We left Whitewood heading to Ontario – the Manitoba roads as usual, not in the best shape. Another blustery day and we wondered if the fires burning are affecting weather and wind patterns. Entering Ontario, we soon got back into hills and winding roads, and Hwy 17´s two lanes with passing zones which is ridiculous for our Trans Canada. We also encountered the worst smoke so far on our trip. Having driven a long day, we made it to Kenora, stocked up on ice, water, and fuel, then drove about 20 minutes to our Boondockers Welcome stop for the night called ‘The Ranch’. The owner greeted us upon arrival and escorted us to a perfect lakefront spot. A large family of ducks came ashore beside us and waddled onto the grass to find dinner. A brief but powerful storm rolled in overnight which worried us a little for getting stuck, but we had put rubber mats under the drive wheels just in case. Next morning we made it out with no problem – and from an email we received, the owner said he had checked on us in the night in case of rising water, and he also removed 3 fallen tree branches on the road. We must have been tired.
Another very long driving day ended at Marathon. The drive from Kenora begins with remote Ontario wilderness to Thunder Bay, then follows the shoreline of Lake Superior, winding its way up and down and through small lakeshore towns. We stayed the night at another Boondockers Welcome, this time in a driveway on a quiet residential street. Marathon is a small town just off Hwy 17 making it an easy on/off stop. We ate the last of our prepared meals brought from home, and had an early night.
Our last travel day and a shorter driving day starts out along Lake Superior where we stop for a break at Pancake Bay, one of our favourite camping spots. After ‘the Soo’ the Hwy follows Georgian Bay and is a much busier with the cottage and camping crowds. We had thought we would boondock overnight in Sudbury, but on a whim I called Grundy Lake and was very surprised to hear that they had some sites available. We bought a couple hot dogs at the camping store and then settled in for a very early night. 7 long days of driving have left us both travel weary.
Today our final drive to Toronto begins with a stop in Bradford to visit family. Along Hwy 400 heading into Toronto we were quickly reminded what ‘holiday weekend’ traffic is like.