June 19, 2024 (Part 2): “Yours to Discover”

Ontario has impressed me beyond words with its beauty. As an Albertan that heard “The West Wants Out” too many times to name and even more people complain how people from Ontario think Canada ends around Winnipeg (or the Ontario border), I feel a bit like a traitor to the heritage of hate I inherited. Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of friends from Ontario that I met in college who did well to disabuse me of the notions I grew up hearing but it’s still hard to shake. In Calgary you’re raised to boo the Oilers and hate the east, specifically Ontario, more specifically Ottawa (federal government). All that to say I am happily fulfilling their license plate motto “Yours to Discover” by eating up every mile of scenery with wide-open eyes and a camera-shutter-happy finger.

I drove past a beautiful church in Upsala, Ontario around 1100 which looked rather out of place with its green lawn. The railroad track was appropriate but I felt like it looked too rustic for the scenery and ought to be surrounded by dirt and tumbleweeds and cacti in some Wild West outpost. 

Well, howdy there! Rustic church near Upsala, ON

I’ve been enjoying Spotify, partially to fill the long silences on drive days and partially because when I see something random I’ll ask Siri to play a song that pops into my head. For example, I drove by Sunshine Creek so I just had to play “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves. My brain is a special place to be and the links it makes between what I see and the songs I think of is super entertaining. LOL

While most of my stops for bathroom breaks are fairly successful, sometimes my luck runs out. For example, outside Nipigon I got stuck in construction zone after construction zone. While the line up for the use of the one available lane (both ways) went rather quickly, it still messed up my rest-stop timing. To my relief, I saw a sign for an alpaca farm nearby! I thought it would be nice to stretch my legs, browse the gift shop, and see some farm animals after using their facilities. A big fluffy dog greeted me from his enclosure which I thought was a positive sign. But alas, immediately I saw “No Public Washroom” signs! By then it was too late because my buddy had announced my arrival with his loud voice and the proprietor came to the screen door of the shop to hail me and bid me enter her fine establishment. Much to my chagrin, she was quite friendly and talkative, which normally I don’t mind on this trip, especially if it means I can use the facilities. I was too polite to ask her to make an exception to the “No Public Washroom” rule so I made my getaway as fast as I could. If this post ever makes its way to the neighbouring farm owners, I apologize for what desperate times called for and the resulting desperate measure I took. 

I feel like they should have the “No Public Restroom” sign right here, to save the embarrassment of future generations! 

Pretty property surrounded by trees.

Here is the traitor who announced me before I saw the tiny sign posted on his fence. Good thing he’s cute!

Nipigon turns out to have the smallest Canadian Tire in Canada which I had no need to stop at so do not have a photo to prove it is the smallest. We’ll just have to take their word for it. 

I passed various places of interest such as Jackfish River (what is a jackfish?? According to google it is a northern pike) and Schreiber, the hometown of Domenic “Hollywood” Filane (a boxer).

Coming into Schreiber, hometown of “Hollywood” Filane

 

Around 2:43 pm it was finally warm enough to turn on my AC for the first time when it hit 24C. That was about 25 km before Rossport, ON. However, about 30 minutes before I arrived in Marathon, ON it turned foggy and chilled to 12C! When I stopped at May’s Gifts I was told by the owner that it is quite a common phenomenon. I just had to stop because it said it had Christmas decorations year-round!

Terrace Bay was warm!

I had to stop here, even though I had just had a rest stop at Terrace Bay.

Christmas decorations!

These bird feeders were made by the owner and I liked them but didn’t have room in the car for them. I also didn’t want to risk breaking it. 

The fog descended just past May’s Gifts

Luckily the fog stopped just before Marathon so I could get some nice photos on Pebble Beach. Chris Wirz, a runner, is from Marathon (rather appropriate!). I also saw a “Gilbert Street” but pretty sure that wasn’t named after my friend. 

Just had to get a pic of “Gilbert Street”!

Pebble Beach is a misnomer because those “pebbles” are anything but. I was thinking they’d be the size of Nerd candies or maybe more like what we have in Newfoundland. Nope! They’re bigger than my feet and piled high. One of the websites I looked at in my research recommended a walk along Pebble Beach. More like a stumble to the nearest place to sit! The view and atmosphere more than made up for it and I enjoyed my al fresco supper of Subway and a too-strong can of bubbly purchased from the local LCBO (I’ve discovered Ontario and Newfoundland have the provincial liquor store idea in common, something foreign to me as an Albertan. I won’t explain it, just google it… I don’t even fully understand it myself!). 

