Oct 12, 2018 - Renfrew, Ontario

With the gas gauge getting low, I made the only fill-up in Canada on this trip, over $200 CDN for about 55 gallons, but it would get us all the way to Burlington, Vermont, where $3 a gallon would look pretty good. Usually, we don't call and ask permission to stay overnight in Walmarts, when we arrive, and there are no signs posted to the contrary, and at least one other RV is there, we just pull in and crank up the television antenna. But, in this case it was a long way from Sudbury to Ottawa, so I made the call again, this time to the...

Oct 11, 2018 - Sudbury, Ontario

. It is 180 miles from Escanaba, Michigan to the Canadian border crossing at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. So, again, after a quick breakfast at the Walmart in-store McDonald's, we hit the road again. . Today's plan was to fill up with Michigan gasoline on this side of the border, saving about $1.20 a gallon after taking the currency exchange into consideration (the Canadian dollar is worth about 77¢ USD) the saving was considerable on the 60 gallons I purchased on this side of the border. . Customs just took a few minutes with a very...

Sep 27, 2018 - End of Summer

Another summer has quickly passed and as all us ‘old folk’ know, as we age, the time seems to go so much faster. It’s been a good summer for us here in our northern camp on Mississippi Lake. For Mike it was one of getting some needed errands done, new glasses, new hearing aids, a new dental implant, and a new glucose monitor for his diabetes which attaches to his arm and can monitor his sugar levels 24/7 (no more finger pricks). Does anyone else see a 'getting old' theme here? For Michelle it was her weekly game of golf with the ladies...

Sep 4, 2018 - Ottawa

September 4, 2018 Beautiful morning for walking! We sat in Confederation Square trying to plan our day while waiting for our walking tour at 11:00. The changing of the guard on Parliament Hill stopped for the year but we were able to see the changing of the guard at the War Memorial. Only 2 guards changing but still impressive! Ottawa, 1.2 million in population, is known as the third most educated population in North America (Seattle is #1 followed by Boston). The government is the largest employer followed by high tech and public services....

Sep 3, 2018 - Sturgeon Falls to Ottawa, Ontario

September 3, 2018 We are pretty much by ourselves on a grassy knoll overlooking the river inlet. When we walked the actual camp sites, everyone was cheek to jowl. So happy where we are! The new bathrooms in the main building are far from the campsites but near to us which makes them ours!! Read outside in the breezy, balmy evening. Thunder, lightning and rain started in the middle of the night. We have a 250 mile drive on the TransCanada Hwy to Ottawa. There are few towns along the way. As we approached Renfrew, the dreaded “engine check”...

Sep 2, 2018 - SSM to Sturgeon Falls, Ontario

September 2, 2018 Very foggy this morning for our drive on the TransCanada Hwy17 along the north shore of the lake Hudson. Regardless of the fog, there was not really any sight of the lake along the way. Was a good morning to listen to a book and do a crossword puzzle. We knew there was a Costco in Sudbury so planned for lunch there. Sudbury is not very attractive and for the most part is an industrial town know for lumbering, smelting and mining. Costco was incredibly busy and offers an even better lunch price than in the US. 2 Polish dogs...

Sep 1, 2018 - Sault Ste. Marie

September 1, 2018 Awoke to intermittent rain which will be fine as we plan to do indoor activities including the library! Bob has Vintage House work and I can always take advantage of good WiFi. We have become so familiar with SSM from our walk yesterday we knew exactly how to get to the Mill Market a delightful farmer’s market where locals come to socialize over coffee, shopping etc. There was a good mix of produce, meats, honeys, syrups, jams and artisan works. We helped the economy by buying tomatoes, potatoes, cheese and ground chorizo...

Aug 31, 2018 - Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

August 31, 2018 Made pancakes for breakfast as a “Bob” treat primarily because we have an outdoor sink for dishwashing. Such a small pleasure in camp!! Drove into Wawa for gas and to visit the Visitor Center which was very interesting. All throughout the small town there were massive duck statues on or in front of buildings. (Pictures are so slow in loading that I can’t show all). We learned that the folks had no access out of town other than steamboat or train until 1960 when the final link of the Trans-Canada Hwy was built. (Across from...

Aug 30, 2018 - Rossport to Wawa, Ontario

August 30, 2018 Sun shining and in the 50’s when we took off for Wawa. We are continuing east along Trans-Canada Hwy 17. Within a few miles we reached Rainbow Falls Trail which lead to a lovely cascading falls. The Provincial Parks make lots of use of boardwalks. Our “hike” was really walking down hundreds of stairs! All along the northern shore you see access points for the Casque Isles Trail. Unfortunately, there is no indication of degree of difficulty or terrain description for the various sections. Some are steep climbs with steps and...

Aug 29, 2018 - Duluth, MN to Rossport, ONT

August 29, 2018 Woke up to a lovely cool (60 degrees) morning and beautiful view of Duluth. We decided we would drive to Rossport where Karen said the Rainbow Falls Provincial Park was very nice. It is over 300 miles which will make it an early (8:45am) travel day. Did take advantage of the wonderful Fairfield Hotel showers! We had not realized what a wonderful lakefront walk there was in Duluth and almost lamented not staying another day. We are taking the northern Lake Superior Circle Tour that starts in Duluth on MN 61. The two lane...

Aug 17, 2018 - Dryden, Ontario

August 16th We can’t believe our luck. The day is sunny and the sky is clear. There has been a change in the temperature though and we are in long pants and fleeces to start the day but that is a welcome change from the heat and humidity from the last several weeks.. We have lost the beautiful Superior Lake views as we drive west but now we are in Canadian Shield country which has its own beauty. The big difference is how little we can see as we race along on the Trans Canada at 100km/hr. It’s not a choice; there are no secondary roads to...

Aug 17, 2018 - Rainbow Falls Campground, Ontario

August 15th Today is a continuation of the beautiful drive along the shore of Lake Superior. It is bright clear day with not a cloud in sight. I have been looking forward to stopping at Katheryn Cove one of the most picturesque spots along this section of highway. The water is blue green not unlike the ocean and the beach is soft sand right out into the cove. We were here early enough that there was only one other couple on the beach. I had not planned to wade in the water but it was so clear and inviting and when I stuck my foot in it was...