We were both quite tired this morning so it was a slow start to the day. After showers and breakfast we headed into town. The winds were quite high and waves were crashing on the shores as we drove along. The sun was bright and it was a typical seaside day that we often enjoy on the West Coast. Large wind turbines dot the landscape as if they are growing out of the rich farmlands surrounding the towns.
The town of Port Elgin is beautiful. Quaint traditional brick houses with neat manicured landscaping. A lot of care has been taken to preserve the historic homes. The main beach and marina are in the center of town. Even with the wind and waves there were many people swimming and enjoying the beach. There were kite boarders and wind surfers taking advantage of the wind. We sat and ate our lunch at a tiny beach house café and then walked the boardwalk along the coast. We wandered down mainstreet which is actually the coastal highway #21 and visited the information center and Debbie browsed the interesting shops. She dropped into a hairdresser to get her bangs trimmed. I stopped in at the local library to post some blogs.
We enjoyed a wonderful day exploring the town, and then drove back to the campsite for supper. We were told that the locals take the sunset seriously and come out to watch the sun set on the beach each evening. We decided to join them and drove back into town, brought our folding chairs and joined the folks sitting on the sand and watched the sun go down. It was a steady stream of pedestrians walking back to their homes after the sun went down. We knew we had to check this area out more tomorrow.
We awoke this morning with the sounds of Canada Geese honking as they paddled along the shoreline behind our campsite. Pretty Canadian eh? We had not set up camp too much last night so after cleaning up and stowing our things, we were ready to move. We had a reservation for the Chi Chewan ferry for the 9:30 sailing but were required to be there one hour prior. While we waited in the parking lot, two couples came and wanted to see the trailer and asked many questions about it. We handed out another Armadillo business card.
Being from Vancouver Island ferry riding is part of our culture so as we went through the gates it was like déjà vu. The ferry was similar to some of the older style BC ferries. The upholstery and chairs were modern, clean and bright. The fares are slightly less than the fares in BC. The breakfast meals were good portions and priced right. The trip to Tobermory, on the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula, is about one hour and forty-five minutes. Crossing Lake Huron is like crossing the Strait of Georgia. As we relaxed on the ferry and read the many brochures about things to do and see in Tobermory, we made the decision to spend some time in the town. We found a RV parking lot a few blocks from the downtown core and walked in.
Bruce Peninsula is a National Park and includes the Fathom Five National Marine Park. This Marine Park includes the famous Flowerpot Island. Initially I had planned for us to kayak to the Island but when we arrived in Tobermory it was evident that it would be safer and more time efficient to take a tour boat to the island.
Two tour companies operate out of Tobermory. They feature large glass bottom boats that tour to two sunken shipwrecks that are lying on the floor of the lake in shallow water. These ships were old wooden schooners used for hauling freight on the Great Lakes in the late 1800s. They both shipwrecked at the end of the narrow Big Tub Harbour. Tobermory and the Fathom Five National Marine Park boast 22 shipwrecks in its boundaries and is a favorite scuba diving area. Because of the clear water these wrecks are easily viewed from the glass bottom boats. The tour then takes you to Flowerpot Island, circumnavigates the island, and then the passengers can disembark to explore the many hiking trails, caves and to see the unique rock formations.
We bought our tickets for the tour as we were walking into town and were fortunate to buy the last two available tickets for the 1:15 boat. This gave us time to buy a light lunch, pack our bathing suits and walking shoes and be on time for the tour. (The information center on the ferry had told us that swimming at Flowerpot Island is a “must”.) Our boat held 120 people and was one of the larger boats in the fleet. There are about four boats in each company so when we arrived at our docks on the island we were amazed at how many people were walking on the island, swimming on the various shorelines. We learned later that Parks Canada has strict controls as to how many people can access the island each day.
Our plan was to visit the Flowerpot rock formations and then swim for a few hours in the beautiful water. The Flowerpot rock formations are developed over the centuries of erosion and because of the different densities; the rocks are worn to look like Flowerpots on pedestals above the water line. We quickly changed into our bathing suits and clambered over the rocks to the water below. Many others were swimming near by. Debbie was the first one in and after getting used to the cool water it was wonderful. The water was not that cold and because it was so clear it was a joy to swim in. We stayed in the water for about two hours and then it was time to make our way back for the return trip to Tobermory.
