Lessons

Three months on the road, almost 15,000 miles, we came up with several lessons that we need to remember before our next big trip.

1. Find a good campsite, stick around longer. We stopped at a lot of campgrounds, usually a state park or provincial park or a national park, with only a few private campgrounds. Too often, we only spent one night and then moved on. The plan was to spend two days (or more) almost everywhere, and we still think that is the better way to travel. Heading West we kept moving because the wind was keeping us off the SUPs; we should have stuck around and kayaked on the SUPs.
2. Avoid lakes on weekends. We had no reservations, and finding a campsite on Friday or Saturday was always more of a challenge than other days of the week. And everyone wants to be on the nearby lake on the weekend. We need to pay more attention, and not try to find a campsite on those days.
3. Plan our clothes better. We brought clothes for hot weather and cold weather and wet weather. But we didn't plan it out well enough. More t-shirts, more socks, more layers.
4. Plan our kitchen better. We brought stemware and napkin holders which we never used, and a fry pan that was a bit small, and a spatula that was too soft. We brought the Sodastream, but not the tonic flavoring.
5. Plan our storage better. Having the three bins in the back on a sliding shelf was wonderful, but we need to be more clever about what we put in each. We didn't need to bring the milk crate in one, and we had more water bottles than we needed. Likewise, with a shelf above the three bins, we could cram the SUPs, and then the bikes could fit inside on the other slide. The bikes got way too dirty on the outside rack. 
6. Version 2, Screens. The back door and sliding door screens were wonderful in areas with mosquitoes, but they weren't perfect. In particular, the back screen suffered from too many gaps by the magnets around the top, and it kept getting in the way if we didn't take it down. With a better seal and a way to roll it up out of the way, it could become a permanent addition. The side screen was closer to perfect, the seams lined up better for a good seal from the flying teeth, but we couldn't leave it up and close the door. Perhaps we can improve on it, too.
7. Better power management. We were plugged into shore power for only a few nights at the beginning of the trip; we lived on the house battery the rest of the trip, charged only by our one 150w solar panel. We would have liked to use the InstaPot more. We would have liked to use the ceiling fan some nights or the box fan. We would have liked to pump up the SUPs more often. We need to get a second house battery, and perhaps replace the existing one if it's dying from overuse. There's room on the roof for a second, 100w solar panel to better charge the two batteries. The Sprinter has room in the engine compartment for a second battery, and also a second alternator. It may be that having a second alternator for charging the house batteries might be a good way to ensure we always have the energy when we need it. Ideally we will learn how to sleep comfortably without air conditioning. 
8. Build a better awning. We used our awning in White Springs, and we gave up on it after one of the magnetic hooks broke, but it wasn't working even before that. Our new plan is to sew-in bar magnets to one end of the fabric to tether one end to Ernie, along with a more robust way to hold up the far end. 
9. Look into a Cellular Extender. In the US it seems that every State and National Park has minimal cell service, but putting an extender on Ernie's roof and then repeat its signal to our phones is a great way to be connected on the road. They're pricey, but being off the grid so much is unpleasant. What was surprising was how good a signal we got in the Canadian parks.
10. Three months is enough. We cut it short a bit because of my back pain, but we were ready to be home anyway. Another week or two would've been doable, but we were ready to call it a good tour, and start preparing for the next one. We needed time and bandwidth to find better boondocking resources, better lighting, better cell, better batteries, better storage, better living.

Stop 59: Neptune Beach FL

We packed Ernie, bid a fond farewell to Greg and Sarah, and Ernie wouldn't start. Uh, oh! I suspect the heavy rains we had the past couple of days left something a bit wet, but after several tries we got a rough idle that smoothed out reasonably quickly. We stopped five miles later for a tankful of diesel, and Ernie started immediately afterwards. And then we drove.

At 541 miles, it was the longest drive of the trip, and the most time on Interstate, and almost all of it on my least favorite, I-95. But the aggravating and inexplicable slowdowns I-95 is known for were non-existent, and the drive was as carefree as we could possibly hope for. I drove faster longer than I did the entire trip, maintaining 70 mph to stay in the flow of traffic for the majority of the interstate drive.