The view from the top of the ridge. You have to walk down a steep path to access the beach.

Okay, they’re not ALL bigger than my feet but still not easy to walk on!

There were some really nice rocks that would have been tempting to “re-home” if my car wasn’t so full but there’s a sign requesting they be left for others to enjoy. 

There’s fog in the distance there. I had so many nice photos to choose from. See my Facebook profile and albums for more. 

Couldn’t resist the typical “write in the sand” shot!

June 19, 2024 (Part 1): “Nuclear Wasted”

I didn’t blog about my day yesterday yet because I was so tired I went to bed at 8:30 pm and slept until 6:30 am. I couldn’t string two words together much less writer anything coherent. I’m pretty tired tonight as well but I don’t want to get too far behind so I’ll write what I can then put photos in when I get the chance. I’m not sure if it’s the fresh air I got or just all the driving that’s making me so tired. 

Something I think I haven’t seen much of since moving away from the prairies is the rivers of grass flowing in the wind. They really do ripple like water when the breeze blows just right. It’s the little things like that that I miss. 

Yesterday I drove past the Yellow Brick Road but was sad to see it was NOT paved with bricks of any kind, just a plain ol’ dirt road. 

The lupine flowers started gracing the roadsides around Thunder Bay and I noticed the dirt upturned during construction was red-tinged, almost as much as dirt in PEI. 

Slightly red dirt (above and below)

I kept seeing anti-nuclear waste signs perched on people’s lawns. They didn’t provide much details so I couldn’t say what they were trying to get across. I think maybe they were anti-dumping nuclear waste in water? 

A big portion of the road yesterday had signs with pictures of Terry Fox indicating it was the “Road of Courage.” I considered how amazing his legacy is, that there are still runs in his honour to raise funds for cancer research every September. It’s quite sad he never got to finish his run. However, there are people who have carried on his legacy - one person is walking across Canada as I type this. He was actually in Wolseley, SK the weekend before I was. 

There was a really cool bridge over a gorge outside Nipigon. It reminded me of a harp. A big white harp with blue lights on it. 

I wanted to get a photo closer to the bridge but it was harder due to the curved road. It’s hard to see the blue lights in this photo. The gorge below the bridge was beautiful. 

I got my first view of Lake Superior (Nipigon Bay really but it’s all part of the Lake) around 2:30pm and it did not disappoint. Where I’m staying tonight is kind of at the corner of all three lakes (Superior, Michigan, and Huron). I learned how hotly contested these islands were during the war of 1812 when I was at the Fort St. Joseph National Historical Site this afternoon. But more about that in my next post! For now, I must escape the sunset mosquitos!

First views of Lake Superior (above and below)

June 18, 2024: “Thunder Claps and Mosquito Bites”

Just near the border of MB and ON it becomes rocky and tree-y and the roads begin to wind through the multitude of lakes. This makes for sore arms, even with lane-keep assist! My shoulder is still holding up, don’t worry. And man, is it beautiful in Ontario! It’s majestically breathtaking. I wish I could be a passenger for awhile so I could really take it in. 

As I got closer and closer to my destination (Ignace, ON) the weather went from on-again-off-again drizzle to rain, good and steady rain. 

My shelter for the night

Found my way to the Inn after my final rest stop at the local Esso. It’s down at the end of a long road, right on the lake. It has a gorgeous view. But you know how animals all run away when they sense an earthquake or other natural disaster is about to happen? I swear, all the mosquitoes this side of the lake sensed the thunderstorm coming and rushed into my room while I struggled to set all my luggage down and figure out how to lock the door. I didn’t think it was open THAT long but five hundred mosquitoes have died in service of King and Country and there’s still more attempting to bite my legs as I type. Several met their untimely end and went to watery graves while I warmed up in the shower after getting caught in the downpour outside. 

The view from my room.

When I first arrived I got my key, dropped off my luggage and decided to get an early supper. The local bar had pizza, which I was craving, so I tried it out. Extra cheese makes everything better. 

Supper at the local dive bar Clooch’s

Be impressed that, to the best of my knowledge, I have yet to leave anything behind at any place I’ve stayed overnight. I’m not scatterbrained, but I have a LOT of stuff I bring into my room. 

I can’t express how much I’m loving my French app. I did some more lessons on the road today and I am finding it so logical! I’ve never learned it like this before and I’m learning it so much more quickly than any other way I’ve tried. Give it a shot: “Language Transfer” is the name. They have other languages one can learn, too.

