Coast to Coast

Embrun Volksfest

2009-08-09T18:23:00.001-04:00

Well that was fun! It was a great turnout and best of all, no rain! Lucy met a lot of people who had seen her before in her shaggy days. They seemed
to really like the new interior. Thanks to everyone who came out to
say hello. Apparently Lucy made it on the CTV 6 o'clock news. Heehee!

People have asked us if the site will stay up and yes! It will. We
won't post as often but will keep updating with VW related activities.

Back to work tomorrow. If anyone from work is reading this, go easy on
us our first week back... :)

Home Stretch

2009-08-07T08:07:00.002-04:00

We are back at our very first pitstop of the trip: Mattawa!

We left around 7am after spending the night in a random parking lot in North Bay. We only managed to get about 5 hours of shut eye but hey, we are almost home.

Lucy's generator isn't charging again. Kinda funny how it's acting up in the same spot as on the way out. Kinda. Not really. At least this time we have the battery charger!

Ah memories...

The plan is to go to the apartment, shower and unpack Lucy a bit then head to see our folks and drop off the van in Embrun.

It was a blast. Thank you all for being there with us. I'll continue posting to this blog because we still have a lot of Lucy related events planned... camping, car shows and weddings this summer...restoration and mechanical work this winter.. Owning a Westie is a full time job :)

See you soon! :)

Stephanie

--sent from my iPhone--

Still Eastbound!

2009-08-07T00:15:00.000-04:00

We decided to pass Sudbury and just keep driving until we don't feel
like it anymore. It's midnight and we are nearing North Bay. Francis
is armed with a bagel, a red bull and a large coffee. I'm armed
with..a pillow. We ate having some technical issues: the poptop lifts
up a bit when big trucks go by us, the engine leaks a lot of oil and
the generator light keeps coming on because the brushes are dirty from
the oil leaks. Fun fun fun!

We are hitting every single timmies we see on the 17 for a combination
of stretching and/or peeing and/or checking the engine.

We might stop soon because we are a bit paranoid the battery will die
leaving us without headlights.

Anyhoo expect us back tomorrow at some point!

Pancake Bay (again!)

2009-08-06T17:12:00.000-04:00

We are about 45 minutes from Sault Ste Marie and everything is going
well. We saw deer but scared them off with our backfiring again!

I have been reading while Francis has been listening to his iPod. We
have been pretty quiet and once in a while one of us looks over at the
other and smiles. I really like how we can just sit there and not have
to feel like we have to break the silence.

I just asked Francis if he wanted to say something on the post and he
is being pouty and saying he wish we could turn around so the trip
wouldn't end so soon. Haha.

Is the forecast for Ottawa still rain for Sunday? Hopefully the
Volksfest is still on...

Neys Provincial Park

2009-08-06T11:34:00.000-04:00

We decided to stay on the 17 because of the scenery. We made it all
the way to the park before having to call it a night (near Marathon).
The park is really nice here. I think anything along Lake Superior is
bound to be nice actually. It's such a huge and gorgeous shoreline.

Today's goal is to drive all the way to Sudbury or in that area. Looks
like a sunny day so far so a great day for driving. We are sad tonight
will be the last night in the van. You would think we would be sick of
it but no...Both of us agree we could keep this routine going for
another month. Westfalias are a blast to travel and camp in.

You guys will get a bunch of updates all at once since there is no
reception here and probably won't be until the Soo.

Love you!

sniff sniff

2009-08-05T15:59:00.000-04:00

We don't want to go home :(
(100kms until Thunder Bay)

In Dryden!

2009-08-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

Robin's Donuts' breakfast biscuit is yummy.

Rushing River

2009-08-05T12:21:00.000-04:00

We have 3 long days of driving ahead so there won't be much stopping
for pictures or sightseeing :( That makes me sad because Ontario has
so many picture-worthy lakes!

We figure we have around 1900 kms left in our journey (about 24 hours
drive). Seeing we want to get there Friday night that means about 8
solid hours of driving per day. Hoowie! The goal today is to pass
Thunder Bay and Nipigon and head either on the 11 (Hearst and Kap) or
the 17 (Wawa and the Soo) today. Google says taking the 11 is
slightly shorter but it's also not as scenic. Let's put it to a vote
then! What do you guys think? Small french speaking communities to the
north or amazing lakes to the south?

Kenora at dusk

2009-08-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

We made it into Ontario!
We are both sad to be back in the province even though it's pretty
and, well, home. As we learned last time we drove around here cellular
connection is iffy in Northern Ontario so chances are posts will be
erratic.

Woohoo I just saw Huskie the Muskie in Kenora!!! (no pictures though.
Damn! )

We are on our way to Rushing River Provincial Park. Good night!

Francis vs The Wall Of Screws

2009-08-04T18:17:00.000-04:00

Who will win??
(in Winnipeg at CrappyTire)

Asessippi Park

2009-08-04T13:46:00.000-04:00

Manitoba Provincial Parks are great! For 18 bucks you get a site with
electricity, free firewood, free showers and a super private site. It
was very odd driving there, everything is flat and all of a sudden
there's a downhill slope and you see the reservoir. The lake is pretty
big too, with plenty of walleye and pike according to the signs.

The park warden was from Temiscaming and he was happy to speak French
to us. Nice guy. As a matter of fact everyone is extremely friendly
here. I think I said that already but it's quite obvious when you
cross from Alberta to Saskatchewan and even more so when you get to
Manitoba. Not that everyone is crusty in Alberta or anything... It's
just they tend to not talk to strangers as much.

We met a couple in one of the many A&Ws we stopped at and they started
telling us all about the trips they did together and how for their
anniversary they would like to find a bus like they had and go back to
where they had gone as newlyweds. This was all standing in line
waiting to order. Hee hee. Francis promissed we would just keep Lucy
that way we wouldnt have to find another 71 van in 50 years! :)
Speaking of A&W, Francis is extremely excited at tge number of stand-
alone drive thru A&Ws in the west. I'm just impressed at the lack of
other fast food giants. A&W has a monopoly here almost. No McDonalds
in the small towns. Besides, A&W is all about keeping things vintage
and supporting cruise nights in small towns so I don't mind them one
bit.

We just passed Foxwarren and are heading towards Winnipeg today.
Beautiful weather for driving. It's about 24 and sunny. More updates
later.. I hope the return to work after the long weekend wasn't too
difficult for you guys :(

Fields of Gold

2009-08-03T19:20:00.000-04:00

Goodbye Saskatchewan! Onwards to find a campground...

