They Said It Was Boring and They Weren’t Kidding!!

This past week found us in Ontario. Many people we talked with asked us if we would be taking the American route to the east. Early on we had decided we would go straight through Canada because we never have before and we don’t know when we would actually get the chance to do it again! People continually warned us it was VERY boring and that there “wasn’t much to see”. My mom even said it was as boring as Saskatchewan, just different! It did not deter us…but man were they right!

We left Winnipeg on Friday August 9^th and made it to Dryden, Ontario. It was a perfect, quiet little over night spot with a playground nearby for the girls. After we unhitched the trailer, we headed into town to check out their little suspension bridge. Nola loves this kind of thing, whereas Heidi becomes VERY nervous! It was enjoyable but we got ATTACKED by mosquito's.

The next day, we got to Thunder Bay. It’s a quaint little city and we had one day to spend there. We hit the tourist information to get some ideas what we could do with our time. On Sunday morning we felt travel weary and wanted to get out and stretch our legs. We decided to forgo church and headed to Fort William Historical Site. WOWEEEE. This place used to be a North West Company Trading Post and was the largest one in its day! We chose to do this activity because we thought it would be the most fun, engaging and memorable for the girls. I was pleased a half hour into the exploring when Nola exclaimed it was the BEST thing she has ever done. LOL!

If you’ve been to a fort then you have a good idea what we looked at. We saw the jail, the mess hall, the latrine—only for those of high status, the apothecary, the store houses, and of course, the trading post. Nola was right into it and loved the role playing and the history. She is actually quite good at retaining and learning information. Heidi was very fun at the fort! She is wavering between make-believe and understanding how it all works. She was giddy and excited with the actors and we explained time and again the WERE just actors playing a part. However, leaving the fort we didn’t get a minute down the road and she asked, “where do they sleep at night?” We told her, “in houses like everyone else”. I love how her mind is right now. So innocent.

After we toured the fort, we caught Kakabeka Falls. It was a simple little turn out with spectacular water falls! It seemed to be a mini version of Niagara! Afterward, we went home and just relaxed. Although we were camping right next to Lake Superior, there was a thick line of trees between us and the water. This made a fantastic play spot for the girls. They built a little “house in the trees” where they hung the hammock and “swept” and played and pretended.

Terry Fox Memorial Statue

August 12^th found us in Marathon, Ontario. We ran into an interesting dilemma along the way. Wifi is very important to us because of our data plans. MOST people who are camping are looking to be unplugged whereas we are not! We made a reservation for a pretty little campground only to discover they didn’t even have service! We decided to move on down the road and found a little gem in Marathon. We pulled in right away and dipped our feet in the water. Heaven.

The next day we passed through Wawa and stopped to have lunch AND take our picture with the gigantic goose.

August 13^th found us in a little RV park just outside Sault Saint Marie called Blueberry Hill. We didn’t even unhitch! The next morning (today!) we headed for Sudbury!

We are here now for two nights and it was delightful to hit the Costco and Superstore to get some awesome groceries! The girls swam and played in the lake. After this we will head to Niagara Falls.

So far, we are loving this lifestyle. We have had no real “space” issues and I’m grateful every day my husband is a truck driver at heart! He knows our truck and trailer inside and out, he’s handy and mechanical and keeps us safe! All that to say, I’m doing my best to keep us healthy and dairy free seems to be going well. We began this because of Heidi. The girls have both suffered from terrible bumps all over their skin. It doesn’t appear to be eczema so I took Heidi in (because hers was worse) to the Naturopath. We had a food intolerance test come back and it was positive for dairy. With that conclusion I felt it was safe to say Nola had the same or similar issue and we would all go dairy free. Heidi has handled it totally in stride. When she sees chocolate and her eyes light up, I just remind her it’s dairy and she just shrugs her shoulders and moves on. It’s like she’s embraced it full force! We were happy to find a great deal on dairy free ice cream at Costco today, so we treated ourselves to a nice dessert tonight.

I admit I’m struggling with the size of my fridge something fierce. I barely got everything I needed to in the freezer and the fridge. I know that will come and I will figure it out as we go but it sure is a learning curve! I actually feel like we are eating much healthier on the road because we don’t have much of a pantry!!! Processed foods literally have no room in my kitchen!!

On another note, we haven’t seen ANY wildlife if you can believe that! We did see one dead black bear in the middle of the road and realized the car in front of us had hit it! We stopped to see if they were alright and tape up their front end so they could get back to the nearest town. Aside from that, we’ve seen nothing!

And another random thought: the roads are really bad across Canada. I also think they have WAY harder winters than Alberta. I had NO idea Ontario was as French speaking as it is. I had no idea these places were as big as they are (although I know I’ve learned about them and been told repeatedly) or that they were so bilingual. It goes to show how we see ourselves as the center of the universe. I remember hearing once a long time ago that if you ask someone to draw a map of the world, inevitably they will draw their own country much bigger than it actually is. Aren’t we funny creatures?

Follow our Facebook and Instastories as we go along on our adventures. Also follow my hubby, Kevin Macleod as he seems to post WAY more than me on Social Media! Find us on IG @macleods.on.the.move

xo jmac