<< This page left intentionally blank >>
Day 43: The day we took a shortcut
Up and at ‘em by 7:00am and on the road by 8:30am and soon pass the halfway-point along the Trans Canada Highway.
We head towards Sault-Ste-Marie and then turn East on Hwy-17. Our first stop is in Echo Bay, ON to see the giant ‘Loonie’. It’s here to recognize that the original Loon artwork used on the coin was by an artist from Echo Bay.
The drive eastward is steady and it takes about 3 hours to get to Espinola, ON. We stop for fuel and then head South on Hwy-6 to Little Current on Manitoulin Island where we stop for a picnic lunch.
After lunch we continue further South towards South Baymouth, ON and check-in for our ferry reservation. We are heading to Tobermory, ON by way of the MS Chi-Cheemaun.
The ferry departs at 3:50pm which gave us an hour or so to look about the ferry port. Loading was easy and the ship is carrying barely a quarter of its vehicle capacity.
We depart right on-time and head out into Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. The crossing will take about 2hrs so we decide to have an early dinner on board and the spend time relaxing in the lounge.
We were asked to return to our vehicles in preparation for arrival 15min ahead of actually arriving. As such we did not see the town of Tobermory as we arrived, instead this is our first view.
We passed through Tobermory and headed South on Hwy-6. We were soon driving through the familiar agricultural landscape of Ontario toward Wiarton and Owen Sound.
We head East along Hwy-21 towards Meaford, ON where we will be visiting family and resting for a couple of nights. Catch you all in a couple of days!
Day 42: …the big lake they call Gitche Gumee…
According to Wikipedia, Lake Superior is actually called Giche-gami in Ojibwe but I’ve used the Gordon Lightfoot spelling for the title of this post.
Ahhh, after our night in Winnipeg, last night was soooo quiet. We slept until 7:00am and could have probably slept longer if we didn’t need to keep moving it along. We showered last night (showers get 8/10) and so this morning was a simple breakfast and packing up of the van. Tanks dumped and water filled, we were on the road by 9:00am.
First priority of the day was fuel for the van and some 5G internet so that I could finish and upload yesterdays post. Barb located an Esso/Tim Horton’s in Thunder Bay which also had a really good 5G signal. Check.
Back onto Hwy-17 East towards Nipigon, ON. Construction of new 4-lane sections slowed us a few times, but as the road was fairly quiet, we had no long waits thankfully. Passing the Nipigon River bridge and the Hwy-11 turnoff that we took two years ago, we continued on Hwy-17 towards White River and Wawa, ON.
The road is in really good condition and the weather was beautiful making the driving easy. We stopped at the Aguasabon Canyon viewpoint to look at the waterfall. We had the place to ourselves.
At White River we stopped at the visitor center and Barb got to visit Winnie-the-Pooh as we had done with our children 21 years ago. We also enjoyed a picnic lunch in the van before returning to the road.
The visitor center in Wawa is still closed for the Winter and so we don’t stop but Barb managed to get a picture of the Wawa goose.
Some of the views out across the lake are stunning and you come upon them suddenly as the road twists and turns along the shoreline. We’ve included a few below.
We end our day in Pancake Bay Provincial Park just a few kilometers North of Sault-Ste-Marie, ON. The beach here is gorgeous and Barb even wades into the (very cold) lake.
We settle in for the evening and prepare for our last long road day tomorrow which will include a special treat.
Day 41: Let’s go into the woods today
Sleeping at a truck stop next to a busy highway and intersection was probably not the best idea we’ve ever had, but we made it through the night albeit with less deep sleep than we probably needed.
We start by having an egg breakfast with coffee at the Denny’s on-site. This is a healthy (hmm?) dose of protein that will ensure we don’t feel hungry in an hour or so.
Barb drives us out of the Flying-J shortly before 8:00am and we take the bypass around Winnipeg, MB heading towards Ontario. Soon the trees return and we’re no longer on the prairie. We stop at Falcon Lake, MB for fuel which we get at 20 cents / liter cheaper than we pay later in the day in Ontario. I take over driving duty for the next hour or so.
