We are playing catch-up this week, with entries from Thanksgiving weekend until almost now.
Trip to the south of Ontario
It seemed wise in August to plan only until October, given the global pandemic and all. We had made some promises to the kids about playdates, some appointments about teeth, and Kai's followup with McMaster. We connected with our neighbourhood, friends, and had some great outdoor visits with family. Our neighbours reminded us that the hockey sticks are really important, so we added two to our inventory. (We ended up finding an empty arena, a spacious underground parking lot "arena," roadsides, etc... the perfect body break tool for these kids.)
Having one of Kai’s follow up appointments in person at McMaster was important for us before we left Ontario. The test results tell us that everything looks good, and our team was excited for us to head out on our travels. Although we have let ourselves believe that this stupid cancer fight is over, there is always that little weight we didn't know we were carrying, that is lifted when it is confirmed by our medical team. So with that freedom, we loaded up, said farewell to the family, and drove North.
Our first destination was planned in the summer as an insurance policy that we would return on our adventure. Pukaskwa National Park: We rented an Otentik, cozy and comfortable glamping with a woodstove, beds with squishy mattresses, and an indoor table and chairs. We hiked all the day hikes in the park under 6 km and set dreams of hiking the Coastal Trail and/or paddling the shoreline. Seriously beautiful driftwood covered beaches, tamarack tree covered hills, and open water that catches the wind and carries it over to the shore captured our hearts and confirmed our intentions. We were lucky to have sunny, blue sky mornings and rainy, cold afternoons. This made us incredibly grateful for the woodstove heat, cards, and every now and then a little screen time. Ben and I have always been a bit purist when it comes to living in the outdoors, so this is the first time we’ve all cuddled in our tent to watch a downloaded movie together. Have no fear though, we watched a movie called “The Wilderness Family,” from the 70’s. Amazing! It was a sweet treat to cuddle in the rain and be entertained. In the morning, Con realized his dream of feeding Gray Jays at the picnic table. These birds are super human-friendly and loved the pumpkin seeds the best. ThunderBay hosted our next two nights, courtesy of Ben's parents, Dale and Errill, and my friend Sarah. It was so nice to touch base again, let the kids play outside and run with their peers, and drink tea together. We checked a few WorldSchooling boxes with a guided tour of Old Fort William. Our guide answered all the kids' questions about the voyageur and trading lifestyle. This was our first tour that turned private for 2 reasons: 1. Off-season and 2. COVID-19. Oh the perks!
Road Trip in Times of COVID
I am getting into the groove of microwave/ready-to-go meals. It was the strangest thing when we started crossing Canada and realised that our hardcore October camping plans would be kiboshed by subzero temperatures and snow squalls. We’ve been hotelling it across Ontario and the prairies. Since we thought firing up our camp stoves and starting fires in our Kelly Kettle in the parking lots would be frowned upon, we are exploring the world of the microwave. It feels like a complete 180 from our carefully prepared, dehydrated, packed food for our canoe trips to meals of convenience. One thing they have in common is waste. Waterproofing on a canoe trip and convenience both equal plastic waste. Our favourites so far have been Uncle Ben’s Cooked Rice, precooked Turkey strips, and salad in a bag, spiced tea and local brew, and loaded baked potatoes. (See we are getting good at this!)
We left Ontario and booted it across Manitoba, not because we didn’t want to see everything there, but because the Manitoba COVID-19 measures required us to move straight through, otherwise self-isolate for 2 weeks. So we did it… Ontario to Saskatchewan in one day: A LONG HAUL. Thankfully, the hotel we booked in Moose Jaw had a golf course just behind it for stretching and running and being noisy. We stopped along the way on the side of roads for mini-dance parties and a quick jog if there was a parallel service road. Our inspiration on this particularly long day was a fundraiser by our friend Felix, raising money for research for Multiple Sclerosis #legrandportage.
Caron, Saskatchewan was the birthplace of my grandfather. We saw the sign and pulled off the highway to take a look. It seems that in a town of 120, a fully loaded Matrix on the side of the road may be out of place, so in true Saskatchewinian friendly fashion, a man in a pickup stopped to ask if we were lost. I explained that my grandpa grew up here and told me stories of stealing railway ties and collecting a penny for every prairie dog he could get, so we thought we’d see the town. He asked for his name and when I told him, he said that he had heard of him before! Small towns have that beauty to them.
We kept on trucking across to Alberta for our reservations for a guided hike at Dinosaur Provincial Park. And I will leave you with this tonight as the campfire awaits.
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