Back in EDT Zone…

 

Our Location:

Walmart, Perrysburg, Ohio 

After a good nights sleep we had the wheels rolling at 7:45 am. Our original destination was changed almost as soon as the wheels were moving and as we clipped along we also changed our second destination, this was our third choice. 

Sorry, dirty windshield, Crescent City, Water Tower. We can’t keep it clean.

The roads overall were good, a few rough patches but not bad. We started by going back 15 miles to I-57 N rather than take state or county roads. We hooked up with US-24 East, which is only 2 lanes in Illinois. We crossed into Indiana and a little later at 9:43 CDT we moved into EDT meaning we are now back with our home province timewise. US-24 becomes a divided highway at some point in Indiana but due to a flooding detour, I can’t tell you where. We were routed probably 45-60 minutes from our original route. Eventually we managed to get back to US-24 East and continue along. Due to a ramp closer our journey to this Walmart was very adventurous and colourful. ‘Nough said. We arrived here around 3pm EDT. 

We travelled approximately 317 miles/510 km, we travelled approximately 8 hours, we used about 27 gallons/102 litres, and I filled up for $3.99  pg. I think that works out to around 12mpg. I’m happy with that. 

Good weather but a bit windy, side, tail and head. Wind is pretty cool, we need a sweater and we have been wearing long pants for about 4 or 5 days now. Spring is hinting but not quite here yet, a few more days. I think the high temp was 62F/17C, not bad for April 13. 

Until next time…..

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

We are nearing our last full month in our summer spot.

 

 

 Our Location: 

Summer Spot, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

The temperature this morning was in the single digits on the Celsius scale, a mere 7C/ 43F. It warmed up as the day went on, just like the desert, although not nearly as quickly nor as high. It turned out to be a nice day and just like the desert, started cooling off quickly as the sun started it's descent. 

Sunrise, August 21.

 

I thought I'd share a few pictures today, as I have very few words to share. 

On a ride to the Sugar Shack I stopped to take the bottom three photos in the above collage. We call it 'going over the rock'. There is a trail that wanders around through the trees, it runs past all of the favoured maple trees for spring tapping. There is also another one that runs along the fence line to keep an eye on anything that might fall across the wire. The top left picture was taken upward toward the Igloo from the bottom of the pit, within a few weeks the leaves will be turning and the colours will look amazing. The top right picture was taken about half way up the side of the hill on a very steep roadway. As kids we used to toboggan down that hill, we banked the corners and enjoyed a fast ride down. The walk up was always difficult.  

    

                

A bit of colour in the greenery.  Some seeds getting ready to drop and get set for new growth in the spring.  There is much beauty here and I some times fail to see it, kind of like not being able to see the forest for the trees kind of thing. I guess writing an odd post now and then helped me realize what I've been missing. Thanks to my good friends Deb & Tom for giving me a little push to drop a post now and then.

 

 

 

 

Jason has been busy over the summer working on the lake property. So I thought I'd post a few pictures to remind me of the progress between old and new.  The top left picture is how the old cabins currently sit in construction to becoming one cabin which they will use while building their new home and possibly be turned into an Air BnB at some point. The middle right picture is the inside of the right cabin.  The outhouse, bottom left, is the only thing that hasn't been touched in any way. The two water pictures were just nice pictures. 

 

 

 A note of congratulations to our friends Linda and Randy, and their son Micheal and bride to be, on the birth of a son Weston on July 29. All are doing well and the proud grandparents are extremely tickled!

 

 

 Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the few pictures!!

Until next time...

Take care, stay safe, 

Deb

Pulling out in the morning.....

Our Location: Summer Home, Tehkummah, Ontario


A change of weather has us changing our departure plans and so we are still waiting in our summer location for a few more days. Due to the high winds and the frequent rain that is blanketing most of our forecasted travel area we have decided to wait it out here, high and much drier than any where else we would be parking. The ground is firm, we are protected from most of the winds and the temperatures while not balmy, are about the same (within a degree or two) any where we are planning on going over the next number of days.  We have therefore decided to pull out Saturday or Sunday, miss Buttercup Ridge this trip, and head directly for Brantford, Ontario. We shall see how these plans work out. 

The Shoe Tree.

The wind has been buffeting much of the area for a number of days now, the once vibrant reds, oranges and yellows are now more of a sodden, dull fading carpet on the ground. Some hardy souls are hanging on by the merest of connections in all of this wind and will remain as stragglers long into the winter before finally falling off the branches and adding dashes of brown on the snow in the thickest days of winter. I’m glad I won’t be here to witness this final struggle but I know it will happen whether or not anyone sees.

 

Cold waves crashing.......

