Oh! Canada!

By Thomas Mac Krell

An American's three month road trip through the ten provinces of Canada and two territories. The adventures I experienced there, the wonders I saw and the people I met.

The seeds for this road trip were planted, when I took the Cat Ferry from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 2001. I was doing a tour of the New England States as a part of my visiting all fifty of the United States. I took a side trip to Canada's Ocean Playground based on the recommendation of my friend, Donna, who lives there. I was so impressed with the beauty and charm of the area, that I had to see more of the country. I had to see it all. There are over 100 full color photographs of what I saw included in the book.

I got the idea of driving coast to coast in Canada back in 2003. I ended up doing a bit more than that. I logged over 15,300 miles on Canadian highways. I do not live on either coast of this continent, consequently, the route taken was not a simple coast to coast drive. I entered Canada by way of the Peace Bridge near Buffalo, NY, then headed east through Ontario, and on to the Atlantic Provinces. I then doubled back toward the west along a northern route up toward the Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory, then south through British Columbia. When I reached Vancouver Island, I headed back east again along a more southern route through the country. I drove on several roads that could best be described as cow paths or rock gardens. A part of one road I drove, the Cassiar Highway, actually fell off the side of the mountain the day after I had driven it.

I wanted to have fun, see the sights and explore the country. Once I got there and took a good look, I realized there was much more there than beautiful scenery. Canada is an extremely beautiful country, and takes a back seat to no country I have visited to date, and that includes my own country, the United States of America. But there is more to the story than that. This book tells of the beauty of the country and also that of her people. I have not met a more friendly nation of people anywhere.

For the entire trip my sole traveling companion was my cat, Budder. Budder was given to me by a neighbor, who had two cats that didn't get along well. Budder had been a stray, so he's a rescue. I've had several cats during my life, and not all of them have traveled well. I must say that he is now a seasoned traveler. In this book you will read of some of the antics of my owner, Budder.

The third main character in the book is Arvie. Arvie is my motor home and has a personality all its own. S/he is, at time male, and at other times female. Each morning is a contest to guess which personality will present itself.

Oh! Canada! is dedicated to those friends and strangers whom I met along the way and to Canadians everywhere. They are a very special people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Mac Krell
• Release date: Feb 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301160563

Thomas Mac Krell

I am a writer. I've written two travel books, assembled another book of my poetry and am working on a book about my travels in the United States. Writing is therapeutic for me and I try to practice it every day. I am a photographer. In my lifetime, I've tripped the shutter too many times to accurately count. But to give you an idea, there are over 13,900 of my photos on my website. Conservatively, including my three years as a professional photographer, I'd guess well over 250,000 times. I am a vagabond. I travel where the four winds and the circle of East, South, West and North will carry me. To date those winds have taken me to 16 foreign countries, all 50 of the United States, all ten Provinces of Canada and two Canadian Territories. I have traveled by train from the North Sea in Belgium across two continents to the Sea of Japan in Russia. During that trip around the world I carried a backpack with my laptop, a few snacks and clothes and my camera, which was nearly always in my hands. I am not done yet! Continuing to see what's over the next hill and around the next bend. Hopefully, 2012 will bring me to as many roads as 2011. I am a lover of nature and an environmentalist. I believe that as much of this planet as possible should be protected and preserved for future generations. That we should use the earth's resources in a responsible way that causes no harm. That we have a right to breathe clean air and to drink clean water. That we have no right to cause the extinction of any species on this planet. I am a person of peace. In my mind, war never solves anything. If you beat someone up for doing you a wrong, you haven't corrected the wrong. You have just made, at least, one more enemy. There are no just wars, because no matter how a nation is drawn into a war, the origin of that war was an unjust action. War is like medicine that treats symptoms, but does nothing to cure the disease.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

This book covers the fifth extensive trip I had taken since 2001. The seeds for this road trip were planted, when I took the Cat Ferry from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 2001. I was doing a tour of the New England States as a part of my visiting all fifty of the United States, and I took a side trip to Canada's Ocean Playground based on a suggestion from a friend, Donna, whom I know there. I was so impressed with the beauty and charm of the area, that I had to see more of the country. At that time I had a rather full plate travel-wise. I still had not seen about twenty-two of the states in my own country, and I had this desire to circumnavigate the planet.

