Month: October 2020

When we were headed back to Ontario in September, Manitoba still had a 14-day quarantine rule for people coming from southern Ontario and east. We checked with the Manitoba government COVID hotline and it was ok for us to go there because we had come from the west. Still, we were feeling conspicuous with our Ontario plates so we headed right to the border after visiting Riding Mountain National Park for a couple of nights. I’m glad we did that one stop in Manitoba and look forward to seeing more of the province in the future.

It felt weird crossing back into Ontario because we no longer had to feel nervous about our plates. During the trip we had developed a habit of quickly letting people know we had left Toronto in early June and gave them the well-worn story of our Magical Mystery Tour.  I felt sad returning to Ontario as it made me more cognizant that our trip was wrapping up soon and the van would have to be winterized. We were already talking about next spring and our next chapter. There is so much more to discover in Canada and farther afield when it’s safe to go south of the border.

Just across the border, in Kenora, Ontario, we got a campsite right in town on the Lake of the Woods. It’s a great campground but was packed with families for Labour Day weekend. Lucky for us we were just using that campground as a parking spot. Our friends, Louise & Ivor, picked us up at the dock, a short walk from  our campsite, and took us to their cabin in Lake of the Woods. It was a 45-minute boat ride to Doris island. There was a wonderful lack of boat traffic, beautiful skies to enjoy with no light pollution and fantastic winds

One day our host’s friends came by including 14-year-old Joey who is a budding wilderness guide. He caught pickerel from the dock, filleted them including the cheeks (a delicacy that many don’t bother with because they are so finicky to cut out and peel the skin off) and we had a delicious fish fry that could not be fresher. 

Our getaway to Doris Island in Lake of the woods was a wonderful way to wind down from our adventures and start to get our heads around staying in one place for a bit. We helped out with getting the place ready to close for the season and keeping the dock from deconstruction during a wild windy day.

We couldn’t avoid heading south much longer so we reluctantly got on our way. All of a sudden it seemed we were rushing home and I wasn’t happy about the trip winding up at that pace. We had such a slow pace for most of the trip and I was not looking forward to going back to reality even though I’m very aware of how odd it is that we were able to travel this year at all, let alone as extensively as we did. It helped that the days were getting shorter and colder. There seemed to be more rainy days too. Thank goodness for the efficient little propane furnace in the van keeping us toasty, along with the alpaca socks – a great investment! 

Our final night, before starting a fall residence at the cottage, was at the first park we had camped at back in June: Lake Superior Provincial Park. We scored a primo lake-front site, surrounded by pine trees, in the tent section away from the big RVs – one of the many advantages of travelling in a campervan is you can be a bit of a chameleon when booking campsites. In the provincial and national parks many of the tent sites, which often have the best locations by the water, allow one vehicle parked on site, up to a certain length. Our van often falls within that length, so we are able to book that primo spot as long as we are ok with no hook-ups to water or electricity. At the beginning of the trip we were grabbing full hook-up sites, but we came to realize we would rather have a beautiful site than hooks-ups. We can go at least a few days without access to water or power.  

So, we enjoyed our super view of Lake Superior and enjoyed our last evening collecting more rocks from the beach and later, listening to rain in the van, reflecting on how wonderful this first chapter of our van life has been. The next day we picked up some beautiful chunks of pink granite at a spot we pulled into for lunch, by the French River. I’m looking forward to rebuilding our pond next spring and will have beautiful mementos from our trip to arrange around it.

After a beautiful but long (22 hours) BC Ferry trip from Port Hardy, Vancouver Island, we arrived late afternoon in Prince Rupert. Cautious of the late arrival, we had booked the closest RV park for 2 nights. It was the lousiest RV park yet! The sites were tiny and littered with a view of a junkyard; the wifi never worked; and, fast traffic in the campground and the adjacent highway. All this and more, for the most we’d spent on a campground yet: $50! Well, we’re learning as we go!

We were disappointed the Prince Rupert museum was not open. We walked around the very interesting building and hope to see the collections next time. Also closed was a nearby cannery that is a National Historic site. Oh well, next time, we keep saying… So we took advantage of the time available and did some errands, stocked up on groceries and got an oil change for our vehicle. The Dodge dealership had great wifi and a comfy waiting room – great for catching up on our admin work.

A few people had mentioned the beautiful drive east from Prince Rupert and it did not disappoint. The drive follows the massive Skeena River (second largest in BC after the Fraser) and is a stunning drive. The beautiful scenery took my mind off the thoughts that we were now driving east and feeling the end in sight to this amazing adventure. I knew we still had lots of great stops and experiences before we would finish and we’ll keep doing this for years, but it just felt like a bittersweet turning point. 

There are lots of places to stop and enjoy the beauty and history of the Skeena. Back in the day before trains and then cars, stern wheeler boats went up and down the river. We stopped in the pretty town of Old Hazelton which has an old stern wheeler permanently on shore. Today the town council chambers are in the boat. Hazleton was relocated when the railway went through and the river was no longer the main transportation route.

We drove as far as Smithers (the residents like to be called Smithereens so you have to love them) and stayed at a great boondock location, the town Ford dealership. The owner is an RV’er and likes to share his property – so kind. We parked at the far end of the lot and had a beautiful view of Hudson Bay Mountain.

Our plan for the next two nights was to stay at a Welcome Boondocker location on Cluculz Lake, just outside of Vanderhoof. The owners of the property have a large lake-side property. They live there, in their RV for the summer and drive the RV to Mexico for the winter. They have the property set up like a small private RV park with space for at least 3 RVs, complete with water and power hook ups. They were so welcoming and it always touches me how people generously share their property for no monetary gain, just because they like to meet fellow RVers.

It was hot so first thing we did was go right to the lake for a swim – the water was very refreshing but a bit weedy and made me miss Lake Joseph. Bob was still on the dock, as I turned to swim back toward shore, I pointed out to him a big eagle that landed in a tree just above us. There was a pair of loons in the lake protecting their young one and calling out warnings to each other. Bob got an amazing shot of the eagle just lifting off in preparation to take the chick but thankfully was deterred. I know it’s bound to happen but I didn’t want to witness the take! Also I was having flashbacks to the bird of prey that eyed me near Fort Walsh.