 

The ferry, M.S. Chi-Cheemaun has ceased it’s sailing for another season. The last sailing day was Oct 20th. It will soon be heading to it’s winter home near Owen Sound, Ontario where it will be tied for the winter months and all things mechanical will be repaired, replaced and polished. Things are now very quiet here on The Rock in Georgian Bay. Traffic is almost non existent and tourists are but a memory. Seasonal businesses have closed down and are in the process of being readied for the long winter ahead. Many of the seasonal workers are now finished or just finishing up as well. Most marinas are now free of boats in the water, but the little rascals have moved on to dry land, some docks have been removed for winter storage and all campgrounds have been closed down until next spring. Many lights are being turned off for the last time this year and locks being placed to hopefully keep things safe until the flowers bloom again in the spring. You can almost hear the collective sighs as things slow down once again.

 

Birch tree on my walk.

A Monday night robbery at the old local general store in the small hamlet of Tehkummah had the bad guys making off with a sizable amount of alcohol, cigarettes, the only cash register (including any money) and the keys to the gas pumps, among other things. The second such event since the store became an LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) outlet. Twice in two years, and never before in it’s 60 or so years has it ever been robbed. I do believe the LCBO brings in the bad guys. 

Getting ready for Halloween.

 

A few extra visits with family, a few nice days with some nice sunshine warming up the air even this late in the fall. We have been putzing around doing little things and are now ready to go in the morning. I can tell you it is a bittersweet moment when we say goodbye but a wonderful feeling to once again be heading out to warmer climes and joyous reunions with our friends.
 

 

Reflection on the cow pond.

 

So now that you are up to date with our happenings I’m going to sign off. I will be posting on a more regular basis starting in the next few days as we get the wheels turning and start our next adventure. 

 

Until next time….. take care, be safe, 

Morning over the bluff. 

 

Deb

 

Getting caught up.....

Our Location: Lakeshore Rd N, near South Baymouth, Ontario

I know I've been a bit of a sluggard but oh well, that happens from time to time. We've been busy doing a number of things and are almost all caught up to where we should be now. 

This is the gate way to our summer location. If you look you can see the Igloo right in the middle of the picture. It's not our regular spot but it's a nice one for a few weeks.

The weather has been very nice, a bit cool and hovering around the freezing mark in the mornings but it reminds me of the southwest with it's vast change in temperatures, so in my mind, it doesn't seem as cold in the mornings as it would if we'd spent the winter in the southeast where the overnight temps don't dip too much from the day time highs. 

South Bay/The Narrows as this stretch of water is referred to. The far shore is the reservation known as Wikemikong or Wiky.

The ice has finally disappeared in the bay and the air is starting to heat up a bit more each day. We're happy to say that the leaves are popping, the flowers are starting to show themselves and the daffs are out in full bloom. The grass is greening up, the Manitoulin Flamigos (sand hill cranes) are squawking and strutting around and I've seen a robin as well. Spring is here. 

That is snow there folks, still a bit here and there where the sun can't really get at it to melt it yet. That driveway you see leads down to the view of the water in the picture above.

Managed to get a quick visit in with nephew Jason and his lovely bride Leah. It's always a treat to visit with them, they are adventurous young people and enjoy every season to the fullest but Jason's love is winter and his sledding adventures. Leah also enjoys them but quite to the same degree as Jason. They are currently planning a trip to BC in January which will see them hauling their sleds out there for a month. They plan on driving through the upper states to reach BC. Not a drive I would want to make in January but then again, being young has it's advantages I guess.

The Lion rock is just down the way from our gateway, and yes that is snow on the other side of the lion.

A few more aches and pains than I've had over the winter has slowed me down a bit but with the warmer weather I'm hoping they subside some as they usually do. Sometimes typing is not pleasant on the fingers/hands joints but I guess that's why they make the good drugs I just need to convince myself to take more of them I guess. Oh well, it is what it is and tomorrow is a new day. 

That is straight snowfall, not plowed or heaped.

Friday found us heading out to the little hamlet of Mindemoya, a very busy little place even in the winter. Mindemoya has a small hospital, numerous dr's, a grocery store, a laundromat, a Service Ontario (where we can get things like drivers licence, plates/sticker for vehicles, health card updates, etc. like a government one stop shop), a library, pharmacy, and a few other little shops and restaurants. We arrived with a lot of laundry, the renewal papers for the Dogsled's plates, and of course a list of a few groceries for us as well as Dad. I will say within 2 hours we were finished all of those chores and heading home. Not a bad morning at all. 

We usually park in the area in the middle of the picture where you can see that gravel like patch but instead are parked off to the right side of the picture on what we call the green, which is actually quite a bit lower than our usual spot.

We spent the rest of Friday and Saturday puttering around doing a few little chores and just enjoying the 'home' feeling. A bit of visiting, morning coffee time, and getting in a few little strolls as well. 

We're parked here for a couple of weeks instead of going to our usual spot, it was pretty soft further up the hill in a couple of spots.

So as you can see nothing exciting but quite relaxing and enjoyable for us. We are hoping to get another project in the works before too long but we'll need a carpenter for this particular job but I'll keep you posted as to how that goes. 

The birds catch the up drafts that seems to always be here and they coast for a long time. There are usually two or more but today only one was floating along. At the bottom middle of the picture is the road we take to get to our summer spot.