Lanigan SK

2009-08-03T15:13:00.000-04:00

Fields. More fields. Again more fields. Our excitement today was
spotting a blue lavender field. The small towns are cute but there's
not much worth stopping for. If I had all the time in the world I'd
drive around to find where the townsfolk hang out but it's a weekday
afternoon so everything is deserted.

We slept well in Saskatoon. It rained so we didn't go to the drive-in
as planned. Today is out first Sweatshirt and jeans day since we first
passed through Manitoba. It's actually nice to not stick to the seats!

Lucy is averaging 22MPG now. I think she likes the flatter lands.

We have no clue what the plan is for today. Just driving eastbound
towards Winnipeg and stopping when something is picture worthy I
suppose. I think we should be able to get to Manitoba today if we keep
a steady pace.

Be good!

Leaving Alberta

2009-08-02T16:39:00.000-04:00

Our night in small town Delia went well and we went back to the little
cafe for breakfast. Francis got about half a pound of bacon on his
plate, it was crazy.

The local who suggested we stay in the little alley showed us around
his place. He had planted a whole bunch of trees and bushes and I
tasted saskatoon berries for the first time in my life. They are a bit
like a mix of blueberry and plums as far as taste goes and look like
blueberries. I also saw an almond bush for the first time. They are
super fuzzy! He explained the farm life in his area and showed us the
solar panel that powers the water pump for the town. He says it cost
about 200 000 to build and they have enough power to actually feed
some back to the grid. He also explained how the little oil pumps that
we see everywhere work.

This is going to sound dumb but Delia was everything I thought a small
Alberta town was. The man who showed us around works in the oil
industry and was a big burly man with duspenders and a confidence and
warmth about him that was a bit like that of a trucker. The owner of
the cafe was an old Chinese man who had been around for 50 years and
knew everyone that walked in the door. It's crazy to think at one
point in his lifetime, he was discriminated against and slowly earned
the respect of his neighbours. After church, groups of people walked
in with their cowboy hats or coveralls and chatted around warm coffee.
They talked about the weather and how it affects the crops. The men
played with their long mustaches while they smiled our way knowing
quite well we were out of town.

When a man walked in with full cowboy gear and a handlebar mustache,
Francis and I both felt like the theme from The Good The Bad and The
Ugly should be playing. We spotted quite a few Canadian toxedoes there
too. (Jeans and a Jean jacket)

Anyhow we passed other similar small towns with funny names such as
Cereal and Chinook and just crossed the AB/SK border.

The strap is holding the poptop down OK. Phew!

Holy crap!

2009-08-02T00:52:00.001-04:00

At first this post was supposed to be about:

- us leaving late because of pit stops at the groceries, gas and
Canadian tire
- how huge the bag of twizzlers is and how I was able to make five
knots in one licorice piece (it was exciting at the time)
- How there was a storm far off in the distance and it was cool
because we could see it approaching

But THEN, winds picked up and all went to hell. There are no trees
around here so it was impossible to see how bad it was at first. Then
out of nowhere hay starts flying and hitting Lucy at super high speeds
and Francis is struggling to keep her straight. Next thing you know I
look back and the poptop is up and the canvas is flapping around so I
tell Francis and he quickly pulls over and goes to the back and
struggles to bring it down. The winds were so strong it broke the two
rubber latches holding the poptop. Now Francis is literally hanging
on the handle trying to prevent the poptop from breaking off or the
canvas to rip and I'm just hoping the van won't tip. Yes, it was that
bad. So I make my way to the back and take Francis' place and pull the
poptop down with all my strength and Francis starts driving hoping to
find some kind of shelter. You have to imagine thunderstorms and hail-
like rain outside and grass rolling across the street. Anyway, we
drove for 10 minutes going about 60 and had a few scares along the
way. We pulled into a tiny town, tied the popup down with a strap and
waited it out in the local cafe. There were a few locals there and we
talked about the weather and Lucy and relaxed with barley soup and
green tea. They told us to avoid the campground nearby because there
was a wedding there with "lots of hippies". Haha. One of them told us
to go to a small laneway next to his place so that's where we are
camped out, next to silos and grain elevators. It's actually pretty
cool. :)

I just read the winds were up to 100km/h in some parts. I'm not
surprised. We had hay wrapped around the bumper!

I guess we will be using the strap to hold the top down for the rest
of the trip until we can order new tie downs from cip1. Thankfully the
canvas didn't rip except for a tiny hole in one of the panels.

Anyway, quite an adventure..the weather is messed up because of the
heat wave. Ok back to watching a cheesy 80s Sylvester Stalone movie
(guess who picked it out? Haha)

Night!

Back in Calgary...

2009-08-01T16:56:00.001-04:00

It's a small world after all. We made it into Calgary last night and
hung out with Serge, Francis' friend. After a much anticipated dinner
at a pub, he drove us around in his HUGE truck to show us a glimpse of
the nightlife. We drove through the red mile and went to see the
biggest rock bar in Canada: The Back Alley. Calgary is pretty at night.

After our whirlwind tour we headed to Ben and Marc's place (just ten
minutes away) for a late game of XBox Tiger Woods. We went to bed way
too late so got up quite late too. Today was all about breakfast at
Perkins, car wash and bearing adjustment with Serge. Thanks for the
tour and the hospitality!

Bye bye BC

2009-07-31T20:18:00.000-04:00

We left early this morning from the Samon Arm Resort to drive through
Banff (to pay a stupid parking ticket) and Canmore all the way to
Calgary. The sun is on my side of the van now so it's my turn to be
boiling and getting an uneven tan. Weee!

Road Trip Snacks of the day: Runts, Aussie licorice and Jones Cream
Soda.

Road Trip Music of the Day: John Denver

We will be arriving in Calgary around 7:30pm and we will meet up with
one of Francis' friends tonight.

Good times.

Kamloops

2009-07-30T21:04:00.001-04:00

Hurray for pints and happy hour appetizers!

(and air conditioning)

We are at Pogue Mahone's and tasting their 3$ home brew. The verdict:
a cross between Bohemian and Coors light. 4 stars out of 5.

(ps: Check out Francis' awesome tshirt that his awesome fiancée got
him in awesome Tofino!)

Hell's Gate

2009-07-30T16:40:00.000-04:00

We are near Keefers BC after a quick pitstop on Hell's Gate AirTram.
We learned all about Simon Fraser's expeditions and the salmon runs.
Interesting stuff.

In other news, Francis tried a Big Turk (one of my favourite chocolate
bars) and liked it. Yay!