When we were standing in line in Tobermory to embark, we met Al and Linda from Calgary. We talked briefly and when we got onto the island they went for a long hike while we swam. They were sitting at the docking area when we came back from swimming and we sat and talked some more. Al is a retired accountant and Linda was an MLA in Calgary until the last election. She lost the election by six votes. Linda has been in politics most of her adult life. Linda preferred to sit below decks, because of a neck injury, but Al, Debbie and I sat on the upper decks. Al suggested that the four of us have supper together in Tobermory as they were staying at a hotel there.
The Tobermory Brewing Company was the choice we made and it is obviously a popular pub/restaurant. We asked for a table for four and were told that if Dave doesn’t show up with his party right away we could have his reserved table. We crossed our fingers after the hostess called Dave’s name again and waited for five minutes. Sorry Dave – no show. So we got a great table and we ordered beer and our food. Debbie and I shared a rack of ribs and fries and we sat for the next two hours talking and sharing stories of each other’s lives.
It was a great evening but it was also time for us to head south. We had reserved a campsite at the Macgregor Point Provincial Park, which was still almost a two-hour drive south. We debated to stay in Tobermory overnight but instead started driving. We chose the coastal roads so that we could enjoy the scenery, however, sunset was at 8:45. We knew we were passing through interesting towns and coastal communities that we would have to explore in daylight. We arrived at our campsite at 9:55, the gatehouse closes at 10:00, the park attendant waved us through and told us to register in the morning. We quietly slipped into our campsite, crawled into bed for the night
We had an early start today as we were going to Sudbury, then doubling back, hitching up our trailer, and going to the Manitoulin Islands.
The drive into Sudbury was about an hour’s drive and was uneventful. As we approached Sudbury you could see the tall stacks of the smelters and nickel mines. We were not going to see much of Sudbury as we had to get to Manitoulin Island, however, we felt that we may see more of it on our return trip.
After picking up her new card at the bank, Debbie took time to go to a walk in clinic to see if there may some diagnosis for her cyclic bouts of stomach cramps. The doctor felt that she may be suffering from dehydration and a lack of electrolytes.
We headed back towards our trailer, but stopped in at the Massey Museum before going to the campground. This small museum is on the main highway through town and is maintained by a lady who has been the curator for 31 years! She pointed out that the game of broomball was actually invented in Massey, Ontario. The museum contained interesting exhibits of the logging days and what the town looked like during that time.
We hitched up the trailer and headed south on Hwy #6. Debbie had learned that there was a quilt shop in the town of Espanola, which she wanted to visit. She enjoyed a short visit at Cindy Bee’s Quilt Shop and learned that there was another shop in Little Current on the island!
Manitoulin Island reminded us of a miniature Vancouver Island. A one-lane swing bridge lets you onto the island and brings you first to a town of Little Current. This quaint “sea side” town was a delight to visit. Debbie immediately found the quilt store and I decided to walk the boardwalk along the shore. I ran into a couple from Georgia, USA., Rick and Cindy. Rick had recently retired and they decided to sail their 37 ft. Beneteau sailboat from Georgia into the Great Lakes. We talked about their trip through the 34 different locks and canals to get here! We also had so many similarities, in terms of living space, relationships and visiting the many different places.
A Victory Line cruise ship was moored at the main dock. This is one of several cruise lines that ply the Great Lakes. We later remarked that this could be another interesting vacation. Little Current is a vacation, boating town and has eclectic shopping and restaurants.
Debbie was finally able to drag herself out of the Needle Box sewing shop. This shop is sandwiched between two other stores. It is only 15 feet wide but stocked very well. The proprietor, Linda, has owned the shop for 32 years. She showed Debbie several beautiful quilts that she had entered into various quilt shows.
We headed south across the island. Our destination was South Baymouth, the terminus for the Chi Chewan ferry that would cross Lake Huron to the Bruce Peninsula. We had reserved a commercial campsite, because we had to board the ferry by 8:00 am the next morning. (We had reserved ahead.)
When we arrived at the campground, South Bay Resort, we were directed to our campsite. It literally was less than 10 feet from the water’s edge. (Throughout this trip we have had people commenting about how high the water level of the Great Lakes is this year.)
As I was setting up our barbeque, Joe and Heather rode up on their bicycles. They are from Mississauga, and saw us pull in. They are renting a cabin at the resort and are wanting to buy a trailer. They were totally infatuated with the Armadillo. After showing them the virtues of the trailer, we learned that they are volunteers to help wayward youths in Mississauga. We had a wonderful visit and gave them our blog card as well as a business card for the Armadillo trailers. They wished us well, and let us get on with barbequing. After supper, we enjoyed sitting at the water’s edge beside a campfire and watching the sunset and then the stars.
