THE DETAILS:
THE WEATHER: It was a damp, cool morning… great reason to stay in bed until almost 7:00 am! Even at 11 am it was still only 53 degrees. The high today was 61 with clouds all day and some showers.
THE DISTANCE: We left Wawa, ON at 11:00 am and arrived at Thunder Bay at 6:30. That is 7 ½ hours and 313 miles
We had a slow start this morning. Somewhat due to the cool morning and how good the warm bed felt, and partially due to Gary discovering that the tires needed a little air right before we were ready to take off.
Steve & Cheryl you would absolutely love it up here in this area… it’s like Pittsburg, NH just miles and miles and hundreds of miles of it. There are views that look like they come out of a picture. It’s hard to believe they are real. There were beautiful views of Lake Superior from up high on cliffs and at the water’s edge. We saw a long train meandering through a mountain side that looked so cool we stopped to take a picture. Though the areas we traveled looked like they should have moose & bear galore, we have seen no wildlife. I know Mom will be happy to hear that!
We are at “Happy Land” Campgrounds in Thunder Bay. Gary says that name with a grimace on his face!! I’m sure you can all imagine his humor. We are once again surrounded by thick forest dripping with rain. It’s beautiful. Well, we are thinking about Alex today as he graduates and Kim & Tommy as they make their way back home. Don’t forget to pick them up Stephen!! LOL! Welcome home Mr. & Mrs. Leeds….. Congratulations Alex!!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
June 4th
THE DETAILS:
WEATHER: Once again we woke up to beautiful weather, 51 degrees and climbed to a comfortable 74. As we drove west the clouds thickened and it began to rain. There is nothing more beautiful than the thick forest covered in rain. It smells of pine.
DISTANCE: We left Sudbury, ON at 10 am and arrived in Wawa, ON at 7:30. 318 miles in 9 ½ hours. We made a lot of stops today, groceries, Walmart, Home Depot, gas, a tourist trap where Gary bought a beautiful wooden bowl. Our 6 hour trip took us 3 hours longer.
Okay, I think we have established our “rhythm”! I get up at 6 am and put on the coffee and begin my devotions. At 7:30 I go out for a 30 minute walk. By the time I get back Gary is up and doing his devotions. I then start cleaning up, making the bed, washing dishes, etc. When Gary is coherent enough to speak we talk about what the Lord is speaking to us, pray, etc. and then he begins his break down process. While he’s busy putting away electrical cords and hoses, I exercise for a ½ hour with weights and then get dressed. I have to say, due to the fact that Bruno resides in his “den” otherwise known as the shower stall… I get ready in the morning with a bear in the background of my mirror. I’m not sure if this is preparing me for things to come or what but it is pretty funny.
Sue, you would be loving this trip along the Canadian highway, it is a Tim Horton’s haven. Every town seems to have at least a Tim Horton’s and …. Of course…. A McDonalds! Kim, just thought you’d like to know, the lilac’s are JUST coming out up here…. We should have had the wedding in Canada!
The other day when we were window shopping in Mattawa we got to talking to a store clerk. We told her of our plans to go to Alaska and she was excited for us and said, “I hear that is the BEST holiday”… I was going to correct her and tell her we weren’t on a “holiday”… we were on a vacation! But I remembered being in Europe where they called vacations, holidays. So since we are in Canada we are officially on holiday!
Today was an absolute beautiful drive along Lake Superior. Gary & I agree that it is the prettiest of all the great lakes. If I ever figure out how to post a picture on this blog you will see a little of what we have seen today.
WEATHER: Once again we woke up to beautiful weather, 51 degrees and climbed to a comfortable 74. As we drove west the clouds thickened and it began to rain. There is nothing more beautiful than the thick forest covered in rain. It smells of pine.
DISTANCE: We left Sudbury, ON at 10 am and arrived in Wawa, ON at 7:30. 318 miles in 9 ½ hours. We made a lot of stops today, groceries, Walmart, Home Depot, gas, a tourist trap where Gary bought a beautiful wooden bowl. Our 6 hour trip took us 3 hours longer.
Okay, I think we have established our “rhythm”! I get up at 6 am and put on the coffee and begin my devotions. At 7:30 I go out for a 30 minute walk. By the time I get back Gary is up and doing his devotions. I then start cleaning up, making the bed, washing dishes, etc. When Gary is coherent enough to speak we talk about what the Lord is speaking to us, pray, etc. and then he begins his break down process. While he’s busy putting away electrical cords and hoses, I exercise for a ½ hour with weights and then get dressed. I have to say, due to the fact that Bruno resides in his “den” otherwise known as the shower stall… I get ready in the morning with a bear in the background of my mirror. I’m not sure if this is preparing me for things to come or what but it is pretty funny.
