After leaving Waterton Park, we high-tailed it through Saskatchewan and Manitoba, stopping only in Winnipeg to see Lena, our lovely friend from Guelph days. We stayed at the strangest provincial park to date: Bird's Hill. Here we sweated it out in a humid farmer's field, and were hit with a wandering front of suntan-lotion laden air before seeing the field of humanity lounging around a man-made lake. I can't remember the name of the 50's style resort from Dirty Dancing, but this place looked exactly like that. Anyway, after recent detailed party-party notes in this blog, I will tone this account of our visit down to- gleeful hopping around in circles, massive bonfire and loud laughter, our first wild rashes of mosquito bites in 2 years, stories of hazmat fashion in Northern Labrador, a cell-phone saga somehow involving each of us, Lena, and a cabbie in Montreal, meeting new friends, and quite the clean-up job in the morning. Oh, and a very near thing for that wiener dog. I love visiting Lena!!!
After that, we headed for Quetico, my favourite Ontario Provincial Park, just East of Kenora, and there we stayed for 3 or 4 days, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and taking some downtime from all the driving. This park is known for its canoe-routes among hundreds of lakes, its generous collection of wildlife, and a night-sky that profiles the constellations like few other places. Our spot was a beauty, right off the water, and Dallas was so happy, dancing in circles, I know she thought this must be our final destination. She continued dancing in circles every time we put her in a canoe, but that's another story. When the time came to hitch up and put her back in the truck, there were some deeply resentful and hurt looks, I can tell you!
From here, the many steep hills of Ontario asserted themselves, and Mabel and I were hard put to keep that trailer making forward progress. Every minute was strategizing about how fast to take the next corner, to have enough speed and momentum for what would be either another steep incline or decline. Thankfully, there wasn't much wind, or else trailer-sway would have slowed things even more. When I guessed wrong, or when we got stuck behind some grandpa with his Boler doing 80kms for an hour, our progress slowed maddenly. Mabel needs to have a good start on those hills, to the tune of 100 or 110 kms, to have a chance of not losing speed and having us limp up in second gear.
It took us two days to make Pancake Bay, over the worst of the hills around Lake Superior, and there we took an early rest, since Dallas and Kate insisted we should have pancakes for dinner at Pancake Bay, and a bonfire, with marshmallows, and a swim. Oh how whimsical, you guys!
So we did all of the above, and Dallas got to crash around in surprisingly warm water, with huge rollers, and generally she romped and frolicked until she was tripping and crashing face-first into the sand a little too often and had to be retired. People had told me for years how awesome this place is, and they were right. The beach stretches for a mile, with lovely deep sand, and beautiful soft grasses between the beach and campsites. My only issue with this park is that the roads and sites are very very tight for a large RV like ours. It was white-knuckle driving to get out of there without decorating the Airstream with branches and bruises. For everyone less than 31', it is charm incarnate.
To make up for that short day's driving, I insisted we would put in a long day the next. I wanted to make at least Parry Sound, but after the Soo, the roads level out and progress was easy. The miles rolled by, and we sang songs, played games, and were surprised to see a TORONTO 585kms sign somewhere around Parry Sound. Since it was still early-afternoon, I suggested that we could make that if we wanted to. We re-caffeinated, bought sunflower seeds and other forms of crap to eat, and pushed on.
I put in a call to my family in London around 9:30pm, asking if they'd be up for an 11pm rendezvous in a Walmart Parking lot nearby, and since they were, we pushed on to London, making it there just before 11pm. Dallas was sadly miserable with this undertaking, having evidently decided she was entitled to an evening swim in whatever province or park we ended up in, but she has survived.
Incredibly, we haven't had internet access since Alberta or Saskatchewan, so apologies for the scant updates. We're now parked in Fanshawe Park in London, but we're about to take the Airstream in to a dealer for some minor repairs, and we'll stay with family for the next week or two, working again on our web and video projects. The bad news is that updates here will be less full of exciting travel news, but the good news is that videos will soon be available.
This homecoming has felt wonderful. I have missed home, (and its suddenly diminutive trees...), missed the embrace of family, and the comfortable familiarity of place and conventions. Food here is roughly half the price of Vancouver groceries, as I so resentfully recalled, so I wasn't just imagining that. Last night, mom and dad were over for dinner and a bonfire, the combination of which we probably haven't had for 20 years(!), and I watched their easy jokes and laughter, and appreciation for each other bubble up over and over again. I feel like I'm seeing them fresh, and appreciating anew what a unique and happy upbringing I've had. The laughter and singing have always been there, as well as the elbow jabbed in my side with the follow-on "poison injection" getting inserted, but what was previously annoying is now cherished, and what was so common as to be overlooked is now seen for the rare and beautiful thing that it is.
Our next days will be spent at my Brother Bob's, and his partner Jen's place, where Dallas and two cats will negotiate the pecking order. Popcorn, for those who remember her, is now 14 and 1/2 years old, and not just cross-eyed, but her eyes are definitely failing. Jen's cat Sam is reportedly very dominant, so I'll let you know whether Dallas can hold her own. She sleeps 90% of the time now, so I fear what those cats might get up to as she peacefully and unassumingly snoozes and snortles her days away.