While in the Vanderhoof area we stopped for a picnic lunch at Heritage Park, a collection of historic buildings relocated to this park, including the information centre. The buildings are normally open to the public and due to COVID they were closed but the staff person on-site kindly got her big ring of old keys and walked us through several buildings. She showed us the 1920s Bank of Montreal, the Vanderhoof Hotel, a lovely small 1920s home built by a local carpenter,and a Mennonite home. She had some great and tragic stories to tell us about each building.

Vanderhoof was quite the character, a wealthy Chicago business man came to the area in the summertime while the railway was being built, He thought he would start a writer’s colony and got people to come up from the US and invest in the scheme. He was woefully unaware of the winters (minus 40 guaranteed) and the investors defaulted on loans putting the 2-year-old branch of Bank of Montreal into bankruptcy, The other industries of the town: mining, agriculture & forestry, were what sustained the area then and now.  Every small town finds a claim to fame to promote and Vanderhoof’s is that it is the geographic centre of BC. 

We also took a day trip to Fort St James, just an hour north of Vanderhoof. It’s a former Hudson Bay Trading post and National Historic Site. Although they were open under limited staff and COVID-induced restrictions we felt very welcome and enjoyed the museum and walking through the buildings. It’s beautifully situated on the shore of Stuart Lake. The few staff were tending the gardens and we enjoyed a delicious lunch topped off with the best raspberry pie with berries from the garden. I still dream of that pie! 

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a mishap back to our boondock location. A truck caused a stone to hit our windshield and put a hole right through, followed by cracks coming down. Glass came flying in the van but fortunately the hole was dead centre, just above the rear view mirror, so the glass flew past us both. It was so startling! The closest major centre was Prince George so I got on the phone and called around. On the third try I found a company that could replace the glass first thing the next morning. Yay! Prince George was about an hour away, we got ourselves in there good & early. The three-hour time difference helped in terms of calling our insurance company and getting it all sorted. After a leisurely breakfast at Denny’s we were back on track by noon.

We hadn’t planned a parking spot yet but expected to boondock somewhere near Jasper because we had already booked the three following nights at Jasper National Park. We went online to Parks Canada and got another night in the park and headed straight there. This was yet another silver lining of traveling in the time of Covid – in any other year we would avoid the Rockies in July and August because of the crowds and tour buses but this year it was quiet in the parks and possible to get campsites at short notice.

The drive from Prince George to Jasper continues following along a river as we had done since Prince Rupert but there was less development. There is one little railway mountain town of McBride that still operates as a VIA Rail stop, just before Jasper. This where we would have boondocked if not for the luck of getting an extra night in Jasper Park.

After a long day, we were so happy to pull into our campsite at Wapiti campground in Jasper National Park and especially pleased when we realized we could hear the sound of the Athabasca River from our van. There was a trail right from our site just a few metres down to the river. National Parks are the best! I loved falling asleep to the sound of rushing river every night. I was rather nervous after park staff had warned us about bear sightings in the campground so we popped into the town of Jasper to arm ourselves with bear spray.

There are a wealth of activities to experience in the park. The Valley of the Five Lakes hike was beautiful but a bit too busy for our taste. It was Sunday and is a pretty easy hike so I guess that’s why it attracted a lot of people.

One of the side effects of the pandemic is a huge increase in the number of people out hiking, which is wonderful and it motivated us to find less busy and more challenging routes. The steep and long climb to Bald Hills fit that bill.  There are no dogs allowed on the Bald Hills hike, as well as several other hikes in Jasper, because they cause damage to wildlife habitat so those hikes are great for avoiding busy trails. The Bald Hills hike is about 15km, depending on the route options taken and it is pretty much straight up to 2300 meters elevation, a ‘lung-buster’ for sure, then straight down.  

I found it really challenging and think I was affected by the elevation which I had not experienced before. The fact that Bob seemed perfectly fine and that I knew the view at the summit would be very rewarding, kept me motivated and we were indeed rewarded with an outstanding glacier-view lunch spot and stunning views of Maligne Lake and river. The walk down was easier but still a slog and I was so happy to be finished and to have that satisfied feeling of knowing I would sleep well.

Our final day in Jasper was rainy so we went to town to learn about local history at the Jasper Museum and hoping to get a ‘bear claw’ from PawPaw bakery – there was always a line up but the rain deterred the customers and we lucked out. I had been told this pastry treat was a must have. To be honest we found it dry and boring but the spicy sausage rolls and creamy chicken coconut soup made for a delicious lunch in the van while we people-watched on the main street of Jasper.

At the museum there is a very interesting outdoor geology garden which gives a great overview of the half a billion years of geological history along with large boulder samples. 

Jasper was the first place we had been that had strict rules about masks wearing. They had ‘masks mandatory’ stencils sprayed on every sidewalk corner. There was no one, inside or out, not wearing a mask.

The drive east, out of Jasper towards Edmonton is very beautiful, there were a few elk on the road who seemed to be seeing us off. Actually the entire drive from Prince Rupert to about Hinton, Alberta is very scenic and follows the Skeena and other major rivers for the most part. After Hinton the landscape becomes rather average in comparison and as you get closer to Edmonton it shows signs of all the things we did not miss: suburban sprawl, big box stores and on the horizon something we had not seen for a long time: highrise buildings! I was starting to realize it’s going to be a culture shock to go back to the city.

We had been avoiding cities due to COVID precautions as well as concern over travelling with an Ontario license plate and therefore bypassed Edmonton and stopped about 35km east of the city at Elk Island National Park. It’s small for a national park and landscape-wise not too interesting but it’s reason for existence is due to its role in bringing the native plains bison and wood bison herds back from near extinction in the early 1900s. The millions of bison that had once roamed North America had been over hunted and dwindled to almost none when the Canadian government bought some of the last herds and provided this protected area. Now there are thousands of bison in the park separated by species: plains bison on the north side, wood bison on the south.

The walks in the parks are pretty tame and lacking drama compared to the Rockies but the cycling is nice. The lake looked inviting but there was a ‘no swimming advisory’ due to an algae bloom issue. The ‘must do’  activity in this park is to take a dawn or dusk drive through the park main road to see the herds of bison roaming and grazing. 

While at Elk Island we took a day trip to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Centre, just a few minutes east of the park. It is a large property housing a great collection of historic buildings that have been relocated to create an authentic small pioneer town. Town layouts in the 1800s were dictated by the government to ensure the town would prosper and help the new immigrants in settlement. For example, the lumber yard is near the train station so as not to have to transport it too far; the school is on the edge of town so the children did not have the distraction of the town activities. There were engaging costumed interpreters who provided background stories about the Ukrainian people who survived the tough journey to the area and then the tougher job of building a new life for themselves.