Sue, you would be loving this trip along the Canadian highway, it is a Tim Horton’s haven. Every town seems to have at least a Tim Horton’s and …. Of course…. A McDonalds! Kim, just thought you’d like to know, the lilac’s are JUST coming out up here…. We should have had the wedding in Canada!
The other day when we were window shopping in Mattawa we got to talking to a store clerk. We told her of our plans to go to Alaska and she was excited for us and said, “I hear that is the BEST holiday”… I was going to correct her and tell her we weren’t on a “holiday”… we were on a vacation! But I remembered being in Europe where they called vacations, holidays. So since we are in Canada we are officially on holiday!
Today was an absolute beautiful drive along Lake Superior. Gary & I agree that it is the prettiest of all the great lakes. If I ever figure out how to post a picture on this blog you will see a little of what we have seen today.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
June 3rd
THE DETAILS:
WEATHER: We woke up to beautiful skies, 54 degrees which quickly climbed to 74 degrees by 10 am. Beautiful day.
DISTANCE: Left Mattawa at 4:00 pm!! (Keep reading to learn why.) Arrived Sudbury, Ontario at 7:45 pm. We drove 120 miles in about 3 hours (we stopped at Walmart - it felt like home!)
Today was full of our first 3 problems. One major, one medium and one minor problem. Our major problem is with the scooter ramp attached to the back of the RV. We could tell it was beginning to sag but last night we realized that the bar attaching the RV to the platform was beginning to tear at the welding joint. There was no question that we needed a welder. We asked the lady that ran our campsite if there was a welder in town? God is so good… the answer was not only yes but only a mile from our location. We had the pleasure of meeting Bert today around 10 am!! What a fantastic guy! We didn’t need an appointment , he went right to work on it and told us to come back around 2 pm. So we took advantage of the scooter being off the ramp and drove around the area for a few hours. Had lunch in town, met some of the locals which told us how wonderful Bert’s reputation is. We experienced that first hand when we arrived back at the shop. It was not just repaired but also spray painted black to match the rest of the hitch! He showed us around his shop; a 4 wheel drive convoluted, ad-hoc, fiesta engine tractor. He created it himself to haul vehicles that weren’t in working order or to plow snow in the winter. He showed us his sewing shop in the back where he was currently creating pontoon boat canvas covers. (Dan, he does great work!) He then showed us pictures of the mini-tug boat that he had created for his son Daniel. He was so proud of it he wanted us to go down to the river to see it. So, being on God’s journey rather than ours, we decided to go look at the tug boat. He drove us down about a ½ mile and showed us the tug boat and also his pontoon boat. So then he says, “so do you want to go for a ride on the river?” Gary was a bit skeptical about the time and he answered, “Oh just a ½ hour!” Of course you have to imagine everything he’s saying is in a French/Canadian accent! So we went on a tour of the Mattawa & Ottawa rivers. He showed us all around and told us stories of the area, the people and the animals. He told us there were MANY timber wolves that weigh in at 145 pounds!!! Yikes. We finally arrived back at our “home” and got on our way at 5 pm. What an interesting man, what an interesting journey this is. Bert’s gift from God became our blessing today.
So our medium problem was a leak in the bathroom faucet. The floor was wet and everything under the sink. So Gary went to work on it first thing this morning before ever visiting Bert. He had brought plumbers putty!!! Who brings plumber’s putty on a trip like this?…… Gary… of course! He had it repaired in about a ½ hour. Amazing. Now you know why he and Bert hit it off so well.
The minor problem was my glasses. While browsing through the town of Mattawa (a total population of 2,500) my sunglasses fell apart! For some it is comfortable to wear sunglasses for me it is necessary. Gary, to the rescue again, he had brought jewelers screwdrivers. They were fixed in 10 minutes.
So we are now safely in Sudbury, sitting by a lake, watching the sun set which turned the clouds into a beautiful purple/pink fiery color. We went for a walk by the lake to enjoy the evening. Cheryl & Tim…. This place is a kayaking wonderland!
BTW, for anyone who cares, Gary & I are tied in cribbage 1 to 1.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
June 2nd, 2010
THE DETAILS:
WEATHER: beautiful!! 80 degrees / partly cloudy skies... until we drove into clouds and light showers. We were able to set up in just cloudy skies though!
DISTANCE: Hudson to Mattawa, Ontario Canada. 270 miles and 6 hours of driving
We had the best night sleep ever! The bed is extremely comfortable, cool night and the smell of camp fires! ahhhh.....