Fraser Valley

2009-07-30T14:54:00.000-04:00

We are following the gold rush route up to Kamloops. It's another hot
one today...hopefully it cools down as we head North. It's great to
be on the road again and see new scenery. Fraser Valley is beautiful
but there's not a lot of pullover sections for photo ops. Oh well.
Just enjoy the moment I suppose.

Other than that not much to report. We watched Knowing on the laptop
last night in full surround. :) Not a bad movie!

Jackpot!!

2009-07-29T23:21:00.000-04:00

We are camped at Hope Valley campground and lucky enough there was a
pool waiting for us to jump into.

Now we feel refreshed and cool.

Vancouver

2009-07-29T19:12:00.001-04:00

We stayed at Capilano RV park and visited the city last night and
today. We didn't have time to visit all the highlights but we saw GM
place, the Granville Market, Stanley Park and lots of homeless people.
Haha. We also went to New Amsterdam Cafe which is directly under the
BC Marijuana Party office. :)

Vancouver is a great city and I now understand why they have an
overpopulation problem. The downtown core is very compressed and all
the bridges make it hard to get around. There's glass buildings
everywhere so now I know why Douglas Coupland's book was called City
of Glass. Locals are, as far as I can tell, quite friendly and laid
back. We both wish we could have stayed another night to continue
exploring downtown and the rich nighlife.

I know I can't bitch because it's been raining since we left back home
but it's 32 (feels like 35) here and man is it ever gross. We were
lucky the RV park had a pool so we went for a dip while waiting on a
load of laundry to finish. We slept OK though, thanks to all the
screens in Lucy.

We are currently sweating in Vancouver traffic finding our way to
Highway 1 EAST (!!!) for the first time since we took off. We will try
to make it to Kamloops today.

Sorry in advance to everyone back home but we didn't get a chance to
souvenir shop as much as we thought... :(

Sunshine Coast

2009-07-28T14:55:00.000-04:00

We are at sea again..we boarded at Saltery Bay on the 11:40 ferry. One
more at Langdale and we will be in Vancouver!

It's 30 out so the breeze from the boat is a big welcome.

Powell River Campsite

2009-07-28T00:40:00.000-04:00

Our view as we are getting ready for shower and bed .

Ferry trip went well. We saw some seals on the way in. Another ferry
tommorow morning and then off to Vancouver!

Good night!

Gelato in Courtenay BC

2009-07-27T20:36:00.001-04:00

The ferry only leaves at 7:15 so we have some time to kill. It's 30
(37 with humidex) here so all we were looking for was shade and
something cold.

Mmmmmmm

Cathedral Grove

2009-07-27T18:21:00.000-04:00

I hugged the biggest tree at Cathedral Grove. I'm a happy woman.

In love with Tofino

2009-07-27T16:27:00.000-04:00

Dipping our toes in the Pacific Ocean with the surfers was incredible.
The people here are so nice and made us feel right at home. We wish we
had a few more days to spare to keep exploring the area. The little
shops and cafes are right up our alley. Jeff you would laugh your head
off seeing this place. Everything smells like incense and patchouli
but with saltwater smell mixed in. A total Steph place. There's
probably more vw buses here than there will be at the Volksfest.

One thing is for sure, we want to come back. Honeymoon perhaps??? :)

Now we are off to Cathedral Grove to see the monster trees. I'll
probably hug one. Won't be able to resist. There's someting magical
about trees that old.

Anyhow, holy crap we have a gorgeous country. I mean I knew that
before leaving but actually seeing it is intense. I love how wherever
we go, there is a commonality however dramatic the landscape changes.
We saw kids playing road hockey in Winnipeg and Victoria. We saw the
annoying strip malls with the same stores from Northern Ontario to
Nanaimo. ( I hate those. I mean really I didnt drive 5000 kms to go
shop at a Moores. We need to do something about that and support the
independant shops). We saw rocks and trees and lakes everywhere along
the way. This country's culture revolves around its landscape and wow
is it ever an impressive one.

I've always been a tree hugger but now more than ever I see how
without those clean lakes and clear skies and thick forests, Canada
would lose its soul.

Hang Loose.

Stripping down

2009-07-26T20:04:00.000-04:00

We are down to our bathing suit as the weather climbs to a high of 29
near Tofino. We stopped on the side of the road for a quick dip in a
creek and a raspberry snack.

The lakes and mountains around here are similar to the Rockies. Clear
waters, fresh air.... no wonder the license plate says Beautiful
British Columbia! The road to Tofino is really fun (for me anyway,
Francis is annoyed with the 30 km/h winding road) with lots of scenery
along the way. We are excited to get to the most western destination
of our trip! After this, it's all Eastbound... Boohoohoo :(

No cel reception here but I'll keep posting so you have something to
read tomorrow at work!

Goats on the roof

2009-07-26T18:15:00.001-04:00

We are in Coombs BC and it has officially become my favourite hippy
place. We bought local raspberries, blueberries, corn on the cob and
cherries . We found a store where pretty much all they sell is
Volkswagen tshirts. We keep seeing 70s VWs like Lucy around here. I'd
say about 5-6 today already. Honestly, Coombs BC is an oasis of
randomness and cool stores.
There are rodeos and bluegrass festivals and oh man when can I move
there??? :)

Ok back to driving to Tofino!

Vancouver Island

2009-07-25T20:25:00.000-04:00

We acted like locals today instead of playing tourists. We went
grocery shopping, Francis got a haircut, we got some local wines...
Now we are going to go to our campground's beach and have a little BBQ
and just relax tonight.

Tomorrow we will drive to Nanaimo and Tofino. A few asked us where we
ended up staying. We are at Bamberton Provincial Park.

Some locals dropped by our site last night because they heard Francis
playing guitar. They gave us s few tips of places we could go and
spent the evening with us. They really liked Lucy so we gave them the
grand tour.

Hope the weekend is going well for everyone. Happy birthday to
Francis' awesome Mom and Happy Aniversary to my just as awesome
parents :)

Victoria

2009-07-24T19:40:00.001-04:00

We did a double decker tour and stayed around the harbour all day.
Victoria is a lot like Ottawa but with a marina. It's really pretty
with all the gardens and green spaces.

Beautiful morning...

2009-07-24T12:34:00.001-04:00

The park we stayed at last night (Goldstream provincial park) is full
so we will head out shortly to find a place for the next 2 nights.

Too bad because it's really nice here. The trees are huge, the sites
are private and the facilities are plentiful and clean! :)

It is supposed to be sunny on the island until late next week
according to the forecast so we will be able to visit outdoor stuff
without a hitch.

