We said goodbye to Big Sky country, and headed our little caravan on car and motorcycle east. Neither of us are great long-distance drivers, but by swapping 1/2 way through each day, we usually put in seven to eight hours of moving time — something we could not do on the way back.
What with both of us driving full time, and my sore and aching everything, we settled into a pattern of driving about five to six hours per day. So roughly this meant our journey took at least 25% longer than normal. Other than the added motel costs though, it was a more pleasant way to do the drive. It meant we could get off the big highways, and we arrived each day with enough daylight for us (OK, for Ann) to get a nice walk in before supper.
The drive across the Prairies was a lot more interesting, especially for me on the bike. Even flatlands are more fun when viewed from atop two wheels. But getting off the Trans-Canada also meant we moved at a slower pace, and passed through a lot of small towns. Our main target though, was to get to Ben & Sherilyn’s new place in southern Manitoba.
Ben & Sherilyn are friends from back in our Sandy Beach days in Thunder Bay. They were neighbours, and Ben & I were brothers-in-arms during our fight with the City when they were kicking us all out. Happily, the two first moved to a rural place near Kakabeka Falls (east of Thunder Bay), where they graciously stored our trailer and junk for years. Now they’ve moved to a wonderful place near Saint Malo, in southern Manitoba.
Over the years we’ve stayed in touch, and tried to drop in on our trans-Canada treks. We’ve watched their amazing girls — first Olivia and then Molly — grow from wee nuthin’s to the big girls they are today. So it was really great to reconnect once again, and to see their new amazing place.
Sadly, we decided to stay only one night so we could press on to Ottawa. Hopefully next time we can plan a more extended stay. We headed east again, with one more overnight stop in the cheapest place we could find (the prices are INSANE around Kenora to Dryden!). A quick lunch stop at the Time Zone sign, and then we were back into the bosom of our long-time friends: Paul & Julie.
Never ones to laze around, the two were busy at their camp, which is south of Thunder Bay, right on the shore of Lake Superior. In fact, it’s not far south from where we once lived on Sandy Beach Rd. Similar viewscape, although even more beautiful.
Julie & Paul have owned the property for many years now, but have finally decided to build a real house. We arrived just in time to help them assemble a little bunky (for us, and others) 
, and then to watch the well guys arrive to drill for water. Pretty amazing.
Part of the big plan for this season’s travels was to pick up my motorcycle (Check √), but also to get Ann’s sea kayak. P & J have been graciously storing it at their camp ever since we left Thunder Bay in 2015. Now that we once again live in a kayaking Shangri-La, Ann was determined to get it back to Ramea. So we did, and now our little car looks even funnier.
Although the drive had gone really well, my bike developed a wobble a few days into the journey. Since we were going to stop in Thunder Bay for a bit, I checked in with my old motorcycle shop: Excalibur. They were always excellent in the past, and happily they have carried on the tradition. Despite being very busy, they got me in quickly, diagnosed the issue, ordered parts, and had me all fixed up within a few days. So very impressed!
It was really wonderful spending the few days with Julie & Paul. We talked, discussed, swapped stories, saw lots of pictures, and ate well. We even had a tour of their daughter’s (Coralie) new home. Ann got in a couple of swims at her old Thunder Bay pool, and I plunked away on the ukulele for a bit, and researched new motorcycle helmets. But as always in this life, the goodbyes came too soon, and we headed off to our next friend-stop near Rossport.
Cathie & Joe greeted us warmly, which I really appreciated since I somewhat froze on the drive down the highway. Temps got to 8ºC, with a fair amount of wind and a little rain. Good thing it was only about 2 hrs on the road.
But while the greeting from J&C was warm, the greeting little Piper-dog gave us was over-the-top, through-the-roof, AMAZING. She barked and whined with pure joy. She was running and bouncing off the couches. It was the best greeting ever. We were both left laughing with the sheer pleasure of it all — too bad we didn’t get it on video.
We spent a lovely few days relaxing with our Selim friends. As usual, we ate well, drank a bit too well, stayed up late telling tales, and generally had a wonderful time. We even helped with dog walks, and a few chores around the house and garden. Plus, we got to crash the birthday party of their friend’s nephew — a lovely fellow who we’ve had the pleasure of meeting a few times.
As always, the time to leave came too soon. We said our goodbyes once again, and carried on towards Ottawa. Normally this would mean one more stop, but we had to stretch it out to two to accommodate all the driving we both had to do. Plus, my sore back/shoulders/butt still can’t take more than about 6 hours of bike riding.
We stopped in The Sault 
, and then in North Bay 
. We got in our semi-annual poutine feed at a chip shack in Cobden 
before finally arriving in Ottawa 
. The ride was generally good, although I did have to come back from mild hypothermia once I got to our little motel in Sault Ste. Marie. And coming into Ottawa we had some rain, but otherwise the ride was good — and fun!
Mom and Kathy are both doing OK. Mom is adjusting to her new life, tethered to an O2 machine. And Kathy is learning how to sleep. The little condo feels even smaller with all the oxygen paraphernalia, but it’s really wonderful to be back. Hopefully we can help out a bit while here.
We still plan to head off to Ramea in early July. One slight hiccup is that there’s no additional room on the big boat, so I might not be able to bring my motorcycle across. Our good friend Chester has kindly agreed to store my little bike at his place in Nova Scotia if I can’t get it on the ferry. We’ll see…
And I did end up buying a new helmet. This shell is much better than the old one — and pricier! But I think it will be good.
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