In 2002 and 2003, I completed road trips visiting all the remaining States. In 2004, I took a trip around the world stopping in fourteen countries along the way. This was a retirement gift to myself.

Once those were accomplished, I could get busy working on seeing more of Canada. I got the idea of driving coast to coast in Canada back in 2003, after I visiting all fifty of the states. My plans were to visit all ten Provinces and as many of the Territories as possible. I did pretty well in achieving that goal. I did see all the Provinces and two of the three Territories. The Territory of Nunavut cannot be reached by land travel during the summer season. I did check on flights there, but the fares didn't fit my budget. Consequently, Nunavut will have to wait for another time.

My intention was to keep a journal of the events of this trip in handwritten notes, then transfer them in more detail to my computer each day. This would allow me to make reports in my online journal and in emails to family and friends. It would also serve as a rough draft for this book. I transcribed my notes each day, when I stopped for the night. And when I could get an internet connection, I would just copy and paste that journal to my online journal and into an email. It was my hope that my contact with friends would be more consistent than during my trip around the world in 2004. In the end it was, although finding internet connections was a challenge and frequently difficult.

When I began this journey, I had no idea of how long it would take or how much it would cost. Looking back, I see that I took this journey at the worst possible of times. The US dollar was very weak internationally, and at near parity with the Canadian dollar for much of the trip. And the price of fuel was near an all time high. Consequently, my best estimates of the cost of the trip were about two-thirds of the actual cost.

However, as in all of my journeys to different parts of this planet, once started I had to finish the job. There would be no turning back. I did, however, make several adjustments to the itinerary along the way. This was mostly done to conserve time, and to avoid roads that did not appear to be motor home friendly. That's not to say I avoided them all. I drove on some roads that could best be described as cow paths or rock gardens.

I do not live on either coast of this continent, consequently, the route taken was not a simple coast to coast drive. I entered Canada by way of the Peace Bridge near Buffalo, NY, then headed east through Ontario, and on to the Atlantic Provinces. I then doubled back toward the west along a northern route up toward the Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory, then south through British Columbia. When I reached Vancouver Island, I headed east again along a more southern route through the country.

There are three breaks in the trip, when I entered the States for a period of time for one reason or another. The first was from New Brunswick into Maine and back to purchase a phone. The second was a twenty-four day tour of Alaska, during which I spent three weeks in Alaska's interior and three days traveling from the Yukon Territory to Haines and Skagway, Alaska, then back to Whitehorse, YT. The final side trip was a twenty-three day trip through Washington State. The few hours in Maine are included in this journal, but my visits to Alaska and Washington will be included in another book detailing my travels in the United States.

As I was driving through British Columbia on my way to The Yukon, I said to myself, Oh, the wonders I have seen! That one exclamation does a perfectly good job of describing the entire trip. During the planning stages of the trip, and even during the first couple of weeks into it, the working title for this book was Oh, Canada! taken from the Canadian National Anthem. As I traveled this wonderful country of great beauty and friendly people, it became apparent that one exclamation point would not be enough to give the country its due. Canada is an extremely beautiful country, and takes a back seat to no country I have visited to date, and that includes my own country, the United States of America.

For the entire trip my sole traveling companion was my cat Budder. Budder was given to me by a neighbor, who had two cats that didn't get along well. Budder had been a stray, and she had adopted him. His name was Bud, but somewhere along the way, he became Budder. Budder is a very good cat, I've had several cats during my life, and not all of them have traveled well. I must say that Budder is now a seasoned traveler. In this volume you will read of some of the antics of my owner, Budder.