Speaking of apps, I downloaded “Merlin Bird ID” which was recommended by my birding breakfast companions yesterday. It “listens” to bird song and tells you what kind of bird(s) you’re hearing. Looking forward to trying it out when the rain stops. 

I realized I had been telling people that all 3 of the places I’m staying between Winnipeg and my friend’s place are on Lake Superior but Ignace is actually on Agimak Lake. 

The “deer on road” signs here made me laugh the first time I saw one. It showed a jumping deer and said “Night Danger” under it, and I giggled because it either looked like a cover of a 70s rock album or sounded like something a dad would name his newborn son if the mom had no say in the matter. 

The bad weather is following me tomorrow. My destination tomorrow had nice weather today, of course. Oh well! Gotta get the car across the country, nice weather is just a bonus. The severe thunderstorm watch here this afternoon was accompanied by an excess rainfall warning and let me tell you, that thunder did NOT disappoint! Hope it’s done for the night so I can sleep well. 

Going to sign off now but be it known by all here present that if my mummified body is found tomorrow morning, it’s just the seven gajillion mosquitoes that drained my life. “Death by a thousand (teeny-tiny) cuts” as the quote says. 

June 17, 2024: “Mirages and Hockey”

It’s late because I’ve been chatting all evening with my dad’s cousin, with whom I’m staying in Winnipeg so my blog quality will suffer. Worth it though!

I promised a friend my blog will not be like my Facebook posts which recently feature my toilet breaks. When I planned my trip, I made these first two days the days with the longer drives (with less interesting stuff) so really if I hadn’t posted about the rest stops then there really wouldn’t have been much to post at all. 

Today I was grateful for my “Flush” app (for the above mentioned reason) and my “Language Transfer” app. I figured if I was going to make myself hoarse, it would be better to put my voice to good use brushing up on my French rather than belting out Kelly Clarkson or Backstreet Boys. Or Hotel California. Which leads me to mention how the road mirages reminded me of summers driving on prairie roads in the heat. Rather nostalgic. I don’t remember seeing any mirages (or pavement mirrors or whatever you want to call them) in Newfoundland. 

As I travelled east, the weather warmed up. Until it rained a little. Then a lot. 

The couple at breakfast this morning are heading to Grasslands for birdwatching and so I showed them the photo of the black and yellow birds in Swift Current. We were talking about common birds and he mentioned how common red-winged blackbirds are in SK and MB. Then I swear that is all I saw for birds, between Moose Jaw and Winnipeg, even though I don’t remember having ever seen one before today. 

I saw license plates from BC, ON, and of course SK and MB. It reminded me of the vibe I’ve been getting from fellow travellers, like there is some sort of brotherhood of roadtrippers. I actually kind of like it. I feel like we need a secret handshake, and matching t-shirts or something. Matching tattoos, maybe? 

Wolseley, SK pit stop was very windy.

I drove past Wapella, SK, home town of Brett Clark and Bud Holloway, as well as Sheldon Kennedy’s home town (Elkhorn, MB,, yes, I had to google it just now because I forgot it). Lots of small towns produced big hockey players. Nothing else to do, I guess!

Things I think about while driving: “what is a watershed district? How do I not know what one is? I should ask Siri. No, I don’t want to interrupt this song.” And then I forget about it until I go to blog about my day. I’m never bored on my drive, what with the multiple visits to les toilettes and my randomly asking Siri for different songs from throughout my entire life (“Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige, “Eye of the Tiger,” “Moonlight Sonata,” and that song by Shakira I can’t remember the name of - Siri wasn’t helpful with that last one!).

Just outside Oakville I passed an Indigenous person who was running, wearing an orange shirt and carrying a sort of stick with a curve and maybe feathers on the end. I have no idea what the object was. There were two cars behind driving on the shoulder, with hazard lights on. No signs or anything, so I have no idea who it was or why exactly they were running or from whence they came. From the orange shirt I gather it must have something to do with “Every Child Matters.”

I’m off to Ontario tomorrow. I was really looking forward to this particular Inn I’ve booked because it has free water sports but the forecast calls for 80-90% chance of rain! Fingers crossed that’s wrong because I want to get my hands on a paddle board!

The lovely bottle of wine my dad’s cousin shared with me (above) at her place (below).

June 16, 2024: “Landing of Living Skies”

 After reorganizing the car to fit my last minute purchases and plethora of suitcases, I hit the road from YYC to Moose Jaw around 0900 or so. Not sure on the exact time. It was surreal and exciting and other inexpressible things. 

