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Published: July 18th 2009
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Oh my, is that the sun I see shining in the sky ? Yes it is ! YAY ! I’m telling you it’s a miracle we don’t have pneumonia or something. After all that cold and wet weather yesterday now today it’s already sixty degrees and it’s only 9:00 in the morning. I don’t think it even made sixty all day yesterday. Well we’re not going to complain we’re just going to embrace this gorgeous day and enjoy every minute that it has to offer. I sure do wish it had a swimming pool to offer me today cause I am quickly losing my tan and that’s not good because I want to wear shorts and I can’t wear shorts if my legs are glowing. On a positive note, my knee has almost healed completely and it’s feeling a lot better. Pembroke is a small town with a population of only 14,500 so I guess that explains why they still have an “old school” Wal-Mart and not a new Super Wal-Mart like most everybody else. It was weird seeing it this morning because I haven’t seen one of these old Wal-Marts in years. Well, we showered, ate breakfast, Tim washed the
windshield and then we headed on down the road. Our ultimate goal today was to make it all the way to Manitoulin Island but we did have a couple of stops along the way. As we were driving we passed through a small town called Mattawa. This town reminded me of something you would see on The Andy Griffith Show or something. There were kids eating ice creams cones while their mother’s pulled them along the sidewalks in their wagons. A few teenagers were having a car wash raising money for the local high school band while I saw an older man sitting on a bench in town just soaking up the sunshine. And of course, there was a police car parked right outside the coffee shop. It just looked like no one there had a worry in the world. Tim continued to drive and we soon came upon an area called The Rapids of the Upper Ottawa. We followed the path and it took us down to a part of the Ottawa River. We got out for a few minutes to stretch our legs, put our feet in the water and took a few pictures. Next, we made our
way back to the RV and headed on over to another place in the book called Algonquin Provincial Park. Now the book said it was in the back country of Ontario but me oh my I didn’t realize it was this serious ! This park is over 3,000 square miles of wilderness forest and lakes and there is only one way in and one way out. Tim showed it to me on the map and I was very hesitant but the book said that it was home to over 3,500 moose so I had to give in but only on the hopes of actually getting to see a moose in the wild. A little ways into the dusty dirt trail I read in the book that the park is also home to not only moose but black bear too. So, I get this bright idea to leave a trail of Cheetos and bread crust out my window hoping that the bear and moose would come for them and we could see them on our way out ! Well, I thought it was a good idea but evidently the animals didn’t because out of 3,500 moose not a single one took
the bait. The lengths women will go to just to make their husbands smile ! I was really hoping he would get to see a bear or a moose but the only thing snacking on my leftover lunch was a bunch of birds and one tiny little chipmunk. About thirty minutes into the drive down Kiosk Road, we finally made it to the end where we were able to relax on the secluded beach for a few minutes and stick our feet in Lake Kioshkokwi. Naturally, I caught Tim reading all about the park, its amenities and the rules and regulations. It’s seem as if they are very serious about there fish in Algonquin Provincial Park because there penalties for fishing offences can be up to one million dollars. Now that is what you call steep fines right there. We hung out for a little bit longer but we knew the ride we faced so we soon made our way back to the RV and began the journey back to civilization. Like I said earlier, we didn’t get to see any bear or moose on the way out but we did see a few birds and a chipmunk. We eventually
hit pavement and we were Manitoulin bound ! Poor Tim, he had to drive for the next three hours in the pouring down rain while I dozed in and out snapping a few pictures in between naps. After we passed the fifth car accident, Tim said he was having flashbacks of being back at home where everyone acts like they’ve never seen or driven in the rain before. It was a tough drive but we finally made it ! We crossed the swing bridge that took us over Lake Huron and we were officially on Manitoulin Island. There was still some daylight left so we just kinda drove around the island exploring and looking for somewhere to sleep for the night. Magellan had already told us there wasn’t a Wal-Mart on the island so we had to find a campground or RV park that would accommodate a motor home our size. As we were riding around I kept on noticing something that I had seen all across Canada. Canadians are some very loyal people to their country. Everywhere we have been, all over Canada, everyone has some type of flag, sticker, yard sign, etc. showing their love of their country.
If things ever get too bad, I think Tim and I will open up a company that makes Canadian flags and memorabilia and sell the heck out of it up here. We continued to drive around and we came across a couple of places to stay but we eventually settled on a place called Batman’s. It looked pretty nice and Tim and I thought the sign out front was really cute. It read “Slow Down, Children and Seniors Walking Around” and we liked the name too. We ultimately got settled into lot number 145 but not before the darn windshield started leaking again. All that rain we had today had finally made its way inside. Tim grabbed the bowl while I got the towel and we minimized the damage. There’s nothing like falling asleep to the sound of drip, drip, drip, drip, over and over and over again ! Tim watched some ESPN2 while I filled out a few postcards and straightened up a little bit. (Lynn and Heidi, you know I was sweeping !) We laid in bed reminiscing about Jerry the cab driver, the two old ladies who tried to get in the motor home, the crazy Wal-Mart
man, and my Cheetos trail today and then we were off to sleep. I’m excited because tomorrow is my special day and I can’t wait to see what it’s like to wake up on a beautiful island on your 39th birthday ! Hugs and Kisses to all, night !
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