We had a traditional Ukrainian platter of food for lunch including sausage, potatoes, cabbage rolls and pedaheh (Ukrainian pierogies) One staff suggested we go to Stawnichy’s in the nearby town of Mundare to get the best Ukrainian sausage and to see the world’s largest sausage which she assured us we would find amusing and she was right!

Our Elk Island campsite was not scenic at all but was a short walk to the lake and the brand new shower facilities were certainly appreciated by us.  Thanks to Bob, dinner is always good. Here he is making one of our ‘clean out the fridge’ dinners – stir-fried rice, which he tops off with a thin omelette. I found this great Dansk cast-iron enamel cookware at a garage sale for $2 in Peachland, BC.  It really came in handy and is induction-burner friendly.

On our last morning in Elk Island we got an early call from our Toronto neighbour Louise asking if we were still in the park. She was tipped off to our location by my Instagram post. She and Ivor happened to also be there, on a day trip from Edmonton and came over to our campsite for coffee. It was so fun to have a social visit and catch up.

Continuing east, it wasn’t long until we were back in Saskatchewan with the beautiful vistas of fields in various stages of harvest, rows of silos and the occasional grain elevator. We stopped at Fort Battleford , a North West Mounted Police post, on the shore of the North Saskatchewan river, for a walk around the buildings original to the property. The history of the battles fought and treaties signed are a good opportunity to help understand the complicated and challenging indigenous and government relationships today. 

We headed north to Prince Albert, a small town on the North Saskatchewan river to stock up on food and drinks, then drove a few miles north to a Welcome Boondocker location that was again, not just a free place to park but a beautiful park-like acreage with the warmest of hosts. June & Dave greeted us with cocktails and a big pit fire to eat dinner around and talk until late in the evening, bright light provided by the full moon and clear sky. 

They couldn’t do enough for us – I had commented on our bug-covered van so Dave was out in the morning with a bucket of hot soapy water;  we mentioned the stone through the windshield, he quickly found us a windshield repair kit in case that happens again; he offered to drive Bob to town if he needed something. The thing about the boondocker hosts and the many campers we have met is they want you to love this lifestyle as much as they do and are so happy to share experiences and advice. This generosity and openness never fails to warm our hearts and make us love vanlife all the more.

We headed another hour north to Prince Albert National Park on the shores of the beautiful Waskesiu Lake. I had not expected there to be a lovely small summer resort town right in the park, also called Waskesiu. The town is kind of a like a tiny, low-key Jasper, with heritage buildings, shops and restaurants, lots of small lakefront cabins. It is very much a family place with a waterfront playground, cute 2-person ‘quadracycles’ around town, and the Red Deer campground is close enough to feel part of the town action.

Unfortunately we could not experience one of the highlights of the park, a visit to Grey Owl’s cabin, because the excursion boat was not running this summer but I’m sure we’ll be back and we’ll add that to our growing ‘next time’ list. We spent our time in PA (as the locals call it) walking around town, cycling the trails and enjoying some cocoon time in the van when it was cold and rainy, listening to the wind and catching up on ‘admin’ – writing for me, images for Bob. 

We drove south east through Saskatchewan and were treated to more beautiful ‘living skies’ and pulled into our Foam Lake campground just before a small storm moved through. The large campground was empty except for us, a tent and one large RV.

The next day we continued to Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. It is very similar to Prince Albert NP, based around a lake-side town with 1930s historic park buildings, great for easy cycling, also has a Grey Owl cabin that is not open this year.

One of the serendipitous discoveries of this trip has been Parks Canada. Any other summer we probably would have stayed at a broader variety of provincial and municipal campgrounds but most are not bookable this pandemic year for non-residents, so we planned a lot around National Parks that had space. Also, because there are few travelers this year we were able to book in campgrounds in July and August. In any other year the campgrounds would be packed and fully booked all summer. 

Riding Mountain National Park is similar to Prince Albert and other national parks that were established in the 1930s. The buildings were part of a depression-era make work program. Such a good use of skills and projects that benefited the people at that time and are enjoyed 90 years later.

We spent our last night on the mainland watching the sunset over Vancouver Island near our Welcome Boondocker location in Richmond. We never met our host because we pulled in late at night but he very kindly left a welcome package in the driveway for us with local information and a wifi code. We had a half day to spend in the historic fishing village of Steveston before heading to the ferry from Swartz Bay to Duke Point (Nanaimo). I had been to Steveston before and was happy to go back to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site and walk around the waterfront. Unfortunately the fresh fish market on the wharf was closed due to the pandemic but we still got to have fish & chips for lunch!

After a lovely ocean view dinner with our nephew Harry and a walk on Parksville beach we headed to Ucluelet in the morning. It’s a beautiful twisty drive to the west side of Vancouver Island but I wouldn’t want to do it in a storm. When you reach the west coast there is a great information centre covering Ucluelet, Tofino, the Pacific Rim National Park and everything in between. Ucluelet is only a few km from the visitor centre, Tofino is about 30km.

We used Ucluelet campground as our base for five nights and did two day trips to Tofino. In hindsight I would recommend that strategy.

Pacific Rim National Park

Tofino is a much busier town and the long two-lane road causes traffic jams. Also Tofino is a more hipster place with lots of funky restaurants and shops which are fun as a day visit but we were happy in the much lower-key town of Ucluelet. I would love to have seen Tofino decades ago, when the hippie invasion was happening. There are several great trails and beaches that are closer to the visitor centre than to Tofino, so there are several advantages to using Ucluelet as a base.

Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park

There are several great short trails for hiking and beautiful beaches for watching surfers. Of note: Cox Beach; Long Beach; Rainforest Trail.

Unfortunately, several areas were closed either due to proximity to indigenous communities and caution re COVID, or due to construction of the great new cycling trail going in. So, something to look forward to in the near future, there will be a great dedicated and paved trail from Ucluelet to Tofino.

Of note in Tofino, The Tofino Botanical Garden – an eclectic and west-coast style garden, somewhat free-form, especially the wonderful children’s garden and the forest path down to the water. Around almost every corner is a whimsical garden sculpture that are so fun and inspiring to me. I may be hiding some in my little city garden when I’m back to gardening next spring. I love that they have a 3-day admission pass,  so you can come back multiple times. You can easily see the gardens in a few hours but if I were staying in Tofino I would go back for sure just to sit in the garden, enjoy their café and wifi, away from the bustle of the busy town.