We also had the scariest moment of our trip. Cruising along at 70 in the right lane of I-95 in South Carolina, a white pickup in front of me wandered slowly over to the left lane, and started slowing a bit, while I noticed a semi coming up fast in the left lane behind me. Then, suddenly, the pickup slammed on his brakes to make an illegal U-turn! I swerved over to the breakdown lane to give the semi an escape route, while he locked up his brakes in an impressive cloud of 16 wheel rubber dust. I expect he will have flat spots on all his tires now, but the pickup made it into the median without becoming a hood ornament.

Once we passed Jacksonville International Airport, the looney tune drivers showed their colors swerving in and out of the traffic, or wandering between lanes unaware it was a multi-lane highway, but none required me to lock up my brakes to avoid them. And with it being 4:30 in the afternoon, the lights on Atlantic were timed to move traffic to the Beaches, so we made every light from St John's Bluff.

Ninety six nights, 59 places, 14,944 miles, with an average of 21.2 mpg. A great trip, with many highlights, very few lowlights, many lessons learned, and a long To Do list before we head to Newfoundland next Summer!

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/tdNMerszL3Y8C1yHA

Stop 58: Oriental NC

Day 1, August 3.

Driving from a Maryland beach to the Southern tip of the Outer Banks. We got up before dawn to watch the sunrise and walk the beach on a special island before a day's drive. While we eat breakfast, fog covers the beach and campground.

We head back to the mainland, and turn South. Beautiful country, and before long we're paying the $20 toll for crossing Chesapeake Bay on bridges and tunnels. It really is an impressive engineering tour de force. We stop for lunch at a convenient town (I loved my soup and Panini, and Sharon's soup and her shrimp and grits, but she didn't like hers as much). We stopped at a Walmart whose parking lot was so full finding a space for Ernie was challenging for their bathrooms and wine (in NC liquor stores don't have beer or wine).

We finished the fourth Armand Gamache, the Brutal Telling, and listened to podcasts (Stay Tuned with Preet) until we arrived at Greg and Sarah's in Oriental. Let the party start.

With Greg I am the back up tall guy. Sharon's kayak used to be Sarah's. Oh, and Sarah was Sharon's Maid of Honor at our wedding. We started our catching up in their driveway, then on their dock, and then over a delicious dinner and then dessert. Greg and I watched the Red Sox do a number on the Yankees before turning in, the first TV of our trip. The Sox pitcher was pretty awesome.

Day 2, Saturday August 4.

A delightful twenty miles of riding sinuous two lane preceeded breakfast. It felt good pedaling on smooth pavement in my big ring without shifting, letting my mind drift while maintaining an even cadence.

The rest of the day was more restful for me and Greg, while Sharon and Sarah got out more, first on a shopping trip / tour of Metro Oriental, and later offering their bodies to the horde of hungry mosquitoes who hadn't enjoyed as tasty a dinner as we all did. Greg treated us to a lovely boat tour of the nearby waterways, he and Sarah live in a magical place with so much right off their dock.

Day 3, Sunday August 5.

Sunday, the day of rest. Works for me, and with Sharon's boundless energy matched by Sarah's, they enjoyed hikes and paddles and shopping while I was okay with letting my back unwind and relaxing. Another delicious dinner and conversation, and an early night in preparation for the long drive come morning.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/eVpvqiWFJgswzV4x8

Stop 57: Assateague SP MD

Thursday, August 2.

A quick breakfast and we hit the road. The Shenandoah NP weather forecast is rain, so we're heading for the Delaware coast. As we turned to go South a sign appeared, warning of only 11' clearance in a mile. We weren't ready to get rid of the a/c unit yet, so a quick U-turn prompted our first re-route of the day. While I chose the more Westerly route on Gmaps, the re-route tripped taking the fastest route through Harrisburg and Philadelphia. While the road surface was showing its age in patchwork, the traffic was surprisingly well behaved and slowdowns minimal.

Our initial destination (Delaware Seashore SP), across the street from the beach, proved to be a parking spot in a huge lot of RVs, and $50 for the privilege. Uh, No, even if it was the only site available for our one night stand. We drove on, initially to an inland state park, but then Sharon changed our course to Assateague.