Even though we were up at 6 am we didn't leave until 10:15 today. We're working on getting into a rhythm which will take a few more days. We've managed to not bump into eachother or get in eachother's way! The morning was spent in devotions...coffee...exercise...coffee...breakfast w/ coffee and secure the RV for travel.
We are surrounded by French!! French signs every where, french radio stations, french speaking people, etc. I am amazed at how quickly they can go from speaking English to me and then switch to French when speaking to someone else.
Bruno is LOVING Canada. He has already learned a little french. He waves and says, bonjour to everyone he meets. He hasn't figured out why they scream and run away.
Well, we basically drove over the heads of the Virginia & Maryland Byrd's today. There wasn't much to see... lots of flatland farms and then we drove into a pretty area that was very wilderness. There were deer & moose signs everywhere but we didn't see anything. We are currently at a campsite that sits right on the Mattawa River. Very pretty but very buggy. Black flies! ug.
THE DETAILS:
WEATHER: (for you Dad) started out humid but clear... drove into showers.... set up the RV in cool dry weather.
DISTANCE: Weare, NH to Hudson, Quebec Canada 300 miles in 8 hours
Not exactly record time. We are averaging 7 miles per gallon and 55 mph.
Okay, so our adventure to Alaska started a little later than expected. Our 6 am departure time turned into 11 am. Our first stop was 3 miles from the house at the cemetery where our son is laid and the inspiration for this trip. Thank you Adam for giving me the idea just before you left us... you wanted your Dad to see Alaska for his 60th birthday. From there we drove a 1/2 hour into Concord and we stopped, of course, at Dunkin' Donuts. Those who have traveled with us know that it is ALWAYS Gary's first stop. Up until then we were both feeling kinda' apprehensive, even a little scared about leaving the safety of our home territory. We could always turn back if something was wrong, or if we had forgotten something. Not anymore... we left the Concord area knowing we were now at the mercy of the road and we would have to handle the challenges that arise.
Last night we had some good friends (and neighbors) stop in with a bottle of wine to send us off with a toast & good memories. After they left, Gary went out to the RV to close it up and found a 4 foot picture of a bear standing in our shower! On the back it reads: "Debbie & Gary- Bruno is a gift to you guys. He is a great guard bear - when you hear sounds outside the RV just place him in the window and whatever is out there will run!We expect to see him in lots of pictures! Love,Tim, Sue, Mary & Perry
So, If I can figure out how to put pictures on this blog... you'll meet Bruno yourselves!
Our first night camping was spent just west of Montreal. We got a little lost in Montreal but not a problem. Unfortunately we arrived in the city right at 6 pm at peak traffic. The Saint Lawrence River was amazingly wide! There's water every where you look up here. The campsite is wooded and quiet.... great for sleeping! The temp. is 70 and comfortable. We don't have wifi here so you won't be able to read this until tomorrow unfortunately
WEATHER: (for you Dad) started out humid but clear... drove into showers.... set up the RV in cool dry weather.
DISTANCE: Weare, NH to Hudson, Quebec Canada 300 miles in 8 hours
Not exactly record time. We are averaging 7 miles per gallon and 55 mph.
Okay, so our adventure to Alaska started a little later than expected. Our 6 am departure time turned into 11 am. Our first stop was 3 miles from the house at the cemetery where our son is laid and the inspiration for this trip. Thank you Adam for giving me the idea just before you left us... you wanted your Dad to see Alaska for his 60th birthday. From there we drove a 1/2 hour into Concord and we stopped, of course, at Dunkin' Donuts. Those who have traveled with us know that it is ALWAYS Gary's first stop. Up until then we were both feeling kinda' apprehensive, even a little scared about leaving the safety of our home territory. We could always turn back if something was wrong, or if we had forgotten something. Not anymore... we left the Concord area knowing we were now at the mercy of the road and we would have to handle the challenges that arise.
Last night we had some good friends (and neighbors) stop in with a bottle of wine to send us off with a toast & good memories. After they left, Gary went out to the RV to close it up and found a 4 foot picture of a bear standing in our shower! On the back it reads: "Debbie & Gary- Bruno is a gift to you guys. He is a great guard bear - when you hear sounds outside the RV just place him in the window and whatever is out there will run!We expect to see him in lots of pictures! Love,Tim, Sue, Mary & Perry
So, If I can figure out how to put pictures on this blog... you'll meet Bruno yourselves!
Our first night camping was spent just west of Montreal. We got a little lost in Montreal but not a problem. Unfortunately we arrived in the city right at 6 pm at peak traffic. The Saint Lawrence River was amazingly wide! There's water every where you look up here. The campsite is wooded and quiet.... great for sleeping! The temp. is 70 and comfortable. We don't have wifi here so you won't be able to read this until tomorrow unfortunately
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