After a meander around the Ucluelet campground we were curious about the odd layout, erratically sized campsites, odd concrete structures and a warehouse building near the road. Turns out the property is a former military base. It was an RCAF seaplane base during the war. There are walls from a former bunker that form the walls of some of the campsites and other interesting artifacts left on the property. The warehouse was the sea plane workshop during the war and later became Rusty’s Dance Hall. Now the campground uses it as a workshop but they still have the Rusty’s Dance Hall sign!

Because the campground was so busy we couldn’t book one campsite for five consecutive days and so we moved to one of the bunker sites after a couple of nights . It turned out to be a great site despite the odd look. It has a lovely view of the Ucluelet harbour and across to the town. Another benefit of staying in Ucluelet campground is that it is a very short walk to the town, shops & restaurants, and several trail heads. It’s really nice to be able to park for a few days and take a break from packing up and securing everything loose in the van, and walk or bike from the camp site. Sometimes I don’t even make the bed! Actually, ever since I learned the bed-making tips from Caroline I really don’t mind the few minutes it takes the put things away and have the living room set-up available all day.

Ucluelet Campground, Bunker site, Harbour view.

Our last day in Ucluelet we walked along the docks and back streets of the town and down to the beach. There is an eclectic mix of beautiful new-build homes, resorts and the old hippie feel of the town with more rustic small houses or a big old RV parked on a lot. There are some great trails to join right from the town including Ancient Cedars, Wild West Coast and Lighthouse Loop.

There is a small but very interesting aquarium in the Ucluelet harbourfront. Apparently, it is one of very few ‘catch and release’ aquariums in North America. They have many tanks of local sea animals and plants which are constantly being refreshed with water straight from the seafront location. Every March they harvest all the contents needed from the sea to create the tanks, including the sand, and in the fall they return all the contents to the sea. Normally you can reach in several of the tanks to touch specimens but not during COVID. 

There are many remnants of the fishing industry in Ucluelet including several big ice houses and the Japanese Dock. The Ucluelet community, as a whole, fought against the evacuation during WWII of the residents that were of Japanese ancestry, but to no avail.  I was aware of the internment that happened at that time but was shocked to learn that after the war ended, the residents of the west coast that were interred, were not allowed to come back to their home communities. They had a choice of settling east of the Rockies or moving to Japan. What a horrific decision that was for people who were born in Canada and had only lived and fished on the west coast.

There is just one major commercial fishing operation left in Uclulet. Bob managed to get a great shot of the fresh fish being loaded for shipping out.

On our last night in Ucluelet we walked down to the public boat-launch dock at the end of Seaplane Base Road. There were several campsites down by the water and lots of fishing boats coming in at the end of the day. While Bob was shooting the evening sky and the kayakers were coming in, I chatted with an elderly retired commercial fisherman. He was spending the night at the dock in his boat. He told me all about his life in Canada after emigrating from Germany at age 17 in the 1940s. He was sent to work on a farm in Ontario and was treated badly by his employer. A relative in Chicago arranged for him to move to the west coast to take an office job. He realized quickly he did not fit in to the office environment, but he befriended a fisherman who took him under wing and he spent the rest of his life earning a living on the water. He told me about that life, raising four kids and how the fishing business has changed. A silver lining of COVID is that many people (including me) have more time to chat and are much more aware that the opportunity to hear a person’s story is far more fulfilling than some of the things that felt important before. 

Speaking of great story tellers, our next stop for the night was Qualicum Beach to spend the night with Nancy Whalen (her husband Norman Perron was a nephew of our grandfather on our mother’s side) She met Norman in the northern Ontario, and summered on Lake Temagami. We loved her stories of traveling across the country in the 1950s from Ontario to settle in BC with four young children, teaching in one-room school houses and two years living at a lighthouse were just the tip of the iceberg! After dinner Nancy drove us around the area showing us several of the many places she had lived including the lighthouse.

The next day we drove to Port Renfrew, a twisty-turny road, but paved (yay!), back on the west coast of the island. As the crow flies from Ucluelet it’s not far to Port Renfrew, but you have to drive back to the east coast of the island to get there. We had heard that Port Renfrew is like the Tofino of ‘back in the day’. There is minimal infrastructure and very few businesses which is making it a tourist draw now.  There are signs of tourist cabins being built and business growing. It is popular with people from Victoria, being an easier drive than to Tofino. 

Speaking of which we had a hilarious encounter with two locals we passed on a trail, we almost bumped into them. We apologized. They looked us up and down and said “Your look Victorian”. I thought, what an odd thing to say? It took me a second to realize he meant we look like we are from Victoria! Bob had said under his breath “No, we’re worse”. I wish I had been quick-thinking enough to say something like “no, we’re Edwardian”.

We had an ideal campground location, walking distance to the fishing dock with a great waterfront pub. We walked to the dock to take a whale watching tour. Again we had an excellent female skipper, and again we saw no whales for a few hours. We thought we might not see any whales that day, until they miraculously appeared in the last hour of the trip. I know they can’t create this drama but it feels like they do! Afterward we treated ourselves to fresh local fish and chips at the pub.

Our final day in Port Renfrew we went to Botanical Beach while the tides were lowest. It was fascinating to explore the tide pools and perfectly formed circles, called pot holes, filled with colourful creatures such as anemone and urchins. 

The day we left Port Renfrew we took the route towards Victoria that follows the coast. There are many beaches and lookouts along this section of the Pacific Marine Circle Route. We took a break at Sombrio Beach. It has access from the road and there were a lot of young people setting up camp for the day and hoping to get some surfable waves.

Closer to Sooke, we stopped at Sheringham Lighthouse for a short hike then continued our drive to stay at a Harvest Host location, near Courtenay, called Coastal Black Winery. They make fruit wines and cider.  After a tasting and purchasing of some cider we parked our van in the farm fields between the beehives and the pumpkin patch for a beautiful evening. The next day we drove up Mount Washington to Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Park for a lovely hike.

That night we stayed at Campbell River at a free spot we found via the Overnight RV app. You can park for free for 48 hours in the Harbour Marina Parking lot which is right on the ocean, looking out at the BC Ferry Terminal. There were a few other vehicles that were clearly transients like us. In the morning we did a stock-up grocery shopping and continued to Port Hardy. As we drove further north on the island, following the coast, it became noticeably less populated and far fewer towns.

