This morning I awoke early and went outside to make a cup of coffee and pack things up. Our neighbour from Victoria had already left, heading east towards Newfoundland. Our other neighbour and his wife were enjoying a cup of coffee and breakfast, while their chocolate labrador puppy waited obediently for his owners next command.
The dawn had brought a light dew and the air was fresh and clean. It took very little time for me to get things put away…at least as much as I could while I waited for Connie and Zach to finish up inside. I decided to dispose of the garbage and recycling. Upon my return I spotted a massive Elite trailer being pulled by a single axle Freightliner truck (of the tractor trailer Freightliner). It is quite interesting to see the variety of recreational vehicle combinations. Our current neighbour, Roger from Moncton, is pulling a small tent trailer behind his Honda Gold Wing motorcyle.
Our trip today was mostly uneventful. We made better time than expected, despite the fact we went through more road construction and single lane traffic than any time previously. Shortly after leaving Sault St Marie, we stopped at the Pancake Bay Provincial Park on the shores of Lake Superior. It was a beautiful spot, the sand was clean, and the water cold and smooth as glass.
The remainder of the day was dedicated to driving apart from 3 stops for gas and a short break for lunch at a picnic spot on the Depew River.
We experienced a few more hills today, so gas mileage took a hit. For the most part, the highway follows the shoreline of Lake Superior. In the afternoon, the skies became increasingly smokey and by the time we reached Thunder Bay, the smell of smoke was in the air. The fires are north west of here, so we should expect thick smoke tomorrow as we make our way to Manitoba.
When you book a campground on-line, you can never be certain in what type of campsite you will end up spending the night. Photos posted on-line are often quite different than what you find when you arrive. Tonight we are staying in Kakabeka at a Good Sam approved site. I would describe it as a mix of a scene from the Trailer Park Boys and a Kampground of America. We are situated on the border between the two.
After dinner, and despite the head shaking and ‘Oh Dad’ comments from Zach, I decided to go visit some of our neighbours. Roger is right beside us. He is 71 years young and is crossing off one of his bucket list items – to drive across Canada on his motorcycle. Joining him on the trip is his girlfriend and the two of them sleep in a tent trailer that is about 4×5 feet. This made me recall the guys teasing me when I brought my camper to work on the Alaska Highway – “are you planning to bring the girlfriend up Mal?” Roger tells me that it’s small but comfortable and all he needs (the girlfriend wasn’t there, so I’m not sure what she thought). “The Gold Wing pulls the trailer (about 1,000 pounds fully loaded) with little effort”, he says.
At 845pm a group of 12 campers has assembled around a campfire in a site infront of us. I dropped by to ask where they were all from. “Thunder Bay”, they respond. “We are here for 2 weeks”. What I say? You drove a whole 26 kilometers to camp here? They then asked me where I was from and I got the typical response…”you’ve come a long way.” They asked me to fetch Connie and Zach and pull up some chairs in front of the fire. I thanked them and said I’d share the invite.
It turns out they are local chapter members of the Good Sam Club. Every summer, they camp together somewhere every two weeks. One of the ladies tells me they are not straying too far these days as they are all getting a little older. I guessed they ranged in age from early sixties to late eighties. I mentioned that my Mom turns 94 this month, to which in unison they responded “good for her”! I said that I encouraged her to stop driving at 90. One fella, who I learned was 87, was quite perturbed with me. “Why? I want to know why you would do that?” He was driving a 38 foot motor home across from us. My comment seemed to fan the flames of an outstanding debate between the campers. As things began to escalate (particularly between the ladies and the men), I decided it was a good time for me to exit, so I bid them goodnight.
Tomorrow we head for Winnipeg. I’ve booked the Tundra in for an oil change on Wedensday as it’s now well overdue having travelled some 10,000 kilometers.
Mal and Connie's Cross Canada Adventure 2.0 