We broke camp early and readied the trailer for another drive down the road. Our destination was Chutes Provincial Park, just west of Sudbury. As we drove east towards Sault St. Marie, we were greeted by a thunderstorm that dropped buckets of rain on us for about 50 kms. As we arrived in Sault Ste. Marie the sun reappeared and we enjoyed a bright sunny day for the rest of our drive. We did not stay long in Sault Ste. Marie, although it appeared to be a thriving and bustling city. We filled one of our propane tanks at the Canadian Tire and moved on. The drive was pleasant as we cruised through prosperous farmlands and Amish country. Various caution signs dotted the highway showing a horse drawn buggy. We kept our eyes open for them. We arrived at the Chutes Provincial Park by 2:30, and set up.
Chutes Provincial Park is located near a small town of Massey. It is located on the banks of the Aux Sables River. This park is named for the chutes that had been built in the early 1900 on the river to “herd” large log booms around the falls, along the river into Lake Huron. This area was once a booming logging town.
Debbie and I visited the famous falls and the sandy swimming hole at the bottom end of the falls. We remarked that moving logs around these falls and down river would have been a dangerous job. The river is raging and the altitude change from the top of the falls to the bottom was at least 80 feet. To herd logs through a chute would be no small feat.
We enjoyed a leisurely supper, watched a movie and went to bed. Tomorrow we head to Sudbury to pick up a new credit card for Debbie.
Unfortunately, a large group of two families pulled into a campsite across the lane from us and were very noisy all night. They did not quiet down until 4:00am. Of course, I slept through the noise but Debbie did not get a good sleep.
Another camper next to the noisy site dropped in and told us that he too had been disturbed all night by this group and had lodged a complaint.
After breakfast we packed up our bathing suits, lunches and made our way to the beach. We stopped in at the gatehouse to file a complaint, and as Debbie was in the gatehouse she recognized the voices of the noisy campers. The parks attendant was already moving them to a group camping site away from the other campers. Debbie filed her complaint and thanked the parks attendant for moving them.
We hit the beach again and enjoyed another day in the water and swimming and kayaking.
After dinner we waited for the sunset and then watched the stars appear. We could hear fireworks exploding several miles at a resort north of us. We sat around the campfire talking and relaxing then off to bed.
Aug 4, 2019
This life is just too good! After breakfast, I worked on the blog and Debbie did some camp chores. Then it was time to go to the beach again!
The local fire department was hosting a fish fry at the beach as a fund-raiser. We bought two lunches and sat on the beach eating, swimming and tanning. In the late afternoon we returned to the campsite, phoned our friend Wayne and wished him Happy Birthday and caught up on the local Nanaimo news. We then sat by the fire, read, blogged and finally went to bed. Tomorrow we will be back on the road.
Debbie did not have a good sleep, but she was feeling better. Time for bacon and eggs and then hit the beach! It was going to be a lazy day today, and we had some reserving of campsites to do. We were able to find campsites all the way to Niagra Falls. We needed a few supplies so we drove to a tourist lodge about 12 kms north and fueled, bought some beer,(and wine!) and groceries and returned to our site.
Pancake Bay Provincial Park is stretched out along the shores of Lake superior and its sandy beaches line the edge of the park for 5 kms. The campground itself is between the shore and Hwy #17. Our campsite is near the end of the campground and is a quiet site. It is about a 2 kms walk to the beach. If you want to camp near the beach, then the campsites back up against the allowance to the highway and you would hear traffic noise all night. We were happy with our choice.
We drove our truck and kayaks to the beach parking lot, staked out our beach spot and prepared ourselves for the rest of the day. The water is crystal clear and was “refreshing” at first but it became warmer as the day went on. We spent long lengths of time swimming and enjoying the water, sun and a great lunch. I took the kayak out and paddled for about three hours and enjoyed the sun. I commented to Debbie that this campground and beach rivals any campground or beach in British Columbia that we have visited or camped at.
We enjoyed a light dinner, and Debbie prepared salads for the next day. We had decided to stay at Pancake Bay for the long weekend and avoid the heavy traffic. We enjoyed the campfire and turned in at about 10:30pm. Another great day!
