We left Harriston under heavy rain on our way up to Tobermory to take the ferry across to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Islands, a two hour ferry ride. On our way north on Hwy 3 we drove through large farms and flat land. The landscape turned more hilly as we got closer to Georgian Bay. There was more bush and the farms were replaced by cattle ranches, cleared bushland being prepared for farming.
We got into Tobermory to cloudy skies and setup camp at the Tobermory Village Campground. It’s getting colder now and that takes some of the fun out of camping…
We got to the ferry a little late but in time to get on it. The crossing was in blustery conditions and driving rain. We passed by many islands on the first part of the crossing, but no houses on them, probably because these islands are very rocky and no beaches to be seen. The ferry ride was a bit rocky but I have experienced worse on the crossings to Vancouver Island.
We drove straight north on Hwy 6 in the rain to Sheguandah then west on 540 to Gore Bay where we drove out to the lighthouse to take some pictures. The weather got lighter as we drove west with blue skies to the west.
We then continued our drive around the island. Along the way we saw some big flocks of Sandhill Cranes and geese feasting on leftover grains in the fields. The landscape on the island is mostly flat and scrubby, grazing land good for cattle and sheep and a few farms.
We made our way to Batman’s Cottages and Campground on the east side of Bass Lake to setup for the night. Due to the blue skies on the western horizon we enjoyed an amazing sunset here. It was windy and stormy all night, so we hunkered down in the van and played cards, she won :/ The sound of the wind gusts in the trees was similar to the sound of waves crashing onto the rocks at the Oregon coast. Still managed a good nights sleep.
In the morning we drove to Sudbury in the driving rain and snow. After turning off the main highway, we turned onto the road that took us to the Science Center, a great place to escape from the miserable weather. I love science and here is a place that offers a big variety of sciences with an interactive element. This can be a playground for as long as you want.
The architecture of the building is grand and the integration of the rocks of the Laurentian shield is clever and informative. One exhibit is about the geological formation of the area. We ended the visit with an IMAX presentation by Jane Goodall about Hope, inspiring …
We visited my friend Jaylene in the afternoon and evening to share stories about life and our kids. We went for a neighbourhood walk in the misty fall weather. All the sidewalks are shaded by maple trees and they were in full colours, beautiful.
We left Sudbury the next morning in the rain and drove north on Hwy 144 to Geneva Lake where we were met met by Kate, Lindas’ school buddy. Kate and Oscar live on the lake, water access only in the summer and over the ice in winter. This brings along some challenges but I can see the rewards. They live on a bluff overlooking the lake and have all the amenities, great place to be retired with a lot of family nearby. Life is good!
We arrived in the rain, so much of the activity was indoors playing cards and reminiscing, we learned several new Rummy games, a long walk on the mainland & enjoyed a wood fired sauna at 100c and a dip in the lake at 14c :))
We left Geneva Lake under grey skies and drove south on 144 to 17 west to ‘The Sault’. We stopped at Onaping Falls to take some pictures. A.Y. Jackson, the famous Canadian painter, one of the Group of Seven was inspired by this location, beautiful fall colours and the whitewater rushing over the rocks and the falls.
The weather improved as we drove west on 17 and the fall colours still looked awesome in the sunshine. We drove past countless small lakes and small towns along the shores of Lake Huron North Channel. Through Sault Ste Marie and then north along the shores of Lake Superior to Wawa where we camped overnight.
The next morning we left for Thunder Bay. From Wawa to Nipigon there is a whole lot of nothing but bush and rocks, some of it a bit unusual, but it looks all the same after a while. West of Nipigon we came upon the major roadwork projects we saw two weeks ago.
A ways past Thunder Bay we turned onto Hwy 11 west to Fort Frances. There are mostly native communities, with long distances between them along the way on this stretch of the trip. Some of these towns are neat and tidy and some have a lot of ‘yard art’ ;) It was a long day driving, we got into Fort Frances as it was getting dark. We entered the address for the campground into the GPS and it took us to the industrial section of town next to a truckers terminal, not what we were looking for :/ we found an empty lot and parked for the night. In the morning we drove north on Hwy 71 to Kenora.
There are many rest areas and lookouts to take a break. One of the nicest was Sioux Narrows on the Lake of the Woods, absolutely a stunning setting in the middle of nowhere… From Kenora west to Winnipeg we saw the landscape from the other direction. The fall colours are fading fast now, but it’s still very pretty through here.
We arrived in Winnipeg at noon and went to the Museum of Human Rights. This is another amazing and beautiful structure inside and out. The exhibits although disturbing, are very profound and very well done. Walking through these exhibits, it occurred to me how the human race does not learn from history. We seem to allow the politicians and leaders to perpetuate human created tragedies and misery over and over again. Currently it’s in Russia/Ukraine and the middle east. Tomorrow it could be north America.
The exhibits describe how fascists and dictators manage the narrative and the media to take control of a country.
It makes me realize that the Swiss had it right in 1291 when they decided that they would no longer be ruled by anybody and took control with Direct Democracy. This has not changed to this day, even in Switzerland the politicians don’t like it but they can’t change it because the people would have to agree to the change. No Fascist can rise in that system of governing.
On Sunday we had a nice family gathering with Lindas’ oldest brother and his kids and grand kids. They are all living busy lives and the grand kids are all involved in sports and activities, such as hockey, gymnastics and dance. There were no cell phones in sight, nice to see.
We left Winnipeg in the afternoon and drove to Barndon to get a head start the next day. The 100km radius area around Winnipeg is super flat, farm land as far as the eye can see with the occasional cluster of grain silos and the odd clump of trees and bush.
We stayed in the Meadowlark Campground, went for a walk, had dinner and played cards until bedtime. It was a cold night and made us realize that fall is here and winter is coming, the camping days are coming to an end… and we’re looking forward to coming home!
The road west to to Regina is in good shape (and flat). Between Whitewood and Broadview it showed a ski hill on the map just to the north of us and I’m thinking it can only be for x-country skiing, but apparently not ;)
We arrived in Regina in time for lunch and walk in the waterfront park at Wascana Lake in the centre of the city. We took some pictures of the parliament building across the river and had lunch. Then we went for a visit at the Regina Floral Conservatory. This is an indoor tropical garden setting and the display of plants is changed 4 times, this theme was Halloween, well done. I was told that the favourite is Christmas with a focus on the poinsettias, I can imagine :) The place is run by volunteers, is beautifully maintained, and there was nothing ‘out of place’, with a nice water works and orchids, well done!
After this we moved on to Moose Jaw only an hour away. We arrived in the late afternoon just in time to take in the Chicago Connection walking tour of the underground tunnels used during prohibition 100 years ago and the Al Capone connection of that era. This was a fun interactive tour :)
We took in the mineral pools at the Temple Garden Spa. Nice very large indoor/outdoor pool and Jacuzzis with a nice steam room for a couple of hours. We set up camp at The Prairie Oasis campground, nice and clean and it was a milder afternoon and evening. Nice evening but grey skies morning.
