Ontario 2014 -- The Way Out

We've been planning this trip to visit Greta, Gus, Max and Darwyn for 6-8 months. As departure drew near, our darling 8 month old cat, Lylah, got very sick. We still don't know what exactly is wrong with her. But, a recent remission in symptoms and an offer of help from +James Diakuw meant we were able to leave nearly on schedule.

Of course, there was an immediate detour due to some of the recent flooding in Saskatchewan. The upside is that we were treated to many new lakes spilling their banks and covered with a fine mesh of pelicans. Much less used to human interaction, none of them wanted to pose for a photograph. I won't take it personally. They didn't seem to want to be very close to one another, either. The detour lead us to Wadena, which meant a mandatory stop at the bakery there https://goo.gl/maps/oZIQx. That made me think of Great Granny. We stopped at the same bakery last year as we all drove to lay her remains to rest. She WAS great.

We pressed on and finished the first road day with an arrival at Birds Hill Prov. Park, just outside Winnipeg https://goo.gl/maps/QbmMF. 

Smoke from a campfire provides a modicum of protection from local wildlife

The mosquitos were fierce, thanks to the ample marsh-land nearby, but the whole experience was lovely. The swimming hole was an unexpectedly fabulous end to the day.

Anwyn Narrowly Misses the Aerobe

The Sun is moving quickly, but the jet trails were unexpected ;)

Day 2 saw us zipping along the Trans-Canada Highway towards Thunder Bay. We have done the Saskatoon to Thunder Bay leg as a single 19-21hr drive, but were opting for a more sustainable pace. Sadly, it meant we wouldn't be able to stop for a visit with Wendy's relatives there. The slower pace still left me with cramped legs and a sore neck. We made sure to stop many times to stretch and splash in the Ontario lakes.

Anwyn is usually obsessed with playing basketball, but has a friend who is really into soccer. Consequently, she has been following the FIFA World Cup. Below you can see her nails painted with country flags. Her fingers are the top 10 teams. Toes are just accents.

FIFA Fingers

We got most of the way to Thunder-Bay. I love water falls, so we stopped at Kakabeka https://goo.gl/maps/aEcLI. The waterfall is pretty spectacular. I love the brown and golds in the water from the heavy load of silt.

They also have a provincial campground there. The site wasn't as nice as Birds Hill, but the mosquitoes were virtually non-existent.

Day 3 saw us skimming along the north shore of Lake Superior. After two nights of rain, we decided to stay at the Super 8 in Sault St. Marie. Not luxurious, but they had the cooking network, so we went to bed content with the familiar sounds of chef combat.

Southern Ontario seems to be one long highway full of cars going way faster than cars have any need to go. I found myself wondering where we were all going and why we couldn't just stay put.  We spent the day with me driving and my family drifting of to sleep to the deceptively soothing sounds of the Zombie Apocalypse.