The Endless Plains

We left the lakes and entered the Canadian plains as we entered Manitoba. We had heard a lot about the plains. How boring they were, how we would be excited when the road went round a corner etc etc. In some ways we were looking forward to them just to see what they were like. Whilst we have done some long driving days they have not been that bad. We spent a night in Winnipeg and the next morning went to the Museum of Manitoba which the kids loved. After that we went to Riding Mountain National Park and camped on Lake Audy. We were hoping to see some wildlife and were rewarded with Bison. Also unfortunately after going for a paddle in the lake we also acquired some leeches. Alisha's was the leech removal expert as she had read about it in her explorer guide.

20130820-210132.jpg As well as more lovely sunsets.

20130820-210252.jpg On our last morning we set off very early in the hope of seeing more wildlife on the road before any traffic. We saw more bison, some deer and some lovely morning mist but still no bear.

20130820-210450.jpg Disappointed we stopped for breakfast just before the park exit. Almost immediately after setting off a bear ran out into the road in front of us. It was a brief sighting ( sorry no photo) but it was great to see our first bear and from the safety of the truck. There had been a mother bear with 3 cubs in our camp the night before but we had not seen them. We headed into Saskatchewan and onto Saskatoon. We have spent the day catching up on all the jobs that need doing. The biggest one has been sorting out the girls schooling. Before we left we bought for Alisha her literacy and Maths curriculum books with accompanying CD Roms. Steve also received as a kind leaving present a new computer. However we found out new computers no longer have CD Rom readers. Unperturbed we went to Apple in Winnipeg where they kindly loaded the CD Roms onto our computer. But the next problem was that the CD Rom materials were so old that the computer could not read them. Anyway we have half solved the problem by going to the public library in Saskatoon and printing the relevant pieces off. Where there is a will there is a way, so no escape from school for Alisha. A few views of the plains, including the flies that splatter the windscreen.

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The Great Lakes

Over the last few days we've been experiencing more of Canada's stunning lakeside parks. At Pukaskwa the dense woodland of boreal forest gave way to the perfect white sand beaches of Lake Superior. The sands were scattered with thousands of trees stripped and bleached white by the waves and sun. We enjoyed clambering over the logs so much we went back later for a sunset scramble.

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20130817-164247.jpg The girls hiking abilities are gradually improving, Alisha is already a good walker but Lucy is still working on her "long walking without moaning" badge, as her sister puts in. Considering she is not yet 5, she is excellent walker. However, we have discovered that the rougher the path with the biggest rocks, the better she is. She positively skips along paths that have massive boulders to scramble over, leaving the rest of us behind. Steve has rekindled his childhood passion for fishing, something he has hardly had time for over the last 30years. The girls, especially Alisha, are keen to join him. They tried out their new equipment that afternoon. Unfortunately they weren't rewarded on their first afternoon but still enjoyed it. The park also gave the chance for the girls to explore a copy of a First Nation camp, which fits nicely with their first schooling topic.

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20130817-164439.jpg The only catch of the day. We then headed further west to Sandbar provincial park, another lakeside gem. Lucy was particularly entranced by the inquisitive chipmunks and squirrel at the site. The girls were thrilled to meet a couple of girls staying in the campsite. Lucy and I spent the afternoon playing on the beach with their family and friends, while Steve and Alisha were out on the lake. This time they successfully caught a pickerel (walleye) which they mistakenly threw back thinking they couldn't eat it. We tried some later cooked by our new friends and it was delicious. The girls meanwhile learnt about s'mores, a delicious combination of a marshmallow melted on a fire with chocolate, sandwiched between 2 biscuits. Unsurprisingly it was huge hit.

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On to the Great Lakes

We left 6 Mile Island Provincial Park and drove onto Killarney Provincial Park. Unfortunately the campground was full so we drove to a campsite in the village of Killarney. That afternoon we went canoeing around the edge of the lake.

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20130812-085515.jpg And we stopped off on some rocky islands which the girls loved running and jumping on.

20130812-085616.jpg All the paddling ultimately took its toll on one of the crew.

20130812-085703.jpg The next morning we drove into the National Park to do some hiking. It was spectacular wilderness and the girls did great with their walking without complaining.

20130812-085825.jpg We then drove onto Sudbury to stock up on provisions. As it was late afternoon and we were shopping at Walmart we decided to camp in the car park for the night with the other RVs. We bought a hot roast chicken and the kids had another movie night. After the fishing success of the other day, Steve popped back to Walmart to buy fishing gear for the girls (or perhaps himself !).

20130812-090123.jpg The next day we drove to Lake Superior Provincial park and were lucky enough to get a campsite on the beach.

20130812-090231.jpg We decided here was a good place for the children to start home schooling. So Gilly set up the classroom for the first day at school.

20130812-090350.jpg The rest of the day was spent relaxing around the beach. It finished with a lovely camp fire and a wonderful sunset. Exactly how we imagined our days would finish when we began planning this trip.

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