Port Hardy is the end of the line for paved roads in the north end of Vancouver Island. There were a few things we would like to have done in the area, but it would mean long drives on unpaved logging roads. We were pretty much sworn off dirt and gravel roads based on our experiences in the prairies. We tried to rent a vehicle but none were available. Still, we found no shortage of places and things to explore. Next time we will call ahead to book a rental vehicle. We were told they get booked up far in advance. Also we learned that logging trucks don’t run on the weekend so we’ll try to go then to avoid meeting one of those huge trucks on the road.

One day we took the ferry to Malcolm Island to visit the Finnish community of Sointula (meaning ‘place of harmony’). It was established as a utopian commune-style society in the early 1900s and survives today despite some hiccups along the way. We spent most of the time walking around the small town, harbour and museum. There is a lovely campground with ocean front sites for only $25 which is definitely on our wish list for next time. It’s a great spot for cycling with very little traffic. It was suggested to do the trip to Sointula on Malcolm Island and Alert Bay on Cormorant Island as a full day trip because the ferries both leave from Port McNeil but that is really not advisable if you want to see either place properly. In hindsight I would camp at Sointula for a few days and do a day trip, with bicycles rather than a vehicle, to Alert Bay. 

In the very tiny town of Coal Harbour it really is hard to find much sign of life at all but we were told there was a museum and so we kept looking. There is a derelict old float plane hanger and the museum is inside, although there are no signs. We found it by wandering around and let ourselves in. A few minutes later 75-year-old Joey of Joey’s History of Coal Harbour museum appeared to give us a delightful overview of the collections. He excused himself to go back to work, he was busy using a forklift to put a float plane into the water. The museum takes up a small section of the hanger where Joey operates his float plane business. He has a few float planes including two old DeHavilland Beavers. The museum is as eclectic as it gets with a room full of chainsaws, a room of phones and radio equipment, a room dedicated to the history of Coal Harbour as an RCAF post, and in the hanger, the jaw bones of a blue whale.

Inspired by our visit to Joey’s museum, we looked around for a flight-seeing kind of experience. Helicopters were an option but quite expensive for the short flight time and what little we might see; some flight operations were not running due to COVID. Browsing around online I found Wilderness Seaplanes. They had vintage planes, Beavers and Grumman Gooses, and offered a ‘cruiser flight’, which means you go along with the pilot for a few hours while he delivers mail, supplies and people to remote communities in the Queen Charlotte Strait area, which is vast. You can book the co-pilot seat, but you don’t know where you are going until you meet the pilot.

Our flight on the amphibious 1942 Grumman Goose landed on water at Dawson’s Landing and on a gravel air strip at an indigenous community, Oweekeno. Our pilot Connor is a third-generation pilot, his grandfather flew the Goose in WWII. Bob had a wonderful time in the co-pilot seat, chatting nonstop with Connor. Meanwhile I was in the back with the few passengers who were relocating for work or going to medical appointments. 

We moved from the Port Hardy RV Park to Alder Bay RV Park. The ocean front location and food truck are an attraction to visitors as well as locals. One night a convoy of vintage cars pulled in and parked in a row –   Great and unusual entertainment! Alder Bay was one of the best commercial RV parks we stayed at but, in general, we are not big fans of commercial RV parks.

Most RV parks are clearly trying to keep capital and maintenance expenses to a minimum and they ‘nickel & dime’ customers with practices such as charging for very poor internet (or saying it’s included but it never works), no hot water for the washing machines that cost a few dollars to operate, one site had no on-site staff which made for a challenging arrival as they also has no cell signal, so we couldn’t call anyone when we needed help.

Parks Canada sites, on the other hand, have generally been wonderful. We’ve had some beautiful private sites on waterfront and/or surrounded by trees. Other than in Ontario, we could not stay in Provincial or Municipal campgrounds because they are for residents only this year. So, when there was not a National Park in the area that was open and with sites available, we tried to boondock using our memberships to Welcome Boondockers, Harvest Host, Terego or other apps that help you find free, safe places to park.

From Alder Bay RV Park we visited Telegraph Cove twice, first to walk around and explore, the next day we took yet another whale watching boat tour. After the second boat trip, in Port Renfrew, I said to Bob “I am done with whale watching and Zodiak boats”. I felt unwell on both trips on the west coast of the island and we had to go quite far in open ocean to search for whales. We did see a few humpbacks on both trips and it was fun (more for Bob) to be on the water but I was done…. until I saw the Prince of Whales (yes, haha) boat in Telegraph Cove – a very large pontoon boat. We walked by the office and chatted with the captain. He convinced us pretty easily that we should give this one a try and we were so glad we did.

Not only was the boat ride very pleasant compared to the trips we’d done, because the boat was much more stable, it was a much more scenic going between the small islands on the east coast of Vancouver Island. In almost every direction we looked we saw orcas, dolphins, humpbacks, seals and lots of birds. There were two trained marine biologists on-board to point things out and answer questions. They put microphones in the water to hear the whales communicate. We learned that the lack of giant cruise ships this year has been helpful to the threatened orca resident population at the south end of the island. The more northern population that we saw is very healthy and not threatened. A great complement to the boat tour is the Whale Interpretive Centre with a full Blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling.

Telegraph Cove is a preserved tiny fishing village and a former WWII  RCAF post, as is almost every small waterfront town on the island it seems. The cute and colourful buildings on stilts surrounding the wharves reminded us of Quidi Vidi in Newfoundland. Many of the small buildings are available as accommodation. 

The other outing we did from Alder Bay was a ferry ride to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. We could see the ‘Namgis First Nations community across the water from Alder Bay RV Park and could watch the BC Ferry going back and forth, but unless you have your own boat or a kayak, you need to drive about 15 mins to Port McNeil and take the ferry. ‘Namgis is an easy village to visit on foot so we left the van at the port and walked on to the ferry. The village is filled with indigenous art, mostly traditional but some modern as well. The cultural centre tells the story of the potlatch ceremonies being banned by the government in the early 1900s and their regalia being confiscated. Much of the regalia has been repatriated to its rightful home and is on display in the cultural centre. The village is also home to the world’s largest totem pole – it is so tall you need binoculars to see the carving at the top. There are also totem poles and other carvings throughout the community, on front yards, in the cemetery, just everywhere.