We are off to take advantage of the showers in case we can't find
another campsite who has them.

Very very late dinner

2009-07-24T01:51:00.001-04:00

It's almost 11 and we decided to make corn on the cob and warm up stir
fry leftovers.

The park was full but they let us stay in the overflow area for the
night which is basically a tiny parking lot between two sites. It's
nicer than some of the parks we have stayed in previously so we can't
complain :) We will go back to the office tomorrow morning to see if
some sites have opened up for Friday night. If so we will stay here
another night so we can visit Victoria tomorrow without having to
worry about accomodations.

The ferry ride is quite nice and is about 2 hours long. We stayed
outside on the upper level for most of the ride to enjoy the view. The
max height to get the "normal car" rate is 7 feet so we had to empty
our roof bag to save some cash. We took the Circle Route deal which is
basically 4 ferry rides for 160$.

Oh and we almost hit two deers on the way in. Lots of wildlife here too!

Victoria here we come

2009-07-23T22:16:00.001-04:00

On the ferry...

hee hee hee

2009-07-23T19:43:00.000-04:00

Making sure she's pretty for the ferry...

Corn drive thru

2009-07-23T18:20:00.000-04:00

Why didn't we think of that???

Oh and Pauline, you will be invited to the wedding. No worries. Haha.

Off to Tsawwassen!

Mechanical Update

2009-07-23T18:17:00.001-04:00

Lucy made new friends today! We stopped by Buny's n' Bugs to get her
checked out and she is doing awesome. The backfiring is due to an
exhaust leak like we thought. The mechanic was nice enough to provide
us with a kit that includes everything to fix it. It will be a good
project for Francis when we get back to Ottawa.

The wheel bearings are all OK as well so no more worrying about
whether we will make it back to Ottawa in time.

The mechanic and staff are extremely nice and I wouldn't hesitate to
recommend them to anyone looking for help in the area. They even gave
us a pen and license plate frame as a souvenir. Great folks.

In other news we witnessed a camper on fire on Highway 3 so we called
911 the minute we had cel reception. The guy was was waving for us to
do so when we drove by. The front end was on fire and I hope the
firefighters got to them before they lost the contents of the motorhome.

Near Hope BC

2009-07-23T15:34:00.000-04:00

We left early this morning heading for Chilliwack. Highway 3 is windy
and scenic and there's hardly anybody on the road so it's nice and
relaxing. We are still munching on fresh fruits. Mmm.

We saw a deer a few minutes ago but I wasn't fast enough to take a
picture.

There are a lot of VW vans here! Much more than any other province we
visited. Most are the vanagons (1980+) but they still wave us down
when they see us. :)

I'll let everyone know what the verdict is for Lucy when we leave the
mechanic's shop in Chiliwack.

Awww

2009-07-23T00:23:00.001-04:00

Sorry. Last one for the night. I found this picture of my parents and
I'm pretty sure it's from when they got engaged. Miss you :)

I was wrong...

2009-07-23T00:21:00.001-04:00

The campsite isn't so bad. I just discovered we are surrounded by
apricot and peach trees and we are allowed to pick and eat as much as
we want. (!!!)

There's also a very nice view nearby (picture) to make up for the
crappy sites. Our neighbours speak French so that's fun too.

Oh man I can't get enough of these fresh fruits! I ate three apricots
while writing this... Mmmm. It makes me look forward to come back to
Ottawa for blueberry season.

It's going to be a low of 17 tonight so I think it will be a screens-
open-no-sleeping-bag night. Such a dramatic change from the 6 degres
in the Rockies...

We will head to Chilliwack in the morning to go see a VW specialist.
Hopefully he can pinpoint our backfire problem and assure us she can
take us back home :)

Okanogan cherries

2009-07-22T23:46:00.000-04:00

There are fruit stands everywhere with local picked goodies. We bought
cherries and they are delicious!

The campsite we are at kinda sucks. It's not private. However, there
are showers and laundry facilities so that's the plan for tonight. We
are running out of clothes!

In Kelowna

2009-07-22T19:40:00.001-04:00

Uggggghhhhhhh

Near Okanogan Valley

2009-07-22T17:03:00.000-04:00

The air is thick with smog. I'm guessing it's because of the forest
fires. We can't see the mountains because of it and it's too bad
because there is plenty.

Can't wait to taste the local fruits!

Glacier National Park

2009-07-22T15:18:00.000-04:00

Giving Lucy a little break before we go through Roger's Pass....

Golden BC

2009-07-22T14:38:00.000-04:00

We just left Yoho national park. I'm a bit sad because we didn't get
to see all the falls and lakes of the area but it didn't make much
sense for us to backtrack this morning do we kept heading west. We
stopped in Golden for some baked goods, Timmies (not that great
apparently) and some gas (1.11$!!!). Lucy had a 20mpg average this
time around and that's pretty good considering the high altitude and
uphill climbs.

We will go through Glacier National Park and Revelstoke National Park
today. It's yet another gorgeous afternoon. I can't believe our luck!

We washed the car today because the bugs were pretty bad and we saw
the chips in the front end again. Francis says it's pretty bad and
can't be patched up. :( Poor Lucy.

Yoho National Park

2009-07-21T23:15:00.000-04:00

We are stopped for the night at Hoodoos Campground in the Yoho
National Park. The picture is the view from our site :)

It's cold at night here. Around 6 degrees tonight. Good thing we
brought that extra blanket! I think it will be a movie night again
since there is no firepit here.

There's no reception here but I'll update more tomorrow.

Made a friend...

2009-07-21T16:20:00.000-04:00

A big horn sheep literally lead us for about 400 metres before he
decided that he was no match for Lucy. Not bad though at one point he
was running to keep up with us. Somehow animals seem to like her :)

After packing we went to grab a coffee and met a couple with a green
73 van. They are the original owners and told us about their travels
and suggested a few pit stops in Yoho National Park . We then headed
on the Bow Valley parkway, pit stopped at Johnston Canyon and now here
we are, nearing Banff after having outrun Hank the Sheep. It's around
28 and sunny here but somehow my legs are still pasty white :P

More updates later. Ring still very shiny! Haha.

Mmmmmm Banff cuisine

2009-07-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

After a busy day we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy dinner at
Maple Leaf Grill and Lounge. I'm writing this as I wait for my chef
creation of the day (elk tenderloin).

