So this would seem to be the Ontario post as we're on our way out of it. Also like Ontario, it will be huge and take a long time to get through. You have been warned.

After having lunch with Dave in Winnipeg, we headed east. We were a little misty eyed when we hit Ontario. It just felt like we were home. Again, the terrain changed almost instantly as the road began to cut through huge amounts of rock and the lakes became abundant (it was like watching tennis. Lake on the right, lake on the left, lake on the right, lake on the left).

Our first stop was at Blue Lake provincial park between Kenora and Dryden. It was just as we'd expected from Ontario Parks; a well signed, well maintained campground (other provinces should learn how to put signs up on the highway).



Once again, there was only 1 or 2 other groups in a campground made for 200-300. We ended up at a spot that was as close to the lake as possible (no beach sites this time) and proceeded to freeze our west coast climatized butts off. It wasn't as cold as Jasper or Lake Louise but it was supposed to get warmer in Ontario! We were promised warmth! Anyhoo, it warmed up the next morning and we took a walk around the fen (a fen is, as we were told by the park brochure, somewhere between a bog and a lake). Fens are so acidic that bacteria have trouble living in them. This has the effect of vegetation and animal matter from decomposing at extremely slow rates, if at all. It was, of course, beautiful.



We drove from there to Thunder Bay where we stayed in a Days Inn. It was our first glimpse of Lake Superior and it didn't do it any justice. We didn't see much of Thunder Bay as we got in late that night, only the standard drive around the city trying to find a hotel that didn't have any of the following:
1. A karaoke bar attached
2. A bar of any sorts attached
3. Large amounts of derelict cars in the grassy areas surrounding it
4. The standard (No)/Vacancy neon sign on the front where the No was either missing or looked like it had never been on

The next day we headed east along the trans-Canada and came across the Terry Fox monument just outside of Thunder Bay right around where his cancer relapsed, causing him to stop the Marathon of Hope.



Considering it happened about 27 years ago, it was still remarkably powerful. It is, as Colleen said, hard to think of many people that have done so much by themselves, especially at such a young age. He single handedly started a fund-raiser that raises millions of dollars for cancer research every year, but more importantly raised awareness.

We stopped at a little bay on the edge of Lake Superior. Warm water! Huzzah!



We planned to drive down to Neys provincial park, just west of Marathon, but, luckily as it turns out, it was closed for the season. We ended up heading a little further down the road, into Pukaskwa National Park, south of Marathon. This was the nicest place we've been so far (if I may resurrect my previously created word, the awesomtasticest). We had always just thought Lake Superior was just this huge, cold puddle. As it turns out, every bit of shore could be a Group of 7 painting. Stunning and rocky; waves crashing and spraying as we found out on a "short walk to the beach" that turned into "hike till it's dark".





It too was quiet, but busier than the more recent places. And red squirrels and chipmunks galore! We were a short walk from a gorgeous beach,



where, that night, Colleen went for a swim, proclaiming it to be great for swimming. The next day I found out that the sun must have been particularly warm the previous day. But oh so refreshing!



We continued on to Agawa Bay in Lake Superior provincial park the next day and were greeted with the prospect of another beachfront campsite. We set up tent, walked down the beach for what seemed like an hour or so,



got back and during the making of dinner, Colleen saw a flash on the horizon. Then another. We quickly ate, set up our lawn chairs and proceeded to enjoy a famous Lake Superior thunderstorm.

The precursor


For about an hour we were treated to flash after flash with only the occasional thunderclap from the big ones. At it's peak it was constant lightning across the sky. Eventually driven into the tent by the ensuing rain and a particularly large flash above us, we continued to enjoy the show as our tent, surprisingly, doesn't block the light too well. The rain apparently stopped sometime in the middle of the night as when we woke up the tent was completely dry (a camper's dream!). Also, the Ontario heat was back and we enjoyed a day of about 25 degrees (Celsius for all you naysayers out west).

Then, onto Chutes provincial park, between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. Nothing fancy, but nice and warm with lots of little wildlife to keep us company (one red squirrel wanted to stow away it seems).





Upon waking up we went for a walk along the river to see the falls.



Fall had somehow snuck up on us as we looked about in awe at the leaves changing colour. Colleen figured out that we hadn't seen an Ontario fall (i.e. a real fall. Where it gets colder) since 2003. We'd forgotten how brightly the leaves change colour and promptly exclaimed that fall is our favourite season (ignoring the evil duo of "back to school" and "winter's coming". Let us have our daydreams, we're unemployed and homeless!)

We continued east yesterday to Samuel de Champlain provincial park near Mattawa, ON. Also a nice park that we didn't really get to look around, the weather looked like it was going to foul up on us, but the ever appreciated wind picked up and blew it over, keeping us dry and letting the sunset



and half-moon show through. Again, we were beset by chipmunks and red squirrels. They're everywhere! and cute. and completely unafraid of you unless you make sudden movements (as illustrated by the one chipmunk who decided he was going to do circles around our legs, occasionally jumping on/over our feet as we washed dishes this morning...sorry, no picture).

We're now in Ottawa, at the public library. It kind of snuck up on us. We've got lots of family here that we'd like to visit with so hopefully we'll get to see at least some of them on our way back through in a week or two. It's a beautiful day, and we'd love to be looking around the city, but we've got to get going. Quebec and the Maritimes await.