After 3 weeks on Vancouver Island we had seen a lot but could easily spend many months there. There’s lots left for us to do next time and, as with everywhere we go, presumably things will be more accessible and more available, and we’ll feel our Ontario plates are less conspicuous, but we keep marveling that we’ve been able to travel far beyond what we expected when we left in June. At that time we thought we may not leave Ontario at all but we made it as far west as we had originally planned. In so many ways this trip has gone beyond our expectations, even compared to our original plans. With that sentiment we were happy and excited to get on the ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert and have the chance to view the Inside Passage and Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii. We had originally planned to visit Haida Gwaii but the Indigenous community wisely made an early decision to not allow non-resident visitors this year. On the ferry trip could see the islands from a distance and will visit again when it is safe to do so.

Maybe the pack of motorcyclists was a sign of the next couple of weeks to come. On the other side of the Kootenay Lake we drove off the ferry into the town of Balfour, and just a few minutes down the road to Bill and Alice’s house. A gorgeous home right on the lake. They had lots of good info for us on our upcoming trip into the Okanagan. We boated into Nelson for lunch and after dinner for a sunset cruise –  what a treat. It was fun to see the variety of homes along the huge and very cold lake. Bob dipped in very quickly! Things felt almost like old times when we used to hang with friends and do social things! Except always remembering to stay distanced. . 

We were so fortunate to have friends including Bill and Alice, who were able to provide us with a room and bathroom separate enough to stay distanced while in their home. We love the van but were ready to have a break. And what a treat to throw things in the washing machine and have a real shower. SOOOO nice to have fresh linens and clothes.

From Balfour we drove through Nelson on our way to Pentiction, passing through Castlegar, Greenwood, Midway, Osoyoos and Oliver. All the drives are beautiful and the landscape always changing. The little town of Greenwood is like driving into a western town movie set, They even have an old style saloon. Midway has a little railway museum. It was closed but we ate lunch at their picnic shelter and had a little peak around.

Penticton is a small city sandwiched between two lakes and everything revolves around water, or the fruit farms and wineries galore. Lorne and Maria (our former Toronto neighbours) were wonderful hosts, driving us all over the hills of the area to see some beautiful lookout points and gorgeous residential areas.

It was lovely to meet their kids and grandkids outside for a bbq. I was gobsmacked when I spotted a hawk overhead carrying a fish that it dropped, landing on Lorne’s truck just a few feet from the BBQ – a good-sized carp. We are still laughing about that.

We also loved walking around their neighbourhood, just two blocks from the beach on Lake Okanagan

From Pentiction we drove just a half hour to Peachland, also on the shore of Lake Okanagan . It’s a lovely small town, very nice for walking or swimming. Philippa and Eric arranged a great waterfront AirBNB house for the four of us. We set up camp along the waterfront while waiting for them to arrive. The lake is very ‘refreshing’, it was so hot, we swam several times! 

There are restaurants walking distance from the house, but we made most of our own meals in the house and enjoyed dinner with a lake view from ‘home’ . After days of visiting wineries, we were quite happy to have light and relaxing evening meals. Visiting wineries all day is exhausting. 😉

We stopped into visit a local wooden boat restorer who is a childhood friend of Eric’s.   We had a tour of the boats in the shop in various stages of restoration including the ‘twin’ of our family ChrisCraft – a 1939, 19′ runabout. Ours is one of only 2 of that model that were imported that year from the US to Canada. What a coincidence that we should get to see the other! 

Winery visits are different this year and actually better. You don’t have to squeeze into a tasting area with a bunch of strangers. Most wineries have online tasting bookings, some have walk up only. They all escort you to a private tasting area and we did not feel rushed. They charge between $0 and $15 for tasting and usually the charge is applied to your purchase if you do so.They’ve all done an excellent job of making the staff and customers feel safe.

We visited and recommend: 

Social week continued into a second week with a few gatherings: an outdoor family gathering back at Phil & Eric’s house; afternoon tea in the garden with Tim and Rowena in downtown Vancouver, dinner with Nangsal and Ankur in Richmond; overnight in the driveway of the house Harry and his de Jong cousins were renting in Parksville and a lovley eveing with Nancy in Qualicum Beach. That was a lot of visiting but it was all done at a safe distance with care and respect for protocols and what people are comfortable with. We did not expect our travel in the time of covid to include so many social visits but clearly many people were so happy for the rare chance to visit that the effort to do it safely was well worth it. We enjoyed it while we could, we knew the next stage of our travel would be more introverted.

Travelling during the pandemic, we were hyper aware of staying distant, which is not conducive to being in urban areas. And, hyper aware of our Ontario licence plates being noticed and perhaps not being welcome, another reason to stay away from urban areas to lessen possible negative encounters. But, we really couldn’t just drive past Calgary without at least saying hello, from a distance, to our nephew and his wife, Mckenzie and Kyo.

We drove into Calgary, to the funky neighbourhood of Inglewood. We found a great parking spot in the Starbucks lot and got ourselves set up with breakfast in time to zoom into a wedding shower for Hayley. It was a bit chaotic and funny as the shower hosts did their best to include the zoom guests (Kyo and I) on an iffy WIFI connection, we even managed to play one of the games. When the food portion started, they tried to prop us up so we could be part of the festivities but we thought it best at that point to bow out and let them focus on the bride! We very much appreciated being included.

Bob and I meandered around the neighbourhood checking out the Next Page bookstore for books to start a child’s library for Kenz and Kyo’s baby girl expected in December. Then we moved east a bit to meet them for dinner at CharBar patio along side the Bow River. Such a lovely evening. It was so hard not to hug them goodbye.

That night we parked at the Grey Eagle Casino for the night – it is free to park overnight and was convenient for us. But it was weird. First there was a giant traffic jam to get in. Turns out they had just announced the opening of the casino including food services! We managed to get out of the casino line up and went to the empty special event parking lot. That was a good move because it turns out that is the lot for the RVs who are staying the night. But we were the only ones there and neither of us slept well. Partly because of the bright street lamps and also because Bob had noticed an odd grumbling of the engine and was concerned about what it might be.

Bob found a Dodge dealership not far away that opened at 7am for service so we were there for opening. They were wonderful, got us checked in, sent us over to Denny’s to wait a few hours while they did diagnostics. At Denny’s we got the call that the culprit was mud!!! The mud we had experienced 3 times now had built up underneath the van and on the engine fan and the fan was off balance due to the weight of the mud. They cleaned it all off and were sorry to say it was not covered by the warranty. We were just so happy to find it was an easy fix, and they gave us quick and excellent service. By 10 am we were on the road again heading towards the mountains.

