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.
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.
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.
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.
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, ONWhitefish River, ONLittle Current, ONLittle 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-CheemaunAdmiring the artworkDeparting South BaymouthRocky shorelineApproaching 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.
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 bridgeNipigon River bridgeExcavating 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-PoohConnection 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Days 45 & 46 were spent visiting family & there was no specific post for those days.
This is it, the last day of this trip. We are up early and it’s cool. We enjoy breakfast and say our goodbyes (for now) and hit the road. Our first stop is just a few blocks away at a public dump station where we empty our tanks for the last time.
We drive cross-country towards Cambridge, ON where we join Hwy 401E towards Toronto. The traffic is steady but being a Sunday there are few trucks on the road. This allows traffic to flow easily and before we know it we’re in Toronto passing the airport.
Traffic comes to a short halt a couple of times as we cross the city but nothing that causes any real delays. We stop at the highway service center near Port Hope, ON where we grab a sandwich and coffee before filling up with fuel. Argh! Canadian fuel prices are harsh.
The drive towards Eastern Ontario goes smoothly and we arrive at home by mid-afternoon. The tree damage from the recent ice storm looks severe and will take some time to clean up, but that’s for another day.
Before (March 8, 2023)After (April 25, 2023)
This trip has been amazing, we’re both tired and looking forward to resuming our home lives but for now, we sit and reflect on the sights and experiences we’ve shared in recent weeks.
As mentioned in my last post, I hope to post a summary of our trip in the upcoming days so watch for it. Thanks again for coming along for the ride & we hope you join us again on our future trips.
So this is it, our last day of this trip in the USA and it starts with another beautiful morning. We enjoy a quick breakfast and pack up the van for the drive.
We head out and immediately have a small issue, our phones (used for GPS mapping functions while on the road) are not connecting to a network. Luckily as this is the last US leg and we’re somewhat familiar with where we are going we can push on. We figure out over the next few hours that it’s only an issue with AT&T, if we change our phones to use Verizon they work fine.
We head towards Fort Wayne, IN and have to decide which route to take. Detroit or Lansing. I’d prefer to avoid Detroit because of traffic and construction, but Lansing will add about an hour to our drive time. We’re tired of driving and so Detroit it is. At Fort Wayne we head NE towards Toledo, OH and hope that we don’t get caught up in any major delays.
We’ve already noticed the lack of leaves on the trees when compared to our drive of yesterday. Spring is only just beginning in the Northern states.
Toledo, OH is under construction, or at least the I-75N is. It gets better as we cross into Michigan, but then in Detroit it feels as if they’ve decided to completely redo the entire highway system. We muddle on and emerge the other side of the city unscathed. Yay!
A quick lunch stop at McD’s and then a stop at one last US gas station. It seems like just a few minutes later and we’re paying the bridge toll (Debit/Credit only, cash no longer accepted). Over the Bluewater bridge and into Ontario.
Canada Border Protection Services happily allow us to re-enter Canada with a minimal delay (less than 5min total from bridge to Hwy 402). Yay, we’re home, Eh!
Our last hour for the day takes us along the shore of Lake Huron to Grand Bend where we stop at Tim Horton’s for a coffee (Mmm, Timmies) before heading to Exeter, ON where we are spending a couple of days with Barb’s parents.
This marks the end of daily posts for this, our 2023 Southwestern US tour. I will put up a post in the upcoming days about our drive across Ontario towards home as well as one or two posts summarizing the trip in the next week or so. Whether you’ve followed us regularly or just found our blog, thanks for reading. I hope that you’ve enjoyed our view from the road.
Thanks for coming along with us!
BTW, we are planning a tour of the Maritime provinces in just a few weeks, so watch out for another series of posts starting soon. Cheers.
Welcome back to our travel blog! The long and snowy winters end approaches; however, not quickly enough for these intrepid explorers. And so this post finds us heading out in search of sunnier and warmer climes in the Southern US. Todays drive took us from the US/Canadian border, across the Blue Ridge mountains and into the state of Virginia.
It’s 6:00am and half of the house is awake for the day, it should be a busy one. No snow overnight so at least there’s none to brush off of the van before we can drive. Now, time to go for a walk and then the final loading to complete. 9:00am target departure. Wish us luck!
About to hit the road
Ok, so 9:30am and we’re rolling out of town after dropping a package off at the post office. The roads are dry and it’s sunny, a good omen we believe.
