Month: August 2019

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Day 48 – Trickles and terrible traffic

It was awesome seeing my family again and spending so much time with them, leaving was tough but it was exciting getting back on the road again to continue the adventuring! My first stop was Hamilton to view some waterfalls. It turns out Hamilton is the waterfall capitol of the world so there was plenty to choose from. Webster’s Falls was on my list so I decided to check it out first. While beautiful in its own unique way the amount of water going over the cliff was pretty small, more akin to a trickle than a raging waterfall. I took my time to appreciate it regardless before moving to the next one on my list.


A short drive down the road took me to waterfall number two, Tew’s Falls. While the cliff was incredible with it’s steep rock face lined with flourishing greenery, the waterfall itself was not more then a light dribble. I’m sure in the spring such a sight would be an even greater stunning view with the melting snow but for now the trickling will have to suffice.


I hopped back in the car, venturing east to the Cheltenham Badlands. Upon arrival I hopped out of the car with Winnie and immediately set off on the trail. It was a scorching day, thankfully much of the trail was shaded by the trees making the hike more enjoyable. I arrived at the site, admiring the view before Winnie began to whimper as I could see the heat was getting to her. We returned once more to a shaded path and she perked back up as we set about returning to the car.

Having spent so much time seeing the various sights on the early afternoon I made it to Toronto during rush hour traffic. I can honestly say out of everywhere I’ve driven, driving through Toronto during rush hour was the hands down worst driving experience I’ve dealt with. Traffic would constantly go from moving at a decent pace to a dead stop, it’s amazing more accidents don’t happen there! One glance away from the road and you’re likely to be buried in someone’s bumper. I could feel the drive getting on my nerves, finding myself constantly annoyed. I decided to take a break, re-caffeinate and take Winnie to a dog park. I was glad I did so, it brought me much needed relief and Winnie had a blast running around with the other pups burning her energy off. When she got back in the car she had that familiar smiling face, full of life and excitement.


I was determined to get as far east as I could and didn’t stop much. I did however make one more worthwhile detour though, The Big Apple. A humble little orchard beside a giant apple found it’s home beside the busy highway. I arrived just in time as the place was closing soon and I was able to stock up on some fresh apples straight from the orchard.


The sun had gone down and night was soon upon me. I decided I’d press on a little further before the exhaustion began to kick in, arriving in the town of Brockville where I decided to camp for the night. A full day with some solid ground covered, I now myself exhausted and eager to catch some solid sleep.

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Day 49 – A day in the Canadian Capital

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of the couple in the tent beside me getting frisky, I hope their poor kids slept through it because they certainly weren’t trying to be discreet! At least I was able to fall asleep again before the sun roasted me out of my tent in the morning. It being an early start to the day, I had plenty of time to work on my blog and clean up before setting off on the road in good time.
I began my travels east through small towns scattered amongst the many growing corn fields, the stalks reaching ever greater heights in anticipation of the coming harvest. The sun above spread forth it’s blanket of heat across the land, a light breeze occasionally giving momentary relief to the swelter as it rustled the leaves above.


It wasn’t long before I’d arrived in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. I began my drive throughout the city as I explored what it had to offer. What an incredible place, it certainly stood out among the other cities I had seen on my travels with it’s old unique and creative buildings, many of them marvels of architecture.


I decided I’d find a place to park so I could explore on foot. My wandering took me all over the place, with so much to see there was an endless pallet of visual wonders finding their home across the land.


Seeing many of the buildings where so many huge decisions for the country were made such as the Supreme Court or the House of Commons brought about a deeper rumination into how we structure our country.


The sun was beginning to set, I had been wandering around for hours on end. On my walks I had noticed a sign advertising an event happening on Parliament Hill in the evening, I figured I’d check it out before saying my goodbye to the city.


With dusk setting in the fireworks began to start, and not just a minor show, this one was grand with the explosions of light going on for quite some time. Blends of sparkling colors lit up the dark sky with their thundering entrances.


After the fireworks an incredibly unique light show called the Northern Lights began. Brought forth to dramatic music and a narrative voice the clock tower before me was bathed in displays of canadian history as light shows moved across it in fascinating fashion.


A full day of sightseeing was coming to it’s close and I set off east out of the city where I found a shaded place to camp, what a day!

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Day 50 – Bonjour le Québec!

Waking up in a shaded area is always nice, it lets me sleep in without getting cooked out of my tent. I decided to enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods upon opening my eyes. Just laying there under the canopy of trees was calming and relaxing, a perfect place to slowly ease into the day.