Assateague Island is a wild horse refuge. Speed limit is 30 or less, with large signs reminding drivers that the animals have right of way, and you are liable for a citation for any sort of feeding. It is also a barrier island. Assateague State Park is the Northern end of the island. South of the state park is the Assateague Island National Seashore.

The roar of the surf, at your campsite: sweet! We went for a short walk on the beach before getting the bikes out and riding the bike trail from our campground to the national park. It seems the horses roam around the campground. At check-in the ranger gave us the bear warning spiel we've heard so many times, except this was about the horses. As they walk through, eating the grass, every camper takes notice and stays relatively clear. Definitely worth the price of admission. We slept with doors open and screens up.

Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/xU7hPKEzpbNYtWe47

Stop 56: Watkins Glen SP

Day 1: Saturday July 28.

Josh and Jeanette made the reservations for our four night stay at site 235 in the Seneca Village loop. Since Keuka Lake is less than an hour away, Sharon got a nice bike ride in before we broke camp (roll up the welcome mat and stow it and the footstool, and close the windows). We stopped at Tops again for ice and ale and a couple other things, though on a Saturday morning parking Ernie in their lot was a little trickier but doable. I'm getting more comfortable dealing with a 24' behemoth.

We then drove the 5 miles over to the next lake, Seneca, working our way South to Watkins Glen. Our first stop was a Meadery, where we sampled a couple of their meads and hard ciders. They are rightfully proud of some of their products, while others cater to sweeter tastes or were commissioned to support diabetes. The good stuff was really good, so we ignored the rest. Both Mead and hard cider are excellent beverages when done well, and their main products were so palatable.

From there we hit another winery that reminded us of what we don't like about the Finger Lakes. Its wine tasting was horrid little sips for more money, and worse, the wine didn't taste good, being just too sweet for our taste. So we kept driving to another winery several miles down the lake. The wine was better, but still not worth buying, though their port was surprisingly tasty. We stopped at another winery, but rejected it without leaving Ernie (we can be snobby), but walked into our last winery choice because it offered grappa. They made a very nice grappa, and a very very nice brandy, and two white ports (!). Their wines were at least as good as anything we tasted.

Enough with the little sips, we drove into Watkins Glen and its abundance of tourists and daytrippers to the park. I confirmed an appointment for two new front tires for Ernie Monday morning before meeting Josh and Jeanette and their Samoyed Marshy at the Marina restaurant for a late lunch. Then it was up to the campground and settling in for our four night stay.

Watkins Glen SP Campground is high above the town. It has over 300 campsites in 4 loops. The drive up from town is silly steep, and Ernie doesn't like working so hard, and having to use so much brake to keep him in control dropping down. The first road of the climb is part of the original Watkins Glen road race course. (The current track is a closed track a couple miles from town.) The campground bathrooms have flush toilets (Yeah!) and hot showers (Double Yeah!). There's a lot of tent camping, and I suspect that part of the reason there are fewer RVs than other campgrounds is the steepness of the road to get here.

Day 2, Sunday July 29.

We all drove in Ernie to Finger Lakes Region SP and Taughannock Falls State Park. We hiked the rim trails in Taughannock Falls, which offered wonderful views of the river gorge below. The rock looks like massive slabs of slate, and I keep imagining making billiards tables from it. I need to see if that was ever an industry here.

After the hike we drove down to the lake to Finger Lakes and paddled the SUPs for a few hours, taking turns on the water and playing with Marshy. Marshy did get her turn on a SUP but it was short-lived.

After drying off and rolling the SUPs back up, we hiked up the gorge we walked around earlier. The river is wide and shallow after the 215' waterfall, giving the option to walk on the trail or in and along the water.

Day 3, Monday July 30.

After a quick breakfast, I drove Ernie to Parmenter Tire for new front tires. After a bit, they asked I come back Tuesday afternoon, so we went for hikes in our park. The campground was packed Saturday/Sunday, but mostly empty on Monday. The trails were much less crowded on a Monday than the weekend.