Budder always wants to drive

There is one other main character you will meet here. He's Arvie. I got tired of typing the RV, so I named him Arvie. He was a source of frustration at various times. But overall he performed very well.

Arvie from RV

My hope is that you will enjoy reading about this trip as much as I enjoyed taking it.

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At the end of this story are appreciation of and recognition to some of the wonderful people who showed kindness during the trip. I have also placed links to pages on my website pages, which are referenced in the book.

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ONTARIO

Oh! Canada! Day 1 Tuesday, May 1, 2007

I woke up early even for me. About 5:30 a.m. I could no longer sleep due to the excitement associated with this endeavor. I completed packing the last of the supplies for the trip, and ate breakfast. We left the apartment for the final time. Budder would be my travel companion for the next three to six months.

I filled the gas tank at the grocery store. We then headed across Erie County to the RV dealer to have my fresh water tank pump and tire pressures checked by the dealer from whom I bought Arvie.

Once that was done, I did three loads of laundry at a nearby laundromat, so I would have all clean clothes to start out. I was excited to get on the road, and in my rush I put the money in the wrong washer. I did get my money back on the dryers, though. Two of them ran until my clothes were dry on one quarter. Would that be an omen?

We, then, stopped for a gallon of milk and headed east toward Buffalo and the Peace Bridge, which would be my entry point into Canada.

I ran the border!

What a start. When entering Canada, there was no one in the booth, and I saw no customs agents in the area. I did see a truck parked off to the right, so I started to pull over to the parking area to park. Well, that was a bad idea. Several Canadian Customs agents, rushing from everywhere and who knows where, yelled, Stop!

I did. In addition, I received a stern lecture about just running into another country without a customs check. After that, the crossing was routine.

The first thing we encountered in Canada, aside from the Customs Agents, was rain. It had been a bright, sunny day up until that point. I had hoped this wasn't an omen or indication of what lay ahead.

We stopped about 30 miles outside of Toronto for lunch, and a short break.

I had brought a half sheet of plywood to separate the living compartment from the cab, so Budder couldn't bother me while I drove. (Like that will stop a cat from going wherever he or she desires.) Much to my satisfaction, he had spent the entire trip so far hiding under the bed. For the first hour or so, he was screeching like a banshee. But he settled down after at while, and was quiet after that.

When I first got Budder from my neighbor, he was the same way. He hid, would not eat and seemed restless, but he stopped that after a couple of days. I was sure he would be fine as we became adjusted to traveling together.

I filled the gas tank on the east side of Toronto. It was only half-empty, but cost $99 Canadian or about $92 US. I did not know how long I could keep that up.

Little was I to know.

I found the Gateway Campground at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. The office was closed, but a security guard told me to select a site, and settle the bill in the morning, when the office opened.

There was an electrical outlet at the campsite, but no water or sewer hookups. Traveling by RV was a learning experience for me, but so far, so good. I was catching on. There was also no internet available in the area.

Bronte Creek Provincial Park and Campground is a large park with 145 camping spaces divided into four areas designated as Prairie, Savannah, Woodland and Ravine. The terrain in each area matches the name. I chose to stay in the Woodland area under the trees. There are four hiking trails ranging in length from 1 km to 1.6 km. Two of the trails are wheelchair and stroller friendly. There is also a sizable leash free zone for pets to run. The campground is separate from the day use area of the park.

First Canadian Sunset

We settled in for the night. I finally got Budder to eat something. He was much calmer by then. He even got up on the bed. I actually had three living entities with me. I bought my two Spider Plants, because I didn't know what else to do with them. I hoped that they would survive. Hopefully, Budder would survive. Hopefully, I would survive.

It was still very cold up there in Canada. Tomorrow the sun was actually supposed to shine according to the forecast I'd seen before leaving. Time would tell. I would dress warmer for the next day just to be safe. I began the trip in shorts and a T-shirt, but it appeared that jeans and flannel shirts would be a better choice until those two weeks of summer finally arrived in Canada in August.

