Both of us didn't feel like moving this morning so we got a late start. Eventually, we got underway but first I had to buy some ice for the few things that needed to be kept cold. We went up and down the hills of northern Ontario looking at the scenery. Its a very overcast day with rain in the works. So not a nice picture taking day.
We made a few stops along the way, one being in White River for diesel. Did you know this is "Where It All Began". What am I talking about, well it's Winnie-The-Pooh of course. As the story goes...Lieutenant Harry Colebourn of the 34th Fort Garry Horse & Canadian Army Veterinary Corps, was responsible for the care of the army horses while on the steam train that arrived in White River, Ontario on August 24, 1914. Colebourn looked down and saw an orphaned black bear cub was for sale on the train platform. He asked how much, the trapper replied twenty dollars. Colebourn paid the man, picked up the cub and carried it around like a puppy forming a bond with her. Winnie accompanied Colebourn to England where she became the Brigades mascot. Winnie eventually found a home in the London Zoo where she was adored by so many. She was loved by A.A. Milne's son Christopher Robin Milne who enjoyed feeding spoonfuls of honey to Winnie...and the rest is history.
After a brief visit with Winnie-the-Pooh we continued on our way to Wawa, arriving around 2 pm. I've noticed that there is more traffic and people are in such a hurry. I guess we are getting closer to home.
It's just 7 in the morning and it's already hot outside. I'm not going to enjoy driving in this hot weather. Bring on the AC. We made a few brief stops then a longer stop at the Thunder Bay Walmart to get some groceries. Susan went for groceries, I walked and played with the dogs. After packing everything away we were underway again only to stop down the road for diesel.
We arrived in Nipigon and it was hot, hot, hot. I took the dogs out and they didn't even want to stay outside. So back into the nice cool trailer we go and that's where we stayed until later in the evening when it cooled off. We all went for a short walk then called it a night.
I read for maybe 20 minutes then my eyes got real heavy so I knew it was time to go to bed. Tomorrow is another travelling day.
Today is the day we will be back in our home province of Ontario. Almost three months we have been gone from home and its time to get back. If the wildfires had not been that bad we would have stayed in BC longer. Some of the areas we drove through are now being evacuated. Scary!!!
We left Portage early in the morning, got through Winnipeg and then crossed over into Ontario a couple of hours later. The trip was pretty much uneventful, it's mainly just going from one place to the next. We did stop in Vermilion Bay for diesel and they had the largest Inukshuk I have seen.
The Inukshuk is a figure made of piled stones or boulders constructed to communicate with humans throughout the Arctic. A red inukshuk adorns the flag of Nunavut. For centuries, the Inuit people of Canada’s Arctic stacked rock in human form to create the Inukshuk, a steadfast guidepost that provided direction across the vast horizons of the North. Over time, the Inukshuk became a symbol of hope and friendship, an eternal expression of the hospitality.
We arrived in Wabigoon, ON which is another campground we stayed in on the way out west. I did the outside stuff while Susan did the inside stuff. All done, dogs walked now time to relax. For some reason the road noise is so loud today, I don't remember it being like that the last time we stayed here. Oh well shut the windows and turn on the air. Tomorrow is another travelling day.
I woke to a heavy fog and no visible sun. By the time Susan got up and all the dogs were fed, the fog had already started to lift. Yea I really didn't feel like driving in fog. We got going shortly after 7 am under a beautiful sunny sky with not a cloud to be seen. As we continued down the road there was an ominous looking cloud way off in the distance. My spidy sense tells me it's fog. Living in Saskatchewan many moons ago I have seen this before. Sure enough it's fog. It's almost freaky.
Within no time we were right in the middle of this very heavy fog, no sun now. Actually, we couldn't see more than a few feet in front of us. Transport trucks were right beside us before we could see them. It lasted for over an hour then the skies opened up and it was beautiful blue sky again. Like I said before Freaky!
We drove through several little towns before I quickly pulled over at a local subway and told Susan I was starved. We were in the town of Langenburg, Sk. population 1,000. Now what does this town have that no other has. Just the worlds largest swing named fittingly "Goliath". They also have a volkswagen planters.
What a fun town. We continued on our way reaching our next destination of Portage La Prairie. We had to go into town for some groceries, ice, and diesel. Portage is not a big town but it has everything you need or want. Canadian Tire, Walmart, grocery stores, restaurants, and so on. You get the picture. We got what we needed then headed back to the campground. I took the dogs for a long walk around the park and a beautiful one it is. Seasonals really take pride in their properties at this campground.
The day did not start much better then the way it ended. It was overcast and rainy. I guess a cold wet front had come through the area and made life miserable for everyone. One day we have the fireplace on in the morning the next it's the AC.
Anyway, before leaving Lloydminister I researched why half the town was in Alberta and half in Saskatchewan. On September 1, 1905, the government of Canada officially created the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. They were carved out of the Northwest Territories. The two provinces share the 110th meridian west as their common border, with Alberta to the west of the line and Saskatchewan to the east. Lloydminster was founded on November 25, 1903, predating the two provinces by nearly two years. When the provinces were created Lloydminister straddled the line leading to a town in Alberta and a town in Saskatchewan. And that's how the two towns came to be.
The day got a little better but it was still overcast and dull. No rain until we got to Colonsay, SK. We stayed at Painted Rock Campground, the same place we stayed on the way across Canada. After checking in I found out the campground is up for sale. The owners husband is now in long term care so she can't take care of it on her own. Hopefully it stays as a campground because its a great place.
The day started off real lousy. It had poured rain all night and was still raining this morning. The only good thing was I didn't have to hook up the truck it was already done. We broke camp and left later than normal...9 bells. It's Susan's birthday today so she got to sleep in and I gave her coffee in bed. Then I told her to move her butt because it was another travelling day.
Once we were on the road we were driving through a major downpour. So much so, I had to slow right down and put my four way flashers on. Eventually the rained slowed. We arrived in Lloydminister, AB our next stop and the sun was shining. I quickly set up camp, detached the truck, and told Susan not to make supper because we are going out for her birthday. She is always happy when she doesn't have to cook. We went to a place called The Canadian Brewhouse. The food was fantastic.
Something real funny happened while we were sitting there eating our meal. Both of us were watching something different on the TVs they had. She was watching golf, I was watching football. We both realized that we had not watched TV in almost 3 months and we hadn't missed it until now. We managed to pull ourselves away and headed home. I took the dogs for a nice walk while Susan did some laundry. Eventually we called it a day.
These days it seems to be all about the driving from one campground to another. Not what I really wanted to do. When there is so much smoke in the air it just makes it less enjoyable to be outdoors and more sense to drive out of it.
I have never been in Jasper before, so this is going to be a first. The drive was great no real hills or valleys and the road was absent of potholes. Nice.
If I have learned anything from my travels in the Yukon and Alaska its when you see cars on the side of the road you slow down because you know there will be wildlife. Sure enough, there he was a big male elk on the side of the road just minding his own business. You can see the smoke in the background.
We watched as he trotted along side our truck and fifth wheel only to continue on down the road. People were following him.What a nice sighting.
Continuing on down the road through Jasper, we spot female Bighorn sheep and their young. Again, people were being stupid by going right up to them. I stayed in the truck and got great pictures.
We arrived in Edmonton set up camp, then I took the dogs for a long, long walk. Thankfully there was no wildfire smoke in the air. I can breath again, yea.