The Gorge Trail is one of the most beautiful walks we've ever done. The rock carved by the river is on display from a path that straddles the sinuous cascading water, bridges over the water, and tunnels under the river, providing a gamut of extraordinary angles to appreciate. Dogs aren't allowed on the narrow and crowded path, so we hiked up and met Josh and Jeanette at one end and then walked back on the far less interesting rim trail. Then we all hiked the longer South Rim trail, made more interesting because it continues under a railroad trestle to the pond behind the dam above the gorge.

We all were exercised out, retired to the campsite, and then to Ernie when the rain finally dribbled in. Radar threatened Red, but it split in two leaving us in the soft Green. It was still enough to create mud and puddles, but it stopped soon enough for an evening campfire.

Day 4, Tuesday July 31.

First off, we dropped Ernie off at Parmenter Tire. Then the five of us headed to Cayuga Lake to visit the wineries. The Finger Lakes are marketed as a great wine area, particularly for whites. Cornell University worked with the winemakers to come up with new grape varieties that thrive in this environment. The Cayuga grape is one that is quite tasty. We stopped at several wineries (Swedish Hill, Varick, Knapp, Lucas, and Americana), and then had lunch at the Thirsty Owl. The best two were Lucas and Varick, though Swedish Hill and Americana we're also quite good. Our lunch wines at Thirsty Owl were all quite acceptable.

Waiting for our meal I got a call from Parmenter Tire, that my tires didn't arrive. Sigh. So we're staying around for one more day, not in the same site but close. We planned to drive to Shenandoah NP for a 2 night stay before continuing on to Oriental NC, but now it'll be just an overnight stop.

Josh and Jeanette have done an extraordinary job with our dinners. Tonight we had tuna steaks with a sauce to die for, and tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese and basil. It should have a warning label about drooling.

Day 5, Wednesday August 1.

After breakfast we all packed up and said goodbye, Josh and Jeanette and Marshy to Brooklyn, Sharon and I to Walmart. We have a light in Ernie that we really like, and we want another. Every Walmart we go to has an empty hook for them, including this one. Sigh. We had better luck at the hardware store, getting a bolt that hopefully will replace the broken one on our screenroom.

We then stopped at Parmenter Tire to check on our new tires. They arrived! And the new camber bolts, and the mobile alignment rack. So we took the bikes off Ernie and went for a ride.

The Catherine Valley Trail is a Rails to Trails gravel/dirt path South out of Watkins Glen for 12 miles or so. It follows a lake inlet for a while before slowly climbing through the woods up the valley. It goes through one town with sidewalks and stores for a couple blocks, and another with a few homes and no sidewalks, and a short bit where you can hear the two lane highway but thick dense foliage hides any visual clues. Easy on a mountain bike, and a cross bike wouldn't have a problem, but a road bike might not like some of the mud.

On the way back Terry called that Ernie had new sneakers and properly aligned, so we picked up the pace. Since it was all downhill, it was easy and fun. And Ernie feels so much better to drive, confident I don't have to worry about a front tire blowout. If I knew how good Terry and Parmenter Tire were, I would have loved to get a second battery and alternator.

Which would be a nice solution to a problem we're having. The ARB is not cooling enough because the battery isn't getting/staying fully charged. Granted, it's been overcast, but the battery seems to losing its charge way too fast. We're having to buy ice every day to keep it under 45. We'll have to have the battery tested when we get home, and perhaps replaced.

Back issues are making me jonesing to be home. Our plan was Shenandoah NP, Oriental NC, Barb & Tom, Shea Family, maybe Columbia SC for more Shea, but now it's an overnight in Shenandoah on the way to Oriental, and then Neptune Beach. And doctor appointments and medicine refills.

Dinner was leftovers from Josh and Jeanette, and so good. The campground is mostly full of NASCAR fans, it would be cool to see the weekend's races, maybe another year.

New York pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/LwFYLi2DjvGCygS29

Stop 55: Keuka SP

Thursday, July 26. We had a full day of driving ahead of us, so we woke at 6, and were on the road by 6:15. Our first stop was a couple hours in, to refuel Ernie, and our first MacD breakfast in Parry Sound, home to the Bobby Orr Museum.

