The Canadian Shield

It’s been two days since we left Dauphin and my last post. As we entered Ontario, our daughter-in-law Carissa jokingly suggesting to us we’d be in Ontario and Quebec for the next month given the size of the two provinces. One could spend a lot of time in each but we are motivated to see our grandson who is growing up really fast!

Our first stop was in Kenora Ontario, located on the shores of The Lake of the Woods. Kenora is a cute little town and in hindsight we should have booked to stay a couple of nights so we could tour the town and the surrounding area. I remember my oldest sister Linda saying she loved Kenora. It’s easy to see why she liked it. When Linda was in her 30’s, Linda and her cousin Shirley travelled to Ontario and spent about a year travelling and working in various cities.

Connie and I awoke at 3am July 3 to the sounds of thunder. When we looked out the window, the sky was active with lighting. Shortly after, the rain came and it poured hard. We hardly slept a wink. At 7am it stopped so we packed up and hit the road to our next destination, Thunder Bay.

Shortly after leaving Kenora, we were surprised to see a grey wolf (also known as the timber wolf) on the side of the road. He just stood there and watched us. At first, I thought he was a coyote but the closer we got, we realized he was too big for a coyote. The photo isn’t super clear because I pulled it from my GoPro and I wasn’t quick enough to start recording and barely had time to capture him.

Crossing Northern Ontario and the Canadian Shield isn’t my favourite road trip but it’s something everyone should see at least once. One thing you notice is frequent signage reminding you to check your gas level, as services are limited between the major locations.

We arrived at the KOA Campground in Thunder Bay about 3pm, unhooked and set up the trailer for the night. We then drove a short way back to the city to buy some groceries and fill up with gas. Thunder Bay traffic was definitely busier than when we passed through six years ago. A sign of the times I guess. You can purchase cold beer in the grocery store here but I didn’t see any wine. Funny that BC is the opposite. One thing I learned after 33 years working in public service, every government and entity wants to be unique, or as I used to call it “special”.

The weather was sunny and warm but the westward skies looked threatening. Connie did a couple of loads of laundry and after dinner, I packed up what I could, rolled in the awning and waited for the rain. There were a group of tenters just up from us and I wished I’d had a tarpaulin with me, so I could lend it to them. They were going to need it.

At 830pm it began to rain and once again it rained hard. It poured all night and even in the morning while we readied the trailer and hooked up to get out on the road. We were a little wet and cold at first but soon dried out. I turned the seat and steering wheel heaters and was happy as a clam in no time.

It rained the entire trip to Marathon and temperatures dropped to 12 degrees celsius. At one point there was such dense fog, I said to Connie, “it’s July right?” Connie said I was grumpy all day. Perhaps she’s correct as I’m not fond of rain especially in the summer.

Since our last trip the highway has been four laned in several sections. I assume this is due to the federal government’s post Covid infrastructure spending. Several projects were still underway. I was particularly impressed with the bridge over the Nipigon River (see below).

Apparently Nipigon is home to the smallest Canadian Tire Store in Canada. We didn’t stop to check it out as it was in the downtown section off the main highway and I didn’t feel like maneuvering the truck and trailer through it. Grumpy? Perhaps.

We arrived in Marathon Ontario and our campsite on Penn Lake about 1pm. It was still raining but lightly. Finally the rain stopped about 3pm. With all the wet, the mosquitoes were in full force but after dinner we still went for a short walk around the park. The area is lush and green, and if the weather was warmer the lake would be great for paddle-boarding.

We are back in the trailer now. I have the door open and the fireplace on. It’s quite lovely. Tomorrow morning, we head to Sault Ste Marie.

Until next time, thanks for reading.