We went on the Banff Gobdola and took a dip in Radium Hotsprings
today. The water was at 39 degrees and it was quite nice to breathe
fresh mountain air while relaxing our sore muscles from all the hiking.

We didn't get a chance to walk around Banff yet so we will do that
tomorrow.

The gondola made Francis dream of snowboarding around here. Maybe for
another trip???

Morraine Lake

2009-07-20T16:37:00.000-04:00

After getting over the excitement of last night we packed up Lucy to
continue exploring. I'm glad we detoured to Morraine Lake because it's
the bluest water we have seen yet (iPhone doesn't show it well). We
climbed up the rockpile for the same view that's on the old 20 dollar
bill!

Off to Banff...

She said yes!

2009-07-20T13:52:00.000-04:00

Francis here...since I have yet made a post on this blog I thought I
would write my first one on this very special day. This trip being
all about discovering our beautiful country, what better way to
propose than with an all-Canadian diamond? Lucy witnessed the whole
thing when I popped the question.

Stephanie says the ring is too shiny but I think she'll get used to it.

I love her very much and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life
with her.

By the way I also wanted to thank everyone for all the nice emails and
comments. Steph reads them to me while we are on the road and it makes
us feel like you are right here with us.

Francis

Late dinner

2009-07-19T22:37:00.000-04:00

We set up the mosquito tent because it was drenched from being in the
Thule bag strapped to Lucy. It's easy to put up but I have a feeling
we won't be able to put it back in its tiny bag.

Lake Louise was beautiful but it wasn't rustic enough for me with the
chateau and all the tourists. In my eyes, Payto and Bow lake were much
more majestic even if all we could do was admire them from a distance.

Jiffy Pop and movie in Lucy tonight!

Six Glaciers Lookout

2009-07-19T18:50:00.000-04:00

We had scones and corn chips at the teahouse and continued to the
lookout point to have a look at the glaciers.

There are lots of rocks here! :)

Lake Louise

2009-07-19T16:07:00.000-04:00

We booked two nights at the lake Louise campground and are now off to
hike the Plains of the Six Glaciers trail. It's 26 and sunny at the
city with the highest altitude in Canada!

Can't wait for an even better view of the lake!

Mosquito Creek Campground

2009-07-19T12:13:00.000-04:00

This is where we stayed the night. The lots were full so we just
parked near the creek and left early the next morning. We are now off
to Lake Louise where they hopefully have showers. We have been hand
washing in the van lately as most campsites have no services (well the
nice ones anyway).

It rained last night but it's sunny again this morning. Our last trek
of the day yesterday was to see Payto Lake. We were all alone at the
lookout point because of rolling thunder and strong winds but boy was
it ever nice.

Lucy had quite a challenge at Bow Pass (6849 feet above sea level) but
got us all the way up! We were in second gear at one point but she is
one tough cookie!

Back to looking for animal crossings!

Mistaya Canyon

2009-07-18T20:35:00.000-04:00

We are a bit past the halfway point between Jasper and Banff. Still
breathtaking! Now if only we could find a camping lot...

Sunwapta Falls

2009-07-18T17:32:00.000-04:00

And last one got typoed. It was Athabasca.

Kinda funny story: On the way here there was a deer near the road so
Francis takes his foot off the accelerator to slow down. Well, Lucy
still has that backfire on deceleration issue so she lets out a loud
gunshot bang and the deer ran for his life :( I felt bad. Francis
thought it was hilarious.

Good old Lucy.

Oh yeah one thing we need to learn is how to portion our meals. We
decided to make macaroni yesterday but kind of forgot we have leftover
for days when we make it at home. Now we are trying to figure out what
the best way to reheat leftovers is with only a grill and a Naphta
stove :P

Arhabasca Falls Pit Stop

2009-07-18T16:44:00.001-04:00

The mist from the falls helped cool us down. The pictures from my
iPhone (all the post pictures) don't do this trip justice. My real
camera is taking amazing wide angle shots though so that's good.

Maltesers are melting in the van!

Back on the road for the next pitstop!

Still chugging along

2009-07-18T15:12:00.000-04:00

We are currently going south on the icefields parkway towards Banff.
Passing beautiful lakes and mountains along the way. Everyone
including Lucy is doing well. Weather is exceptional. 28 today but
with a cool mountain breeze.

Hopefully we can go for a hike later this afternoon.

More updates later!

View from the top

2009-07-17T19:20:00.001-04:00

5kms in a steep uphill climb is a great way to get back in hockey shape!

The view from the top was stunning. It's too bad I couldn't get it all
on camera. We saw more animals on the way back. So far we have seen
cariboos, bighorn sheep and a white tail deer. It's a bit creepy how
unafraid of humans they are.

We saw some weird birds too. I think they were Clark's nutcrackers and
stellar's jay. We also saw some black billed magpies. Oh and the
squirrels around here are different too. They look a bit like baby
groundhogs but with a tail. :) They are called Columbia Ground
Squirrels.

Anyhow We finished the hike in 3.5 hours which is pretty good. We are
absolutely starving and looking forward to relax around the campfire
tonight.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Maligne Lake

2009-07-17T15:17:00.000-04:00

A lookout point on the way to our trailhead (Bald Hills Trail). It's a
10k trail with the summit at 2170m :) Can't wait!

Snaring River

2009-07-16T21:21:00.000-04:00

We got here about 30 minutes ago. The campground is in great
surroundings as you can see. It's a bit odd because there are no
attendants. You just sort of drive around, pick a site then put money
in an envelope and put it in a locked box. The wood is also self-
serve. Our campsite is bear the woodpile. Francis will have as long a
campfire as he wants here!

We saw longhorn sheep and an elk on the way in. We stopped to take
pictures. They were less than 30 feet away from us. Quite amazing. The
water in the picture is perfectly clear and absolutely freezing!

We booked the campsite for 2 nights and will take a day trip tomorrow
to visit the Jasper area. Possibly find a good day hike.

It's hard to imagine how much distance is between here and Ottawa.
5000 kms or so! Lucy is a trooper to have driven us this far. :)

Almost there!!

2009-07-16T19:07:00.000-04:00

Hinton, Alberta

2009-07-16T18:57:00.000-04:00

We are almost in Jasper. We stocked up on groceries for dinner at the
local IGA. That's where the big bear was. Don't ask. Not exactly
friendly looking either. I'm sure there will be cel reception near
Jasper but I'm not sure about the campsites and where we will hike so
don't panic if I stop updating! I'll do like last time and write them
up as I go and they will all post at once when we re-enter civilization.