Alas, we didn't spend the day reviewing the greatest Bruin's memorabilia, but continued on highways through Toronto and Hamilton and finally Niagara Falls Canada, where we drove into a pure tourism city, paid $15 for a parking spot at an amusement park, and then walked down to see the falls. The Canadian side is definitely the best side to see the falls. The crowds were substantial, but we were on a mission, we waited to see the falls from several points, and satisfied with being fully awestruck, we returned to Ernie to continue our trek without venturing on to the ferris wheel or other attractions.

At US customs the wait was less than a minute, but he wanted to look at Ernie's innards, and wanted to know about our prescription and non-prescription drugs, as well as firearms. He finally let us back into the country, and then we were on New York interstates, where the road surfaces are well worn and failing. Based on road quality, New York is a backwater third world country compared to Ontario Canada. To be fair, I expect there is far more corruption and kickbacks in NY than in Ontario, which makes everything costlier.

Once on the secondary highways Google directed us to an Aldi, a local grocery that charges a quarter for the use of a cart! We didn't have a quarter, so we filled the REI and W-D bags we brought with us, then emptied them at checkout and refilled them after the scan. Good prices, but a lame selection (just one size and brand of chunky peanut butter? Really?). Never more, Aldi!

Finally we got to Keuka Lake SP and our reserved site. They spray paint the site numbers on the dirt, and the sites are grass that may or may not be level. Our site had lots of tread marks of previous tenants, but we were able to find a level spot diagonally across the site. But the bathroom has flush toilets, and showers! We are easily appeased.

We rode our bikes down to the lake, and then back up. Our site being at the top of the hill, we got a good climb in. Sharon was actually disappointed the climb wasn't steeper, she has become such a strong climber on this trip. If she'd known, we'd have ridden longer, bless the heart of my climbing honey!

Five nights in remote provincial parks in Ontario, we had great cell service with internet. Back in the states, we are back to minimal or no internet cell service. The US carriers really need to be held accountable for such subpar coverage, though clearly not by the current administration, because it might impact corporate profits.

Day 2, Friday, July 27.

We started the day with the important stuff. We drove to Penn Yan to find a tourism place so Sharon could use their wifi to update her bank access. Then fuel for Ernie and fuel for us. Yesterday's Aldi experience was unsatisfactory, so we avoided the one in Penn Yan for their Tops, which was exceptional by comparison.

We decided to try out the trail system at the park. It's short, just 3 miles total, through the woods (we didn't need to slather so much sunscreen on), but the bugs were bearable, the trail not too muddy, with a couple ravines alongside to appreciate. We were surprised at one point by the neat alignment of pines that means a tree farm in FL. Perhaps the area was replanted after a fire or something, but it definitely wasn't natural. Sharon was happy to find some ripe blackberries and ate a bunch.

After lunch Sharon went for a bike ride and planned to swim, but the wind picked up, a lifeguard came out to limit people to a small enclosed space. So she came back and did streches instead.

The campground wasn't half full Thursday, but the campers streamed in Friday as the afternoon progressed. What seemed like generously sized campsites were crammed with boats and cars and tents. Others brought campers that need two doors on the side, at each end of the quarter acre awning.

New York pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/LwFYLi2DjvGCygS29

Aside: Ontario

The first time I left the United States was in 1969 for a rock festival, fashioned after 1968's Woodstock. The festival was in Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park, and I fell in love with Canada. The festival was pretty much a bust, but I had the best time camping and listening to the music with my friend Ron and his girlfriend and everyone else who attended.

In 1976 I took a job teaching Math and Computer Science at the St. Johnsbury Academy. There I usually hung out with Trottier and Burley. We looked for music we enjoyed, which meant more rock-'n'-roll than country. More often than not it led us across the border into Quebec. The rumor at the time was that the fine for staying open past closing time was $30, less than the cost of the extra set by the band. The hard part was walking into Customs afterwards, and waking up the official to request entry back to the US. We spent a fair amount of time across the border.