Toronto skyline with the CN Tower at center

Our first day on the road ended with a very sound sleep.

Oh! Canada! Day 2 Wednesday, May 2

I got free overnight parking at Bronte Creek Campground. I went to the office to check out, but they weren't open by the time I was ready to leave, and I saw no area to self-register. I had no idea how long this trip would take, but I was not going to delay any more than I absolutely had to, so I left.

I headed over to Petroglyph Provincial Park only to find it wouldn't open until the following week. I had checked all the parks for availability online, but must have missed Petroglyph or had received the wrong information. I hoped I had not missed any others. I was not going to wait until the following week, because I had many thousands of miles to go before completing this trip. I did walk into the park a couple of hundred meters to see what I could see. It is a sacred sight for First Nation (Indian) peoples near here. That's about all I learned on my walk.

Wetlands of Petroglyphs Provincial Park

From there I headed down toward Kingston, Ontario where Diane, another online friend, lives. I called her from Napanee, Ontario to see about a possible meeting. We talked a while, and decided we would try to have a face-to-face meeting the next day.

I ate a couple of sandwiches for a late lunch, and took a short nap. I had been driving about nine hours by then. It was nearly three in the afternoon.

I woke up to a DEAD Battery! I had left the lights on. I had been accustomed to car lights that came on and went off automatically, when the engine was started or turned off, and was not used to turning them off, especially when I didn't leave Arvie. CAA came out, and gave me a boost, and I was on my way to Sandbanks Provincial Park. I got some bad directions, and overshot the park. Because of that and the battery delay, we arrived too late to see much.

On the way back from Sandbanks, I discovered my headlights were not working; I had to hold the lights on high beam flasher all the way back to Napanee. I got permission to park in the A&P parking lot across the street from a Ford dealer.

Most of this day had been spent driving and not touring. Then we slept.

Oh! Canada! Day 3 Thursday, May 3

Budder woke me up, and in a half hour, we were ready to get the lights fixed. I was to call Diane when I arrived in Kingston. Guess what happened.

My battery died again. CAA to the rescue again. I was beginning to wonder, if this trip was a good idea by this time, and it really hadn't even began yet. The Ford dealer could not get me in that day, and directed me to a dealer in Kingston. I called Diane, and left a message stating I would be detained.

I found Edwards Ford in Kingston, and waited for them to check out my electrical system. They checked the electrical system out, and found nothing wrong, but they did not bother to check the headlights, which was the reason I came there in the first place. The Service manager told me he could squeeze me in about four that afternoon, or I could come back the next morning. I said crap to that, I had to be traveling or this trip would take a year to complete at the rate I was going. It was 10:40 a.m. and I called Diane again to let her know where the hell I was.

I finally met up with Diane for coffee about 12.30 p.m. We had a nice talk for an hour or so. I showed her the map of Canada she had gotten for me from CAA, I had color coded the proposed routes on it. We talked about the plans I had for the trip, and about her upcoming move to the States. She is a lovely young woman and her fiance is a very fortunate young man.

Budder and I then headed for Ottawa, still with no headlights. I was hoping to get them fixed there. I arrived in Ottawa about 4 p.m. and found one of the Ford dealerships there. FORD, that really is Fix Or Repair Daily, and I can vouch for it. It was only my third day of travel, and I'd been to three Ford dealers already. They directed me to their RV repair shop about a mile away. I made an appointment for 7:00 a.m. the next day.

Things I had learned about Canada thus far: First, no one obeys the speed limits. Diane said that 10 or 20 km over the limit is usually ticket-safe. Six to twelve MPH over the limit seemed a little extreme to me, I would keep within the limits.

Second, I am learning the language. I know, all of you thought they speak English as we do in the States. Not so. Example: Wut's 'at aboot, eh? actually means, What's that all about? Eh? is their punctuation mark roughly equivalent to our question mark. I have not heard anyone make an OW or OU (as in owl or loud) sound up here. Everything is oo," as in boot or shoe. Strange land.

