2012.07.20 – Ottawa – Massey (ON)
Most of our gear and bags were already packed in the Subaru Forester. We were quick at leaving home this morning around 8am. We stopped at our local Tim Horton for coffee and breakfast snacks. We stopped at Deep River for gas a washroom stop at the Tim Horton. The driving is pleasant on this sunny day. Traffic is getting lighter the further we go. We stopped in North Bay at the Tourist Information for a washroom break and got directions to a grocery store (Sobey’s) to pick food at their lunch deli. We ate while driving – not the most relaxing lunch. We got to Massey at precisely the time reported by our GPS. We checked into the Chutes Provincial Park. In order to get a bit of exercice, we we explore the Two Bridge trail for ~6kms. Upon our return, we took the car and drove the 1 km into town. We stopped at the DragonFly Ristorante for an excellent supper . Back at the campground, we showered and got ready to the tent. Jenny and Victoria remain quite popular among mosquitoes.
2012.07.21 – Massey (ON) – Marathon (ON)
The alarm woke up us at 7:30am. We packed our gear and tent and drove to the comfort station. On the road we stopped at Tim Horton (Blind River) for a quick breakfast. We started to meet cyclists along the way -many couples and a few solos. We had lunch at a chipwagon in Wawa. We bought groceries in Marathon before heading to the Neys Provincial Park. Some 25 kms further on Highway 17. We ate our BBQ chicken at our campsite. We walked along the beach and showered before retiring to our tent for the night.
2012.07.22 – Marathon (ON) – Kenora (ON)
We all had a great night sleep when the alarm clock rang at 7am. We quickly packed the tent and our gears. We stopped by the conform station before hitting the road. Using the GPS, I confirmed that we would not encounter any Tim Horton this morning. The best we could hope for was for bakery at Terrace Bay ~40 kms away. Given that today is Sunday, we quickly realized that everything was closed. Luckily we found a nice (and expense) local breakfast diner in Schreiber. We relaxed for over 1 hour at the breakfast diner. It was enjoyable to see and hear the locals serving themselves and other in the diner. We stopped at the first Tim Horton we saw but we gave up given that the service was so slow. Again we expected to encounter another TH in Thunder Bay but the road took us away from the downtown area. Although the morning road offered some splendid views of Lake Superior, the afternoon road was more of the rolling type. We drove by very few inhabited placed after Thunder Bay. We stopped for gas in Ignace and some Dairy Queen in Dryden. We were all pleased to arrive at the Rushing River Provincial Park. We were lucky to get a waterfront campsite for a small premium fee. After setting up our tent and taking in the views of the lake, we headed in town at the Boston Pizza since we had not eaten since our breakfast. After a good shower, Victoria played guitar and started a campfire.
2012.07.23 – Kenora (ON) – Yorkton (SK)
Jenny is up before the alarm clock playing games on her Iphone. We are getting quite efficient with our morning routine. Back on the road, we drove into Kenora for our usual Tim Horton take-out breakfast. After some 20 kms, we entered into the province of Manitoba. Within two hours we were in the city of Winnipeg. We filled-up with gas and bought groceries for lunch later on. Leaving the urban area of Winnipeg took awhile but we enjoyed the 100km/h speed limit in Manitoba. I kept on getting passed by everyone! We had some difficulty finding a shaded area for lunch but we managed to stop in a tiny village on highway 16. The landscape is pretty monotonous – farm fields and grain silos. We stopped in Russel to stretch our legs while savouring an ice cream. The sunny and warm weather continues to be with us. We pitch our tent, around 4:30pm, at the City of Yorkton Campground for a bargain price of $20. We relax at our campsite before ending in town for a light evening meal. We are now thinking that we can make Edmonton before the end of the day tomorrow – Jenny is all smiles.
2012.07.24 – Yorkton (SK) – Edmonton (AB)
During the night I awoke up sharply with burning taste in my throat. It seemed that my digestive system was having problem with the tent incline and the nachos I had the previous evening. We left our modest campsite by 7:00am. We filled up the car with gas and yourselves with Tim Horton breakfast/coffee before heading back on Highway 16 towards Edmonton. We had a brief washroom and coffee stop in Saskatoon. We stopped at lunch at Battleford at a pleasant KFC restaurant. We pursued our route to Edmonton where the GPS brought us directly to our hosts place by 5:30pm. Everyone was pleased by the reunite. We had a nice meal, beer and wine – and most importantly for Jenny – no mosquitoes.
2012.07.25 – Edmonton (AB)
Today we focused at shopping at West Edmonton Mail. Victoria and Jason bought most of the items.
2012.07.26 – Edmonton (AB)
Today we went back to West Edmonton Mail at the World WaterPark. Jason, Victoria and I went in around 11:30am with a family pass while Jenny and Jinglang walked in the mail for a 2nd day. We left WEM at 5:00pm. In the evening, Jenny and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood. Jelina dropped by with baby Leihan.
2012.07.27 – Edmonton (AB)
Today we went to visit Fort Edmonton Park (a back in time theme park)
2012.07.28 – Edmonton (AB)
Today, we had dim sum in downtown Edmonton. In the evening, Jenny, Jinglang and Hifou sang some karaoke. Hifou and I moved a heavy lover seat to the basement.