Earlier than both, while I didn't actually get to Canada, happened in 4th grade, when my Grandmother lived with us for her last year and babysat me after I rode home from school. I started to tell a joke I heard at school, "What did the Newfie...", and Grandmother proceeded with a Diatribe. It seems that she and her husband my Grandfather (who died long before I was born) were born and raised in Newfoundland, and that is where We Are From. Not Ireland, Newfoundland. And so on. Now, I actually wish I paid more attention to the details, and asked questions. As it is, I've never told a Newfie joke since.

(Last year on our Canadian Maritimes trip, Sharon became so enamored that we're heading back next year! More Quebec, more Newfoundland.)

We just spent 5 days in Ontario, and it was wonderful. We entered at Grand Portage MN and got a campsite in Rainbow Falls PP. Then we walked up and got two nights at Pancake Bay PP, and then another two at Killarney PP. Each provincial park was awesome. Nice relatively private sites, clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers and laundry, and spectacular locations, they were all five star. And they each dealt with volume surprisingly effectively. They're huge but you don't really notice unless you bike around.

Killarney is supposed to be a paddling mecca, and I can understand that. We were likely snubbed for being daytrippers, but I'm not ready to do a multi-night kayak trip anymore. Regardless, paddling Georgian Bay is cool. The rock is cool, the plants etching a life in the cracks are cool, the birds living in these little havens are cool. And the water is clear and clean and blue and ever changing. And cool.

Ontario is pretty awesome, it has excellent provincial parks, and even the construction areas are efficient. The people are so nice and helpful, I'm embarrassed by where I'm from. But the bottom line is, I don't want to need snow tires anymore. Even though I'd love to see how Ernie would behave with a full set of Blizaks (the best snow tires I've ever driven).

Stop 54: Killarney Provincial Park

Tuesday, July 24. The good news was that the predicted overnight rain was minimal. The bad news was that we drove through the heaviest downpour of the trip, I could barely see the taillights of the vehicle I was following. Again, inside Ernie we stayed dry, and he was due for a good wash, but shortly after the worst cell, the Trans Canada Highway went to dirt long enough to let new dirt adhere to the bottom quarter of his flanks. Sigh.

After checking into Killarney, we continued on to the only town nearby for groceries and ice (solar isn't efficient in heavy rain). A restaurant claimed the best fish and chips, so we splurged. It wasn't the best but awfully good. They only served fish and chips, so they had the oil temperature perfect, the batter was light, and everything was hot out of the fryer. (A couple places in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia had incredibly flaky fish I remember as even better.)

On the way back to the campground we stop at Killarney Outfitters to reserve kayaks for tomorrow. We even got to confirm I could fit in their kayak. I think I'm going to love this high volume 16' Necky.

Finally pulling into our site for two days, after testing several placements, the driver's side is always lower, so out with the chocks, and voila!, a level sleeping field is attained. Of course, tomorrow morning we'll have to come off the chocks and stow them, and repeat the process when we return from kayaking. Fortunately it's a quick process, maybe 30 seconds. (Last year we left our chocks at the site while on a day trip in West Virginia, only to return to find them stolen along with our firewood.)

Settled in, we went for a bike ride around the campground. We rode to one end, and then followed a trail to where we expect we'll put our rental yaks in tomorrow, and looked at some x-ski trails, but we didn't have helmets and things quickly got grown over and buggier than a easy ride. Heading in the other direction, we explored the rest of the campground. It has an impressive number of lovely, private sites. We thought our site would suck, but it really doesn't! People bike past, but the motored traffic is pretty minimal.

Have I mentioned this week that Sharon is a great cook? Tonight was Mexican, and a near sunset walk after. When sunset isn't until 9:30, it's kinda weird. We talked about how we can improve our rolling home in the screen room til almost 10. There's a fire ban in effect, so no campfires, so things are quiet as dusk looks, which is also nice. Ontario has great parks, with nice sized sites spaced well. They also have spacious group sites that are pretty awesome.

Day 2. Wednesday, July 25.

We left shortly after 8 to pick up two PFDs, pumps, tow ropes and sponges, then back towards the park for the put in point.  We found our boats by process of elimination.