For a while at the Ford shop, I thought I had an internet connection. Well, I did have a connection, and actually read two comments friends had made in the online journal I was keeping. However, it would not connect me to the Write an Entry page or to my email. The connection was very weak wavering between one and two bars. With Internet connections, like cell phones, four bars is a good connection. I was finding connecting to the internet a challenge throughout this trip. I would try to find a connection later.

Budder has not been eating regularly. He had picked at his food for three days, and had drunk little water. I was getting worried, so I tossed his food (about 4 cups accumulated by that time, cleaned his bowl and changed his water. I didn't give him the full cup of food as normal, because I did not know, if he would eat. Well he did. And he drank some water.

That afternoon was warm in comparison to the previous two days. I opened a side window while eating supper. All of a sudden, I heard horrible screeching and chattering coming from outside. Looking out the window, I saw a group of Sea Gulls fighting over Budder's discarded food. I now knew what to do with any he didn't eat. I watched them jockey for positions of various levels of dominance to gain a bite or two. One gull was acting as if he was the boss (Alpha Male, if Gulls have hierarchies).

Soon they all scattered like the wind. I fully expected to see a vehicle or group of people come by, but was surprised when one lone Raven took up a position amongst the scattered cat food. No Gulls would approach, and Mr. Raven began to taste and spit out and taste some more. He ate about three or four pieces then headed for greener pastures.

A few moments later the Gulls returned, and proceeded to eat all of the food in about five minutes, once again jockeying for favored positions. When I tossed the food out I had hoped for songbirds to be dining at Budder's table, but the Gulls and Raven provided an interesting show. I did get some photos.

After the gull show, I checked, and Budder had eaten some of his food already. Perhaps he was settling into a comfort zone of sorts. I saw I had another low-level unsecured connection, and got online.

I located a WalMart and parked for the night. WalMart has a policy to allow RV overnight parking in their parking lots as long as there are no local ordinances prohibiting it. This is good for their business, as travelers would shop there while parked.

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QUEBEC

Oh! Canada! Day 4, Friday, May 4

I woke up early (5 a.m.) due to the fact I had to be at the Ford RV Center by 7 a.m.

I arrived at the Ford RV Center about 6:40. I wanted to be sure to be first in line, and I was. I needed a light switch. Total with the switch and labour (more Canadian language, eh?) was a tad over $300 Canadian, about $275 US.

Luckily, I had purchased an extended service contract when I bought Arvie. It covers bumper to bumper including appliances and accessories. It was already coming in handy. My share of the bill was the $50 deductible plus Ontario's 14 percent sales tax. I paid $57 Ca.

I have learned that, if you wanted to make friends with Canadians, talk Hockey. Even though I am not a hockey fan, I did know that the Ottawa Senators were still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. I knew that by all the flags and banners on the cars in the area, and by listening to the radio.

Budder was LOST!

When the mechanic came out to look at the lights, I told him Budder was on board, and to be careful that he doesn't try to escape. He said he would be watchful. I went back to the service department to talk Hockey. By the way, that word seems always to be capitalized in Canada.

Note: Let me interrupt here for a bit. As I was typing this part of my journal, I cooked fish fillets and French fries in my oven. Arvie is just like a little apartment on wheels. The Queen-sized bed may be queen-sized wide, but it sure is not queen-sized long. I have to sleep catty-corner or my feet hang over.

Back to Budder. The mechanic came out and told me the switch was in, and the lights were working. The Service manager was busy trying to contact the Warranty Company, but they are located in Illinois, and an hour behind Ottawa. I went out to check on Budder, and could not find him anywhere. I looked everywhere, under the bed where he usually stays and under the seats and the couch and even under the laundry bags hanging by the bedroom door, I even lifted the sofa bed to look in the storage compartment there.