Today's pictures were all taken with my phone as I have been strolling along and revisiting some of my favourite spots. I promise more in the days ahead. Our summer location is located very close to the shore of Lake Huron/Georgian Bay in what we refer to as the pit. It was once a large and booming gravel pit but hasn't been used as such for about 40 years now and so no longer looks like a barren waste land of rock and mud. The views while not spectacular from this spot are still very nice in our opinion. 

We take the road  to the left that is tucked up behind that row of cedar trees in the middle of the picture to get to our location. The road straight up the middle of the picture is the interior farm road to Dad's house. This is the height we are currently parked at, not too high up but it's a pretty good view.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the visit. I still couldn't load pictures to the previous post of our trip through the Parry Sound/Sudbury area, so perhaps I'll just add them to an upcoming post. I will also be getting caught up with you my friends in the up coming few days.

From the dining room window you can see our usual spot which is about the middle of the picture. That road  in the foreground is actually quite steep and is also quite a bit lower than it looks. We can't come up that road with anything but an off road vehicle.

Until next time..... take care, be safe, 

For now this is our view from the steps facing north.

Deb

Travel day, we're going further north....

Our Location: Walmart, Parry Sound, Ontario

 

Our last full day at Buttercup Ridge was one of packing up, straightening up and adjusting our location. We had to back out of the circular drive as the power lines from pole to house were just not quite high enough for us. We backed straight up the driveway to hang our end over the edge of the pond. I think that may be the place we pick next time as well. We'll see.

 

To quote Willie Nelson, " We are on the road again."

 

Departure day (Monday) was sunny, warm and wonderful. Still without power to the house when we left, we could hear the cows in the barn voicing their complaints about limited water. We pulled up the feet, powered in the slides and headed straight out the lane way. We left around 10 am, an appointment at Kal Tire in Peterborough at noon was our first destination. We arrived much earlier than that but since many of the bays were empty they took us much earlier. (When I had rebooked they said they were full until noon) We backed the Igloo up onto the cement pad at the end of the building and told them to knock on the door when they were ready to start work. 

 

The hints of green in the trees, and the bright green of the grass definitely say SPRING.

 

At 11:15 am a nice young fellow knocked on the door. We went around the entire Igloo checking the pressure of all the tires even though they were up I wanted them checked to ensure we didn't have a leak of some kind. We went over which tires to change, etc and they checked the Dogsled tire pressure as well. By 12:15 pm we were on our way. Thank you Kal Tire PETERBOROUGH. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. 

 

Small town Omemee, very cute welcome sign.

 

We headed out on Trans Canada 7 North, eventually turning onto Provincial Highway 35 North, passing though towns like Omemee, Boboconk, Lindsay, etc. We took CR 48 until hooking up with Provincial Highway 12 leading us to the small city of Orillia. We bypassed down town and continued on toward Midland until we connected with Highway 400 North. Wabashene, Victoria Harbour, Honey Harbour all passed through our sights but we were aiming for the Information Stop south of Parry Sound. NEW signs indicate 1 HOUR PARKING ONLY, so overnight parking there is not allowed. Nor is there parking allowed at either of the little turn outs for future reference. There is parking allowed at the Truck Weigh Station Area BEFORE you reach the information stop. 

 

One of the many, many small inland lakes in the area.

 

Fuel prices are scary high at $1.36 per liter and with approx 4 liters per gallon you do the  math. We did fill up though as the Big Dog was about half way down the water bowl. We continued onward to the little town of Parry Sound. For all those folks that followed hockey years ago Parry Sound is the home of Number 4, Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins. It is also home of the 30,000 Island Cruise Ship. We pulled in at the Walmart, parked out near the end of the lot, scooted in to ask permission and were told with a smile that we are most welcome to park here. 

 

How can you not love the views.

 

A quick call to dad, left a message, some late lunch or early dinner I guess, as it was about 4 pm. Dishes cleaned up, and back inside for some quick groceries. After that we just enjoyed the rest. I found the place very quiet and had no issues falling asleep, but Riley said it was noisy. I was awake around 5:30 am too early to get up as I have no where to go at this time parked in the lot, but the quiet was amazing. Hardly any noise of any kind. The store is open from 8 am to 9 pm. Also nearby Marks Work Wearhouse, Dollarama, and Home Depot. In fact I'm using HD's wifi to do this post. 

 

I imagine that was quite the landing.

 

Today we'll be heading to Lively, Ontario about 3- 3 1/2 hours travel time. Not sure how far in distance. I'm used to this part of the route so I don't really calculate the mileage. I've travelled this part of our route for over 30 years going back to the Island to visit. We will be pulling in at the old Husky Garage for the night, hopefully getting in a visit with my best friend Linda and hubby Randy before we pull up stakes to head to our summer location on Wednesday morning. We won't be staying all summer as we usually do but at least we'll get a couple of weeks visiting in before we head out.

 

 

Our final destination for the day. We took the Bowes Street Exit.

A quick text from Alma, the power is back on at Buttercup Ridge, a day earlier than expected. Thanks for the hard workers at Hydro One for their efforts. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the visit. 

 

Until next time.... take care, be safe, 

 

Deb