Bringers of Rain

[Mihun09]

Considering on our latest trip we did not get a canoe into the water although we had 2, we felt this was a more appropriate place for our road trip report.

BRINGERS OF RAIN

Alternate titles (ala Tearknee)
b) You bought a canoe Where?
c) Turn around at your earliest convenience...

September 17 - September 30

5236 km travelled to visit family, make new friends and pick up two w/c canoes.

This trip planning began back in the Spring when Christy had her sister buy a Y-stern canoe for her down in Port Colbourne. How to get it home was the issue of course. Prior to the trip we also acquired Martin's Bastien Bros canoe which would require a side trip to London, Ontario.

My 2004 Toyota Highlander was loaded fully and we were dragging an empty boat trailer as well. We had full camping gear and even took paddles and PFD's in case we could paddle the Bastien at some point. We had mapped out where we would stay each night on each end of the travels and lucked into cabins for the 3 nights going East.

As usual with any trip we take, I kept a journal daily and sometimes even updated as Christy drove. Photos were taken by both of us and I personally have 194 to peruse and edit.

Our trip began with a prancing deer running across the highway less than 10 km from the house that first Saturday morning. We watched it cross and Christy slowed as we approached and of course it just had to run straight back across in front of us. An auspicious beginning.

Our first leg was the longest, we were headed for the KOA in Thunder Bay where we had a sleeping cabin rented for the night. Prior to getting out of Manitoba we had most of our wildlife sightings for the entire trip, if you allow a half a deer with a Bald Eagle perched on it in the fast lane as a sighting. That Eagle didn't flinch when we passed it 3 feet away at 100 kph. A little further along was a road kill black bear.

We had pea soup fog for 50km before crossing the border into all day mist and rains in NW Ontario. That started the theme for the trip.

We were delayed about 20 minutes for a Semi-SUV crash just west of Ignace, we arrived as the wrecker was pulling the rig out of the ditch. The SUV did not fare well and this would be the first of 3 Semi vs Car accidents we would encounter.


We have a game we play while travelling. Canoes VS Kayaks. I was assigned canoes for the trip and the rules are such that only a canoe or kayak on a vehicle or trailer counts, although it doesn't have to be on the road, parking lots count as well. As the canoes moved ahead Christy kept trying to modify the rules to favour herself, although she usually managed two yaks per vehicle. She also counted SUP's since they were making the occasional appearance.

We just drove on through considering there is not much to see on this stretch of the trip and had a nice night east of Thunder Bay. 10 1/4 hours on the road would be our longest day of driving and it wore us out.

The sleeping cabin at T'Bay KOA

Interior


It rained that night as well.
~~

We slept in until 7:30 on day two. Sleep was interrupted by an owl hooting just above the cabin for a portion of the night.

Day 2 saw us on the move around 9 as we had about 600 km to go to that days destination.

After passing through Nipigon on the now fixed famous failing bridge, on our way to Terrace Bay, Christy suggested I call Memaquay, just for fun, which I did. He was out in the bush partridge hunting and we were cruising along highway 17 East.



This day we were travelling along the north coast of Lake Superior. It was a calm day on the lake, very small rollers and for the most part we had overcast and mist, but the sun came out later in the day. It did rain going through Lake Superior Provincial Park but otherwise it was a pleasant drive with great scenery.

We try to swap off driving every couple of hours and one such spot was a canyon and waterfall that gave us a nice break to walk around and good photo op as well. Over the years I have developed a fear of heights and the viewing platform hangs out over the cliff so I had Christy hang onto me so I could lean out, despite the fact there was no way I was going to fall off.



We only travelled 606 km in 8 1/2 hours but it seemed longer than the previous day. A road kill fox was the only wildlife on this section.







Prior to leaving home I had e-mailed Pam Wedd in the hopes of meeting her in the course of our travels. The east passage was the only one available to us and she offered us a night at her place which I eagerly accepted and when I said we would be coming from Pancake Bay PP, she then offered up their cabin there for night 2.