Killarney Outfitters dropped off a lot of kayaks, but they were organized, I presumed by reservation. Three here, four here, two tandems here, one tandem alone, ... All the groups of two included a one tandem except one, and one of its boats was a High Volume boat similar to the boat I tried out yesterday to confirm it would fit. The guy showed up while we were getting ready with another batch of boats, and confirmed that these were our boats for the day.

The paddle out Chikanishing Creek was pleasant, and then there was Lake Huron's Georgian Bay. The deep blue waters are broken up by rocky outcroppings. We crossed some open water, turned left and paddled the coastline, checking out the topography and wildlife. We immediately saw a couple of sandhill cranes strutting around, and I regretted not bringing my big camera. But they walked into the brush pretty quickly, so maybe I wouldn't have gotten a better picture with it. In any case, it primed us both to enjoy the spectacle before us.

As we wandered in and out, the wind gradually increased. We'd only notice as we came out onto the lake to feel the full brunt of wind. I finally suggested to Sharon that we head back to explore the lee side of the island. As we headed back the wind was strong enough to create whitecaps on an increasing number of the waves. We were paddling maybe 20° off the headwind, with our boats cresting waves and then slapping the trough. When we finally got to the end of the island we turned for the protected waters on the other shore. We minimized our time crossways to the current, and they we were paddling furiously to keep ahead of the waves. Once again I remembered Lys Burden's advice from years ago, that to control your boat you have to be going at a different speed than the water.

Once in calm water, we realized that the wind was blowing pretty much up this channel between the island and the mainland, so we cut across to the mainland side, and got into a quieter cove. We found a landing spot, had lunch on the rocks, checked our maps, and then headed back into the maelstrom to the next cove, Chikanishing Creek. It was a surprisingly difficult paddle, as the wind was even stronger (Sharon checked the weather after that said 20+ mph winds). I was afraid of getting crossways to waves and paddled across the cove mouth until I was in the lee side of an island. Sharon did the same. The paddle up the river was far calmer.

After leaving the kayaks by the put in, we returned the other gear and returned to our campsite. Time for a hike! Sharon was set on the Lake Cloche Silhouette Trail, until I pointed out it is a 79 km trail, maybe 5 days of hiking. So we started it anyway, but turned around after a mile or so. I was hurting before the hike, and wasn't interested in any more activity, so Sharon went off for a swim while I didn't move.

After a delicious Asian dish Sharon cooked up, we chatted for a bit before our nightly tasks, the dishes for her and the chairs and screenroom and bikes for me. But the sun had set, and the mosquitoes arrived to feast on an overtall piece of prime flesh. I would work for 10-30 seconds, then swipe the electric tennis racket around my head and legs for an equal amount of time. Not surprisiny, it took more than twice as long to complete my tasks.

Since we have an 8+ hour drive tomorrow (factoring in Customo), we hope to be on the road by 6:30 am. We shall see.

Ontario pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/zv6SmV1TrSMNJKAT7

Aside: Pain

Pain is all in the brain. A nerve cell (axion?) somewhere triggers an impulse that wends it's way to the brain, which then interprets the data and passes the information to the conscious.

Generally, the information is correct and you can act based on it. If you feel pain in your ankle, you adjust your stride to minimize the pain signal from there. You can believe your brain, you don't wrap your wrist if you have a toothache.

Alas, as I understand it, nerve impulses from the hips and legs and lower back all travel to the brain via the spinal cord, which runs inside the spine. The spine is a remarkably flexible set of bones called vertebrae. Sometimes problems can occur with one or more vertebrae. Doctors count them, the ones up from the legs L1, L2, ..., and the ones down from the cranium C1, C2, .... They also have mapped which nerves get into the spinal cord at which vertebra.

Let's say a vertebra is damaged in some way (the lack of the membrane keeping bone from rubbing on bone, for example). The nerves passing through that damage can be affected. Moving a vertebra or two may pinch a nerve that reports you've been kicked in the hip, or that hip doesn't work and other muscles need to deal with it. The effect is a trivial movement in the spine causes a nerve to trigger an impulse that is only supposed to be triggered at the far end of that nerve. So the spine moves, and the left hip suddenly feels a monster was pretty bite for a second or two. Or a hip suddenly loses all feeling, which causes you to fall to that side, which sucks if you happen to be on a SUP, and fall in the water.