After passing Kenora, ON we turn South onto Hwy-71 towards Fort Frances, ON where we stop to have a picnic lunch by the river looking across toward Minnesota, USA.
Continuing East from Fort Frances on Hwy-11/17 Barb drives for a couple of hours toward Thunder Bay, ON. I take over driving again and pass back into the Eastern time zone.
We stop for the night at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park just North of Thunder Bay. We shower and have Buttered Chicken for dinner. A little TV and it’s time for bed.
Day 40: Getting the miles in
Well, no aurora viewing last night, oh well. We slept really well and got off to a great start for the day before 8:00am.
The drive starts with what we thought was an early morning haze. Later in the day we’d discover that it is actually smoke from a wild fire in Northern BC.
Barb started driving the day until we got to Moosejaw where we changed drivers and had a bite to eat & fueled up.
Later in the afternoon we crossed into Manitoba and made our way to Brandon, MB where we again fueled up before driving our last leg into Winnipeg, MB.
Tonight we are parked at a Flying-J. Tomorrow we head into Ontario.
Day 39: Mountains, Foothills, Prairies
We awake at 6:00am and find that we were joined last night by two other campers in our secluded ‘wild camping’ spot behind the Independent grocery store in Fernie, BC. A few townies kept Barb awake for a while, but in general terms this was a wonderfully quiet place to spend the night. Also close to Starbucks, McDonald’s, etc. if you need/want breakfast take away in the morning before heading out. We had our usual coffee, banana & yogurt before heading out at 7:00am.
We had decided to stop at the top of Crowsnest Pass for a cooked breakfast and take the time to really start our day. The road up the pass was not as steep or arduous as some of the passes we had driven yesterday, which surprised us and as such we arrived at the top fairly quickly. Time for quiche. Yummy!
Once fed and ready for the day we headed further into the mountains and arrived at Frank, BC the site of Canada’s most deadly rock slide. In 1904 the side of Turtle mountain collapsed and slid into the valley below. 100 lives were lost in the town of Frank and the valley was changed for ever. The debris pile is huge and from the interpretation center you can imagine the noise and dust that would have been produced that day.
We traveled on to Fort Macleod in the Alberta foothills where we visited the “Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump” museum. This is a World Heritage Site and goes into amazing detail of how the Blackfoot people used the cliffs as a killing ground for herds of buffalo (bison) for thousands of years until the 1800’s. Built into the cliff, the museum building is worth the visit by itself; however, the stories of the people are the real captivating reason to visit. Highly Recommended.
Continuing East on Hwy-3 we head to Lethbridge, AB where we stop under the railway viaduct in a park for a picnic lunch in the van. No trains passed over the viaduct while we were there unfortunately.
The day was heating up into the low 20’s as we headed further away from the mountains. Shortly before Medicine Hat we stopped in Seven Persons, AB for ice cream! Yummy, again.
We drove around Medicine Hat and headed toward the Saskatchewan border on Hwy-1, the Trans-Canada Highway. Shortly after crossing into Saskatchewan we stopped at the “Cypress Hills Winery” in Maple Creek, SK. This is another Harvest Host destination and we enjoyed a fruit wine tasting and had a glass of Rhubarb Wine with pizza for dinner. A couple of bottles might also have found their way back to the van as well.
Tonight we are hoping to see the Aurora Borealis that so many saw last evening but we missed due to cloud cover. Fingers crossed!
Day 38: The Crowsnest Highway
Another early start to the day. I blame it on the early rising of the sun. Away from our wonderfully quiet campsite in the vineyard by 7:30am. Today we will spend the day traveling along Hwy-3, also known as “The Crowsnest Highway” towards Fernie, BC.
Leaving Osoyoos you immediately begin to gain elevation and the views across the valley are stunning.
Of course, what goes up must come down and sure enough it not long until we are descending at a rapid pace into another valley in Southern BC. This is repeated several times today with the climbs being just long enough to allow the brakes to cool from the last descent before being called on again. Utilizing the lower gears in the gearbox helps on these descents, as does having an eight-speed gearbox.
