorette / Winnipeg, Manitoba

Today was sunny and hot again. We got a late start leaving Rushing River Provincial Park.

We stopped at Wal-Mart in Kenora to fill the remainder of a few prescriptions I had there from last year. They didn't have enough stock to fill my remaining prescriptions. We bought some perogies from an old man selling home made perogies, cabbage rolls, and meat pies, in the parking lot. His wife makes them, he sells them. It made me think, and realize, that there are many non-traditional ways to earn money. If we're creative enough maybe we can avoid having to eventually "go back to work".

We stopped at the Travel Information Centre at the Ontario / Manitoba border. While Joanne prepared lunch I went inside to get a new Manitoba map and campground guide. Last year we looked at a snack bar that was for sale at the Travel Information Centre. We thought it was over priced. Obviously we weren't the only potential purchasers to think so. It's not there anymore. Gone ... lock, stock, and barrel !

We stopped just past Falcon Lake at the spot where we picked blueberries last year. Lots of them ! There were hardly any there this year. So obviously the conditions this year just aren't quite right for blueberries. I helped a woman with car problems. I was able to determine that her serpentine drive belt had come off. I sent her back to Falcon Lake where there is a service station that likely could fix it for her.

We arrived at the Danelak's just as Sharon and Bud were leaving to attend a wedding. After they returned from the wedding late in the evening, we sat in their gazebo and visited until late at night.

DSK