Road Tripping

Featured Pic: Dre and the Goose look towards sunset, Wawa

It’s been way too long since I did a post here. I think I’ve lost the routine I had some years ago when I was posting nearly every week. Since I ended my neighbourhood stories AND have a dog that prefers the same parks to walking the streets, that clearly results in less new material! But, this past Summer, Dre and I did a few road trips that are definitely share-worthy. In 2013, I decided to make Canada my bucket list, versus travelling to other parts of the world. Funny how we seem to leave touring the places/country we grew up in when we’re younger and tend to stay closer to home later on in life. Well, that’s how it was for me anyway.

Quebec City

VERY busy over the Labour Day weekend

Pretty ‘lower’ Quebec City

The highway from Quebec all through New Brunswick were littered with these signs

My buddy travelling in style

Sunset in Lunenberg

Lobster dinner on the Pier, Lunenberg

Stephen, Greg and I on our first night in Lunenberg

Gorgeous Lunenberg

Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia

Gorgeous Peggy’s Cove

Gorgeous Peggy’s Cover

For the first time, we took to the road eastward. We have friends in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, so why not right? And what a great trip it was. We went via Quebec and New Brunswick before arriving at our destination where we stayed for five days. What a gorgeous part of Canada. Six to eight hours a day in the car was what we averaged, and to be honest, that was often the best part of the trip. Seeing and feeling the beauty and expanse of Canada by road is mind-boggling. Luckily there were some sweet stops; Quebec City,  Riviere du Loup, Fredericton and Ottawa.

Some takeaways from that trip were: once you leave Ontario, you’ll be lucky to see a cop! There were no homeless people in Quebec City, the stink of manure permeates through the countryside in Quebec, the squiggly icon in New Brunswick means ‘scenic route’, the backroads in all three provinces were beautiful and practically empty and the Irving family seem to own the east coast gas station empire.

The Ovens Walk outside of Lunenberg

The Ovens – owned by Harry Chapin’s family

Downtown Lunenberg

Mahone Bay

Beautiful Hirtle’s Beach outside Rose Bay

Fredericton Sunset

Highway 138 in Quebec – stunning highway along the St. Lawrence

Dre at St. Anne de Beau’Dre’

Gorgeous highway 138 in Quebec

Backroads in New Brunswick!! Be careful

My favorite sign in Quebec

Sunset at Riviere du Loup, Quebec

When we returned, we pretty much turned around and took to the road again. I’d rented a cottage up Bracebridge way for the weekend of Sept 28th and decided after that to keep going. I mean, if you haven’t been up to Thunder Bay, you should go! That was my thought. I had camped there a few years back with a friend, on the south shore of Superior (Agawa) and had gone on a train trip to the canyon last year with Miss Daisy, but had never been to the ‘top’. So, we did. What an incredible journey.

Start to Road Trip 2 – Our cottage in Carnarvon

The Three Stooges

Tobermory, waiting for the ferry to Manitoulin

The Chi-Cheemaun ferry to Manitoulin Island – practically empty in early Oct

Our sweet digs on Manitoulin Island

Sunset from our dock

Bridal Veil falls – look at all those spawning salmon!

Gore Bay, Manitoulin

On our morning walk near Kagawong

On our morning walk near Kagawong – we saw a family of deer skipping through this field

The weather on both trips was not by any means, perfect. We had beautiful days, rainy days, and got to experience Hurrican Dorian first hand in Nova Scotia! And on our drive from Wawa to Thunder Bay, it decided to snow. I’ve been dubbed the Rain Goddess by a few friends in the past, and while I escaped that moniker over this past year on other trips, the crown found me a few times on these two. Hopefully that’s it for the year! But rain, snow, wind and crazy weather make these trips all the dramatic and fantastic. I mean who wants pefectly sunny days all the time? Lol

Our last night on Manitoulin – great lookout point

En route to 10 Mile Point on the east of the island

Beautiful Highway 6 on the way to Wawa

Beautiful Highway 17 to Wawa

Old Woman Bay, Superior Prov Park

Old Woman Bay, Superior Prov Park

YEP! Snow on the way to Thunder Bay from Wawa

YEP! Snow on the way to Thunder Bay from Wawa

Incredible Kakabeka Falls, outside Thunder Bay

View from Terry Fox Memorial to the Sleeping Giant

Beautiful memorial to Terry Fox, a Canadian hero, Thunder Bay

Trail to Ouimet Canyon – a gorgeous walk

Stunning Ouimet Canyon, outside Thunder Bay

Birches in Kivi Park, Sudbury

Stunning stop on the way back from Thunder Bay to Wawa

From Sudbury to Huntsville, the back road

Sudbury – old hospital turned mural. Stunning entrance to Bell Park

Back roads from Huntsville home

Miner’s Memorial, Bell Park, Sudbury

Aguasabon Gorge, along Hwy 17 near Thunder Bay

The iconic Canada Goose in Wawa

A few takeaways from that trip were: hitchikers are alive and well north of Sudbury, the gas increases exponentially north of Sudbury to Thunder Bay (it was $1.36/litre at its most $$), the coffee gets worse the further north & west you go, Tim Horton’s & Starbucks are practically non-existent north of Sudbury (smart Ontarians!) and the highways from Manitoulin Island (#6) and from Sudbury to Thunder Bay (#17) were two of the most beautiful I’ve ever been on.

When you’re thinking of your next trip, think car. Think Ontario. Think the gorgeous great expanse. And get goin’!