Staying in Canada for a bit

July 23--Pancake Bay, ON

I got up early yesterday--it was foggy and cool, which was nice. I checked the tires and all were well, and then did laundry. I was in no hurry to go, since I couldn't check in to the campground until after two, so I finished all the chapters I had to read (yay money while on vacation!), and left around 11:30.

I got on the truck route, so I wouldn't have to go through downtown, and wound up by the WalMart again. I needed some groceries, but decided to go to a market instead. I got some turkey, some chip dip, and more of the hairball treats! I then went to Arby's for lunch (eh) and headed north.

The bridge was rather like the old bridge in Charleston: two big humps for the ships to go under, two lanes of traffic. And there was construction, which was quite exciting (nothing like stopping on the top of a tall bridge!) The construction continued through much of town, although there were enough signs that I didn't get lost.

After we ran out of town, it was pretty much wilderness (or darn close). Up some big hills, which pissed off the people behind me (suck it up, dudes, I'm going the speed limit). Lots of "moose crossing" signs, but no moose. I also passed the midpoint of the TransCanada, which amazed me; I don't think about just how far east the road goes. Pretty damn far, if this is the midpoint. Up into Newfoundland and everything. It's weird when I think that I'm only a bit west of Temperance (and much farther north) and yet it's the midpoint of a transcontinental road.

Pancake Bay Provincial Park is a relatively narrow strip between the highway and the lake. I pulled in and talked to some poor guy who sits out front (under an umbrella) and gets to talk to everyone arriving. He asked if I had firewood--no. Then he asked if I had a pet--I said I had two cats. He looked puzzled and said "Um, we don't have a cat policy, so I guess they're OK". I reassured him that they don't leave the RV, and headed to the office to get my official paperwork.

My spot is indeed the equivalent of the one at Kalaloch, except I don't have any view at all. I also am not next to the dumpsters, so that's something. I'm supposed to have electric, but I found that my cord isn't long enough to reach the outlet, so I'm boondocking it. Other than not being able to use my microwave (and being careful about things like computers and the radio), it's fine.

There is indeed a long narrow beach, and it was full of bathers (well, full enough). I walked a bit, and then put my feet in the water which felt really good. So I went back to the RV, put on my bathing suit and went swimming! No, I didn't stay in long, but I did get in all the way, and even swam underwater a bit. It was quite refreshing, and felt good after the rather hot drive. I will say that when I got out, I was cold for a couple of hours--it's how I used to stay cool in Missoula without air conditioning: go swimming in the river, get cold, warm up gradually. I eventually went for a walk to warm up.

The spots are rather far apart, which is nice (nobody is directly across from me, and those on either side are screened by trees). The traffic on the TransCanada is quite loud, and I'm surprised that some people who are here for the season are right on the road by me. I mean, if you're going to be camping somewhere for the summer, don't you want it a bit quieter than a busy highway? I guess not. There are seasonal spots that are closer to the water (and away from the road), which would be better.

I slept well, despite the noise (and that there was little breeze so the RV didn't cool down much). Puck woke me up, I fed them, ate a sandwich, read a bit, and then napped for two hours (which apparently included some serious snoring, since I included it in my dreams!). After this, I tried to call home a couple of times, but kept getting busy signals, so I'll try later.

There's a big tourist trap just down the road a mile or so, so I walked there today. It was still cloudy and cool and drizzly, so not a bad walk. I did have to walk in the gravel next to the TransCanada, which was a bit disconcerting when huge trucks went by. The tourist trap itself was a bit disappointing; I was hoping for a restaurant, but only a grocery, a wood-carving place, and an Indian trinket/leather/fur place (which included wolf pelts, which made me nauseous). I lurked a bit, bought an iced tea, a beef stick, and an ice-cream sandwich for lunch (I really wanted something else, but there was nothing), then walked back.

So now I'm in the RV, resting a bit before walking more, I think. It's not quite warm enough to go swimming, although it's gotten warmer and it's VERY humid, so I might walk along the beach or something. Exercise is good!

July 25--Sault Ste. Marie, ON

I don't think I did much of note on Friday. I did go to the movie they showed at the ampitheatre, which was a quick history of Lake Superior since the Europeans showed up, and would have been much more interesting if 1. I could have seen it better (it was still quite light) and 2. the kids would have shut up. People brought their kids, who got bored (can't blame them, really, particularly the smaller ones) and talked or ran about or whatever.

Yesterday I decided to do the 3.5km nature walk. It was quite a nice walk, except that I had forgotten to put on bug spray, since there weren't many bugs by the beach. So I spent a lot of time waving my arms around and smacking my legs and walking as fast as I could trying to avoid the tall grass (ticks!) and the mud churned up by illegal bicyclists. I did enjoy walking through the fen (a fen is a bog with water circulation), although I didn't see any pitcher plants. I think I actually made it through without any bites! Maybe I'm just not tasty. And then I read and relaxed and walked more through the campground.

This morning I got out early to do the Edmund Fitzgerald lookout walk. I had heard about a shortcut to the top, avoiding most of the trail through the woods (been there, done that) and walked up an access road for most of the way, then cut up an illegal trail to the base of the stairs. Lots and lots of stairs, some of which reminded me of the metal stairs at the ravine near Grandma's house, which were always freaky to me because I couldn't tell how far away they were. But I trudged up them and reached the top platforms. Which did give a great view, but weren't labeled at all, so I wasn't always sure what I was looking at. Oh well. I headed back down and took the same illegal trail, which required walking around a locked gate. Luckily, I was past the gate and into the "legal" part of the road before two official trucks drove by (past the locked gate is not only the illegal trail, but a couple of cell phone towers that these guys were apparently servicing on Sunday morning). I waved at them and tried to look innocent, although the mud on my shoes and the fact I had sweated enough to make me look as if I'd had a bucket of water dumped on my head was probably suspicious! I also had to walk waving my hand above my head for a while, because while the citronella lotion I had put on was reasonably effective for mosquitoes, the biting flies weren't deterred. I hate biting flies almost as much as ticks.

When I got back I was footsore and (as mentioned before) covered in sweat, so I put on my bathing suit and jumped into the lake one last time. It was quite cool, and I did feel quite invigorated afterwards; maybe that's why those crazy Scandinavians roll around in snow after being in the sauna? I still think I'll pass.

I had realized that I could stay at the KOA at the Soo for less money than I was paying at the state park and with a lot more amenities, so I left a day early (got a refund!) and headed south. I overshot the park and went to the WalMart for kitty litter and McDonalds lunch (I was going to buy supplies, but I couldn't bring myself to pay the Canada prices--I guess I'll eat out of my larder for the next week or so).

I'm in a small spot that isn't gravelled and seems to be an afterthought. It's relatively level, but has almost no shade. I do have nice speedy WiFi and I can get a couple of channels on the TV (yay no digital TV in Canada!). The pool is hysterical; the shallow end is 3 feet, and the deep is 3 feet 10 inches! Oh no, get the life ring!

I plan on moving on tomorrow, south and east toward Stratford, where I have a ticket to see Christopher Plummer in "The Tempest" next Sunday. I should have e-mail everywhere I stop, so I'll keep you posted!