Our View From The Road

Sharing where we've been and what we've seen

Tag: ON

Ontario

  • Days 10 & 11: Homeward Bound

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    Thursday saw us drive into Southern Ontario and over towards the Lake Huron coast. We stopped in Mildmay at Pickled and Baked Foods to pick-up a couple of baked pies and tarts for dinner. We then drove on to Bayfield where we stopped for lunch at the Woodland Drive-In before ending our day in South Huron with family where we stayed for dinner and camped overnight.

    Friday was our last day. The day started early with a coffee and some toast before saying our goodbyes and heading back out onto the road one last time. Our visit had been brief but very enjoyable, we hope to be back again soon.

    We headed East towards Oxford County where we had a package to be dropped off at my brother’s home. We topped off with fuel at a gas station near Hwy 401 before tackling Friday traffic into ‘the big smoke’ (Toronto, ON). Due to volume we decided to take the Hwy 7 ETR across the city and then rejoin Hwy 401 East of the worst traffic. Always a relaxing drive when compared to Hwy 401 albeit an expense that I despise.

    Traffic heading East out of Toronto on this Friday was heavy but it moved steadily resulting in us arriving in Prescott, ON at 3:00pm where we dumped our waste tanks one last time. The Canadian Tire at Prescott offers this as a service; however, it is now $25 which will make me think twice about using it again.

    We drive North on Hwy 416 to our destination where we stop to fill up with fuel one last time before heading home. We’d made it!

    Our trip odometer showing the total of 10,527.2km over 124hrs 34min

    The remainder of the day was spent unloading the van and returning to living in our home. I shall attempt to wash the van of all accumulated road detritus sometime in the next few days. For now, we’ve earned a rest I believe.

    Thanks for following along with us on our journey. Check back again as we’re starting to plan the next one.

  • Day 09: Pancake Bay to Killbear Provincial Park

    Day 09: Pancake Bay to Killbear Provincial Park

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    A slightly shorter but no more complex driving day today as we again simply followed the TCH most of the day.

    It started shortly after 8:00am with us leaving the Pancake Bay Provincial Park after not finding garbage cans for our waste. We simply drove 3km down the TCH and then used an MTO (Ministry of Transport) provided trash receptacle. 45 min later we arrived in Sault Ste-Marie where we topped off with fuel and headed on our way. Eastward today, towards Sudbury. It was a nice drive and not too busy with traffic. We stopped at the Elliott Lake turnoff where there is a nice information center that suited as a place for our picnic lunch.

    After lunch we continued East to Sudbury where we turned South on Hwy69 towards Parry Sound. We stopped again for fuel so that we’d have a full tank to start tomorrow and then stopped at the Norse Brewery for a burger and a beer before heading to Killbear Provincial Park where we will be staying tonight.

    An uneventful and easy drive. Just as we like them. Tomorrow we head into Southern Ontario to visit family.

  • Day 08: Thunder Bay to Pancake Bay, ON

    Day 08: Thunder Bay to Pancake Bay, ON

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    Well, what can I say about today? We got up early, showered and left. On the road before 8:00am heading to Tim Horton’s in Nipigon. We did take a couple of early morning photos of the sky which I share below.

    Today’s route was a simple one, follow the TCH from Thunder Bay to Pancake Bay (80km North of Sault Ste-Marie). No turns, no decisions except where to buy fuel (White River) and where to stop for our picnic lunch (Just South of White River). We saw a few things and I’ve added pictures as proof.

    We arrived at the Pancake Bay Provincial Park at 3:15pm. Camp setup, Starlink connected, Barb doing laundry. Dinner will be hot dogs. Sleep will come easily.

    Tomorrow, Killbear Provincial Park near Parry Sound, ON. Our journey approaches it end, just 3 more days.

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

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

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    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.

    Good morning Saint Claude, MB

    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.

  • Days 10 & 11: McLaren campground

    Days 10 & 11: McLaren campground

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    This campground is amazing. It is quiet and the sites are so far apart that it feels as if we’re camping in park by ourselves. A must try if you have not.

    No pictures from these last two days, we just took it easy visiting with friends and doing a few odd jobs to the campers. We were spoiled rotten as our campmates had Starlink internet which they shared with us as the campground had almost no cellular service and no WiFi. It allowed us to stay in touch with family and watch the odd YouTube video.

    As with other trips, I provide the following stats for this that might be interested.