So Jasper is more rugged and wild than Banff. It's as beautiful if not
more because of it we were told.

Mountain pictures to come...

Days are too short :(

2009-07-16T00:05:00.000-04:00

We spent the whole day at the mall and only saw about half of what we
wanted to see.

We would like to go back to the waterpark and the skating rink because
we didn't have a chance to go today.

We still haven't seen Rexall Place either so that's a must on our list.

Francis bought a backpack for when we go hiking. I pulled a typical me
and didn't buy anything except a DVD with an HMV certificate my uncle
Dan gave me for my birthday. I picked the movie One Week just because
it's so appropriate for the trip.

We ate Crepes for lunch and Went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for
dinner. There's around 3 food courts at the mall and a whole area
dedicated to sit-down restaurants. There's something for everyone
that's for sure. Jena I thought of you because there were TWO Lids
stores in there!

Oh on another note we saw a Fritou on the way. I had NO clue it was
anywhere but in our region. I wonder how they pronounce it here?

Anyhow we are now back at our site sitting around the campfire still
amazed at how bright it is out here even though it's 10pm. It set
around 11 last night.

No clue what the plan is for tomorrow. Hurray routine-free holidays!

West Edmonton mall

2009-07-15T19:00:00.001-04:00

This place is HUGE!

A last one before dodo time

2009-07-15T00:02:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who email us and post comments
on the site. We get and read them all and are happy everytime we hear
from you.

We got a special request to post a picture of both of us so here it
is. We are not at our best but that is what camping is about!

It's 10pm here and still really bright out as you can see in the
picture. It's weird to think about going to bed before the sun sets.
Hmmm

Thinking of you all. Xoxo

The lake!

2009-07-14T22:53:00.000-04:00

Lots of fish. You see them jumping from the shore.

Wabamun Provincial Park

2009-07-14T22:10:00.001-04:00

We drove towards Edmonton today but decided to find a campground before going to the mall. When we got there neither of us felt like going shopping anymore. We longed for a campfire and quiet camping time so we decided to stay here and only go to Edmonton tomorrow morning instead.

Wabamun is quite nice. The sites are private and we'll go see the lake before sunset. Lucy got chipped on her front end on the way here. Some redneck meanie decided to pass us while there was construction ahead and tons of rocks on the road. Francis was furious. If we could have caught up to them we would have but Lucy isn't really a speedster.

Pasta with shrimp and corn on the cob for dinner. Yum yum.

Bass Pro Shop

2009-07-14T14:07:00.000-04:00

We ended up driving back to Calgary again last night because the
weather forecast was crappy for the next few days in Banff. We will go
shopping in Edmonton today instead and come back to The Rockies when
it's nicer so we can hike and enjoy the scenery.

We stopped at the Calgary Bass Pro Shop on the way there and got a few
souvenirs. It's huge in there and there are waterfalls and aquariums
and (not as cool) tons of dead animals mounted on the walls. Francis
and I had fun going around the store to check things out.

My parents woke me up this morning because the RCMP had called their
place but didn't leave a message. They thought something had happened
to us and gave me a call. I didn't pick up because the phone was on
vibrate and I was sleeping but man were they ever happy to hear my
voice when I called back. Turns out it's a friend of mine who works
for the RCMP and had a question for them. Poor mom and dad :(

Pictures of Edmonton to come soon!

Blurry Banff

2009-07-13T19:06:00.000-04:00

We are nearing Banff and the scenery is spectacular. Unfortunately
it's still a bit rainy and cloudy but wow. Breathtaking. More to come
as we find a campsite!

Sunridge Mazda to the rescue

2009-07-13T17:27:00.001-04:00

Marc set us up to get a brake checkup at his workplace. One of the
guys there had VW experience (Peter) so he helped us out and was
extremely helpful. Turns out water was getting into the rear right
drum because a rubber plug was missing. He also checked out a few
things for the backfires and suggested we change the spark plug gap
to 0.007 instead of 0.006 . He checked for exhaust leaks and found
none and confirmed our timing was OK. Yay Mazda! So if you live in the
Calgary area or are visiting, don't be scared to go see them. Great
folks.

Big thanks to Mark for setting it all up. We owe you one!

Eating like the locals

2009-07-13T13:39:00.000-04:00

We packed up and left Ben and Mark's place this morning. After reading
recommendations we stopped at Peter's drive-in for a burger and shake.

I gotta say, it's pretty damn good. Kinda like a sloppy joe because of
all the home made BBQ sauce.

It's raining today so we don't know if we should head to Banff right
away. What to do...what to do..

Hanging out with Whisper

2009-07-12T15:45:00.001-04:00

Beautiful day here in Calgary. The boys are gone to play golf and I'm
at the house doing laundry and reading on the porch. Whisper is
keeping me company.

I think we will stay here again tonight and then take off for Banff
and the Icefields parkway in the morning. It doesn't make much sense
for us to leave tonight.

Francis patched an exhaust leak and we might have a quick look at the
brakes after dinner. The sound in the wheel is from a moving little
piece of the front brakes. Nothing dangerous apparently. So I'll let
you know if the backfire gets better from the patch.

Steaks for dinner. Maybe movie tonight?? Hope it's nice in Ottawa!

Lucy Lucy Lucy sigh

2009-07-11T18:56:00.000-04:00

Today is a work-on-Lucy day. We expected a few of those!

It's nothing to keep us off the road but it's all things we should
look into before heading to BC.

Here are the problems we are having:

1. Backfiring on deceleration
2. Squealing rear brake
3. Clanking noise coming from the front driver side
4. Loss of power compared to when we left.

So we headed to Napa and Canadian Tire and ran a few tests. First off
we (OK just Francis. I just read to him from the Muir book) changed
the oil filter. Then we checked the timing using a newly acquired
strobe light. Seems better now but she still backfires. We also
checked the sparkplugs (fine) and ran a compression test (passed with
flying colours).

We think there might be an exhaust leak so we will look for that and
patch it up later when everything's cooled down. It might fix the
backfire.

As for the brakes and front noise we're going to have to wait because
we can't take the wheels off.

We also think the loss of power might be due to the high altitude.

So more on that later. The plan for tonight is to watch UFC (not my
choice. Haha). Francis needs a tostesterone-filled break. I guess
being cooped up with a woman for over a week does that to you. :)

Stampede!

2009-07-11T01:58:00.000-04:00

It took us the whole evening to visit the grounds and our feet are
killing us!

Good times though. We didn't see any concerts but still got a good
feel of the party atmosphere. The place was packed and everyone was
partying it up. We also got to see where the Calgary Flames play so
that was cool. :) Only Canucks and Oilers to go.

