MB Archives - Our View From The Road

Day 07: Saint Claude,MB to Thunder Bay, ON

A damp start to the day. After the rain las evening everything was pretty wet outside. The van had lots of poplar leaves on it from the trees at the back of our campsite. We were driving off of the site at about 8:10am, an early start as today we are planning on driving to Thunder Bay, ON which we anticipate will take about 9hrs.

A short 1 hr drive and we’re on the Winnipeg bypass and then on the TCH heading toward Ontario. Traffic is fairly light and we make good headway. We stop in Kenora for fuel rather than push our luck and hope we had enough to get to Dryden. The Husky gas station in Kenora has amazing staff who pumped the gas and cleaned both the windshield and the rear windows of the van! Nicely done.

We swung into the Tim Hortons parking lot for a coffee and TimBits and found that the parking lot was not designed for 22’ vans. I managed to find a space long enough but backing out meant that someone waiting for the drive thru had to let me out. Luckily there are nice people in Kenora and we were back on the road in just a few minutes.

We stopped to eat a picnic lunch at a rest area on Dixie Lake next to the highway. A beautiful spot for a short rest. The remainder of the drive to Dryden and then onto Thunder Bay was uneventful and we filled with fuel once arriving in Thunder Bay so that we are ready for the morning.

We are staying at the Thunder Bay KOA Holiday tonight with many other travelers. Barb was hoping to do some laundry but was told that the laundry was closed as of our arrival (due to lack of overnight travel insurance???) and would reopen tomorrow morning at 9:00am. Not useful for us as we will likely be gone by that time. Hmmmm, not impressed.

Tomorrow we will round the ‘lakehead’ and drive almost to Sault Ste-Marie.

Day 06: Grasslands National Park to Saint Claude, MB

Wow, what a night! The stars were amazing out here and the air was so still and quiet. Barb did hear some coyotes early in the morning, but otherwise it was completely silent. A light fog hung in the valley when we awoke awaiting the sun to rise over the hills to burn it away.

We completed our more rituals and prepared to leave, but not before exploring the drive along ‘The Parkway’ a 11km single lane paved road (with passing lanes) within the park that takes you to some very nice lookouts.

At about 8:45am we drove out of the park with the intent to drive East along the southern border of Saskatchewan towards Manitoba. Our plans changed when we realized that finding fuel in this remote part of the country is a challenge. Most small towns have fuel stations that are useful only for those Cardlock members. We found a small gas station in Willow Bunch, SK that was open this Sunday morning so we stopped. It was the first station that I had been to in many years where you were allowed to pump without prepaying. It’s nice to know that towns still exist where everyone is expected to be an honest customer.

Having fueled the van for 600km we reevaluated our route and choose to take the Red Coat Trail eastward towards Weyburn, SK. The route started nicely amongst the rolling grassland hills but soon the landscape changes and we found ourselves on the flat agricultural plain that most people equate with the prairies. The road was straight, and I mean straight, for miles and miles. The landscape was flat, and I mean flat, for miles and miles! Time goes by much more slowly when the landscape around you seems not to change.

We stopped for a picnic lunch and changed drivers in Weyburn before continuing. Neither the road or the landscape changed and after some time we arrived in Manitoba where we stopped for fuel in Souris. The skies had darkened throughout the day and we were now driving through some light rain showers.

We stopped to pickup dinner at The Happy Plate in Rathwell and drove a few more miles to Saint Claude, MB where we stopped for the night. The town has a wonderful municipal campground with grassy full-service sites. We settled in and enjoyed our dinner at a picnic table as the rain had not reached here. This changed at 10:00pm when a thunderstorm passed through.

All for now. Our friends Mr & Mrs Milddogs (Dave & Liz) have just started their Fall van adventure to Nova Scotia. Follow their adventures here if you’re interested.

Tomorrow, Ontario here we come!

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 38: June 26 – Portage la Prairie, MB to Dryden, ON

After a great nights sleep at the Walmart, we headed to Tim Horton’s for breakfast. Disappointment awaited. Barb’s breakfast sandwich had eggshells in it and my Bagel BELT arrived without L or T. 😒

We made a quick stop at the White Horse monument just West of Winnipeg as we had stopped there on our last trip West in 2003 with the kids.

We also stopped in Winnipeg for fuel and to look for a specific alcoholic beverage sold at the Manitoba Liquor Marts but not back home at the LCBO.

Accessing the liquor mart required us to handover photo ID. The staff then checked the image on the card against each of us (I had to remove my glasses which were slightly tinted because of the sun). They then scanned the cards and returned them before unlocking the door to allow us to enter. Tighter security than any airport it would seem is required before you can buy your bottle here. Wow.

The drive out of Manitoba saw us leave the prairie and enter the boreal forest. We then crossed back into Ontario 32 days after we left. We stopped to enjoy lunch at the ‘Welcome to Ontario’ information center and then continued toward our destination just past Dryden, ON.

Our stop for the night would be Aaron Provincial Park. We have no reservation but they had some sites and ours was close to the brand new shower block. Shower first, then dinner.