    – 1534 total km
    – 14.552 l/100km average fuel economy
    – 67 km/hr average speed
    – total drive time of 23:00 (hh:mm)
    – approximately 223 litres of fuel consumed

    Home now and the van is parked in what will be its new home on our property. We had a gravel pad installed while we were away and we have moved the ShelterLogic structure onto this pad. This frees up space in front of our garage and allows for easier parking and backing-out of the van when we need to use it. As you can see below we are waiting for the replacement cover to be delivered.

    New home for the van

    All for now, check back again for another exciting adventure.

  • Day 09: Return to Ontario

    Day 09: Return to Ontario

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    A cool morning awaited as we prepared to leave for the day and head back toward Ontario.

    It was cold walk to the showers which were passable at best as they were tiny and old. Lots of hot water but no room to disrobe or move about easily while washing. A quick breakfast and then the tanks are dumped and garbage disposed of and we were on our way shortly after 9:00am.

    We stopped a few km down the road at the Chez Marie Boulangerie. Built in 1652, the house is now home to the fourth generation of the Mercier family. The bread oven is now over 160 years old. We picked up a fresh white loaf and a few cheese danishes for a naughty snack along the road.

    Built in 1652 the home of Chez Marie boulangerie.

    Across the road from Chez Marie is a small stone structure that had a plaque on it indicating that it had been built in 1649 as a root cellar dug into the hillside.

    We returned to route 40 and headed towards Quebec City. This time we were traveling around the city and that led us through a large construction zone in which we almost took a wrong turn. Phew.

    On the correct route, we head towards to the Pierre Laporte bridge that crosses the St. Lawrence to Levis, QC.

    Joining route 20, we turn towards Drummondville and encounter yet more construction. Only slight delays as the traffic is narrowed into a single lane and we pass a few paving crews. After an hour or so we arrive in Drummondville where we exit to fill up with fuel and groceries for the weekend ahead.

    Returning to route 20 we pass through another construction zone before rejoining the highway. Construction seems to be the topic of the day.

    More construction zones await us as we head towards Montreal, again not long delays just annoyingly more frequent than we would have liked. We leave route 20 and head West around Montreal on route 30 towards Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. We cross the St. Lawrence River again and pay the toll ($5.80) before rejoining route 20 and turning West towards Ontario.

    We cross back into Ontario and join Hwy401 towards Cornwall, ON. However, yet more construction slows us again just 10km before our exit into the village of Long-Sault.

    We drive onto the Long-Sault parkway that takes us to our destination, McLaren campground one of the parks of the St. Lawrence where we are meeting friends and are staying for 3 nights.

    We enjoy a hamburger for dinner and enjoy the sunset before a campfire and then settling down for the night.

  • Day 01: Heading to Quebec City

    Day 01: Heading to Quebec City

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    Today we start a new trip into Quebec. It will be a short trip this time with us planning only 11 nights being planned.

    After completing the loading of our gear, we head out shortly after 9:00am heading toward Montreal. We are traveling with Mr & Mrs Milddogs.com for the first few days and so it is a small 2 vehicle convoy that travels South towards Hwy401 and then turns East towards the border with Quebec.

    On the road again

    Each vehicle decides to take a different route to Tori’s-Rivières with one heading through Montreal on Autoroute 40 and the other skirting South of the city on Autoroute 30. We took the Southern route which would be slightly longer but we were hoping for much less traffic. After paying the $5.80 toll to cross the St. Lawrence River, we turned East across the southern edge of the city. The route was turning out to be as expected with light and fast moving traffic. As we approached Autoroute 20 the traffic increased and we were slowed for a few minutes with one or two cringy brake applying moments just before the exit from the 30. Autoroute 20 took us further East and the traffic again lightened and the driving was easy. The weather was perfect with clear skies and mild temperatures, we were enjoying the passing scenery as we trundled towards Drummondville wondering how our traveling companions were doing in Montreal.

    Crossing the St. Lawrence River (twice)

    We turn North from the 20 and head towards Tori’s-Rivières. Stopping briefly to stretch our legs we head once again over the St. Lawrence and join Autoroute 40 East towards Quebec. We stopped at a small Fromagerie where we met up with Mr & Mrs Milddogs.com. Their route had been a few minutes faster as the GPS had predicted and like us they had no major traffic issues crossing Montreal.