Having packed up my things I set off to the office to pay on my way out of camp, there the owner came out and greeted me. We began an interesting conversation, it turns out she’d also travelling across Canada, twice! I found myself chatting away, sharing my stories and listening to hers in return. It felt encouraging hearing her talk, I could feel the adventurer in me growing in excitement as she shared her travelling tales. A kind lady, she charged me a pretty low rate for the camping which I appreciated. It soon came time to say goodbye and I set off on the road.


I was torn over where I wanted to go, I figured I’d just head east and figure it out. Eventually I crossing the bridge that led me into a new province, I had arrived in Quebec. My french is admittedly pretty awful but some of it was coming back to me as I drove deeper, trying my best to read the various signs.


I was going to explore Montreal but due to excessive rush hour traffic I decided I’d skip it for now, instead taking some of the farm roads to the north on my way to Quebec City. It turned out to be a worthwhile venture as the small towns surrounded by farmland was a pleasant alternative to a busy and slow moving highway.


I drove until the sun set and continued to press on through the early night. I found a nice shaded campground close to Quebec City where I decided to call it a day.

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Day 51 – Pardon my french, Excusez mon français

It was a slow go this morning. I woke up early to hear the rain gently falling on my tent putting me right back to sleep until close to noon. Blue skies had replaced the rainy clouds and the sun was shining brightly as I packed up my tent and got on the road.


Being only an hour out from Quebec City, I made it there in good time where I began my exploring. Old buildings adorned with statues found themselves mixed in with newer modern architectures. I found a place to park and went about exploring on foot eager to see more of the city.


The real gem of the city was Old Town, the area I’d been most looking forward to. Beautiful buildings lined the narrow streets with their antiquated designs, taking the people wandering it’s paths into a time before high rises ruled the land.


I found a nice little restaurant that allowed dogs on the patio and decided to grab a bite to eat. Being in Quebec I simply had to try the poutine, I was oh so wonderfully delicious!


Street performers were a common thing in the past and they were welcomed to perform their shows for eager audiences of today. Emix Muluk took the stage with a lively enthralling energy and a bag of tricks as he entertained crowds with his humor, juggling swords and fire batons for all to see.


My parking had almost expired so I decided to return to my vehicle and get back on the road heading east out of Quebec. As I drove along I was blown away by a massive waterfall on the side of the road. Even with the night now upon me the scenery still revealed it’s splendor.


I found myself tired but I continued to press on, covering as much ground as I could. In the distance I could see a building towering over the land, finding myself incredibly intrigued I turned off the highway for a closer look. Wow, just wow! A massive church stood tall and proud over the land, adorned with all sorts of statues and engravings. I felt like an ant in its presence. If human beings can make such marvels I wonder what kind of buildings God makes. I promised myself on my return west I’d find a way to see that building during the daytime so I could take a peek inside.


With fatigue setting in I chose to find a place to camp for the night, continuing the adventure tomorrow morning in the sunlight.

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Day 52 – 3 months to live

The drive out to the campground the night before landed me in Grands-Jardins National Park. With the place being pretty booked up my only option for camping was an open field, sure enough the sun was shining brightly in the morning and I was cooked out of my tent. I met some friendly travelers from the Czech Republic as I was packing my things up, we shared stories with one another and they even offered up their home for me to stay in if I ever made it out to their country.


Being in the national park already I decided I’d head north to explore it a bit before venturing further east. What a great detour it turned out to be! Exploring the various cities and towns can be exciting but it’s out in nature that I feel my soul truly comes alive. The winding roads of the park took me through tall mountains clothed in evergreens, an abundance of lakes and rivers finding their home at the giants feet.


I found myself hungry, wondering what I’d do for food. Nature responded as one of the places I’d stopped at to appreciate the scenery had an abundance of wild blueberries and raspberries flourishing on the mountainside. Fresh berries from the wild are hard to top and I took full advantage, eagerly stuffing my face. I must have been there for an hour chowing down, even collecting a nice little stockpile for later on.


With a belly full of berries I returned to the road, content and cheerful as could be. I continued to find myself stopping a lot to take in the view or capture a picture, always a worthwhile pause in the day.


Having now exited the national park, I found myself hungry once again and stopped to chow down on some of the apples I’d picked up from an orchard a few days earlier. I had just started to dice a few up when an older man pulled up and struck up a conversation with me. Death had marked him, he had terminal cancer and was expected to live 3 more months. As we talked he said something that stuck with me, that despite being as sick as he was he would look at the state of the world and often think it was more sick than himself. With the last of his strength he was going to travel to Jasper National Park, admiring its beauty before returning to the earth. What would you do if you had 3 months to live, travel the country? Tomorrow is promised to nobody.