The St. Lawrence river is open water signaling that Spring is near. The border crossing is very smooth with just a few cursory questions concluding with the agent saying a rather abrupt “Goodbye”. Several hundred yards later at the bridge toll booth we were held up slightly as a trucker maneuvered his/her 11’6” wide load through a series of bollards signed at being 11’6” clear. Some of the item wrapping brushed against the bollards but otherwise no damage done. Nice driving.
The drive across US37 towards Watertown, NY was easy and a nice way to ease into what would be a long day.
We picked up I-81 and headed South towards Syracuse and onto Whitney Point where we stopped at the visitor center and had a ham & cheese wrap for lunch.
Frost capped trees near Whitney Point, NY
Binghamton, Scranton and Wilkes Barre soon followed as the interstate took us further South with each passing mile. By this point in the journey almost all of the snow on the ground was gone and the temperature was steadily above zero Celsius. By the time we cross out of Pennsylvania and into Maryland the temperature is a steady 8C, that’s 15C above this mornings temperature at home!
Crossing the Potomac
Driving through West Virginia the sun sets and the nighttime truck traffic is taking over the interstate, time to find a park up. Like Mr & Mrs Milddogs last year, we decided to stop at the Cracker Barrel in Winchester, VA. where we enjoyed a chicken dinner before settling down for the night. I was even carded when requesting a beer with my dinner! 59 and still looking under 25! I’ll take it.
Sunset
It was a very long day of driving which saw us arrive at 7:15pm, almost 10 hours after leaving home. Tomorrow should be shorter and will see us head towards Chattanooga, TN. Stay tuned for how we make out.
Before signing off for the night, let’s address a few questions you, our readers, might have. 1. How are you handling the colder temperatures? Are you not afraid of the piping freezing while driving through states with temperatures below freezing point? – We left home with the van still ‘winterized’ with plumbing antifreeze in the piping and plan on leaving it that way until the ambient temperatures support ‘dewinterizing’. 2. Have you made any changes or improvements to the van over the winter? – We were generally very happy with the van when we last used it in 2022. We have added a small shelving system under the sink to better organize baskets that we keep there containing various items used in the galley. 3. Was any specific maintenance performed before travelling this year? – As the van currently has only 15000kms on it, only an oil change and service was performed by the Ford dealer last Fall. Other than this, only the typical pre-trip checks of fluids, tyre pressures, etc. were performed. We are expecting to have to perform a little more maintenance upon our return.
It’s Friday, September 23rd and we’re on the road again. This time we’re heading out on a tour that will take us around the Southern Ontario peninsula allowing us to visit family and some places that we’ve not visited before. Our first stop would be Woodstock for a couple of days where we ‘mooch docked’ in my brother’s laneway. The last time we visited was at the start of our Cross-continent trip in May of this year, it was nice to spend some time catching up on what’s new in our lives and those around us.
We left Woodstock on Sunday morning with the goal to head South to Long Point on Lake Erie; however, a quick detour took us past a house near Burgessville (below) familiar to the Fisher family.
Vittoria, ON
Our drive continued South through Norwich and Delhi. This area was the heart of Ontario’s ‘tobacco belt’ growing thousands of acres of the crop throughout the 20th century. As tobacco sales plummeted farmers in this area have had to shift to new crops such as Ginseng, asparagus and root vegetables, the sandy soil proving to be perfect for such crops. During our drive we passed several large distribution facilities setup to collect and take crops to larger metropolitan centers. However, if you looked closely there were still old tobacco drying kilns on many of the farms, left out of denial that they no longer had a purpose.
We stopped in the village of Vittoria, a small community south of Simcoe as I had discovered while researching Barb’s ancestry that a branch of her family had initially settled in Ontario in this area was an integral part of the community and contributed to the building of the local Baptist church.
“Located about three miles from Lake Erie, the little village had become, in the early 1800’s, the most active and important commercial centre between Niagara Falls and Detroit. It was not only the hub of the Long Point Settlement, but also, from 1815 to 1825 the judicial capital of the London District of Upper Canada, hosting the district courts and the Registry offices.” (Website: Welcome to Vittoria, Ontario, Canada)
We discovered that the church building still stands but now houses a bakery with the main floor being a space available for renting by the community. We purchased a few goodies from the bakery and were directed toward a local pizzeria whose specialty is ‘Dill Pickle Pizza’, Barb couldn’t resist and so lunch was to be a couple of personal sized pizzas that we enjoyed while parked alongside the beach in the village of Turkey Point.