He always answers when I 'meow" to him, but nothing. No Budder. I started looking around the parking lot. I saw a worker walking by and asked, if he had seen an orange cat. No. I then went inside to check with the mechanic to see if he might have left the door open. He said he hadn't, but about five of the shop employees came outside to help me look around. That's Canada.

When the mechanic said he had made sure he had closed the door, whenever he went for tools or parts, I knew Budder could not have opened a door by himself. I returned to Arvie to have another look. He had to be in there somewhere. I retraced my steps, and once again looked everywhere a cat could squeeze.

No Budder.

Just for the hell of it, I looked in the closet. There he was, curled up in a ball in the back corner. Sleeping. When I dressed that morning, I got my jeans and a flannel shirt from the closet. It was still cold up there in the morning. Budder must have jumped into the closet while I was dressing, and I had closed him in.

Budder was not lost, and all was well in Canada. At 9:30 a.m. we were on the road again, and headed for Ottawa City Center. I drove into Ottawa, and took a few shots of the Parliament, and several other old buildings. Once again, I had parking problems in a large city, and had to be satisfied with photos taken from Arvie. Ottawa has a sort of medieval look to its architecture, like something right out of London. Old buildings, I love them.

After a couple of hours of frustration for not finding parking and trying to negotiate Arvie through the crowds, I headed off to Montreal. Getting out of the city was no easier than getting in. After getting directions at the RCMP station, we were finally heading to Quebec.

Driving into Quebec is like driving into another country. Well, I was in another country, but I had been for the three days prior. The Route numbers changed, the sign colors changed, the flags changed and worst of all the language changed. Quebec is so French. I say the change in language was the worst, because I don't understand or speak French.

Throughout Ontario, I saw Canada's flag all over the place, as one might expect. However, In Quebec I saw the Fleur de lis and Cross flag of Quebec all over the place. Sometimes it was displayed along with the red maple leaf, but many times alone. I also saw Old Glory displayed with the Canadian and Quebec flags at one location.

As I was coming near the city of Montreal I noticed a very large church off in the distance, and it kept calling my name. I just had to explore. If you have seen any of my travel photos, you know I love large stately churches along with other old buildings. This one was not so old, but it was huge and loomed over the area atop a mountain. It turned out to be Saint Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal (L'ORATOIRE ST. JOSEPH du MONT-ROYAL in French).

Saint Joseph's Oratory

Construction of the church began in 1924, and the Bacillica was inaugurated on March 19 (Feast of St. Joseph), 1955. It is larger than both Notre Dame in Paris and Saint Patrick's in NYC. From the base of the front steps, there are 237 stairs (I counted) to the highest exterior level. From street level, there are 283. (I did not count them; it was in the brochure)

The Carillon of St. Joseph is one of the largest in North America. It has 56 bells, which have a combined weight of twelve tons. Reinforced concrete and Canadian granite were used to construct the walls of the Oratory. The Portico columns are 60 feet tall. The church has two domes, an inner dome and outer copula. The inner dome is 85 feet in diameter and the copula 25 feet. The top of the exterior dome is 856 feet above sea level, and is the highest point in Montreal.

I explored this church and grounds for over three hours. It's just that big. After I was finished exploring, it was getting too late to go into Montreal City Center. Montreal was not high on my list anyway. Quebec City, the Capitol of Quebec, was. I wanted to be near the Capitol in the morning. Therefore, I headed off toward Quebec.

Okay, let me add a word about gasoline up in Quebec. In Ontario, I paid from a low of .984 to $1.144 per liter. Doing the math, that is something between $3.74 and $4.35 per US gallon. In Quebec, you can add about twenty to thirty cents per LITER to those numbers. My last fill up, which was about half a tank, was $138 CA or about $127 US. I got that strangled feeling. I wondered how long would my budget hold out?

As I neared Quebec (I had stopped at a rest stop/information center), I noticed that the farmers have fertilized their fields in preparation for the planting season. It was nice to know that they are organic up here, but it smelled like manure to me.