Today was one of the longer of the drives for the entire trip. That was intentional because I wanted to get a big portion out of the way while my shoulder is still hopefully doing okay. And, well, it’s SK which is pretty flat and generally considered boring so I thought it safe to commit to a 6 hour day and I’d be unlikely to regret it. I ended up stopping more than I thought cuz I stayed so incredibly well hydrated. I viewed “la toilette” offerings in Brooks (AB), Red Cliffe, Maple Creek, Swift Current, and then when I gassed up upon arriving in Moose Jaw. Speaking of gassing up, I still had 100 km left on my tank and it only cost about $60 to fill up again. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my plug-in hybrid??

Got to Moose Jaw around 1600, got gas as mentioned above, and went straight to the “Tunnels of Moose Jaw” tours. Free parking right out front because it was the weekend and it also wasn’t very busy. Very cool, just wish I had more time in each of the areas of the tunnel to really appreciate it. 

Supper at Hopkins Dining Parlour was light because I mostly ate processed food all day so wanted something kind of healthy. But the house was gorgeous so made it worth it - it was a feast for the eyes. 

Met some nice people at the B&B before I shut myself in my room to have an amazing soak in the clawfoot tub while enjoying “Moonlight Sonata.” 

Did some paperwork and now time to finally watch some new Bridgerton before heading to bed. Can’t wait to try out the breakfast tomorrow morning! Wish I could stay longer and really explore this property and the surrounding parkland. 

PS - by some miracle my shoulder is holding up very well, praise the Lord!

Enjoy a few photos of the trip (see Facebook for more):

Hey, Saskatchewan! 

 

Pretty birds in Swift Current.

 

I toured the “Tunnels of Moose Jaw” (I did the “Chicago Connection” tour)

Wakamow Heights B&B where I’m staying in Moose Jaw

 

Had a light supper at Hopkins Dining Parlour

View of the valley by the B&B

June 13-15, 2024: “Delinquent!”

 I’m already behind which doesn’t bode well but I’ll do my best.

Made it safely to Calgary with no interruptions by tornados or lions or tigers or bears - oh my!

Spent Friday with amazing friends and had brunch, snack, and supper together. Saw some gardeny stuff and generally participated in or instigated shenanigans. 

 

Had my farewell brunch on Saturday but forgot to take pictures until most people had gone home which is something I swear I never dreamed was possible with my trigger-happy, I mean, shutter-happy friends.

Had supper after packing up the car, courtesy of my bro and sister-in-law. 

June 13, 2024: “Touch down in T.O.”

I’ve been MIA lately, what with starting a new job and packing, packing, and more packing. My gosh, so much packing. I’m only away for 3 weeks and I have planned to do laundry every 7-8 days but the weather is so different across this continent that I’m finding I’m needing to pack for every scenario: rain, sleet, snow, sun, wind, and ummm, tornados?! Alright, I’m exaggerating about the snow… but not the tornado! As I was sitting in the x-ray registration department this morning, awaiting my bone scan, I watched the news and it happily told me about the cold front meeting with the warm front combining to form this lovely thunderstorm/tornado-promising weather system over Toronto and Montreal. Me, heading from Gander, had no other option but to brave the storm and keep my fingers crossed. 

And hey, I made it! 

Will I make it the final leg? That’s the question!

I’ll have to add photos once I’ve got a full battery and a more functional brain. I took them on my phone and transferred them to my iPad but they’re not showing up. 

I had an enjoyable flight in the last row of business class (row 3 of 3) with no one sitting beside me - bliss! Don’t know what I did to please the airplane gods, but hopefully my luck holds out! 

Currently sitting at the bar in the Air Canada Cafe lounge with a glass of rose, having finished the closest thing I could grab resembling chocolate (overnight oats with chocolate chips that I thought would be gross was actually scrumptious). I feel like a member of the elite or something. Really all it took was paying more than the average bear for a ticket. But oh, so worth it. I just can’t even express. My shoulder has been bothering me again lately and it was so nice to have enough space and a few champagnes and a full meal (chicken parm with pesto pasta and spring greens with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, whole grain roll, and carrot cake) to assuage the pain-beast. My seriously heavy luggage did NOT help matters. I mean, I know I always pack a lot but this is insane. How is that only enough for 8 days? I didn’t even do the usual “everything but the kitchen sink” this time. I even took something out at the last minute. Well, then added 3 bathing suits I had to buy at the last minute because the ones I bought last year absolutely disappeared into the void (there I go assuming object permanence again!). Thank goodness I found 3 (or 4??) for $8 at the Gander Thrift Store cuz I hate paying full price for something when i know i already own it - somewhere!