Vittoria, ON – Old Baptist churchVittoria, ON – Interior of Old Baptist churchVittoria, ON – Window in Old Baptist church
Long Point Provincial Park, Port Rowan, ON
Our Sunday drive ended with us leaving Turkey Point and driving to Long Point Provincial Park. Located on the Long Point sandbar that projects into Lake Erie and home to many waterfowl and a stopover for many migratory birds, the area is a destination for many bird watchers.
Below you can see we had a sheltered site surrounded by trees and close to the camp showers. The day had been sunny for the most part, but the winds had been increasing throughout the day with rain forecast in the days ahead. We ventured to the beach and as you can in the photograph below, the winds were quite gusty, yet protected by sand dunes, the campground was sheltered from the wind. We spent two quiet nights camping here.
Long Point, ON – CampsiteLong Point, ON – Windy afternoon!Long Point, ONLong Point, ONLong Point, ONLong Point, ON – Bird Sanctuary
Fanshawe Conservation Area, London, ON
Tuesday September 27th and time to leave Long Point and head North but not before touring a little further West along the lakeshore to Port Stanley. A popular spot for Londoners to get away from the city during the warmer summer months, late September sees the beach empty and nearby businesses closed for the season.
Our drive from here turned North towards St. Thomas and onto London where we stopped for a quick lunch before heading around the city to the Fanshawe Conservation Area where we planned to stay for a couple of nights but ended up staying just one. The campground was quiet with the sites being grassy and treed. Like Long Point, here we also found ourselves outside of any cellular service which hindered our ability to plan our upcoming days.
Fanshawe Conservation Area, London, ON – CampsiteFanshawe Lake, London, ONThames River, London, ON
On Wednesday we headed North into Huron county where we stopped in Exeter and “mooch docked” at Barb’s parents. It was nice to visit for a few days as we had not seen them since May and so we spent time filling them in on our travels this year.
Goderich, ON
Saturday October 1st saw us leave Exeter and head towards Goderich where we would spend the night with Barb’s sister. It also gave Barb the opportunity to go to a beach on Lake Huron, something that she tries to ensure she does at least once a year. You can take a girl away from the lake, but you can’t take the lake away from the girl.
Bluewater Beach, Goderich, ONBluewater Beach, Goderich, ON
MacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, ON
Sunday would see us driving North along the lake towards Port Elgin. the rain from the previous week had moved out and we were now blessed with sunny skies and very nice autumn weather. Near Port Elgin is MacGregor Point Provincial Park, a large park with several campgrounds and a lot of sites some of which are available for camping year-round. Our site was surrounded by trees and only one other site was visible from our site. As you can see in the photos below, we finally had a campfire and enjoyed an epic sunset over the lake. The beach was empty because of the time of year and so afforded us a quiet walk along the edge of the water. This is a beautiful park and we will definitely return for a longer stay in the future.
MacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, ON – CampsiteMacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, ON – CampsiteMacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, ON – CampfireMacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, ON – BeachMacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, ONMacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, ON – Sunset
Port Elgin, ON
After a couple of nights at MacGregor Point, we continued our trip on Tuesday October 4th by first heading into Port Elgin and exploring the harbour area. Clearly another lakeside town that becomes very quiet outside of the warm summer months.
Port Elgin, ONPort Elgin, ON
Our last camping stop of this trip would require us to drive some distance back across the province eastward. Our route took us around the southern edge of Georgian Bay through Owen Sound, Meaford and onto Collingwood where we would then head away from the lake towards Orillia and south to Lindsay and Peterborough before arriving in Campbellford.
Ferris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ON
We arrived at Ferris Provincial Park without a reservation and after the gatehouse had closed for the day. There were instructions to simply drive in and locate a site completing the registration the following day. We chose a treed site in the upper campground and settled in for the next couple of days. A smaller park on the edge of the river just on the outskirts of the town, there are lots of walking trails with some leading into town for easy access to supplies. The suspension bridge across the river afforded some great views along the gorge.
Ferris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ON – CampsiteFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONFerris Provincial Park, Campbellford, ONHappy Campers!
And that’s a wrap for 2022 camping!
As you can see in the picture above, we both enjoyed this trip very much. The Autumn is a favourite time of the year when the weather can still be warm and the fall colours are beautiful. We drove home along Highway 7 towards Perth and then onto Smiths Falls, this drive allowing us to see some stunning displays of fall foliage.
This is our last camping trip in our van of 2022, its been a fun year in which we’ve been fortunate enough to see many beautiful places across the continent. Where will we venture in 2023? For that you will have to ‘stay tuned’ as our planning is now just beginning.