I called Mom about 9:30 p.m. after I stopped, then settled in for the night.

Oh! Canada! Day 5 Saturday, May 5

I arrived in Quebec City about 7:30 a.m. in the morning after coffee and feeding Budder. I found that visiting these places on Saturday morning had benefits. The main one being no one else was around and traffic was very light. I pretty much had the streets and sidewalks to myself.

I said sidewalks, because in one location I had committed to a turn that led me to a wide walking/biking path, and nowhere to turn around. I kept on going. I finally arrived at a dead end on the riverfront. There was enough room to U-turn, and go back the way I came in. I got some nice pics of Quebec while down there, though. Luckily, I did not get a ticket. On the way out, I noticed a Quebec City Police Station near where I first entered this No RV zone.

Note: I cannot remember taking an extended road trip, when I did not end up somewhere I was not supposed to be, It's a habit I simply cannot break.

The Citadel of Quebec

Quebec City is quaint, and has great old buildings and a huge citadel fortification on the mountain. The Citadel of Quebec and the walls around the city make up the largest fortifications still in use in North America. Quebec City is the only walled city in the Western Hemisphere north of Mexico.

Hotel Notre Dame below the Citadel in Quebec City

I drove around the city for another hour or so before heading on Quebec Route 138 toward the Mingan Archipelago, which was my next destination. Along the way, I stopped numerous times to take several shots of the scenery.

The first notable thing I saw after leaving Quebec City was a much too large Cathedral for the small town. Ste. Anne's is huge compared to the churches I was finding in most small sized towns. Across the street is a very large Synagogue. Ste. Anne must be popular up here. I had visited another Ste. Anne's Church, when in Nova Scotia in 2001.

I also checked out the ferryboats from the north bank to the south bank of the St, Lawrence. I found one for Monday, which would cost me $79 Can, but would save me about 10 hours driving and all the mileage and gas that goes with it. It would probably end up saving me a whole day and $150 or so in fuel costs.

I encountered snow all along the drive to the Archipelago. In fact, it was snowing for about the second 20 miles or so. It was not a major snow, only a wintry mix, that would not hang around for long. Later in the drive, I saw fresh snow along the shoulders of the road. The scenery was still great, and I suppose it would be described as fantastic, when all was green during those two weeks in August they refer to as summer up there. I passed countless mountain lakes, which were still froze over from winter. I looked at the map and I was only about 43 degrees north latitude. I would be much farther north than that later in my journey.

I mentioned ferries above. I had already taken one. There is a place on 138 where there is no road. I do not know if it fell into the river or, perhaps, there never was one. It would require a large bridge over the Saguenay River where it empties into the St. Lawrence. This ferry takes traffic in both directions in the area where a road does not exist. It took about 15 or 20 minutes so it was not very far, and the ferry just inched along at a snail's pace, it seemed. There were metal shields on the sides of the ferry, so I couldn't see how far it was or how fast we were going. It was a free ride. I thought running the ferry must be more cost effective than building a bridge.

Route 138 is part of the Baleen Whale Watching trail. In French, it's Route des Baleines, and it runs from near Quebec City nearly to Labrador. Twice along the way, I saw what I thought to be whales in the river, but we had nowhere to park, and I couldn't get a shot with my camera. Perhaps on the way back. Yes, they were whales. I just knew it.

I stopped in Sept Iles (Seven Islands) on the St. Lawrence. There are seven isles just off the shore, hence the name. It is very near where the St. Lawrence River flows to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Now, I knew where all the cargo that traveled the Great Lakes and through the Erie Canal went.

I parked in a WalMart parking lot again. RV sites were scarce out there and most of those were not yet open. I was about 584 km (about 360 miles) northeast of Quebec City. Highway 138 is very scenic, and winds its way along the northern bank of the Saint Lawrence River. If you are not a fan roller coasters, then you should avoid this road. It had been a long day. I had been on the road from 7:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Therefore, I just wrote a while, unwound and enjoyed my down time.