Our drive from Calgary to Kootenay National Park was beautiful. As the mountains got closer, the roads got curvier. We pulled into a rest stop along the Bow River for a quick lunch with a beautiful view. The drive to Kootenay after the Banff turn-off has beautiful rock cuts and occasional mountain goat sightings to keep you entertained.  I felt I was on prairie withdrawal for a while – as beautiful as the mountains are I find the prairies fascinating as well as very calming and beautiful in a minimalist way There is just so much more happening in terms of the landscape and things to watch for in the mountain drive . I really missed the simple elegant beauty of the Prairies.

The Redstreak campground in the Kootenay National Park is a great base, with a few hikes starting from the campground,  you can walk into the Radium Hot Springs town.  It was fun to stop in town at the Horse Thief pub for lunch after a hike and the small grocery store to take treats back to our camp site. We did a few short hikes in the area including Dog Lake – a very easy path over two suspension bridges and through dense woods that opens to a pristine lake.

It was great to have four nights in Kootenay National Park, to relax for a bit and get organized. Every once in a while, we have a clean up day, the van gets a thorough going over including the ‘garage’ – the space behind the back seats where all the hoses etc are. It’s amazing how much dust is collects. We drove south from Kootenay through Cranbrook, a beautiful drive. At Creston we went up the east side of Kootenay lake to take the lake ferry over to Balfour. The ferry is part of the highway system, no need to book, you just drive right up. A large group of motorcyclists were on the ferry. The area is a rider’s dream.

After 5 days in the peace of beautiful Grasslands National Park, broken twice by amazing storms, we headed to Maple Creek, with a stop at Fort Walsh, site of the Cypress Hills Massacre that led to the founding of the North West Mounted Police. (Later to become RCMP).

We stopped in at the little town of Val Marie outside the park for more supplies and fill our fresh water tanks at the local campground, which is unattended, just a garden hose. We took advantage of the hose and washed all the dirt off the van from the wild dirt road ride into the parks days ago. Supplies included mousetraps as I had been woken up that morning with one near my head EEEEKKKKKK! Not sure where we picked him up, but it was a rude awakening as I leapt out of bed!

So off we went on my usual ‘avoid major highways route’. And then the rain started, and it got less flat, but even in the flat parts Bob said it was like driving on ice because the wet dirt/gravel road was greasy. There were a few times I thought we may pull a Thelma & Louise, but I tried to be as calm as Mr. Unflappable AKA Bob.

Eventually the rain stopped but we were lost and there are many parts of the area that have no cell service. So, we pulled into a farm where two very handsome, older, real cowboys greeted us very kindly and commented on how far we were from home. If they had any internal snickering at the dumb city folk, they hid it well. We had a lovely conversation with them, and they gave us directions. We were very close to the fort, but it was quite the road to get there. The cowboy had said ‘You’ll come to a sharp coulee, stay left at the top, on to the paved road and you’ll be there shortly’.

We did not know what a coulee was, and I wish I had taken a photo but was too concerned in the moment. Bob was super cool as usual as we went down the steep gravel hill, recently rained on and slippery, and up the other side, just as steep, to a sharp left onto the pavement. OMG – I held my breath and said my prayers the whole time!

As we pulled into the Fort parking lot, we were both pretty rattled, so I distracted myself with making lunch and coffee & tea while Bob did a little walk about. I was shocked when I saw the van, it was 1000 times dirtier than before we washed it that morning. The bikes were caked in mud. Oh well, I was just happy to be safe! Also was wondering if the mouse had been shaken loose or maybe chose suicide. He had no idea what crazy people he had hitched a ride with.

While in the parking lot we noticed a cool Ms. Frizzle kind of mini school bus van. Sure enough, out comes Denise, not far off from Ms. Frizzle herself. An older woman from New Brunswick, she had been travelling on her own for the past two years. She was also the tonic we needed at that point and had us laughing about our exploits and sent us walking down a trail to the fort to de-stress.

I was only about 100 meters down the trail when we noticed a red-tailed hawk circling and acting very territorial. Bob, of course, kept going. I looked up and the bird has made eye contact with me and was about to dive bomb me. As I ran up the hill, Bob came back. I was freaked out and did not want to further upset a bird of prey. I had visions of being scalped by it. As an aside, Bob thinks my regular fears of being maimed or killed are laughable. These are legit fears!!

Then a few other people came by and walked down the hill together. Bob convinced me walking with the group would be better and it was. But I walked fast. The Fort was very interesting to look around. It was not actually open, but we could walk around and peek in windows. There was one park staff in the stables who let us step in if we promised not to tell anyone. He filled us in on the history of raising horses for the RCMP. We learned RCMP all had to be able riders up until the 1960s when they relaxed that rule.

We made our way back to the parking lot by a different route and our new friend Denise came by with a book she was finished with: Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader! Well, we do have a bathroom.

She had planned to head back to Maple Creek but was nervous of the hills because of the iffy brakes on her school bus so thought she would spend the night and try it the next day when the roads were drier. Once she heard we were headed that way she thought she might go ahead, and we’d follow and keep an eye on her. Not sure what help we’d be but ok! So, we convoyed to town and waved goodbye.

We found a truck wash facility in town that was fun – you drive in and go to town with pressure hoses and soap. Bob never looked happier getting that mud off!

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Our days include a lot of stops for photography so we try not to plan more than 3 hours driving per day. That allows lots of extra time for little side jaunts. I always enjoy seeing Bob’s shots later and what caught his artistic eye.

Our usual campground set up is to use the ‘front lounge’ as our dining room. Here Bob is checking on our plans for the day while I clean up after an oatmeal breakfast. I love the little kettle but only use it when we are hooked up to electrical power. Otherwise we boil water using the propane cooktop. Bob loves his AeroPress for making coffee and uses it all the time, not just when we’re in the van. We also use our Corkcicle tumblers constantly, on the road and at home.

But sometimes we eat dinner at the back at the van. When at home we cook larger quantities and plan for leftovers which are our preferred lunch. Cooking and shopping for van life, we have learned to cook just enough for two people with leftovers.

Our Lake Superior camp site with bbq set up and the all-important clothes line.The BBQ is from a marine supply store in Kingston. It’s called a SeaBQ, fits nicely in the ‘garage’ (back end of the van) and works great on the hook-up to our on-board propane tank. Nice that we don’t have to travel with propane canisters.