It was really awesome there, I spent the first 2 hours just sitting on the steps watching the lake and waiting for the sun to set, as the cabin faced west over Lake Superior. We went and met the neighbours who had opened the cabin for us and Christy took the plunge, literally, taking a short swim on September 18. She said it was cold but refreshing.

I took many photos of the sunset and shoreline but none of the cabin choosing to respect their privacy.

We had several thunderstorms roll through overnight, Christy slept through them all but I was up early to catch the last one out over the lake.

 

[Mihun09]

Day 3 the Coleman propane stove decided to no longer function. Without being able to make coffee we were moving early and went back up the road a bit to the Canadian Carver store to peruse their wares and get that first hit of caffeine. Although it was complimentary I dropped a couple of dollars in the donation cup.



Although they had many canoe related items there, I bought nothing. There was a lovely framed print but I did not want to drag it all the way out and back in fear of damaging it.

As we approached the Sault, we noticed on a ridge on the lakeside a set of wind turbines. We had seen a few the previous day on a ridge within LSPP as well. This would be a continuing theme the further south west we got and would eventually become a plague.

We stopped in the Sault Ste. Marie Canadian Tire to try to resolve our Coleman regulator issue but they lacked what we needed. So, while I drove, Christy took it apart, cleaned the 30 years of sludge out of it and got it back to functioning.

We were watching a particular nasty looking rain cloud for quite a ways as it moved from one side of the highway to the other as we wended our way towards it. Eventually we did manage to drive into it and even with slowing down and the wipers on full blast it was still difficult to see. Those downpours would continue until we reached Sudbury and the sun came out.



We had only travelled 550km but with numerous construction delays it was still a long day.

We arrived late afternoon at Bearwood Canoes near Parry Sound, Ontario. I was looking for a sign but only saw a green paddle and drove right on by until turning about 5km up the road and trying that place, which is where they were.

We 4 had a pleasant evening getting acquainted, swapping canoe and canoeing stories and a wonderful dinner.

They have such a beautiful spot there, I could see never wanting to leave if I lived there. The following morning I was up early and photographing as the sun came up with a heavy dose of moisture on everything as it had again, rained overnight.

We got the grand tour of the shop and the loft storage of canoes before we helped them stack a few face cords of firewood. We were not in a rush as we had only 225km to go to get to my families place in Stouffville.

 

[Mihun09]

Day 4 was an easy run down into Stouffville and on the way in the first town north we saw a coyote run across the road, which is pretty much the only living wildlife we saw in Ontario.

I haven't seen most of my family in the 7 1/2 years since I moved to Manitoba, although my Mother took the Greyhound out for a weekend visit about 5 years ago. My sister had just finished chemo and radiation for an aggressive breast cancer so it was an appropriate time for a visit and it saved Mom from another long bus ride at 81.

I basically chilled for our two days there, other than getting an oil change and a free repair at Toyota for a wonky climate control issue. Mind you it was mid week and most everyone was still having to go about the usual work week. The Wednesday night we had as many family as we could gather for a big meal, only my older brother Tom was absent. He works for the Red Sox and they were busy with a pennant race.

It was startling how big Stouffville has become since I was last there, they have added 10,000 homes in 10 years and it is a very busy, noisy place now. The neighbour allowed us to park the trailer and truck in her driveway during our stay.

It was warm too. 27c but we brought some rain there as well, with a shower on Wednesday afternoon. Southern Ontario had a serious drought Summer so we were happy to bring them a brief respite from it.

Due to our schedule our time was short and on Friday morning we headed off for Wainfleet where Christine's family lives and had a brief visit in Guelph on the way.

Funny thing is, neither Christine or I have smart phones, no tablets or laptop, so the only access we had to the internet was when actually visiting. Next big trip we may splurge on a used laptop considering pretty much every motel now has free WI-FI.

~~

We stayed with Christine's Sister and BIL at their immaculate home. It was like Better Homes and Gardens and I had to think twice before sitting down anywhere. They have 15 acres and a couple of horses and a lovely view if you don't look north. In that direction is 6 wind turbines. We had started to encounter those frequently as we neared the old Nanticoke coal generation station. As much as I am all for green energy, those massive units are really an eye sore, they could have done more with solar to save the landowners some market value and the view.