That was it for Day 5.

Oh! Canada! Day 6 Sunday, May 6

On average, I had driven about 329 miles per day thus far in the trip. When I got out west, I thought that number would increase. However, considering the roads I had been traveling were not US Interstates, it represented about seven or seven and a half on the road hours each day. Give or take.

That day, I continued northeast along Route 138 to the Mingan Archipelago. It is a string of islands in the St. Lawrence River that extend into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They are a Canada National Park Reserve, which means they have National Park status and protections for the wildlife and plants that are there, so visitors are not encouraged. Perhaps the closest we have in the States is a Wilderness area. These areas are not to be permanently encroached upon by man.

They are similar in size to the Sept Iles, but those seven have been boldly developed. There is even a chemical plant or refinery on the largest. Therefore, it is too late to protect them.

I saw more scenery that is beautiful and frozen lakes and ponds and several waterfalls. I saw my first two hawks, but I was driving, and the camera was not handy enough to photograph them. There would be more opportunities; I was sure. I also encountered several species of waterfowl, but no more whales.

It was very cold that day. I stayed in the coach most of the day, but when I did get out, I found it necessary to wear my snow hat and winter jacket as did the locals I encountered. I did get out in the weather several times taking scenic photos.

Evening waters of the Saint Lawrence River

Which reminds me; in the States, we place signs along the highways to designate Scenic Overlooks. Here, it is a bit different. They have these black and white signs that look like a person in profile drinking a long-neck beer. I had wondered why a Province would be pointing out drinking establishments. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a person with a set of binoculars. Well, it looked like a guy drinking a beer.

We were farther east than much of that part of Canada on Atlantic Time, but still on Eastern Daylight Time. Consequently, the sun came up very early there. The squawking of Sea Gulls about 5:00 a.m. awakened me. I was on the road by six. It took about three and a half hours to reach the Mingan Archipelago.

I was driving along the river and saw an island in the archipelago I wanted to photograph. There was a young boy, perhaps 10 or 12 walking along the road. When I stopped Arvie, he must have thought I needed directions, so I showed him my camera and pointed to the island. Then he walked back across the street and posed. Yes, I took his photo.

Young boy on the St. Lawrence River

I got one great scenic photo near St. Pierre by the Archipelago. It shows the vivid green of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in stark contrast to the blue-grey of the river. I did not see any place where the colors change; I supposed it is a gradual change. I also noticed that many of the thousands of rivers, streams and creeks flowing into the St. Lawrence are brown in color. Perhaps there are bromine deposits in the ground. I'd hate to think it's sewage. Considering I was in a very remote area, my guess would be bromine or other brown chemical deposits in the ground.

After cruising around and filling up my camera memory card, I headed back to Sept Iles where I spent the night. I lost one of my three live traveling companions along the way. One of the spider plants took a dive off the counter due to the bumpiness of the highway; I had potting soil and leaves all over the floor. I do not usually patronize WalMart, but I did not know enough about Canadian stores, and what merchandise they carry. I went to WalMart and bought a Dirt Devil. I had to charge it 24 hours before I could use it. The mess would have to wait.

While walking through the parking lot, I noticed that in addition to the blue parking spaces for the handicapped up there, they also have pink ones for efantes (infants). I do not know about Canada, but we in the States do not allow infants to drive, eh?

When I stopped to eat lunch, I made a reservation for the ferry the next day. It would leave at 11 a.m. and I would save a lot of time and gas and wear and tear on Arvie and on me. I thought Budder would gain the most. Tomorrow I would be on the Gaspe Peninsula, and would visit two National Parks, and take the Scenic drive around the peninsula. Probably by Wednesday, I would enter New Brunswick. I hoped I would get an internet connection soon. I stood down for the night.

Oh! Canada! Day 7 Monday, May 7

There were no campgrounds near Godbout. I parked on the ferry terminal grounds. I woke up