Most campgrounds have a picnic table on site but sometimes they are kind of grotty and require washing down. In this case the table was up to standards for use as Bob’s desk. If not, we have a folding table as a back up. The awning and bugs screens are great assets in many locations while traveling in the summer heat.

Bob’s office – when the driver seat is turned around and table flipped up, it makes a great workspace for Bob. Or, on this night, a spot for him to view one of the few Toronto Maple Leafs games in 2020 with Matthew, Katie, and grand puppy Tyrion on the phone. It turned out to be the last Leaf’s game of 2020.

Primo Campsite #1 – on the shore of Marie Louise Lake in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Very private sites that back onto lakefront access via wooden steps and mature trees dividing each site. With van doors open and the bug screen down we had a beautiful sunset view from our bedroom.

Lunch spots:

While traveling around we look out for great lunch spots. Even when not social distancing, we much prefer to make lunch in the van in a scenic spot and enjoy lunch there. In this case we found an old railway station in Ogema, Saskatchewan. The station is now a museum but of course was closed this summer. A favourite and easy lunch is grilled sandwiches.

Feeling like a sardine in this campsite in Port Hardy RV park. We actually drove past this site the first time because it was so small we didn’t see it. We had friendly neighbours who, given the proximity of our front door to theirs, couldn’t help but engage in conversation everytime we came out.

Primo Campground #2 – Jasper National Park, mountain view and backing onto the Athabasca River. Falling asleep to the sounds of rushing water is truly wonderful.

Sometimes we get very dirty. We discovered in the west the truck washes. Great fun for Bob to power wash the van

Our mindset in this early stage of our trip was to spend some time in Muskoka as a quarantine from Toronto. Things were so unpredictable at that point, we just hoped we could travel slowly north through Ontario and make it to the Manitoba border before we made further plans.

We drove to Sudbury, met a friend for lunch in a pizza place parking lot. It was raining so we ate in the van and had a good catch up. I took advantage of Sudbury being more open than Toronto and was able to get a pedicure – I answered health related questions, signed in and everyone in the salon wore masks.

That night we spent at our first Terego location, the Dare 2 Dream Alpaca Farm. Our hosts, Ray and Lina were very welcoming. Ray took us on a tour of the operation in the morning and let us give the alpacas their breakfast. We both got soft, warm alpaca socks and now wear them in the van when we’re chilly. The farm was a good spot to stop but rather run down, I guess because they are getting out of the business as they are aging and want to slow down a bit. Alpacas are lovely animals but running the farm is a 24/7 job.

The next day we drove to Manitoulin, passing through Espanola. We did the Cup and Saucer trail, stopped at Bridal Veil Falls and walked around the town of Gore Bay. We noticed at the marina, there were so many boats still on land and wrapped up. They were American-owned so I’m sure they stayed that way all summer.

We spent that night at another Terego spot – the Manitoulin Brewing Company- where we enjoyed fresh local whitefish tacos, and a new beer that I liked enough to buy a supply, Lemon Weiss, kind of like a shandy. The parking spot is right beside the highway – a bit noisy. From Manitoulin we drove north and stopped at Chutes Provincial Park for a short hike, and at Bruce Mines for lunch by the North Channel  of Georgian Bay. That night we had our fist ‘campsite’  on Lake Superior, actually a friend’s driveway at her camp on Goulais Bay.

(Side note – Terego, Harvest Host (HH) and Welcome Boondockers (WB) are membership organizations that provide free parking spots for RVs, sometimes with services. Terego and HH are usually small businesses such as wineries, rural museums and golf courses. WB are fellow RVers who have property they are happy to share. )

We drove to Lake Superior Provincial Park for a 2 night stay at the Agawa Beach, a gorgeous beach of polished round multi-coloured rocks. We collected just a few for our garden, realizing transporting rocks for a few months was not the best idea as the van is heavy enough as it is! We did a section of the Lake Superior coastal trail, the Sand River hike and swam in Lake Superior.  The lake was so cold but thrilling and a bucket list experience for me! Bob has spent a lot of time paddling and camping on Lake Superior in the past so had already experienced the bone-chilling water. The park is lovely and just off the highway which is convenient. The campsites are steps from the beach. We celebrated Canada Day in the park and were very impressed with how the RVers had decked out their sites with flags. We’ll be sure and do that next time. We are such newbies, we didn’t know to travel with decorations!

Neys Provincial Park is also right on Lake Superior with long wide beaches and fine sand, lots of dunes, and beautiful driftwood that looks like old bones scattered on the beach. We did a hike to a lookout on a very hot day and took a wrong turn adding a few extra km to the hike. Thankfully we started early and were back at our site by noon for lunch and a few hours siesta. By then it was a bit more comfortable, so we walked to Prisoner’s Cove and The Point. Neys was a prisoner of war camp in the 1940s.  The Point is a short walk and most interesting as it is a beautiful smooth huge rock jutting out into the lake and also the site of old logging boats left to decay. The boats were used by the prisoners as they were ’employed’ to do logging work.

The drive from Neys to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is easy, the road off the highway to the campsites quite long but we were rewarded at the end with a beautiful camp site right on Marie Louise Lake with steps into the water that was so refreshing on a super hot day. On the way to Sleeping Giant we crossed a beautiful cable-stay bridge over the Nipigon River, stopped to buy groceries and check out the smallest CND Tire store in Canada!  

North from Sleeping Giant to Sandbar Lake Provincial Park,  we stopped at the beautiful and touching Terry Fox monument,  and downtown Thunder Bay for Finnish Pancakes at Kanga. Sandbar Provincial Park I would recommend for young families who love the beach and very shallow warm water. I wasn’t too keen on it but I’m not a beach person and not a fan of shallow water. The kids were having a blast though!

Rushing River Provincial Park, just east of Kenora, is also great for families and kids of all ages. On Dogtooth Lake, it is beautiful, deep and refreshing, with a very nice beach as well as a dock to swim in the deep water. The campsites are close together and no trees so not very private, but it was a good spot to stop close to the Manitoba border.

We had at that point made the decision to keep heading west. It’s a six-hour drive from the Ontario border to the Saskatchewan border. Quarantine was not required if we transited through Manitoba, stopping only for gas and food. So we planned an early start to drive through Manitoba and hoped that by the time we headed back to Ontario in a couple of months, maybe we could see some of the sites in Manitoba.