Day 3–Moonbeam to Nipigon

The alarm woke us up at 6:30 this morning which gave us plenty of time to get on the road by 7:40. A quick stop to take a photo of the space ship then we were on the road to Kapuskasing where we got gas and Tims coffees.

 

The road has been in pretty good shape up until the other side of Kap. After that, well, lets just say it was terrible until Hearst. After which it was good road. There was some construction here and there, but it wasn’t too bad, mainly because there is no traffic. There were long stretches today where we only saw the occasional vehicle coming the other way.

(If there are any typos it is because I’m being bounced out of my seat as I type this bit.)

We went over 1000km this morning at 9:28. Slowly but surely we make our way west. Aside from better roads since Hearst, there isn’t much else other than trees, rocks, and more trees. The terrain became more rolling. As the miles have slid by, knowing how far we have left to go, it can’t help but strike me about how very big our country is. There have been times we’ve crested a hill to see miles out over forest – with nothing. Imagine what it must have been like to be an explorer with such vastness around you.

So far we’ve averaged 10.4 mpg. With diesel prices being high up here our pockets will be empty by the time we reach Alberta!

noon – JUST SAW OUR FIRST MOOSE!

The miles just flew past. We made a few more short stops to stretch our legs.

 

At one point the landscape suddenly changed – we aren’t in Kansas anymore Toto!

We decided to push past the first campground I had tagged and drove another hour (or was it 2) to end up at Birchwood Campground just outside of Nipigon, not long after we turned onto highway 17. Of course it started to rain…

It is a very small campground but well kept. The sites have plenty of space, we don’t feel like we are hemmed in. We haven’t been anywhere yet were we could go for a long walk, no wonder the dogs are starting to get a bit antsy. (I’m watching a guy walk his lovely Siamese cat on a leash. We’ll wait to walk the dogs for a few minutes!)

The rain let up soon after we got here, but by 7pm it was raining again. I just hope it lets up for bedtime potty run.

Speaking of dogs – Spike hasn’t really relaxed into long drive mode yet. He backseat drove for much of the morning. After I gave him some Rescue Remedy he settled down and had a nap. As soon as he was in the camper he was in his bed asleep – with his back towards us.

Tomorrow we are planning on making a big push to Kenora. It will be a long day, but then we’ll stay for 2 nights. Carm seems to be handling the driving well – thankfully he’s not as exhausted as I am.

I’ve been getting regular updates from Ruth about Grace. As I expected she has settled in well and is making herself at home. We miss her here, but these long days would be terrible for her.

I may have no luck posting this (Wednesday), in which case I’ll post Thursday when we get close to Thunder Bay – we are sure to pick up internet there again.

I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward.

David Livingstone

 

Are we there yet?

Day 2–North Bay to Moonbeam

We were up bright and early at 6am this morning as I messed up the alarm clock setting. I’ve got it all fixed up for tomorrow though. We are waking up to  “Here We Go”  – nothing like a burst of excitement to start the morning.

After a leisurely coffee and breakfast we were on our way by 7:15, heading north on highway 11. We were going to take the Superior route but decided on this route out as it is supposedly more direct and faster. We’ll take the long road coming home.

As we were preparing to leave we got hit with some showers, but they stopped fairly quickly. By 10:30 the skies had somewhat cleared giving us a bit of bright sunshine. The clouds waxed and waned all day, ending with heavy clouds with drizzle as we pulled into our destination in Moonbeam.

As we drove north out of North Bay the terrain quickly changed to bush with a mix of poplar, birch and spruce. Dotted with lakes it was pretty.

Around Cobolt we saw signs for the Cobolt Mining Museum, just 7km off the main highway – it didn’t take us long to decide to take a peek. It turned out to be a charming museum – a nice break from the highway.

 

Back on the highway it was more rocks and trees, then suddenly we crested a hill and laid out below us was a huge valley of farm fields. We saw soy, oats, bright fields of canola, and even some corn. It was a welcome break from the bush! This landscape lasted for less than an hour – trees, rocks and sand followed. It looked more like we expected the north to look like.

1:30 pm in Cockran we finally turned WEST! Westward ho!!!

 

We pulled into Twin Lakes Campground, in Moonbeam Ontario at around 2:45. Moonbeam is home town to one of our friends so we thought it would be a good spot for an overnight. There’s a spaceship on the main drag (I didn’t get a photo).

We started the day with temps in the low 20s (C), but by the time we got here the temp had dropped to a mere 8C. Burr and yuck. It is a shame as the park is pretty with a “lake” with a sandy beach. No beach for dogs though. Our site is long and much wider than yesterdays. It is separated from the neighbours by a line of spruces. We have full-service which lets us have long hot showers in our own camper.

Have I mentioned how cold it is though? I fully expect to wake up to snow on the ground.

Also, I’ve been too tired at the end of the day to crack open the bottle of bubbles in the fridge! But it is waiting there for us when the mood strikes.

Westward, ever westward.
Henry Wells

Are we there yet?

Try again of Yesterdays Map