We stopped for a quick break in Grand Forks, BC and then again in Cranbrook, BC. Between Cranbrook and Fernie we crossed into the Mountain time zone and as such are now just two hours behind Ontario. Our final destination is the town of Fernie, BC where we are ‘wild camping’ for the night.
Tomorrow we enter Alberta and will leave the Rocky Mountains behind us.
Day 37: & so Eastward we are bound
5:30am rise & shine to get ready to depart Galiano Island. The ferry leaves at 8:30am but we have no reservation and so need to arrive at the dock early to have the best chance of boarding.
After a very nice and relaxing six days visiting my parents we say our goodbyes and head toward the ferry at 7:00am. 7:25am and we’re first in-line. A coffee, yogurt & banana while we wait. Turns out that that there was no issue of space and we could have probably slept in for an extra hour or so. Oh well, better safe than sorry.
As we cross the Strait of Georgia towards Vancouver, we think back on where we have been so far on this adventure and the varied weather that we have seen. This morning it was around 10°C when we woke, it will be 27°C when we stop later this afternoon!
Our drive across the Fraser River valley is uneventful and after a couple of hours we pull into Hope, BC for fuel & to dump our tanks at a municipal Sani-dump ($free).
For those that don’t know, Hope, BC was the filming location for “Rambo: First Blood”. The town has embraced this notoriety and there are several landmarks about the town that you can visit from the movie. The bridge, across which Rambo walks at the beginning of the movie is gone (2011) but a new bridge has replaced it and there are still signs, but it’s not quite the same knowing that it’s not the same bridge.
Everyone’s favorite stop is downtown near where the Police station was in the movie. In the park there are a number of chainsaw carvings of the characters from the movie. We snapped a picture of Rambo (below).
We head East on Hwy-3 towards the Okanagon valley. The road, although windy and hilly as it passes through the mountains, is really very good and well maintained. There are lots of passing lanes on the hills (including one that is 38km long!).
Eventually we notice the trees thinning and the flora around us changing to be more desert-like as we approach Osoyoos, BC. It reminds us of the Southern California desert in some ways with the slope of the hills and the sagebrush. It’s also now quite warm and the A/C in the van is very welcome.
Pulling into Osoyoos, we stopped at a roadside produce stand which happened to have a Mexican food truck next door. Lunch time!
Lunch was delicious and we both highly recommend “Sofia’s Mexican Food”. I enjoyed a chimichanga and Barb had 3 chicken tacos. Barb also picked up a few treats for another time from the roadside produce stand.
Our stay tonight is at a vineyard just north of Osoyoos called Mythology vineyard. The wine is very good and our camping spot is amongst the grapevines behind the tasting room. Our view is West towards the mountains and we look forward to enjoying a glass of wine as the sun sets.
Days 32 to 36: …
<< This page left intentionally blank >>
Day 31: Nothing to declare
Oooof…. 5:30am. We’re up & heading for a shower (which gets 4/10 because of very small size & clingy shower curtain). Why so early you ask? We have an early reservation for the Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC ferry. Yep, we are leaving the U.S. after almost a month of travel, it’s time to head back into Canada.
Showered we get the van ready for the day and are driving off site by 6:45am. Traffic is fairly light and this makes our drive back into town to the wharf easy and quick. Black Ball Ferries require us to check-in a minimum of one hour before the ferry “Coho” departs at 8:20am, we make it with a few minutes to spare.
A cup of coffee and a banana are enjoyed while we wait to board which begins shortly before 8:00am. We make our way up to the top deck in order to have the best views back across town to the Olympic mountains.
The ferry is relatively full with most passengers having walked-on. The Salish Sea is mill pond calm and we see a few seabirds fishing for breakfast but no whales or seals today while crossing. Arriving in the Victoria inner harbour, our departure and clearance through Canada Customs takes about 30min. We head towards Langford, BC where we enjoy breakfast at a White Spot restaurant before getting groceries for the week.
The weather for today is predicted to go from sunny this morning to rain later in the afternoon. As such we have changed our plans to try to avoid the heaviest rains and are now heading to my parents home a day ahead of schedule for a few days of rest and relaxation.
We’ll catch-up with you again when we resume our journey next week. All the best and thanks for following our adventures.