    The Fromagerie des Grondines has a nice selection of cheeses and artisan jams, mustards, quiches, beers and wines. We got a little cheese, a quiche for breakfast and a couple of beers for later.

    After returning to the highway, we stopped again briefly to fill up with fuel before heading into Quebec City where we plan on camping for the next couple of days.

    Shortly after 3:00pm we arrived at our camping destination the Stationnement Bassin Louise VR – Port de Québec. Yep, we’re camping in a parking lot next to the Quebec marina located a short walk from Old Quebec City.

    Quebec City

    After setting up and paying our fee for the night, we head out for a walk and end up at the Chateau Frontenac. We enjoy a beer and charcuterie on a patio enjoying the afternoon sun and watching the tourists walk by whilst catching up on life events with our friends.

    Beers and charcuterie enjoyed here

    The beer consumed we head to the Dufferin terrace where we enjoy a wonderful view down and across the St. Lawrence River before heading to an ice cream shop. The walk back down to the van took us past the train station and onto the marina.

    We spent the evening outside of our vans enjoying a beverage and watching the lights come on and illuminate the city. In all, it was a great start to the trip and I’m sure we’ll really enjoy the next week or so.

  • Day 45: Let’s get home, shall we?

    Day 45: Let’s get home, shall we?

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    This is it, our last day on the road as part of this adventure. There is a sense of sadness that it’s almost over yet we are looking forward to being home and enjoying Spring around our home.

    After a quiet night we awake fairly early and begin to prepare the van for the drive home. We enjoy a light breakfast with Kath & Al and set off shortly before 10:00am after thanking them for the wonderful hospitality they’ve extended to us over the past couple of days.

    We head through Meaford and proceed onto Collingwood before turning slightly South towards Barrie and then onto Orillia, ON. It’s Friday before the 3-day Victoria Day weekend and as such there’s more traffic on the roads as many have taken the day off work so that they can get to their weekend destinations ahead of the main thrust of traffic later in the day.

    Leaving Orillia, we head towards the Kawartha Lakes region and then onto Peterborough where we pick-up Hwy-7 and head East towards Norwood, ON. We stop for fuel and then a quick picnic lunch that empties the fridge of the last of our groceries.

    Back on the road we head towards Sharbot Lake Provincial Park where we pay a day-use fee to allow us access to the tank dumping facilities. A little while later we leave Hwy-7 and head through Perth and onto Hwy-43 towards our home.

    We stop to pick-up Shawarma for dinner and then head home where we are greeted by Mr. Milddogs who captures our return in the following picture.

    Arriving home

    And with that our Spring 2024 adventure comes to a successful conclusion. It’s been a blast and we’ve seen some wonderful places and enjoyed visiting with friends and family. Until next time, thanks for following along.

    P.S. There will be a summary post for the journey in the coming days once I’ve had a chance to catch my breath.

  • Day 44: …

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  • Day 43: The day we took a shortcut

    Day 43: The day we took a shortcut

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    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.

    Echo Bay, ON

    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.

    Dam in Espinola, ON
    Whitefish River, ON
    Little Current, ON
    Little Current, ON

    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.

    MS Chi Cheemaun arriving at South Baymouth, ON

    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.

    Driving onto Chi-Cheemaun
    Admiring the artwork
    Departing South Baymouth
    Rocky shoreline
    Approaching Bruce peninsula

    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.

    First view of Tobermory, ON

    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.

    Wiarton, ON the home of ‘Wiarton Willy’
    Owen Sound, ON

    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!

    View East towards Meaford, ON and Collingwood Bay beyond.
  • Day 42: …the big lake they call Gitche Gumee…

    Day 42: …the big lake they call Gitche Gumee…

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    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.

    Terry Fox memorial, Thunder Bay, ON

    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.

    Nipigon River bridge
    Nipigon River bridge
    Excavating entire hill for road construction material

    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.

    Aguasabon Canyon and falls, Terrace Bay, ON

    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.

    Story of Winnie-the-Pooh
    Connection between White River and Winnie

    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.

    Wawa goose, Wawa, ON

    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.

    Pancake Bay Provincial Park, ON

    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

    Day 41: Let’s go into the woods today

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    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 2 & Day 3: …

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  • Day 1: Head West Young Man

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    We’re off again. This time the plan is to get to California and then head North into the Sierra Nevada mountains before turning West to the Pacific coast and continuing North into Canada. The final leg will bring us back across the continent through the Northern states before again returning to Canada at Sault-Ste-Marie.