Saturday was fetching the old Y-stern down from storage in the barn and getting it loaded on the trailer. Other than a nasty hole punched through the bow, it doesn't need much work. It also came with a couple of old paddles.





Christine and Harvey got it all squared away on the trailer as I watched them and the skydivers. The local airport is within a short distance from the farm and all day long the plane went up, the plane came down, right over the house. There may have been close to 100 people going up and down all day long. It is funny, it was still enough to hear the clothes flapping in the wind as they did the free-falls and again when the chutes opened.

Both MJ and Harvey are retired, he paints and MJ does photography, so the bunch of us took the short drive down to the Lake Erie shore that night to shoot the sunset. A kayaker was kind enough to paddle through at just the right time as well.





Sunday was a day trip to Welland to visit Christy's Mom and MJ and I spent some time along the Welland Canal as well and lucked into a ship passing through at Lock 8.









Monday morning came all too soon and it dawned grey and windy. We went down to the lake again to see it all roughed up with a stiff South wind coming directly across.



Then we were on our way West to London to pick up the other canoe.

While going through stuff in their basement, they gave us an old TomTom GPS they no longer used so I had hooked it up in the truck for the rest of the trip. It computed an entirely different route than we had planned to take so at every right turn it kept having to re-plan the route. If that thing could have feelings I'm sure it would have been very peeved with us not following along.

We drove through another round of blinding downpours on the way and would encounter them again later in the day. Only once home did we find out how much rain fell during that storm, with Windsor flooding from 6" that fell in that one afternoon.

Once in London it did assist us well when a traffic accident forced us off our path on the map we had brought, and it took us directly to Martin's house. He was still out in Temagami so his partner helped us out fetching the boat. It wouldn't sit right on top of the other canoe so we loaded it on the roof with the racks I had brought along just in case.

Considering we were on vacation and wishing to avoid the mess of the 401 through Toronto, we opted for the toll highway and although busier than I remember it, it still moved along well even during another amazing downpour that lasted a half hour.

We arrived around dinner time back in Stouffville for the one night before beginning the journey home the next day.

 

[yellowcanoe]

WTH.. Bringers of rain you should have kept coming( Our trees started color early and wells are drying up... We would have taken you to Grand Lake and canoe heaven for big w/c canoes. And god knows we need the rain. I take it you did not have the pleasure of meeting Jane and Pam.. Good people. Jane is the cook and helped me re Red River birdseed and good homemade granola

Funny story at the Wooden Canoe Heritage Assembly ( which I hope you and Christy can make sometime) . They allocated a back parking lot with a generators for us RV'ers. Pam came with her tiny fiberglass trailer with bunkie. It had a kitchen inside but no loo ( I think she had a bucket if necessary). She was next to us. She noted bicycle next to our trailer in the morning but dutifully traipsed in the wee am to the nearest facilities.. almost half a mile away..

The second morning she appropriated my bike. Being a stout Canadian she apologized.( I never noticed the bikes absence).

She is an ardent recycler .. LItter is anathema and everything has a dual purpose ( isn't that the canoe trippers aim ?) One year she took a load of recyclables to the transfer station. And in a foreign country to boot.

Pam comes each year.. You would have a great time. Bring Doug Ingram .. He always wants to come but seems that the distance is a difficulty.

 

[dave0]

Road trips can be tiring but I enjoy them, just the fact you're seeing new places. Your pics of the spider webs and mushroom are wonderful. Thanks for sharing the adventure.

dougd

 

[Mihun09]

YC, most of day 3 and all the pictures are from Pam and Jane's places.

We caught them in the middle of harvesting their garden and the day we left they were going to pull the honey from their bee hives. They really are off the grid as much as they can be.

 

[Odyssey]

I'm really enjoying your road trip report. Reads like a comfortable laid back summer diary. I like it.
Sometimes vacations are exciting bringers of adventure and glee, sometimes they're bringers of sweat and pain. But sometimes they are bringers of calm moments with family and friends; dew kissed mornings with coffee and camera in hand strolling through snippets of future diary passages to revisit and cherish. I'm glad you picked up your canoe projects with no problems (I hope); but more than this I'm glad you enjoyed an old fashioned car trip to reconnect with family, places and faces.
I can just picture Christy hunkered down in the passenger seat working with oily rags and pipe cleaners, priming a surging stream of Coleman gas and whipping out her lighter "Let's see if this puppy will make me proud!!" Geeze you are fearless and fun!

