The Long & Winding Road
The most amazing part of journeys such as this, are the extraordinary people (and in this case dogs) you meet along the way. Our stop at West Hawk Lake Campground near the Manitoba/Ontario border was no exception!
We pulled into the campground way past dark as we underestimated the time it would take for us to get there from Saskatoon. No attendant was present at the gate, but thankfully we were able to find a list of vacant campsites available posted at the gate. We struggled to quietly navigate through the campground in the dark and finally found an empty spot to set up camp. We quickly and quietly set up the tent and promptly crawled into our MEC sleeping bags and fell right to sleep.
We awoke to a gorgeous, sunny morning and even witnessed a deer grazing quietly adjacent to our camp site. We had a look around and most of the sites around us were campsites with tents, vehicles and supplies strewn about with the exception of the site directly beside us. This site had a very small 1-2 man tent pitched in the centre with a bicycle attached to a little two wheeled trailer (the type you would use to take small children with you on a bike ride). Outside of this limited gear, the campsite was void of the hoards of typical family camping gear we observed at other campsites.
As we began preparing our breakfast, a man emerged from the tent along with a dog. He immediately looked over and said "hello" in a French accent. We began to chat and I learned that his name was Louis and his dog's name was Croquette. They were from France and had flown into Montreal where Louis began his bicycle trek with Croquette in tow in the trailer. From Montreal, that’s over 2,000 kilometers of riding! And I thought our journey was ambitious! He indicated that they were continuing to head west toward the Rocky Mountains. It had been a dream of his to see Canada and he decided to just drop everything and fulfill his dream with his good friend Croquette. How inspiring!!
We had a great chat with Louis while we enjoyed our breakfast in the warm morning sun (while following proper social distancing protocols of course). After giving Louis an official “Live Your Story” sticker, we packed up our gear, took a few photos while wishing them good luck on the rest of their trip and jumped in the Jeep bound for Ontario.
You can follow Louis and Croquette on their adventures on Instagram at @lenumeroquatre
Lakeside Camping “Somewhere” in Ontario
As we pushed through Thunder Bay and headed north up the TransCanada Highway, we realized the day was getting short and we would have to start thinking about where we were going to spend the night. We didn't pre-book too many spots along the way as we didn't know how far we would get and we didn't want to commit to any specific distance on any given day.
We finally found a campground (before dark this time!) and pulled in. We had driven so many miles that day and were so focused on finding a place to camp, that I realized after we had set up camp, I had no idea where we were and what this place was even called!
We were able to score a camp site directly adjacent to a lake and prepare some supper before dark.
As the day wound down, we walked down to the rocky shore, found a comfortable spot to sit, and witnessed a breathtaking sunset. It was truly a moment of reflection and inspiration for me. I was so inspired by that moment, I actually wrote a poem (not something I would typically do):
I sit on the shore of a lake whose name I do not know; the sun departs and leaves its orangey glow.
The waves lap on the shore in a rhythmic beat; keeping me here with no retreat.
As the orange fades and darkness begins to fall; I sit and think of destiny's call.
I fear so many may never find a season; to see such a place, for no reason.
It's their loss that they miss out on nature's pleasure; for I will never forget this timeless treasure.
It was a very tranquil spot to re-energize and build up some stamina for the long trip still ahead of us.
We rolled out of the tent the next morning, stood on the dock and enjoyed a truly marvellous view of the lake and surrounding area. We explored the shoreline and discovered a bluff of Saskatoon Berry bushes with berries ripe for the picking. After eating a bunch of these we collected handfuls of berries and shared them with a family of ducks that were hanging out in the shallows of the lake close to shore.
We ventured back to the Jeep, enjoyed breakfast and I had a nice cup of High Horse Coffee in the morning sun. We then packed up our gear and headed east further into the lonely Ontario wilderness.
By the way, the lake was actually called Wild Goose Lake which is located approximately 140 km north of the mid section of Lake Superior in Ontario. I had to look it up after the fact as I really had no idea where we had ended up!
Eagle Feathers & Labour Disputes
On a long, lonely road between Hearst and Kupuskasing in northern Ontario, we pulled over near a monument representing the site of one of the worst labour conflicts in Canadian history, The Reesor Siding Strike of 1963. The monument symbolized an event that occurred during the strike where 11 people were shot and 3 people were killed in what has been labelled as one of Canada's historic defining labour disputes.
We decided to stretch our legs near the site and explore the area. We played along the railway tracks and enjoyed all the peace and serenity that a beautiful sunny, July afternoon in Ontario could provide.
Near the site, we discovered an eagle’s feather lying on the railway tracks. We imagined such a find may have some hidden meaning behind it. Thus we did some research into the subject. We discovered that eagles’ feathers hold a very sacred place in Indigeous culture across North America. These feathers symbolize traits such as trust, strength, honor, wisdom, power and freedom. Receiving such a feather was typically an honour and a testament to major accomplishments or selfless acts of bravery.
Although I did not feel we had satisfied the requirements to earn such a gift, we accepted the feather graciously as a sign of goodwill. The feather remained in the Jeep for the remainder of the trip and served as a good luck charm to get us home safe and sound.
Off the Beaten Path in Western Quebec
We had been driving for many hours through Quebec and were weary from the countless miles. We randomly pulled over to the side of the road at an approach and discovered an old road that meandered into the trees and disappeared. There was no signage to indicated where this road would lead. The road was not well-travelled but travelled enough to notice that someone was using it to get somewhere for some reason. Given this observation and the fact we were driving a capable off road vehicle, we decided to explore and see where the road would take us.
We ended up turning west off the TransCanada Highway situated almost straight north of Ottawa and driving approximately 7.5 km to the end of the dirt road which took us to Lac Anwatan in Quebec (the name which was extrapolated from Google maps because no signage was present at the lake or anywhere else that we could see).
It appeared that people were using this dirt road to access a secret fishing spot at Lac Anwatan. What a beautiful spot to get out and stretch and explore! A completely random find that resulted in a nice little spot to take a break.
With sunshine and blue skies overhead and a calm lake before us, we soaked in the beauty of this hidden gem. We explored the shorelines and observed birds and frogs, Mikhail played in the water and we had a snack and some drinks, before packing up and heading back to the highway.
This would be the last relaxing stop on one of our longest travel days (1055 km) before passing through Montreal, Quebec City, and on to Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec where we would briefly spend our last night before pushing on into the Maritimes.
Stay tuned for the next chapter...Nova Scotia!
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