    The van is packed and we’re on the road shortly after 10am. The weather forecast was for rain turning into snow later in the day, we are hoping to arrive in Southern Ontario before the temperature gets cold enough for snow to form.

    The drive along Highway 401 started dry but before long the rain began and intensified significantly. By the time we arrived in Toronto, it was difficult to see more than a few vehicles ahead. Road spray did not help with visibility and driving slowed to a crawl.

    We arrived at our destination by 5:00pm and settled in for the night. We are visiting family for the next few days and our plan is to cross into the US on Saturday, this will be our next post.

    Looking forward to having everyone follow us again on our adventures via this blog.

    Let the adventure begin!

    Until next time, keep on smiling!

  • Winter is coming…

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    It’s been a while since my last post in June. Since that time we enjoyed Summer at home while taking a couple of shorter trips with the van to local camping spots along the St. Lawrence River and Provincial Parks. We also headed to Southern Ontario on a roadtrip in September that included a week in Prince Edward County enjoying the beach and the local wineries and restaurants the county has to offer. We also visited the Kawartha region before heading to Georgian bay to visit family. Our three weeks ended with some driveway camping visiting family before we came home.

    As you can see from the picture above, the van is now nicely tucked away for the impending Winter having had a service and all waterlines drained & winterized. This shelter has kept the van safe for the past two Winters and I hope that it will get us through another as the roof is starting to become quite worn from exposure to the sun. Fingers-crossed!

    It’s been a great year of camping that started early in March and ran until late September. We are already making plans for 2024 so stop by again to see what we have planned and to catch-up with our travels.

    Happy Holidays everyone!

  • A Long Day

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    It wasn’t supposed to be a long day but it turned out to be the longest of this trip. Here’s how it all came to be.

    The day started with us enjoying a slow start to the day. We had a light breakfast and then went to the beach expecting to see the tide in but it was out again exposing a long stretch of beautiful beach sand. The pictures below are taken 15min apart and show the influx of elementary school children on the beach enjoying what we assume was an end-of-school outing.

    New River Beach Provincial Park, NB

    We left the campground at 10:30am and headed West towards St. Stephen where we turned North towards Fredericton. The pictures below show some of the backwoods beauty of this province.

    After joining Hwy 2 and driving North for a few minutes, we decided to leave the highway and drive along the side of the Saint John River on the old highway. This led us to seeing a black bear cub as he climbed over the guardrail towards the road in front of us. Yikes! 😳 Brake hard, he sees us & returns to the safety of the trees. Phew. No pictures as it was all over in a second. We stopped in Meductic and ate lunch in the van overlooking the river.

    Saint John River

    Shortly after lunch we stopped in Hartland to look at the worlds longest covered wooden bridge. It was closed for construction and as no traffic was able to cross it gave me an excellent chance to view the inside of the bridge by standing in the roadway.

    Hartland Covered Bridge, Hartland, NB

    Just North of Hartland we passed a more modern crossing of the river and then we rejoined Hwy 2 towards Edmundston, NB.

    Saint John River crossing, Perth-Andover, NB

    We pulled into the Grey Rock Casino in Edmundston at about 3:30pm. We were supposed to end our day here and camp out in the parking lot for the night but decided that it was too early to stop and so just picked up a cup of coffee and rejoined the highway.

    Our initial thought was to return to the campground in Rivière-du-Loup; however, as it was only 90min North and we were going to cross back into Eastern time, we would arrive at 4:00pm EDT so we looked towards Levis and found a Craft brewery near St. Pascal that welcomes campers. New destination entered into the GPS.

    It was a short while later that I realized that rather than stop just to sleep and then continue, why not simply continue? Home was only 7hrs away. We stopped in Levis for fuel and then continued to Drummondville where we stopped at a rest stop and had a quick meal in the van. Still feeling awake and energetic, we continued onwards towards Montreal where we left autoroute 20 and joined autoroute 30 which would take us around the south shore of Montreal. Below are a few picture of the sunset that we saw shortly before Montreal.

    By the time we get around Montreal and cross the St. Lawrence River we were just 90min from home. We turned West onto autoroute 20 towards Cornwall, ON. After Cornwall we continued to Hwy31 where we turned North towards Winchester. At this point we were almost home and would arrive by 11:30pm. It turned out to be a 12 hour day with time taken out for stops and eating. In all I figured we drove for about 10 hours in which time we left the Bay of Fundy and returned to Eastern Ontario. A distance of about 1100km.

