CANWEST 2022: MAY 5-11

 May 5-11

After a few days at Green Acre RV park in Waterloo, we were able to de-winterize and perform some minor maintenance on the trailer.  All good.  No plumbing leaks etc.  We transported what seemed like a million belongings and clothes and food and packed it all away in readiness for the new adventure.

 

After our first night in the trailer, we were up and packed and over to St. Jacobs Farmers' Market to buy some tamales from The Tamale Lady for Friday night’s dinner with our son Chris, Stephanie and family.  Our first stop on our way west was at their new to them home just north of Huntsville.  Here we driveway mooched - camped in their side yard for two nights and visited with them.

 

Driveway Boon “mooch” docking

 

Stephanie, Elizabeth, Chris, Jerry

And Misty

Mysterious poured concrete circle.  Aliens?

Bomb shelter?

 

We had a nice visit and walk about the property.  The acreage is located adjacent to a small private (turf) airport.  The house was built in 1938 to house pilots in training.  There seems to be some references to Norwegian pilots training during WWII here near Emsdale.

 

Chris and Stephanie are starting a new business adventure up in this area and we wish them well!  

 

Hopefully we can stop in on the way back in October.

 

On the way to Serpent River, we spotted a young moose standing on the railway tracks beside the road.  Great view.

 

May 8,

Mother’s Day.  Misty managed to communicate to Jerry that she wanted to buy a card and gift for the bestest Mom in the world.  We celebrated in Serpent River, a nice campground we have stayed in before.

 

May 9, 10

It’s always a pleasant drive in Northern Ontario: rocks and trees and lakes.  That’s a song, isn't it?  It's still early Spring and not many leaves are out.  The landscape is a greyish green for the most part - Davey's Grey according to Elizabeth.  The bare deciduous branches look like soft fuzzy clouds against the dark green evergreens.

 

On arriving in Sault Ste. Marie, we decided to have lunch at Giovanni’s.  We’d been there before and the food is excellent … probably because it’s Italian.  The KOA campground is just 10 minutes north.  It's a great place and we have an excellent site.  The forecast for Tuesday was 90% heavy rain!  We decided to wait to go cycling because of that and did our chores instead.  The forecast was completely wrong.  It was a simply lovely day.  It wasn't all wasted on chores though, we enjoyed a quiet afternoon in the shade.  It was good that we were able to fill one propane tank that Jerry thought was full from last year.  He says, "I’ll have to stop relying on my memory HA."

 

That night at 12:08 a.m., Elizabeth’s phone rings - unknown caller, so I told her not to answer but we are awake now.  Then my phone starts ringing.  Turned out to be Bell Home (Alarm Force) and our inside garage door had been opened.  They wanted to know if they should call dispatch.  Well, we don't know so, I called Jordan, our grandson who is housesitting and who actually answers his phone.  All is well.  A mistake. Been there/done that.

 

May 11,

In Sault Ste Marie there are some nice cycling options.  Today we cycled part of the Waterfront Trail and also out to the Whitefish Islands trails.  Whitefish Island has a long indigenous history and is now returned to the first nations and is a National Historic Site.  Its name is exactly what it was known for, netting Whitefish and there was a large community of First Nations here.  There was also a graveyard that was moved off the island at the time the people were relocated in the early 1900s.

We cycled the trails to several lookouts on the river.  Every 20 minutes or so we heard a very loud horn and an announcement to be aware of rising water.  Quite annoying on a lovely spring day while biking the trails.  We saw carpets of yellow Trout Lilies along side many Dutchmen's Breeches and further along a huge patch of what I think are called Marsh Mellows - lovely bright yellow flowers.  There were lots of geese and ducks about and many birds singing and chirping.  Elizabeth spotted red-winged blackbirds, lots of warblers and a fleeting glimpse of a bird with spectacular orange decoration.

Back on the mainland, we biked around the historic canal and buildings made of red sandstone.  It is a lovely site.  There were no boats using the canal, it's for recreation boats only now and it's probably too early.  Unfortunately the National Historic Site doesn't open until May.  (Even the washrooms were still locked.)  Perhaps we can visit on our way home in October.

 

Really! Portage of bikes on the trail!  Yikes.

This is the last one of nine swing dams in the world and the only one to actually be used.  If an up river dam broke, releasing uncontrollable waters into the lock system, this “dam” could be swung across the lock (with four man power) and 23 “wickets” would be dropped into place thus effecting a new dam across the locks.

 

We will be sending this out as some folks are wanting to hear from us and we have excellent wifi here at the Sault Ste. Marie KOA.

 

Last evening we received an email indicating that (due to flooding we think,)  our site in Whitefish Provincial Park Manitoba is cancelled.  We have to call to get more info but will likely skip over to Winnipeg instead.  TBA

 

 

Bye for now,

 

Elizabeth, Jerry, Misty, Miss Adventure Too, the guys, Flat Jesus and Clifford the Big Red Truck.