Pancake Bay here we come! We left Sleeping Giant Provincial Park at 9:00 after a great breakfast of eggs and bacon. We noticed that Brian and Laurel had already left. Debbie was still not feeling well and was experiencing stomach cramps. This was also going to be a long leg so we had to pace ourselves. We passed through many small towns in the Algoma region. This area is famous because the Group of Seven did some of the earliest paintings in this area. In fact we stopped in Terrace Bay, a small town on the edge of Lake Superior and I took a walk along the small marina and boardwalk. There in the corner of the marina was an easel and folding chair, permanently fixed in the small park with a photo of a picture made by Tom Thompson, one of the original Group of Seven painters. I photographed the area of the scene that Thompson had painted; of course it had changed significantly since he made the painting.
We continued on and decided to take a late lunch break at the Neys Provincial Park. This park is at the mouth of the Neys River. This is also an iconic area, where the Group of Seven spent a lot of time painting. We had reservations at the Pancake Provincial Park, and so we pushed on but in retrospect we should have stayed at the Neys Provincial Park.
We were both getting tired and cranky, Debbie wasn’t feeling well. As the miles increased, our patience began to fade. Debbie felt that we should take a break and stop at Wawa, a town about 150 kms from our destination. Highway signs along the road advertised a Tim Horton’s in Wawa and I assumed it was alongside the highway. The GPS (Miss Taken) was suggesting that I make a left turn into Wawa for a short distance. As I cruised by the entrance to Wawa, I remarked, “Look at the huge statue of a Canada Goose!” Debbie on the other hand, was saying, “We have to turn left, Oh, you missed the turn!” Needless to say, instead of turning left, I continued on, thinking that Tim Horton’s was on the side of the highway, or there would be another entrance into Wawa. No such luck. Finally it was too late, and an awkward silence fell upon the inside of the truck….
The next 150 kms are spectacular, with the road winding through rock bluffs and long descents and climbs along the shores of Lake Superior. The views are breath taking and Lake Superior stretches out before you. The twisting road, gave us (me) a feel of driving through the Rockies.
We finally made it to Pancake Bay Provincial Park, and registered. Debbie’s mood had softened somewhat, however when she entered the trailer she found that a bottle of soya sauce had fallen over in the cupboard and had leaked all over the cabinets inside and out! Needless to say, she was not a “happy camper”! I should have stopped in Wawa and bought a bottle of wine, but alas that was also missing.
As we were approaching our campsite, we found Brian and Laurel, walking on the lane. Laurel had just finished swimming in the lake and they were returning to their campsite that they had managed to get. I invited (pleaded?) them to come see us after supper.
Debbie then started to make dinner for us. I opened what turned out to be the last can of beer, and remarked as I was drinking it, “Oh did you want some of this?” The trailer door slammed shut. (I think I need a refresher in sensitivity training.)
Brian and Laurel came over to our campsite, after we had finished supper and Debbie had cleaned up the soya sauce.
It was a great relief when they showed up, and with Laurel’s sense of humor and wit along with Brian’s understanding and sensitivity, it wasn’t long before we were all laughing and having fun, even without wine! Laurel did mention that Brian had pulled into Wawa, and they talked about that Canada Goose! They even mentioned that they had bought a bottle of Proseco in Wawa, and had drunk it for supper. Awkward!
We talked till it was time for us to go to bed. Brian and Laurel were heading out bright and early, as they wanted to get home to Stratford tomorrow. (A drive of approximately 780 kms and seven and a half hour of driving!) They had to work after the weekend, so it was important for them to get going in the morning. They invited us to their house to visit them, as we were planning to visit Stratford. We agreed to see them, said goodnight and we all went to bed.
We decided to take a slow start today and see how Debbie was feeling after breakfast. It was also a good time to do our laundry, as we were just a few yards away from the laundry facilities.
After we cleaned up it was time to head off to Thunder Bay. Debbie was feeling a little better than yesterday and she was looking forward to do some exploring. Before we entered Thunder Bay we stopped in at the Terry Fox Memorial, an impressive monument, commemorating his achievement. Terry’s cross-country marathon stopped at this point and the Province of Ontario erected this monument, overlooking Lake Superior.
Cruising down into Thunder Bay, the first thing that you see as you descend into the city is the large port facilities. Thunder Bay is the furthest western deep-sea port in Canada. Shipping freighters dock at this port, and one was anchored a few kilometers outside of the docks.
We decided to park near the Marina and walk along the waterfront and lower area of the city. We enjoyed a great lunch/supper at the “Bight” restaurant on the waterfront.
We met Irene and Laurence from Quebec. Irene just retired from teaching and they were travelling to Wynard Saskatchewan to celebrate the 100-year reunion of Laurence’s family farm.
After wandering along the waterfront, we both remarked how similar some of the features and sights of this walk is to that of Nanaimo. It was beginning to get late and we made the decision to go to the public library and use their WIFI to post some more blog posts.