I found out that the number of mimosas to make me quite blissful is 3. That this entry may be anything close to coherent is either a miracle or an accident. I didn’t exactly mean to have 3, but I was distracted finishing book 4 of 4 in our book club series and I just agreed to whatever the flight attendant said. And to be fair, they were quite good. I don’t usually like ice, but this combo was perfection. 

Now my book is finished, along with Marie Kondo’s and that reminds me I need to go download another before the next flight. Because I feel like however much I want to watch the next part of the Bridgerton season 3, it’s a little inappropriate for a public setting! (And who wants to pay a fortune for the internet on the plane??)

I promise I will add photos when I can get it to work! Next stop, Calgary (hopefully!).

(I am now determined to wear every single item of clothing I packed just to spite myself and any nay-sayers out there - I did pack appropriately, darn it! LOL)

New tech

I received my folding bluetooth keyboard today! It’s super compact and connecting was easy. It’s not as ergonomic as it could be but that’s what you sacrifice when you get something small. 

I’m liking the included iPhone stand, as well. Not sure I’ll use it but it’s nice to know I could just slip my phone and keyboard into my purse without having to carry my heavy iPad if I want to blog-on-the-go on my trip. Maybe while I’m enjoying that ice cream on Dufferin Terrace?? 

Keyboard when it’s open. The track pad is great to use, too. Saves reaching up to tap the screen. 

 

Keyboard when it’s folded up.

The iPhone stand works on portrait or landscape - although I’ll have to take off the pop out button thingy on the back of my phone so it fits better.

Tomorrow is beach day so I’ll post again then!

“Oh the places you’ll go…”

On Monday I journeyed to Gander for “errand day.” It was a quintessential May day for Newfoundland and I felt like it was a bit of a waste to spend it adulting but alas, I didn’t check the forecast and stuff needed to get done. When we got there, I wished we’d thought to take the truck and bring my dog Anna along with us so at least one of the beings in the household could enjoy some sun and fresh air. The sun was bright, the air just a touch crisp, and for outdoor attire, to quote Miss Rhode Island à la “Miss Congeniality,” “all you need is a light jacket.”

I admit I was dreaming about when I’ll be grabbing an ice cream at “Au 1884” to enjoy at Dufferin Terrace in Quebec City. I mean, just look at this view!

https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/what-to-do-quebec-city/dufferin-terrace

I hope you can forgive me for my mind wandering to delectable desserts in Old Quebec now that you’ve seen the photo. My hotel is super close to Dufferin Terrace and I plan to take full advantage of any sunny weather and spare time I have to enjoy that view.

Meanwhile, the clouds came out for the drive home but the rain held off, so it still felt like a lucky day. I’m from Calgary which averages 333 days of sun per year compared to Gander’s 273, so that’s a noticeable change. I’m somewhat light sensitive though so honestly, a cloudy day is often more tolerable. Plus, I’m willing to exchange some sunny days if I can keep the mild winters here ‘cause I do NOT miss -40C.

Here are a few shots from our outing:

On the road home before Gambo.

You can barely see me, but I’m there! And so are the buds on the deciduous trees, so Spring is clearly on its way (or shall we say “Summer” since “Spring” technically started back on March 19??).

It’s nice to be able to daydream about June and the places I’ll go, the things I’ll do, and the food I’ll taste in Canada’s own little slice of Europe. The Quebecois may recoil at the comparison to France but where else can I go to experience another language and such historic buildings without needing my passport? 

Random Trivia: did you know residents of Ontario used to be able to claim “staycation” expenditures on their taxes during the pandemic? They could travel anywhere in Ontario and a portion of it was tax deductible! Canada needs to implement that as a whole country, I think. We could spend our whole lives exploring The Great White North and never run out of places to go. 

I’ve had “visit all the provinces and territories” on my bucket list since I was a kid (grade 8 English class project: “write 100 things you want to do in your life!”). I have already technically crossed off all the provinces but I have barely spent any time in Quebec other than at the Montreal airport (and I don’t count airports) and that one time my friend Lisa and I rented a car in Ottawa, attended a wedding in small town Ontario, then decided we would cross the border at Gatineau so I could say I had been to Quebec. I was never very satisfied with that, though. We just basically did a u-turn and came back, didn’t even stop for lunch. I am more than ready to firmly cross Quebec off my list, once and for all! (With a return trip planned to Montreal with a couple of friends in the near future, since I’m skipping it this trip - a hard but necessary choice to make.)