Returning once more to the roads I could see the sun beginning to set as the night overtook the last rays of sunlight. I drove to a campsite just before the long highway that would take me to Labrador City tomorrow. I arrived just in time as the lady at the office was just about to leave, she gave me a spot right by the water, one of the nicest campsites I’d had this entire trip! With a complementary bundle of wood I decided I’d start a campfire and write my blog entry for the day. The flame-kissed embers smoldering among the dimming flames have caused my eyes to grow heavy, it’s time to call it a day.

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Day 53 – Finding the hidden wonders

I awoke to a calm lake lightly blanketed by the morning mist. As I packed my things up I took my time taking in the view, such a wonderful display of nature lay before me. Having got some food in me and showering up I hit the road, a big drive ahead.


I thought it might rain all day with the sky a thick white bundle of clouds. I was feeling cheerful despite the cloudy weather, continually admiring what the landscape had to offer in its misty state. To my surprise, soon the clouds cleared up and blue skies revealed themselves.


The roads rolled like the swell from a great boat moving across a calm body of water, climbing and descending, winding and weaving. The pavement would often turn to gravel roads that became a stressful navigation.


The journey took me past many sights, one being a massive dam that towered above me. I wondered how much power they harnessed from the falling water within its thick concrete walls.


Often the lakes and rivers hid themselves behind the treeline, it’s times like these I’m thankful for a drone and a gps, it allows me to see what would otherwise be concealed from my sight. I found myself stopping constantly to take to the skies and catch a glimpse at the hidden beauty before me.


The road felt endless. I watched as the blinding sun clothed itself in a fiery garment before dipping down below the mountains.


With darkness now covering the land I pressed on, trying to get closer to Newfoundland before calling it a day. On my drive I noticed a creature walking down the road. As I got closer I realized it was a fox carrying a rabbit in its jaws. It dropped it’s kill off beside the road and walked up to the car to pose for a picture, afterwards darting back into the bushes as it returned to its feast. Continuing on I ended up finding a dirt road off the highway where I set up my tent and finally called it a day.

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Day 54 – Another day, another province

I was up bright and early, packing up my tent and writing my blog entry from the previous day. Winnie was feeling playful so I spent some time playing catch with her before getting in my car and heading north. A short drive and I’d left Quebec, entering Labrador.


I arrived in Labrador City where I stopped at a visitor center, picking up some materials and information on some of the sights worth seeing. They had free wifi so I spent a couple hours there working on my blog. With the change in time I’d lost an hour as I realized the day was passing quickly. Being pretty hungry I decided to grab a bite to eat before heading out of town, this led me to a local restaurant called Baba Q’s. A bit on the pricey side I wasn’t sure what to expect but the burger and fries that arrived were unbelievably delicious. I would have payed well for them to toss me in a wheelbarrow and take me to my car after I was done chowing down. I made sure to grab a coffee before hitting the road to help counter the food coma and just like that I was off, heading east to Churchill Falls.


A covering of clouds and a mix of rain accompanied me on my journey. Fires had ravaged many of the trees some time ago, their leafless branches still scared from the ravenous flames. New growth now flourished on the forest floor as a thick layer of green life carpeted the land, in time becoming a thick forest once more.


Across bridges and past countless lakes I drove, it was truly a land of abundant water. I pressed on despite the night fast approaching and arrived at my destination at dusk. With no actual campgrounds around, I found a field off the main highway where I pitched my tent in the rain. Upon crawling inside, the water that had annoyed me while I’d built my tent changed to gentle sounds as the droplets lightly pelted my shelter. The calming sound of nature bidding me goodnight I soon dozed off.

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Day 55 – The long drive ahead

It poured heavily throughout the night. When I awoke there were massive puddles everywhere, luckily the water pooled a few feet from my tent and not under it. As I packed my things up I spent a little time playing catch with Winnie and then it was off to the long stretch of highway that lay before me.


I made a quick detour at Churchill Falls where I caught a glimpse of the famous water tumbling over a rocky cliff. Satisfied with the incredible sight and eager to cover as much ground as possible I hopped back in my vehicle, returning to the road.


The land was full of beauty, with rivers and lakes finding themselves in abundance among the countless trees and plants. It rained on and off throughout the day, due to this I found myself stopping less which allowed me to cover more ground.


The last light of day was quickly disappearing over the treeline. I didn’t feel like stopping so I drove several hours into the night. The roads were terrible, the worst I’d encountered thus far. With potholes appearing everywhere, I found myself weaving back and forth trying my best to avoid disaster, remaining aggressively focused on the dirt and gravel highway. Well into the night I found a turn off and decided I’d finally rest up, opting to just sleep in my car and return to the treacherous route in the morning.

