Andy & Gillie's Big Adventure!: Lilies, Lupins and lakes. And more lakes.

Since our last post, we’ve driven over 2,000 miles across the Badlands of Canada. Do they live up to their name? Oh yes.

After posting our blog in a rather pleasant little car park at Brooks Walmart, we motored on to what sounded like a very nice campground at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. It was punishingly hot so we decided to get our washing done. As one of the washing machines didn’t spin, we had little choice but to employ that rarely seen (in North America) household item – the washing line. Seriously, the weather is perfect for drying clothes outdoors and everyone uses tumble driers. There aren’t even washing lines at campgrounds, unlike Australia and New Zealand. No wonder N. America is in denial about climate change. Honestly.

About half an hour after leaving Swift Current on the Monday (29^th June, if you’re counting), we came across a very strange meteorological phenomenon. Smoke haze covering the sun. Apparently there were at the time more than 100 separate forest fires blazing in northern Saskatchewan and the smoke was drifting as far as Kansas in the USA. This strange atmosphere was to stay with us for more than a week.

On the same day, we pulled into a tiny little (as we thought) town called Caronport for some fuel and didn’t start again. The alternator had packed up and as the mechanic later said, after 27 years it didn’t really owe us anything. Fortunately, this no-horse town boasted nothing other that a fuel station (with attendant Subway), a hotel and a car repair centre, to which we duly limped and, looking all English and helpless, got them to fix it for us that afternoon. We discovered that the sleepy hamlet of Caronport also boasted a huge Christian seminary/college/institute type thing. But term had ended, so we weren’t preached at while eating our Subway lunches. Very odd day.

Soon after this we crossed out of SK (can’t be bothered to keep spelling out Saskatchewan) into Manitoba.

As well as the haze/smoke in the atmosphere, this time of year is also prime time for all types of flying and crawling and biting insect things across the Prairies in Canada, so all things DEET-based have been employed lavishly, especially as most of the campgrounds are either in the woods or next to standing water! Fuckin’ nightmare.

We had planned to stay at a place called Delta Beach, on the shores of Lake Manitoba, for a couple of nights, courtesy of Barry Heal, the chap we mentioned from the Vancouver campground in the last post. When we arrived in the late afternoon, though, we daren’t leave the RV for more than 30 seconds for fear of being eaten alive by bugs of all shapes and sizes. A haven for birds and you can see why. A never-ending supply of flying food. But the bugs have to eat too and when there’s human blood around – well…

Exit, chased by blackflies, mosquitoes, little flies, big flies, fuckin flies, bastards, bugger, bit again, bollocks.

Actually, we came across yet another very interesting and somewhat disturbing phenomenon on our way out the next day. In a shallow stream coming away from the marsh, we saw literally dozens of fish all about two-to-three-feet long and of commensurate girth (not being a fisherman, I don’t need to exaggerate this) splashing around by the edge of the ditch, with probably 40-50 equally large, but very dead, ones floating in the middle. Not wanting to donate any more blood to the local insect population and not being able to find anyone stupid enough to be standing outside feeding the flies, we haven’t been able to fathom the cause of this phenomenon. Anyone help?

Not long after we reached Ontario and stayed at a lovely little campground near Kenora for Canada/Independence Day celebrations. Still searingly hot and muggy, we found out that our little campground was having fireworks on the Saturday (4^th) July, so after repleting ourselves with another expertly-cooked bbq and supping an elegant sufficiency (cheers Mike) of beer and wine, we strolled along at about 9.30 – just getting dark – for the fireworks.

No sooner had the first squib launched into the air, than the heavens started to drop big fat drops of water, making all the rest of the squibs rather damp. We stuck it out for as long as we could then legged it back for some restorative beer (and wine) while listening to and watching another spectacular and natural firework display from the comfort of Molly Too.

Very strange campground the following night in a place called Ignace, complete with massive thunderstorm again. Suffice to say we did not take advantage of the kind offer of a free canoe on Lake Agimak as we would have been drowned without going in the water.

More Walmart and pleasant campgrounds followed, but by now we were moving into Great Lakes country. If you’re not driving past lake Superior for about five days, then you’re driving around one of its little friends. The only trouble is, we can only catch glimpses of the lakes as we drive past, as they’re hidden by miles and miles of pine forest. It’s lovely when we do see them, but otherwise lots of miles of more or less decent, flat, straight, endless road.

There are lots of lovely lupins to see by the side of the road, though – pinks and purples and all colours in between. Over the last couple of days, we’ve also noticed ponds rammed full of lilies, all coming into bloom and no doubt harbouring a few zillion mosquitoes each too. So that’s justified today’s title.

Sault (pronounced Soo) Ste. Marie was a bit of a dump – at least the bit we saw where we were treated to a new form of torment – the ‘only-started-today’ Shad Fly. WTFF???!!!

By the end of Thursday, we were a bit twitchy. Well done Moeen for getting us up to 430 and of course Rooooooooooooot, but the Aussies still had some firepower even with five wickets down.

By the end of Friday, with new (damp) firewood in a very expensive campsite - $11+ reservation fee!!!! We still weren’t safe, but woke up Saturday morning to the comforting realisation that the Aussies were falling apart. For a team that wasn’t given a chance, well it could all still go horribly wrong, but…we’ll see. These last two paragraphs have mostly been about cricket – in case you didn’t know.

Sudbury is also a shithole – a bit like the one in England I hear you say?!, but we moved on quickly after a night in a noisy Walmart car park and have found ourselves in a lovely campground by Parry Sound, where we took a boat trip in gorgeous weather around the 30,000 Islands, but only counted 28,946 – cheating buggers these Canucks. Staying here tonight, then on to somewhere else before taking advantage of Hannah’s lovely Uncle Stuart and Aunt Marie and staying a night, on Saturday, at their house in Burlington, before going on to our house sit in Toronto next Sunday. Will keep you posted.

PS. Gosh, it’s hot. I never thought it could be this hot in a country that has snow just about everywhere from November to March! Last Thursday we drove through a tiny place called White River, which has 2 claims to fame. First, in 1935 the temperature dropped to a mind-boggling -57 C (-72 F), the lowest ever recorded in the whole of mainland Canada…Wow!! Second, it was the home of a bear cub called Winnipeg, who was exported to London Zoo in 1914 and became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh!! Who says I don’t read my Rough Guide… I had to do something during the nearly three weeks of plains, plains, forests and even more forests.

Don’t get me wrong, I love forests particularly, but when you know there is one of the biggest lakes in the world, just out of sight, behind the trees, grrrrrrr!! Anyway we emerged finally, to be able to cruise on said lake and proceed to have the most wonderful Monday morning you could possibly hope for, bliss… I’ve mentioned before that the campsites in the US and Canada are not a patch on those in NZ and Australia. Well on Sunday we found a lovely one in Parry Sound that we can say is nearly as good, it was really well run, with a lovely swimming pool. While bobbing around in the water I came across a couple from Camberley (very near Fleet!). They said we must go to Nova Scotia, so on their advice we are rearranging our plans a little and after Toronto will be heading north, to see what all the fuss is about!

Four more nights sleeping in Molly and then two weeks in a bed!! As much as I love Molly and she is soooo comfortable, after two months, the thought of a bed in a real house, ooh… On 23^rd July it’ll be exactly one year since Andy and I retired, so we are going to hit the hotspots of Toronto to celebrate (it’ll also be just over ten months since we left the UK!) Wow!! Bye for now, keep your comments coming in, we LOVE to hear from you. G xxx