Jun 12, 2018 - Ignace to Kenora

A good run to Kenora this morning on a clear, calm sunny day & a beautifully smooth highway. I did a bit of shopping in Kenora then went back to the same park I stayed at last year, overlooking the Lake of the Woods. I was here for 4 days last year, at exactly the same time, from June 8th to the 12th & I did a lot of sightseeing then so this is just an overnight stop before I move on to Manitoba. I thought about going on the MV Kenora again on a cruise around the Lake of the Woods & its 14,500 islands but it only goes on the weekends.

Jun 11, 2018 - Thunder Bay to Ignace

It was such a nice day for driving that I thought about going on to Kenora (480 km from Thunder Bay) but I’m glad I didn’t because it got quite windy this afternoon, after I’d stopped. There wasn’t a lot to see along the route (except trees & lakes), the only point of interest was that I crossed into a new time zone. I’m now on Central Daylight Time, 2 hours ahead of Vancouver & 15 hours behind Melbourne.

Jun 11, 2018 - Toronto and points East

June 3rd Lots of family time today and we see more brothers, nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and friends. As always it is chaotic and loud as the competition to be heard is, well, like all families and it is great to be here. Bill cooks a salmon for everyone and it was delicious. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so not one pic of the family get together. Unless there is a list we never remember everything we are supposed to take! June 4th Our goal today is to find some lightweight pants for Bill so he can cover up from the...

Jun 10, 2018 - Thunder Bay

I watched the Men’s Final of the French Open which started at 9:00am here, a much more civilized time than in Australia. I thought Thiem might push Rafa but Nadal was just too strong. It was good tennis though. I even put my awning out & sat outside this afternoon after I’d spent some time in the Visitor’s Centre here at the fort. They have an excellent video about Fort William & the North West Company & I was fascinated by the footage of the place in winter when the river is frozen. I’ve just had a lovely conversation with a Swiss couple...

Jun 9, 2018 - Fort William Historical Park

Today’s visit to Fort William was quite different from last year’s when I went on a guided tour which focussed mainly on entertaining the kids – a bit boring & I didn’t learn a lot. This weekend is the annual Anishnawabe Keeshigun at the fort which is a celebration of the local indigenous Anishnawbe culture. They had all kinds of demonstrations, activities & entertainment throughout the day which I really enjoyed. There were native dancing & drum demonstrations, snowshoe weaving, pemmican making, wild rice milling & cooking, bannock (fried...

Jun 8, 2018 - Thunder Bay

I found a truck-wash this morning but it was one of those unstaffed DIY places & I didn’t have a clue what to do. There was a bloke who was washing his dog & he was a bit of help & actually when I got the hang of it, I found it quite fun. I don’t think I did a very good job though & after I left there I got lost, hit road-works then had to go down dusty streets in the First Nations district so it was a bit of a lost cause. It looks better than before though. However I did find cheap fuel. In town it’s about 145 but the First Nations were...

Jun 7, 2018 - Wild Goose Lake to Thunder Bay

I haven’t quite worked it out but all the highways, both from the east & from the west, converge on Thunder Bay. In other words, you can’t drive across Canada without coming through Thunder Bay so I have to retrace some of last year’s trip for a while. It doesn’t seem to be geographical, there are no big mountains or lakes in the way, so I assume it’s historical. The Great Lakes were so central to early transportation routes & today’s highways have just followed the earlier paths. I was planning to stay in a different campground & even...

Jun 6, 2018 - Tour of Ottawa

Up early for the bus-boat trip to see Ottawa. Interesting tour of picturesque old buildings, seeing parliament and enjoying a great fish and chips meal in a Irish Pub. Watched the changing of the guard at the War Memorial and Tumb of the Unknown Soldier. We went to the War Museum. We noticed the difference when we went across the river into Quebec. All the signs were in French.

Jun 6, 2018 - Moonbeam to Wild Goose Lake

Even though, for me, this is different country with lots of forests & lakes, there isn’t much else so I did a long stretch today of about 380 km. I stopped at Kapuskasing 25 km west of Moonbeam to get fuel & saw the huge pulp mill which has been producing newsprint for the New York Times for 50 years. I also read that Kapuskasing was originally an internment then POW camp during the war but there's nothing left here. It started off as a good day for driving, no sun, no wind but the last 50 km were pretty rough in pouring rain. It cleared...

Jun 5, 2018 - Tobermory, Ontario

May 31st Today is the day we have chosen the routing that will take us from Espanola to South Baymouth for the ferry to Tobermory. It is a route neither Bill nor I have ever done before and we are excited about the opportunity to see something new in southern Ontario. Unfortunately the weather doesn’t cooperate and it is very windy and foggy. As we board the ferry you can only see about 15-20 m. off the side of the ship. It is probably one of the roughest ferry crossings I have ever experienced and there were sick bags positioned...

Jun 5, 2018 - Goderich, Ontario

June 1st This countryside is more familiar as we leave the Bruce Peninsula and drive hwy 21 along Lake Huron. The fog is ever present it seems and while it is hot and humid a few kms inland that changes dramatically near the shore. As we drive south it becomes apparent that the province of Ontario is determined to replace nuclear and hydro driven power generation with wind power. The countryside is not just dotted with wind turbines but covered as far as the eye can see. It takes your eye away from everything else around it as it becomes...

Jun 5, 2018 - Moonbeam

A good morning for staying inside & watching the tennis. It was cold & wet so I was glad I’d planned to stay here for 2 nights. The weather improved this afternoon with some sunny periods so I went for a walk around the campground which is one of the nicest ones I’ve stayed in. It’s called Twin Lakes but there’s actually 4 crystal clear lakes connected together. The smallest one looks like it’s quite shallow & with a couple of waterslides I think it would be the perfect place for kids. The large lake has lots of private boat ramps so it...