“Zoom, Zoom” by N&J

Kakabeka Falls, ON (Aug 29/19) – When fleshing out this cross country journey of Canada, N&J took into consideration the immense distance to be traveled, the ever-changing weather & what lofty goals to be achieved from such an almost ‘insurmountable’ challenge… a trip that entails the world’s second largest land mass.

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Looking at the 15-20,000 kms round trip, it is obvious the 2 month travel window could be strained; weather in the Canadian autumn can be anyone’s guess (sun, hot; rain, cold; mud, really really slippery snow conditions) can make or break your travel plans; making travel time best spent in areas far away from home. That would explain the initial part of the trip to be quick!!! (zoom, zoom; get it?) Rather than spend too much time in the prairies (closer to home), it would be preferred to take more time in the east. Can always visit the Prairie Provinces in depth on the return home or, another time, easier to access from British Columbia.

The section of travel between Saskatoon & Winnipeg (via the Northern Trans-Canada Hwy) was easy driving, little traffic encountered, good weather, cheap fuel. Parts of it are so straight we were able to tie the steering wheel to the door handle & drink beer… OK maybe NOT!!!

So cool to see our Canadian farmers hard at work… wheat, hay, alfalfa, canola, so much land, so much crop & Canadian flags everywhere!!! The size of the combine machines & their counterparts are immense, 20 foot swaths cut as they criss-cross the huge tracts of land as far as the eye can see. The wheat fields look like oceans of golden-yellow, like dancing waves moving to the ever-present gust of wind.

After leaving Winnipeg, it was about an hour later that the flat prairie gave way to the Canadian Shield, the land rose to meet the hard rock centre of Canada. It was lake after lake, rock, marshy muskeg & scrubby trees. One can only imagine the toil that our early peoples (explorers & First Nations) endured to traverse this inhospitable terrain… then add tenacious mosquitos & black flies and you have a recipe for pure hell.

The overnight in Kenora, ON was on the shores of Lake of the Woods, a beautiful waterscape that is absolutely huge (it spans all the way to Minnesota, USA). This would be considered ‘cottage country west’ in Ontario, with gorgeous lake front homes, boat garages dotting the shorelines. It was here that N created a gastronomical delight for the senses (BBQ T-bone steak; home-grown tomatoes w/basil, mozzarella cheese; spinach salad, cranberries, sunflower seeds, red onion, drizzled with olive oil & balsamic reduction)… it truly sucks to camp & be on the Keto diet!!!

Jesse (also wanting to be a ‘keto’ team player) had his eye on the squirrels (good protein), 2-3 locals kept him busy, they were running up/down trees, Jesse unsure which one he wanted to capture, needless to say he came up empty handed (pawed) 🙂 Jesse’s Pet Tent* helped to keep the birds & other critters a bit safer from the eternal hunter he was.

N&J met a lovely couple (Shane & Jody) from Prince Rupert, BC and shared a glass of wine on the shores. Exchanged mutual travel stories, turned out their itinerary was almost identical to N&J (same route, same destination, same time period)… synchronicities of life.

The trip to Kakabeka can only be described as a ‘green tunnel’; with slow-growing skinny trees surrounding the road, occasional lakes, rocks and bulrushes galore!!! Stopped for the night at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Campground situated right next to the falls.

Jesse has been a ‘dream traveler’… a special surprise is awaiting him down the road in Thunder Bay, ON (stay tuned) 😉

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