We returned to the campground and dismantled some of our camp for an early start tomorrow. Today was our lucky day as we were able to see a fox and a deer on our trip back. The fox seemed to be confused as it followed alongside of our truck and I had to scare it back into the bush to prevent it being struck by an oncoming car. I noticed a familiar Boler trailer and Tiguan that was parked in the next campsite. These were the folks that were next door to us in Winnipeg!
We had a great conversation, and we welcomed them into our trailer. We talked about our trailers and each of our trips. Brian and Laurel are from Stratford, Ontario and were heading home after attending a family wedding in Northern Saskatchewan. Brian is a house builder and Laurel is an urban planner. Their next destination was Pancake Bay Provincial Park, as was ours. They did not make a reservation and were hoping that they could secure a campsite. We offered to let them double up with us if they needed to. We said good night and planned to see them in Pancake Bay. It was to be another early start so we headed to bed.
It is time for an early start. We really liked this campground however, the weather did not co-operate as much as we would have liked it to. Our goal was to reach Sleeping Giant Provincial Campground that is about a 40 minute drive past Thunder Bay. This would make a total of over five and a half driving hours. Debbie was not feeling well again so this portion of the drive would be good for her to rest. It was longer leg than we wanted to drive but we set out early and we were on the road by 9:00.
The drive to Thunder Bay was basically a steady cruise through forested and rocky terrain. We stopped briefly in Dryden to visit the quilt shop that Carla had recommended. I bought some groceries while she visited the quilt shop. We are definitely in the Canadian Shield with all the layers of rock bluffs and lakes along the side of the road. We were delayed several times with road construction, that was going to continue for several days of our journey. We made frequent rest stops and had lunch on the side of the road at a rest stop.
We arrived at Thunder Bay in the late afternoon and pulled into a Tim Horton’s for a coffee. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is 60 kms north east of Thunder Bay. It is on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Superior. The uniqueness of this park is that the peninsula rises above Lake Superior. The cliffs are carved by the ice age and tower over 300 feet above the water. It is called Sleeping Giant because, on the North East end of the peninsula, the cliffs are etched against the horizon and they look like a man laying on his back. These cliffs can be seen from a great distance across the water of the lake. As you drive down the highway, Lake Superior stretches out to the horizon.
This campground is a “first come, first served” campground and we were fortunate to secure the last campsite. Debbie was starting to feel better, and after a supper, we sat around the campfire, reading and blogging. We plan to stay here for a couple of days and explore the region. Hopefully Debbie will be feeling better tomorrow.
We woke up to the sound of the rain still coming down. After breakfast, we went for a walk in the rain, and enjoyed the wind coming off the lake and watched the waves crashing on the shore.
Although we could not kayak or swim we decided to make the most of the day. I wanted to secure some campsites ahead of us as we where feeling anxious at times when we could not secure a campsite because of the reservation systems in the provincial parks. I sent the next three hours researching campgrounds, reserving campsites and planning our various legs along the way. We had wanted to we spontaneous in our journey, but we found that this was not always possible because of the fact that many campground were pre-booked and the “first come, first served” campgrounds were few and far between. Our next destination was going to be Sleeping Giant campground east of Thunder Bay.
I was also successful in setting up our inverter in the trailer so that I could keep the computer charged while at non-serviced campsites. We even tried to see if the inverter was powerful enough to run Debbie’s small iron. She had wanted to do some hand sewing on one of her projects and with the rain it would be a perfect day for do it. Unfortunately the iron was too powerful for the inverter and it began to smoke! Not to be held back, we were able to keep her iron hot by putting it on the hot griddle on the stove. That worked well.
We met Chris and Carla, a couple from Winnipeg. They are repeat quests at the Park, and are enjoying a family camping get-together. We learned that Chris is an “IT guy” that works at the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg. Having visited the CHRM, and seeing and using the multi media displays, I felt he was “the man” who could help me with sending out my blogs in areas where we have poor to none WIFI capabilities. Chris patiently explained to me how to us my “hotspot” on my cellphone. It is amazing where you sometimes find these “angels” Carla told Debbie about a quilt shop in Dryden that she should visit. She explained that her mother shops there often and recommended it to Debbie. We spent most of the day indoors, working on the blog, reserving campsites, Debbie sewing and basically catching up on things that we had been ”saving for a rainy day.”
The evening sunset was beautiful over the lake after the rain had stopped and it promised to be a nicer day tomorrow.
Quilting in a Kayak 