THE END OF "THIS" ADVENTURE

Sept 20 2016
Our journey has come full circle.  We are only a short distance from home and spending a few days in Logan Lake with family to relax and visit. 

We left home on May 31 2016 and stayed our first night in Logan Lake so we thought it was appropriate to return here for our last few nights before going home on Sat Sept 24

Many years ago My Parents used to come camping to Logan Lake and it was one of my Dad's favorite fishing lakes and it has become a favourite place for all of my family. 




We are very happy that we have accomplished what we set out to do.  We experienced Canada the way we had hoped to do, its culture, its history and above all its people.  Canada is a very beautiful Country and its diversified Landscape holds you searching for words to describe it.

BUT  I  think Brian is happy to be almost home!!!!!




We have really had the best time on this adventure of ours and we just want to say thank you to all who have kept up with our blog over the last 4 months. 

WINDING DOWN THE ADVENTURE

Sept 14 2016
We are in Spokane Washington for a couple of days of relaxing and a little shopping.  Enjoying the sunshine and warm temps that we are having right now. 

Sept 16 2016
Left Spokane this morning and we had a very big surprise driving through north eastern Washington.  We thought we might be back in the prairies as the land was flat with some rolling hills and lots of farming. Neither of us had been this way before so did not know what to expect but it was not this prairie looking land that we passed through. 

We also saw the Grand Coulee Dam which is on the Columbia River and it is the Largest electric power producing facility in the USA  It is quite impressive.

We arrived in Oliver and were very surprised that the campsite we have stayed in here before was full and so were the next few we phoned.  Mid Sept we thought it would be easy to find a spot and we got very lucky as the 3rd place we phoned had a spot and it is really nice.  We are on a small Lake with a rock cliff beside it in a place called Gallagher's Lake   The site we got is on the end so no one on our front side just a small fence  It is a very nice RV Park and we are enjoying our stay here. 

And then YEAH I found another Beach  Right next to our campsite 

We have been relaxing and have  toured some wineries (a favorite pastime of mine) and have bought some wine to take home.   Home Soon

BIG SKY "EVERYWHERE" COUNTRY

Sept 5 2016 
We left The USA on Monday and drove up to Manitoba to visit with our friends again.  Neil & Dorothy have been friends of ours for close to 40 years.  I met Dorothy when Steve & her daughter Leanne were in Kindergarten together and Brian worked with Neil, who was raising his 2 boys as a single dad, framing houses and then they went into partnership together.  Yes we introduced them and they have been happily married for 35 years.  Neil had cancer 15 years ago and recovered from that very well but this spring has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and has already lived longer than predicted.  It was so very important for us to visit them on our trip east and even more important to visit again on our way back home.  We so enjoyed our time with them  They are the best people you would ever want to call Friends. 

Sept 9 2016
Decided to do a little driving west through Manitoba & Sask before crossing back into USA again.  The fields in Sask look so much different than when we came through in June.  And yes Fall is in the Air.

Drove to a little town named Carnduff,  Sask for the first night and the road was great the campsite was great for a one night stay.  Off in the morning for Val Marie Sask to cross into Montana.    The roads to Val Marie which also head to Grasslands National Park and then  to the boarder were horrific.  Patch upon Patch and bumpy to say the least.  Not happy with Canadian secondary highways.
Sept 11 2016
So crossed the boarder 30km after leaving Val Marie and immediately the road was soooo very much better and I mean immediately the minute we went through the boarder crossing the road was very very good.  Oh and we were greeted at the Border Crossing by these lovely friends pic below

Montana is beautiful with such a diverse landscape.  One minute its flat then rolling hills some with flat tops, gulches, river valleys then back to flat land.   We stayed in Great Falls the first night and then moved on. 

