Well, we are nearly across this huge and wonderful country. Below is a little summary of our trip. I will just list the places we stopped each day and include a quip from the kids for each day of our travels. Perhaps we will manage to post more reflections after we settle in to life in Nova Scotia...
July 11 - we leave the farm in Alberta and drive 11 hours to Grandpa Severson's cabin on Nelson Lake (near Preeceville, Saskatchewan). The farms around the AB-SK border are clearly suffering from a terrible drought.
"I was happy that we finally got to stop driving, and got to see Grandpa" - Nathan
July 12 - my 37th birthday. the sun is shining and we have a perfect SK cabin day; running, canoeing, swimming and lots of fun with my Dad.
"I caught 48 minnows in Nelson Lake." - Emma
July 13 - we head off towards Manitoba around 2pm. Camp at Rainbow Beach Provincial Park. A beautiful campground on Lake Dauphin (great beach on a very big lake- though we don't get to swim from it- arrive too late, and in the morning it is raining hard).
"This was the first night we saw fireflies on our trip!" - Nathan
July 14 - we make it to Winnipeg via highway 6 (which includes crossing Lake Manitoba at 'the narrows') after a long drive in pouring rain. Spend the afternoon on Portage Ave. downtown and in a Francophone library (using the internet to do real estate business - Never head off on a cross-country drive when you are in the middle of a real estate deal!)
A wonderful night with my brother-in-law's mother and step-father, Carolyn and Dave. They host us with a great supper and a tour of the city.
"I had a root beer slurpee." - Emma (Dave told us that Winnipeg is the Slurpee drinking capital of Canada!)
July 15 - A long drive from Winnipeg to Kakabeka Falls Prov. Park in Ontario, near Thunder Bay.
"We stopped for lunch at a meteorite-made lake." - Nathan
July 16 - Car trouble? the mysterious noises turn out to be nothing and have not returned a week later...knock on wood! We spend a very enjoyable afternoon at Fort William in Thunder Bay. Fort William was an important Northwest Company fur trading fort that now runs a living museum experience (complete with actor/interpreters who offer a living glimpse into what life at the fort was like for voyageurs, Ojibwayans, and NW Co. clerks in 1815).
"I got to milk a cow." - Emma
July 17 - The long drive along the shores of Lake Superior. A great lunch stop at Veys Provincial Park - such a beautiful beach. Weather still grey, cool and rainy. We camp at Pancake Bay Provincial Park just N. of Sault Ste. Marie.
"I was glad that we were more than half way in to our trip. I was happy that we were closer to Grandma Joan." - Nathan
July 18 - We cross Ontario through increasingly agricultural/industrial regions. Blast past Sudbury with its 'stacks', and on to North Bay where we decide to stay in a hotel (sick of the rain). Have a gourmet meal at "The White Owl".
"We had a delicious birthday present dinner. It was mom's birthday present. I had pasta and garlic bread." - Emma
July 19 - Another full day of driving takes us through Ottawa (we decide not to stop because we'll be living here for several months in the fall). We enjoy driving past such interesting places as Chalk River (where the nuclear reactor that produces medical isotopes is currently still down for repairs) and CFB Petawawa (from which so many of the Cnd. soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan seem to be from - such a huge base). We camp at Voyageur Provincial Park on the Ontario/Quebec border. The kids swim in the Ottawa River. By 9pm it is, of course, RAINING!!!
"It was a lovely day but as always when we are camping it always turns out raining." - Nathan
July 20 - A great day. By 11am we are strolling around Vieux Montreal! After a yummy lunch of baguette sandwiches we head onward to Quebec City. We are impressed by how close the three cities of Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec are! An easy 4.5 hours from Ottawa to Quebec. After supper we head down to the old walled city in Quebec. It is beautiful. And it is NOT raining! Alleluia!
"Yesterday night we saw a great street performer who was a one man band, and who sung in French." - Emma
July 21 - A wonderful day. We spend the whole day exploring Vieux Quebec. Take a tour of the Plains of Abraham, visit a museum, and generally try to finally learn Canadian history! We have fun trying to speak French and enjoy the hot, summery day.
"I am happy that we are finally only about 2 days away from Grandma." - Nathan
July 22 - tomorrow we will drive into New Brunswick and camp for one night.
July 23 - we should arrive at Grandma Joan's beautiful yellow house on the Minas Basin in Nova Scotia! The country crossed (well, except for Newfoundland and Labrador...but we may get there yet)
Pictures to be posted soon...
Juleta, Emma and Nathan