Night!

Chilling in Calgary

2009-07-10T14:58:00.001-04:00

We are at Calgary West Campground working on Lucy. I'm the book holder
and reader and Francis follows the steps I go over There's nothing
majorly wrong with her but she's been putt-putting more than she was
when we left for the trip. Francis is doing a few tune up adjustments
to see if it could help. Might be the higher altitude.

The campsite is conveniently near highway 1. It's nothing spectacular
but we get a nice view of the city and the facilities are kept really
clean. There's a shuttle that goes right to the Stampede from the
campground. It only leaves twice daily though so we will jump on the
6pm one to go check out the grounds. It comes back at midnight or so.

We might go again for the afternoon tomorrow (shuttle that leaves at
10am and comes back at 6pm) if we think there is more we want to see.
It's gorgeous out today. We might go for a dip in the pool this
afternoon.

Going to bed when we are tired and waking up when we feel like it is
great. Lucy's pull out bed is really comfy and we usually get at least
9 hours sleep each night. Ahhhhhh holidays!

OK back to narrating for Francis! For all you VW owners following the
blog, the John Muir book is a lifesaver. Don't leave home without it!

Drumheller Detour

2009-07-09T18:58:00.000-04:00

We decided to go see the Badlands by taking the hoodoo trail up to
Drumheller. Felix would love this place, it's dinosaur central. The
drive offers a very odd scenery and I'm glad we saw it while in Alberta.

We will be in Calgary at Francis' cousin's place in the next hour. My
butt hurts. Haha. It was a long day of driving.

It's supposed to be rain free in the next few days so it will be nice
for our tour of the stampede grounds.

Alberta!

2009-07-09T14:33:00.000-04:00

Almost Alberta

2009-07-09T13:47:00.000-04:00

We spent the night near Swift Current and left this morning before it
started to rain. The campsite wasn't very nice but there were nice
resident cats who came to visit us and made the evening more
interesting. It's been raining on and off as we head to Calgary. We
would like to thank Francis' Dad for fixing the wipers before we left.
The trip wouldn't have been possible without all the time you put into
Lucy.

We are currently about 15 minutes away from the SK/Alberta border and
should be in Calgary around dinnertime. We will be changing the time
soon as well (to mountain time). Lucy is doing well. We are going
against strong winds so our MPG is suffering.

Hope everyone is having a nice Thursday...

Pretty prairies

2009-07-08T21:34:00.000-04:00

Just a pit stop to wash the windshield!

Bye bye Moose Jaw!

2009-07-08T21:21:00.001-04:00

We visited Al Capone's hidden tunnels in the city centre and ate at a
grill for dinner. Moose Jaw is a cute town with a mix of old and new.
We weren't allowed to take pictures in the tunnels though so that's
why the post's picture is a bit lame. I shot it while leaving the
dowtown area.

With full bellies (a bit TOO full) we are now heading to the Swift
Current area.

Rainy Regina

2009-07-08T16:30:00.001-04:00

Nothing to post about except the coffee is good here too! Francis
bought a stainless steel Timmies thermos back in Northern Ontario and
he's been filling it up everytime we stop. I drink the occasional chai
tea. ( Try it. It's really god).

There's not much to do in Regina. Especially in the rain. Lots of
pickup trucks and same stores as Ottawa. Its a bit sad to see all the
same retail and restaurant chains throughout the country . No more mom
and pop stores :(

We will continue to Moose Jaw and see if we can see some Al Capone
related landmarks.

Much needed car wash

2009-07-08T13:25:00.000-04:00

Lucy was full of dead bugs and it was time to give her a good
cleaning. We found a truck wash in Moosomin that got the job done. If
she could talk she would surely thank us.

We had those little mini cereal boxes for breakfast. I hadn't eaten
one of those in years. Yummy.

We're now back on the Trans-Canada highway heading towards Regina.
Updates later!

2009-07-08T10:56:00.000-04:00

We are now 2 hours behind Ottawa!
I'm not sure when the time changed but it did.

Still lying in bed but it's already sunny out and the birds are
singing. Get ready for grain elevator pictures because that's pretty
much all there is around here. Hee hee.

Still haven't been able to fix the weird indentation when I post from
my phone. Will look into it today.

Late night snack

2009-07-07T22:58:00.000-04:00

We found a campsite (Fieldstone Campground in Moosomin) and Francis
got a little craving for a grilled cheese with bacon. The mosquitoes
here are pretty bad!

It's really weird out here it's 9pm and it's super bright out...oh and
no more rain. It stopped a few seconds after the last post.

That's it for now!

Suddenly Saskatchewan

2009-07-07T20:59:00.000-04:00

It started raining when we passed the border so I think it will be a
movie night tonight in Lucy :) We didn't find a campsite yet but read
there are some in Moosomin so will stop there soon.

We will head out towards Regina in the morning.

Good night everyone!

Bored in Brandon

2009-07-07T18:43:00.000-04:00

Quick pitstop in Brandon. We noticed all the parking lots here have
outlets. It must get pretty cold in the winter!

Lucy's MPG is way better now that we are in flatlands. We got 22 MPG
at the last fill-up. Yay!

We met a nice couple in a 1978ish van at the gas station. They were
heading to Quebec city and gave us a few tips on where to stop near
Banff. They were surprised we were French and had Ontario plates. *sigh*

Winnipeg walkabout

2009-07-07T16:49:00.000-04:00

We left Janice's place this morning after a load of laundry and shower
and headed in the town centre. We visited the Forks, had breakfast
there then walked to St-Boniface to see the cathedral and Louis Riel's
tomb.

We got back on the road around 2:30 and are currently on Highway 1
heading towards Regina. It's field after field after field here. It's
pretty though. Calming to the point of being hypnotic. We have no clue
where to sleep tonight. We'll most likely drive around until 7 then
look for a campsite.

Still gorgeous weather as you can see in the picture.

More updates soon!

Good food and good hosts in Manitoba

2009-07-07T02:09:00.000-04:00

We got treated to a Yummy BBQ and good company for our first night in
Manitoba. We are staying in Ile des Chenes and will visit Winnipeg
tomorrow. Janice and Darren are great hosts and we had fun spending
the evening with them. Thanks you two!

We learned Kovalev is coming to Ottawa. I'm not happy about that.

Made it to Manitoba!

2009-07-06T15:55:00.000-04:00

Yay!

The Eliminator saves the day!