    This concludes our East Coast Tour for this year. We have places we want to go back to as well as places yet to visit, as such we will make the drive again, when? We’re not sure yet, maybe a year or so.

  • Notre vue depuis la route

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    Bonjour! As you might be able to guess today we set-off on our East coast trip to the Maritimes & we are starting in ‘la belle province de Québec’. (Oh, the title of this post is ‘Our view from the road’ for those of our readers that do not read French.)

    Restless night, so am tired this morning but managed to go for a 6km walk before completing prep to leave. We drive out of the laneway at 9:30am and head into town to top off with fuel and then onto Winchester where we stop at Tim Horton’s for a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Hwy31 takes us to Hwy401 where we turn East towards Cornwall, ON. We cross into Québec and cross the St Lawrence river at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield before joining the Autoroute30 that takes us across the southern side of Montreal. At Boucherville we join Autoroute20 which we will follow to our destination in Rivière-du-Loup.

    In all the drive takes about 7.5hrs including a stop for lunch and another for fuel. The day started overcast; however, by the time we got past Montreal the skies had cleared and were a beautiful blue. The only thing that detracted from a relaxed driving experience was the wind. Coming from the East it was blowing across the highway at times gusting above 60kmh. It made for a very tiring day of driving and I was really glad to pull into the “Camping municipal de la pointe” campground.

    We have a site overlooking the St Lawrence and will get to watch the sunset from the van. The temperature is only 10C and so sitting outside in the wind would require a braver constitution than I have.

    Tomorrow we continue along the south shore of the St Lawrence as we begin our exploration of the Gaspé region. Bon nuit.

  • Nothing to declare

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    Awake at 6:30am following a nice night in the park. I head off to the shower hoping that I find hot water. I am mostly satisfied as the water is warm and pleasant enough to enjoy. Barb reports from her slightly later shower that the system was now up-to-speed and supplying plenty of very hot water. Just my luck to have been the first of the day. Showers get a 8/10 loosing points on general cleaniness and age. Security and privacy were very good as each shower is in its own room. Water supply was also very good, not a dribble as can be found in some campgrounds.

    We depart our site at 8:45am and head to the dump-station. It is clean and well equipped with rinse hose. Heading out of the park we head East long US-5 and I turn to head toward Fredonia, NY only to find a railroad underpass with a signed 10’-1” headroom clearance. STOP! At a supposed 10’-0” height for the van I was not about to test either the factory spec or accuracy of the sign so I turned about and headed into Dunkirk, NY where I crossed over the railroad tracks in order to return to the I-90 East.

    The drive into Buffalo and through the city is uneventful and before long we are heading East through Western New York farmland. As the long weekend is over the highways are busier with truck traffic than we have seen for the past day or so but in general everyone behaves themselves and before we know it we leave the I-90 and join the I-81 North towards Watertown, NY where we stop for fuel and a sandwich in the van. Barb drops into Walmart and picks up a set of new melamine bowls that she has not been able to find in Canada since returning from the US Southwest a few weeks ago.

    We decide to not cross back into Canada using the Ivy-Lea crossing, but instead turn onto US-37 and head towards Ogdensburg, NY and use the quieter crossing. This allows us to slow down and enjoy the day more and avoid having to drive on Hwy-401. At the bridge I learned that having dually rear wheels costs $9.00CAD instead of $4.25CAD to cross the bridge. I’d not noticed this in previous crossings over the past year or so, but had read online that others had experienced an up charge for the same reason on other toll roads and bridges.

    Canadian customs was not busy and the staff efficient and much more pleasant than their US counterparts that we engaged with just a few days ago. Yay!

    Driving home along Hwy-416 we both agreed that it was once again nice to be home in Canada and that, at least for now, we were both USA’d out for a while. We are looking forward to the Maritime leg of this trip which we plan on starting in just a few days, so check back soon for more updates from the road.

  • Arriving in Indy

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    After enjoying a beverage and slice of pizza at our hosts last evening, we enjoyed a long and silent night.

    The views across the farmland this morning were serene. Windmills on the horizon quietly turning about their business whilst a few early farming types were up and running about getting a jump on the days chores.

