Days Inn Kenora On

... around Winnipeg on the bypass. East of Winnipeg we started to get into forested area. We left the four lane highway close to the Ontario border and continued on to Kenora where we arrived after dark. We encountered two deer and a snapping turtle on the highway in the forested area of Manitoba.

... bekommen. Und es hat sich gelohnt. Wir haben sogar unsere ersten freilebenden Pelikane und kanadische Wildgänse gesehen. Unser Endziel war der Rushing River PP südlich von Kenora. Es war eine wunderbare Mondnacht. Die Wölfe haben wir auch heulen gehört.

... things I’ve ever seen. Rob took the first shift of driving and drove nearly to Thunder Bay where we stopped at the Terry Fox Memorial. It was nice to remember what an incredible person he was and what he did accomplish. The memorial is also where The Sleeping Giant National Park is. The Sleeping giant is an island that looks like a….yea Sleeping Giant.
I tagged in for my driving shift in Thunder Bay and we continued onto Kenora.. Rob passed ...

... 631,774 population
Manitoba is very beautiful this time of year with the field full of bloom. We have never seen should color. The Flax, deep purple, canola is bright yellow.
The roads are good and the weather is cool.
We are making tracks today, right through into Ont.

... And when the sun shines here, it's HOT!

The local rodeo in Moosamin last night was truly an unforgettable event. I think we were the only ones in bike gear and not wearing a cowboy hat. It was fantastic! A genuine glimpse into the rodeo culture.

The rodeo continues all throughout the weekend.. Although we couldn't stay for it, we took part in the firemen's pancake ...

... was a large protest group demanding gov't loan guarantees to the mill - I guess it's closing too. Between Dryden & Kenora, there are lots of pretty blue lakes, lots of trees and the breathtaking vistas of the Canadian Shield that's being blasted away to accommodate a 4 lane highway. It's still a very nice, scenic drive! KENORA, ONT: Located in the heart of "Lake of the Woods" territory, this is a town I've been waiting 37 years to return to and it's still the way I ...

... and hours on end, wondering the hell we are, getting our heads bitten off by the service staff for asking, and now in the middle of nowhere, an announcement comes on with tidbits of fun facts about Minaki?! No one gets off. We continue talking about what it would be like to bike across Canada...

Exposed bedrock, islands covered in pine trees. I'm driving around Lake of the Woods. We needed a break so I stopped for dinner at a little cafe off the lake. As I wrote in my journal, thunderclouds gathered far in the southern sky but enough sunlight filtered through keeping me warm in the cooling evening. This is a land of boats, fishing, quiet time on islands and letting the world slip away for a time. I want to get back here and just sit for a while.

... dinners with friends and camping. I'm not sure what I'm more worried about: "Will everything fit into our bags?" or The coup in Thailand (we land there in a week!) We leave in 5 days... People ask if we are excited yet but it still doesn't feel real. Not wanting to have a blog update with no pictures the only ones we seem to have are of our nieces and nephew from the past few weeks. Enjoy! Next update: CHINA (we hope!) Cheers, Rea and Tim

... went swimming. Kath joined us as we swam around the island; it was surprising she didn't kick us off completely. Johnny and I shaved in one of the eight or so cabins on the island, the one we Canada-trekkers got to stay in. We joined the Hill family for a vegetarian chili dinner, and we met Kath's parents and sisters. Kath's father, Paul, was the loaded businessman who made this all possible. He asked where I was from and said, "Grand Rapids ...