14th June 2018 A very pleasant night’s sleep was brought to an abrupt end by a thunderstorm and torrential rain at around 8 am. We were reluctant to make an early start on today’s adventure, hoping the rain clouds would move on. By the time we finally loaded up the car, it was 10 am,… Continue Reading

13th June 2018 Today’s journey followed the route from Schreiber to Wawa. In the early part of our trip, we closely hugged Lake Superior’s northern shoreline, offering views of still waters, tree-covered islands, inviting little bays, and an increasing number of small settlements, often accompanied by a campsite or RV park. The morning was sunny,… Continue Reading

12th June 2018 Checking out of motels in the Canadian wasteland doesn’t seem to happen in the usual way. We are simply asked to leave the key in the room and shut the door behind us when we leave. No reminder of the checkout time, nor any apparent check on whether we had made off… Continue Reading

11th June 2018 A lazy morning. A late 9:30 am start under a blue, cloudless sky, heading along a ridiculously quiet Highway 11. I motored along at a steady 90 kph (the legal maximum), staring blissfully ahead at the endless tarmacked road stretching to the horizon, flanked by a 50-metre grassy apron on either side,… Continue Reading

10th June 2018 We had a much better night’s sleep; the TV snorer from the previous evening had gone, and with only two other guests in evidence, the night was completely silent. We set off just after 9 am for the Polar Bear Habitat, a five-minute drive away. Astonishingly, the motel owner had no idea… Continue Reading

9th June 2018 It wasn’t a good night. I woke at 3:30 a.m. to the sound of a loud TV in the next room. Judging by the accompanying snoring, the occupant had fallen asleep with it on. Sue was also awake, so we decided to try the trusted method of knocking on the wall. No… Continue Reading

8th June 2018 We breakfasted on coffee, blueberry muffins, bananas, and an apple. Not my idea of a full English, but that was what was on offer, and it filled the same hole. While we ate, we chatted amiably with the young man in Reception. He had once been in the Navy and now ran… Continue Reading

7th June 2018 Again, I rose well after Sue and Gwenda and found them sitting in the small dining annexe, drinking tea and chatting merrily as I descended the stairs and headed to the kitchen to prepare my own brew of robust coffee. Annoyingly, I spied a lovely day through the window, no dark clouds… Continue Reading

5th June 2018 Breakfast was to be taken at the Subway conveniently located next to our hotel. Bright and early, Sue, Sean and I sat outside waiting for it to open at 9 a.m. Sean clutched a breakfast voucher for the three of us, triumphantly acquired from reception at the NU Hotel, as though it… Continue Reading

3rd June 2018 They say retirement gives you the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Lovely theory, except in practice, “freedom” still involves more planning than a military operation. Since my last blog, most of what Sue and I have been doing is preparing for our Canadian adventure to visit Aunt Gwenda.… Continue Reading