Sept 12 2016
Decided to drive to Missoula and spend a few days there and the scenery on the drive was amazing  The Last pic of the canyon was so beautiful  to see and around every corner there was another great view.   Also some of the colors on the rocks were so different from any we have seen before.  So had to drive through a mountain pass which was 6300ft high on our way to Missoula which is 3200ft. The highway was very good all the way but we  encountered snow on the top but not on the roads.  Temp at top was 2 C and at the bottom was 7 C  It was a very cold day. 

Sept 13 2016
Missoula is a nice town and we love Montana and plan to come back probably next year to spend more time here and in Idaho as we seem to have run out of time and want to get home before it gets too much colder.     Oh and today the temp is a balmy 19 C Sunny and very warm  YEAH

TRAVELLING THE USA & HOMEWARD BOUND

Sept 1 2016
So today we crossed the border from Sault St Marie Ontario into Michigan and drove West with the view of Lake Michigan on our left for quite awhile Lake Michigan is quite large and very pretty so we definitely enjoyed the drive.  Also hate to add this but we noticed that some of the trees are starting to change color. Wow we have been away a long time.  

Oh and so guess what I found.  BEACH

Sept 2 2016  Today we drove into Wisconsin on a very straight and flat Hwy with mostly  forest on both sides. -  fairly boring but both of us agree the US highways are in far better condition than some of  the highways we have travelled in Canada.  Canada very bumpy (a few broken dishes) US not so much.  We are in Ashland Wisconsin for the next 2 nights and a pretty little town with a city campsite right on the shores of Lake Superior  The campsite is awesome the only drawback is it is a first come first in type (no reservations) but we did get a spot (there were only 2 left )  Grassy sites level and all have a view of Lake Superior    Our Site Below is at the back but we can see the water and also they have a Government Geological Survey ship docked there with a very large breakwater that we walked out on. 

 

Oh and of course another Beach    Right next to the RV Park  YES!!!!!

 

 

   

 Ashland has some very nice historic buildings  The pic below is the City Hall which is a Heritage Brownstone Building and really impressive

 

And Ashland is also known as the Historic Mural Capital of the World as it has approx. 17 Murals depicting the colorful past of the area.  They are painted by 2 women who live in the area and they are awesome, impressive and very well done. 

 

One more thing I loved about Ashland and our campsite were the incredible Sunsets.  These pics were taken on different nights and we so enjoyed the beauty of nature and the sunsets. 

 

 

JOURNEY THROUGH THE UNEXPECTED

Aug 28, 2016
Today we left Quebec City and travelled through Montreal which was kind of exciting except the traffic was worse than Toronto and it was SUNDAY.  Check our this picture

 

Well we got through that with no problems and headed in to Ontario  We were so glad to be back in Ontario until we were reminded of the Thunder and Lightnening storms we had when we were here the first time   We drove into Ottawa and boom.  A very large storm with lightening and  rain that was so heavy we had the wipers on full speed and still could not see a thing.  Cars in front of us put on 4 way flashers and so did we because that was all you could see through the rain it was so heavy  Traffic slowed to 50K to 60K in a 90K  because it was so bad.  Check out the pics below.  The first is the wipers clearing the windshield but look in the bottom of the windshield. That's what we could see for the most part.   Check out the second pic  can you read that sign.   Anyway we are now in Sault St Marie and will be going into Michigan on Thursday and who knows when we will return!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

QUEBEC CITY - OU-LA-LA

Aug 26, 2016
Our first day in Quebec City we decided to get lost. We did not listen to the GPS "Mistake"  We did not realize the ferry went from Levis (where we were camped) to the heart of Old Quebec.  We thought we had to take the bridge and that was quite a bit further.  The ferry at peak times runs every 30 min and it took us from campsite to ferry 15 min for a 11 min ferry ride.   Kevin will relate to this because he helped us get lost in PEI   We eventually found our way to Old Quebec City and had an awesome dinner (starving after being lost for 1 1/2 hours)  at a French restaurant that specializes in Gluten Free and it was fantastic. Brian decided he needed to try Poutine as an appetizer as they did it Gluten Free.  Not something I thought I would ever like but it was awesome  Brian eyes were bugging out as he ate it.  Yum  Both of us had the Filet with different sauces and we both said it was one of  the best filets ever. 
This place was so good we went back the next day for lunch. This is Brian Very Very happy after a wonderful French GF Meal

This is the place in the daylight  Nice Building  Half Hotel and the Restaurant in the bottom right side with some tables outside. 