 

[Mihun09]

Tuesday morning dawned bright and sunny as we packed up and headed North once again. The plan was to potentially take 5 days for the return trip but nothing seemed to work out distance wise with the ability to stop in Geraldton for a night, so we just pushed each day.

As me headed out I had the paranoid feeling I had not latched the trailer coupler and we forgot to check at the gas station. Next stop was 90km up the road for a driver change. Christy calls me back to the trailer and sure enough, it was NOT latched. We had crossed 3 sets of RR tracks and driven that far without chucking the trailer off the hitch. I spend a lot of time being paranoid but next time we will surely check before going far. The trailer got us back later for that lapse.

First stop was Elwood Epps gun shop in Orillia so Christine could check out, well, guns. In the process of backing up the truck/trailer into a spot, I blew out my lower back. Much pain ensued.

Christine found that stop, the inventory and the staff underwhelming. Next, we stopped at the Swift store in Gravenhurst. Man, they have some nice boats there. Highest price I saw was $4700 for a canoe! Jeez.

Had a good visit and chat and I picked up the 8" seat bolts I need to modify the bow seat on my Mattawa. Funny, that model is not available anymore, likely replaced by all the Keewaydins they offer.

After lunch in North Bay we kept pushing forward and drove once again into torrential downpours. Hydroplaning was the thing to avoid on the grooved highway but after a half hour or so we drove out of that mess. Still, we were the only ones slowing down for the weather.

The highway south of Temagami is a mess. They have the asphalt removed and a long section of bumpy gravel. Not a fun time. Later in the day as we made a driver change in New Liskeard, I saw the trailer plate was now absent. So, if any of you are up around Temagami and find a Manitoba trailer plate, do send it to me so I don't have the expense of replacing it.

We pushed on to Kirkland Lake for the night, choosing a motel over camping considering it was getting colder and wetter and well, we had not spent much money so far so $125 for a night indoors with the Jays game was a treat. We were on vacation after all.

~~

Up early on the Wednesday and after the Continental breakfast we hit the road once again. As we moved NW we were coming upon a town I think Robin posted about at one point last year so I just had to get a photo of the sign as we moved through.

Moonbeam, Ontario.




We stopped for lunch at a small river just after another horrendous length of what was a gravel section of highway. Opasatika River. Plenty of construction south and north of there, other than the usual bridge work.



As we were waiting for lunch, hot dogs and KD, a boat came up river, a fellow strolled up asking if he could get an aspirin. He had been having chest pains the past half hour of trolling upriver and sure enough, Christy had just what he asked for. Shortly after that, he strode off to town a couple KM's north to get snacks, so much for the chest pain. His companion was curious about the boats and our trip and as it turns out, lived about 10 minutes from Stouffville. It is indeed a small world after all.

Our destination for the day was G'Town. Prior to leaving Stouffville the day before I had sent Mem an e-mail about possibly arriving Evening'ish on the 28th, which he replied to but we were in radio silence at that point.

We topped up the tank in Hearst since after that is 180km to Longlac and the next gas stop. There is not much of anything in that stretch but trees, rock and water with a highway that just goes straight as far as you can see.


More cloudy skies, more rain.

We did arrive just before 6 to surprise them and were warmly welcomed into their home. Just in time for dinner, some wine, a monster fire in the anniversary fire pit and some Bud Lite's as we talked tripping, canoes and life in general.

Stayed up waaay too late that night, hard on me but it had to be harder on them since they both had to work the next day.

 

[Robin]

Moonbeam is a great little town, sometimes the local weather guy here in Connecticut mentions the temps in Moonbeam, which makes my day.