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Day 56 – Arriving at the Atlantic Ocean

Despite sleeping in my car the night before, I managed to catch enough rest to make it through the day. The morning introduced me to thick clouds and scattered rainfall that followed me as I began my drive. I soon realized I’d tackled the worst part of the highway the night before, as dirt and gravel returned to a freshly paved road, a welcomed change.


Getting closer to the coastline, I noticed a couple of cars parked on the side of the road as people walked through the adjacent fields picking something from the ground. Curious to see what it might be, I parked and walked out to meet them. It turns out they were picking a berry called a bake apple, or as the locals knew them by, cloud berries. Loaded with vitamin C, early settlers would collect them and store them for the winter months to stave off scurvy. Not the most attractive looking berry they did have a rather unique taste, a sweet, tart like flavor. I decided to stock up and spent an hour picking the odd looking delicacies before returning to my vehicle.


At last I saw what I’d been waiting to see, the Atlantic Ocean. The shoreline was an incredible sight with its mixture of rocky cliffs and sandy beaches. With so much rain in this part of the country, green plants and trees flourished everywhere I looked. I would have got out to explore a bit more but the mini black flies in the area were a swarm I was growing tired of. The buggers were similar to the ones I’d seen in the Northwest Territories but far more annoying, their bites would leave an itchy bump that was worse than a mosquitoes.


In time the roads took me to the ferry where I’d arrived with an hour and a half to spare before the next boat left the port. I relaxed for a little bit, waiting for the boats arrival. Upon its appearance I hopped back in my car and proceeded to board. No dogs were allowed on the deck, it was my car or a kennel for Winnie so I left her in the car. With overcast skies at least I didn’t have to worry about it being to hot for her.


I walked up to the top of the deck as the ferry took to the sea. Feeling the cold air pushing against me on the open waters I couldn’t help but smile. Here I was, off on the opposite side of the country, taking a ferry to explore a land I’d talked about seeing for years. I felt proud of myself for taking the journey, for diving into the unknown and embracing the adventure of a lifetime.


It took close to two hours for the ferry to make it to Newfoundland but in time I arrived. I noticed there were hardly any of the annoying black flies upon my arrival, a true relief. With it already being fairly close to sundown I figured I’d find a place to camp for the night and do my exploring in the morning. An hour and a half drive took me north where I set up camp in Pistolet Bay Provincial Park. I met a friendly park ranger named Jim as I drove up and we found ourselves in a great conversation as we shared stories with one another. Ready for bed, I made it out to my camping spot where I set up my tent, a long but pretty great day coming to its close.

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Day 57 – Wandering the Atlantic shores

It rained steady most of the night. I awoke to a chilly morning, the coldest I’ve experienced on my journey thus far. Beads of water rolled down the side of my tent as a light rainfall fell from the cloudy skies.


I set off towards to coast, admiring the incredible landscape as I went. Being hungry I decided to grab a bite to eat, stopping at a restaurant called The Dark Tickle. An odd and humorous name for such a place I was eager to see what they had to offer. I found a nice little spot by the window where I grabbed a tasty bowl of butter chicken with a scrumptious salad and a coffee. A small but cosy place, I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at the unique decorations spread about.


Having spent a good bit of time at the restaurant it was time to head to the ocean and I eagerly set off to the tip of Newfoundland. The skies remained cloudy but oh, what a view! There’s something special about the ocean, wild and untamed with it’s roaring waves that come in with the chilling sea breeze. It was cold enough for me to throw on my winter coat as I took to the shore.


Winnie loved it, with what seemed like endless energy she ran back and forth on the black sand, full of playful happiness. Seeing her joy made me happy, the wandering woodle was become quite the little explorer. I played with her for quite some time as I gazed out upon the vast sea.


Being in the general area I decided I’d check out L’Anse aux Meadows, a national historic site. A short drive and I was at the entrance, walking through the doors into the exhibit. Despite there being an entry fee I figured it was worth the venture and soon found myself on a wooden path towards an old viking settlement.


What a fascinating place! Replica buildings in great detail stood out from the landscape beside the old ruins of the originals. Peat moss lined the insides for insulation as wooden beams supported the structure. With guides that would share all sorts of lore about the vikings of old and their settlements I found myself fascinated. The old norse men certainly had a craving for adventure, something I can fully relate to. Maybe I have some viking blood in me, who knows?!


Having stayed until they closed I returned to the road where I made a stop in the town of Saint Anthony. I grabbed a bite to eat and took advantage of the free wifi they had at the local library. After spenting a good few hours there it was time to get some rest and return to camp. Having seen two moose in the middle of the road the night before, I stayed heavily focused as I drove along. I was glad I did so as I came across yet another moose! I made it camp safely, where I crawled into my tent and called it a day. A coastal drive south awaits me tomorrow, a venture I’m eager to embrace!