    We get going at about 8:45am and head back towards highway 401. The border crossing at Windsor is only about 45 min away and so we are hoping to beat the Saturday rush. Not quite.

    Crossing into Detroit

    US Customs is busy with many lanes open for traffic each having between 6 and 9 vehicles waiting. We join a line of 6 cars and 1 minibus. Mistake #1. The minibus takes a while for all passengers to be processed and then the lane is closed temporarily while there is a shift change of agents.

    Our turn comes and it isn’t long before we realize that we have inherited the badass agent out to prove something to someone. We’re grilled. We’re boarded. We’re released. Phew. 25 minutes in all to clear US Customs. Argh.

    Detroit driving is actually very good and the I-75 South towards Toledo flows smoothly. Potholes, lots. Construction, also lots but as it’s Saturday we pass right through without any delays.

    Before we know it we’re driving around Toledo and onto US-24 towards Fort Wayne, IN. This is a beautiful road. Quiet, smooth, relatively flat.

    When we arrive in Fort Wayne we head towards town and stop for fuel and groceries at a WalMart. Whilst stopped we made ourselves lunch in the van.

    Back on the road we head now towards Indianapolis. Traffic builds as we get into the city as there are lots of construction zones we need to slow down for. We head around the city on I-465 and then take I-65 towards the Speedway. A few more turns and we’re driving down Georgetown Road towards IMS Lot 1-A where we are camping whilst in town.

    A friendly campground host sets us up in a really nice spot at the edge of the camping field away from the rowdiest of campers. Excellent!

    IMS Lot 1-A campsite

    We’re meeting friends while here and they pick us up in their truck shortly after we arrive. We go back to their hotel which is next to the Indianapolis Colts football stadium and enjoy a couple of drinks while catching up on everyone’s travels from Ottawa to Indy.

    We take an Uber downtown to Fogo de Chāo a Brazilian Steakhouse where all enjoyed a wonderful meal while telling tales and laughing at ourselves and the escapades enjoyed throughout our long term friendships.

    Barb and I took an Uber back to the campsite to end the day and fell asleep to the thrum of generators, music and fireworks.

    Tomorrow, the Indy 500. That’s it, that’s all, a motor race. Sleep tight everyone! Vroom, vroom.

  • Heading West to go East?

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    Welcome to the first in a series of posts in which we will share with you a trip to the Canadian Maritime provinces. We’re traveling in our 2022 PleasureWay OnTour 2.2 camper-van again and plan on staying at a variety of campgrounds along the way. It’s late May 2023 and our plan is to complete this trip over the next four weeks arriving home ahead of Canada Day (July 1st). We hope you enjoy reading about our travels and will check back often as we add to Our View From The Road.

    It’s Friday. It’s early. It’s day one of a new adventure. We’re excited. We’re off…. But wait, why are we heading West? I thought this was a series of posts about going to the East coast? Remember I said, it’s late May? That can only mean that it’s time again to head to Indianapolis for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 !!!!! That’s right, we’re heading back for a 2nd year.

    7:00am and I’m out for my 5km walk, a beautiful morning. 8:40am and we’re out of the laneway. Towards Prescott and Hwy-401. Our first stop was the Mallorytown OnRoute service center for fuel and breakfast. Not a huge Tim’s fan but it does fine for this morning. The driving is good for a Friday, the usual compliment of trucks setting the pace whilst impatient drivers try to carve around them.

    Toronto comes and goes. Early Friday afternoon traffic slows us a little but soon we’re cruising past the airport and on our way out of town.

    Our next stop is the Cambridge OnRoute this time only for gas. $1.709 / litre for regular, ouch. We’re getting hungry but decide to push on.

    Woodstock OnRoute and we stop to take a break in the picnic area. This is a wonderfully quiet, shady spot to take a break and enjoy a sandwich in our van. Not much further today so we finish up and get back on the road.

    Past London, West Lorne and finally we pull off of the highway at Blenheim. Our stop for tonight is the Red Barn Brewing Company. As a Harvest Hosts location, we stay for the cost of trying some of their goods. They are fairly new based upon the nice barn structure in which they are situated. They have a nice outdoor patio and some activities to enjoy such as the game of cornhole. The beer selection is quite good and we buy a few to enjoy whilst traveling about.

    Tomorrow we cross into the US of A. Sleep well everyone.

    Sorry but there are no pictures from today, we were just to focused on our destination and forgot to pickup the camera.