Mattice is a nice little town too

 

[yellowcanoe]

We need like buttons. Or not. Fond memories ( why?) of last summer in Wawa. Some bikers were going cross country and we got to talking to them in the motel restaurant. One was espousing a certain politico and got us involved in a rather animated conversation as he figgered we were Merican and had an opinion.. His six compadres all tried to make him stop or left (two).
It was all friendly but a certain audience gathered ( the other eight people there) to witness the outcome.

In a big city you just don't get that interaction. In a small town in Ontario or Maine you do..

We hugged at the end as we figured he was joshing us but that did not stop me from going to the market in Wawa ISO an orange broom or wig to put on his bike. The pickings were er slim as I was not in a DIY mood.

 

[Iskweo]

Great trip but holy cow was I tired at the end. I dont think I would drive all that way again just for a boat. Maybe for three or four, but not one. I am glad we had two to pick up. I tried diligently to get a third one but the gods were not with us. We have a bunch to do anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip though, from the cabins, to meeting Karins dad, and even chatting with the young lady who did the oil change on the Highlander. Hanging with my mom and my sisters was too cool also.I could have definitely done with more of that. Pam and her partner were awesome too and Mem and Irene are always good times.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Mihun09]

So Thursday morning dawned late for us but still overcast and threatening rain. We hung out with Irene as Christian and Rob headed to school.

The night prior Christy and Rob had spent some time tracking down a little mill that may have white cedar. So when we set off for Thunder Bay and beyond, we had their address in hand. On route we saw what we thought was a waterfall coming off the top of the escarpment. Ain't never seen it before but sure enough, may have been rain fall draining off the top.



We've done this section of road the past 3 years so know it well. The leaves were trying hard to turn but we were still early for the full effect.









It was a nice easy run even through where they are further twinning the highway past Nipigon and it cleared up on the way. Turns out the road to the mill is the same road to the T'Bay KOA, just different names. Hwy 527 runs up to Armstrong and a few km's from highway 17 we found them.

Our query brought us to a small barn and inside the fellow started pulling out milled 2x6's of clear white cedar. They had 5, 6 and 7 footers only and a bunch of 8' 1x6's. They had not gotten any white cedar trees if for 3 years and they still have a fair number of boards. The usually cut it into tongue and groove siding for sauna's and the 2x6's are for benches.

When told the price, I had to ask again if it was correct. $1.75 a board foot!

We then began pulling boards out to load into the Y-stern on the trailer. 17 6 footers and 3 7 footers. We left some for Mem, but not much. Roughly 122 BF for just over $240 taxes in.
Score!

Off we went again shooting for Ignace at least since it is half way to Warren from G'Town but after gassing up there and not getting much good advice on motels, I just kind of pushed us further. We wound up in Dryden at the Town and Country motel and got like the last room they had. Another night of beer, pizza and Blue Jays, but they were sucking badly so we turned it off after the 7th inning.

Because we had pushed that far we would have an easy run on Friday to home.

 

[Mihun09]

Last day on the road.

Instead of sleeping in and taking our time, we were both up early and on the road early. Made the Manitoba border by 11:30 and the wildlife showed up again, 3 bald eagles. Home for 2:00.

14 days out, 10 days of driving. Longest day was 743km, shortest was only 255.

We talked with people just about every place we stopped. Some asked what happened to the boat when looking at the empty trailer on the way there. When we explained our mission everyone thought it was really cool. Had some great conversations, the couple who were going canoeing at our first stop when leaving Manitoba on day 1, the fellow who made us coffee on a dreary morning in T'Bay, he was vacationing with his family and works at the gold mine in Marathon.

All along everyone was curious about what we were doing, the why and then the boats on the way back. It was quite the adventure and even me, normally anti-social, was striking up conversations blindly.

As for the game, well, canoes won in the end. 65 canoes, 42 kayaks and 5 SUP's. The yaks were mostly around the big lakes, even Pam and Jane have a pair at their cabin, but canoes won out in the rest of the country we travelled through.

If we ever do it again, I'd go for 3 weeks to help break up the driving portions a bit more.

Back home, set to work right away and the Saturday was stripping the Bastien down to bare wood to get a look see for work needed. The Y-stern is still on the trailer, need the wind to drop a bit before stripping it down.

Just to keep with the program, it rained this morning and it is forecast for most of this week.