2009-07-06T14:14:00.000-04:00

Hee hee we just used our new toy to boost a guy at Timmies!

Just thought I'd share that...

Good morning from sunny Kenora

2009-07-06T13:51:00.000-04:00

Stupid @£@!? Rogers! The connection is pretty bad when there's big
rocks around.

We had a nice breakfast at Blue Lake PP and we are now parked at
Timmies in Kenora catching up on emails. Francis didn't have Janice's
address (friend from Winnipeg) so we're writing that down right now.
We should be in Winnipeg this afternoon. Woohoo a new province!!!

Ontario surprised me. I expected a lot of wilderness and lakes
but..wow. Our province is enormous and most of it is absolutely
stunning. From large Lake Superior to small Blue Lake , what we saw
makes me feel like maybe there's hope for the environment yet. The
water was so clean and nature was thriving everywhere. I can't wait to
see the rest of what this country has to offer.

Francis and I are still getting along even after days in our cramped
quarters. :)

2009-07-05T15:44:00.000-04:00

Today was a long driving day. We stopped at about 7 at the Blue Lake
Provincial park (between Dryden and Kenora) We saw a family of bears
on the way in but we were told they stay away from the park.

Tonight was our first "full" dinner. We made chicken kabobs with mixed
veggies and potatoes. Yum. Everything tastes so much better when you
are camping.

Lucy made new friends again today. We ran into two Toronto region
bikers near Kakabeka falls. One of them just bought a 1977 camper for
his son and had a lot of questions about the restoration. I gave him
links for parts and my email if he has questions.

Speaking of email, don't forget to write to us too! We love hearing
from you while on the road. We should be able to post more often once
We get better reception.

Safe and sound in Thunder Bay

2009-07-05T12:31:00.001-04:00

Sorry to have given everyone a scare. We just got cel phone reception
and we had tons of phone messages and emails waiting for us.

If you don't hear from us for bits at a time don't assume the worse.
We'll call if we're in trouble :)

We are hoping to pass Dryden tonight. We'll keep you updated. Promise.

Near Dryden

2009-07-05T12:14:00.000-04:00

We found out Lucy is not a big fan of wind today. Francis needs to be
alert at all times to make sure she stays on the road :) It's not
stressful or anything though. Well not for me anyway. Haha.

We're about 10 minutes from Dryden. Francis is hoping for a Timmies.
There hasn't been one since Thunder Bay. The scenery wasn't been very
exciting since we left TB. Trees and rocks and rocks and trees and ...
trees and rocks. There's an occasional lake.

We changed time zone from Eastern to central an hour or so ago. It's
pretty cool there's a sign post announcing it and everything.

We hope Dryden has a grocery store so we can make a healthy dinner. We
have been eating gas station junk and are sick of it.

Outlaws in Rossport

2009-07-05T10:18:00.000-04:00

We just got pulled over by the OPP for speeding coming downhill near a
reserve. I think the cop just wanted to see our van because there's no
way we were going over 100. He checked our papers and sent us on our
merry way towards Thunder Bay again.

I would have taken a picture of the moment but didn't think it was
appropriate.

Lucy smells funny when we go downhill and ONLY when we go down hills.
We'll try to figure out what it can be when we can access the Internet
again. We are scheduled to get to Thunder Bay around noon so we will
give a call to our parents then.

Weather is still amazing. We are both well rested and healthy.

Ontario is HUGE! (but beautiful)

2009-07-04T22:43:00.001-04:00

We stopped at Rainbow Falls provincial park for the night. Apparently the road between here and Thunder Bay is as nice as the one around Lake Superior. If that's the case we are in for a real treat. We are amazed at the beauty of the area. We wish everyone was here to see it with us.

Still no cel phone reception. I hope nobody is trying to reach us...

Lucy is still going strong. People love her and she sparks a lot of interesting conversations with strangers. She backfires once in a while but other than that she is handling the hills really well.

It is my grandmother's birthday on the 7th and they were celebrating it at my parent's place this weekend. I hope everything went well. Bonne fête Grand-maman!

Lake Superior to Wawa

2009-07-04T15:31:00.000-04:00

We were sad to leave our campsite behind. It was a great spot. We
could hear the waves all night around the campfire. There is no
reception around here which is why we haven't posted updates to the
site.

After a bit of smalltalk with a couple from the Soo and changing the
generator belt (nothing happened we just wanted to see if it would
make a difference ) we headed out toward Wawa. We stopped at Sand
River lookout point and walked all the way up the falls. We have nice
pictures and footage from that spot. We stopped in Wawa for, you
guesses it, Timmies and to get some gas. Right now we're only
averaging about 19 mpg because of the steep hills in the area. I'm
using an iPhone app (Road Trip) to keep all the MPG stats. Lucy needed
some oil so we got that too.

We are pros at packing and unpacking now. It takes us about ten
minutes to go from driving-mode Lucy to sleep-mode Lucy. She's like a
little transformer! :)

As I type this we are currently heading towards White River near
Pukaskwa Provincial Park. Blue skies and sunny so it looks like
another great day of driving.

I hope nobody is worried because they can't reach us. Stupid Rogers.

Lake Superior PP is gorgeous!

2009-07-04T15:15:00.000-04:00

After a quick stopover at Agawa for some shopping we headed to Pancake
Bay to see the view from the provincial park. It was pretty windy and
one of the waves got me as I was touching the water of Lake Superior.
Now we are back in Lucy and heading to Lake Superior Provincial Park
to try and find a site. I have a soaker but the drive is so nice I
don't really care.

Francis started filming a bit with the video camera Mel and Jeff let
us borrow. I told him it was his job since I am already taking
pictures and posting. Plus he's used to them and I'm not so I'm sure
the resulting footage will be better if he's in charge. :)

Hotdogs tonight for dinner. Not exactly healthy but they didn't have
much at the store.

Blind River pit stop

2009-07-03T12:44:00.000-04:00

We're at the Timmies in Blind River and Lucy is doing great. The
battery seems to be charging, the oil is fine and nothing is
overheating. Woohoo!

Our goal is to keep going until 7 of so then find a campsite.

The road between Sudbury and Blind River isn't very hilly. We haven't
had rain yet. We hear it's been bad in Ottawa but we didn't get a drop.

Everywhere we stop people ask us questions about Lucy. Mostly they are
curious as to what year it is and where we are heading. We met a
couple from St-Jean that are going the same route as us to BC. They
are travelling by motorbike and are carrying a little trailer in the
back that turns into a tent. Very cool.

Keep on truckin'!