Aug 27, 2016
The next day we caught the ferry late morning and spent the entire afternoon (after we ate lunch at that fantastic GF restaurant) walking the city.  Wow it is quite impressive.  The Chateau Frontenac is the most amazing hotel I have ever seen   The original was built in 1893 and to date has 18 floors and 600 rooms.  It is so beautiful with many turrets and a courtyard for an entrance.  Stunning.

We got a lot of exercise as the streets are up and down hills.  The buildings and storefronts  are so cool with brightly painted trim and flower boxes etc.  Very Old Buildings that are restored and beautiful 

We walked a lot and were very tired by the end of the day but what an awesome experience to see Old Quebec City on a beautiful sunny day .  We so enjoyed this experience.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND - TEN DOWN HOME TO GO

Aug 17, 2016 
So our welcome to PEI was very heavy rain all day although to be honest it started in Nova Scotia but continued all day so we had to set up the RV in the pouring rain.  Luckily we had rain jackets with us but it was very wet
Well all is not lost because we woke up the next morning and the sun was shining.  We are staying in Cavendish which is approx. 35min from Charlottetown.
PEI is beautiful with rolling hills, red cliffs and tons of beaches (I'm Happy)  Water is everywhere and so many of the homes have ocean views and even a lot of the farm land (mostly potatoes) have ocean views.  The cliffs along the shoreline with the red rocks are so impressive. 

Aug 19, 2016
Kevin has joined us in PEI (Not because he missed us but because he has never been to PEI) and will stay with us for 5 days.   Kevin & his Daddy Bonding (pic below)

We have been driving Kevin to show him PEI National Park in Cavendish which has several very beautiful beaches.  The cliffs along the shoreline with the Red Rocks I cannot say enough about how incredible and impressive they are. .  And of Course Me and Beaches (enough said)

 

 

Aug 21,2016
Today we set off to explore Charlottetown and we were pleasantly surprised by the quaint seaside experience. There is a lot of history in Charlottetown which was founded in 1764 and became a city in 1855 plus PEI joined  Canada in 1873. It is also known as the birth place of confederation.    There are a lot of beautifully restored buildings and a great boardwalk along the waterfront with shops, restaurants and entrainment daily during the summer.  Had a wonderful dinner on the waterfront and of course that included lobster. 

Aug 22,2016       

      Today we drove to the east side of PEI and visited the INN AT BAY FORTUNE  which is a 5 star Inn owned by Chef Michael Smith and his wife Chastity.  We were greeted by Chastity and shown through the Dining area and she explained how they grow their own organic Vegetables and source out other organic products for their meals.  They cook over an open fire oven and they have it set up like a dining hall in 3 separate areas.  It was a beautiful Inn and fits extremely well into the culture of PEI  She also told us they are booked well in advance and have many people on waiting lists.  Brian was upset that Michael was not there at the time but his wife was so gracious and generous with her time showing us the dining area and talking to us.  The first pic is the front of the building and the 2nd pic is the of one of the wings of the building where the suites are located.  

 

   

 

                                       

                         

Aug 23, 2016   Today we left PEI and headed back to Moncton N.B. Took the Confederation Bridge to NB and WOW what a very Long and Awesome Bridge that is. 

 

Kevin Flies home tomorrow early evening from Moncton and We have all really enjoyed our time in PEI and our time together. 

ALSO NOTE:  If you have never had PEI new potatoes they are the most delicious potatoes ever.  Kevin & I are not big potatoes eaters but we cooked a big bunch and we ate them all.  Also had fries in Charlottetown made from PEI potatoes and the best fries ever