Working out regularly, there is a lot of pain that actually feels good, muscles that have been exercised fully and reporting such. But these random pains don't feel like that. It's weird how we live for some pains, and do whatever it takes to not feel other pains. And a lot of pain can be ignored for a while, but as the day goes on it's harder to ignore.

All in all, most pain is best avoided.

Stop 53: Pancake Bay PP

Sunday, July 22. Wind. Lots of Wind. We backed Ernie amongst a little grove of white birch and fir trees, but we were still rocking when we awoke. The lake had a few whitecaps, and it was cool enough that long pants and sweatshirts were needed.

We left our Rossport CG for the larger and reserved Whitesands Lake CG a few clicks down the road to hike the Rainbow Falls Trail. Last night's camping paper got us b nb v   d,c
in for free. It's a big lake, and the f,d .alls
start directly from the lake,  the water tu bmbling down over a sequence of 10 - 30' falls separated by fairly steep chutes in between. The trail was a wooden walkway with a ton of steps separated by short straight sections.  There were a few openings on the walkway to walk right up to the river, before we crossed it on a nice bridge. Another hiker told us about an overlook a bit farther, so we climbed up lol mm to it. A nice view, but not overwhelming. We are so jaded.
.
On the road, we drove 220 miles down the road, listening to an early Ken Follett audiobook and enjoying lake views and forest views, and very little traffic, which was also nice for all the touring cyclists. We followed a semi for a while and it was heartening how he signaled and moved over for each one. I love Ontario!

Sharon found us a wonderful site for two nights, right across from Lake Superior. Plenty of room for Ernie and our screenroom, hiking trails, and across the road from the beach. And we're here for two nights! And we made reservations at Killarney SP for the following two nights. And then two more nights at Keuka Lake SP in New York, where we learned several years ago is surrounded by wineries. With the 4 nights with Josh & Jeanette in Watkins Glen, we are booked through the month!

Sharon needed Loonies for the laundry, Ernie needed diesel,  ARB needed solar, so after a quick run for the first two ending at the campground parking lot by the "facilities", Sharon started the laundry, we put on bathing suits and jumped into Lake Superior (it's cold, but not as cold as you'd expect for a deep lake in Canada), then showered and waited in Ernie while the laundry finished and (hopefully) the Sun replenished the house battery. It helped, but not enough.

ARB has been hungry for electron juice for several days now. It's been raining or overcast the whole time, and we haven't had a 100% charge on the house battery the whole time. Last night we dropped to 40% charge (11.2v), which isn't good for the lifespan of the battery. I would like to upgrade from one gel battery to two or even three lithium batteries, but they're pricey. Seeing how we're limping along with just one gel is good data, but it also means we can't use the SUPs tomorrow, we need the battery for ARB.

We went for a nice bike ride after dinner. This is a big campground. Pancake Bay is several miles across, and the campground is a good portion. The water is calm, the sunset a deepening red from the forest fire, it's feels like a Caribbean evening.

As we got ready for bed, the mosquitoes started their attack. And Sharon transformed into the Flying Teeth Terrorist, wielding her electric swatter deftly, killing every mosquito who ventured into Ernie's sanctum. We thought we would leave the back doors open, the netting keeping us bug free. But they were finding ways in, in little gaps around the edges. I finally went out and closed the doors, but that just trapped all the mosquitoes sitting on the netting inside. Sharon spent two hours swatting and waving and searching for the last mo, and there was always one more. She persevered, even after I turned over for sleep. It was after 11pm that she was finally free of the high pitched whining that sent her into paroxysms.

Day 2. Monday, July 23.

A short drive within the park to a trailhead, where Ernie could collect some solar power, and we headed out to the Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout Trail. Two miles later we had a fabulous view of Pancake Bay and the point where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank back in 1975. Two miles back, and our house battery was still undercharged, so we bought a bag of ice and parked Ernie in a parking lot close to our campsite with full sun. Of course, the Sun hid behind clouds, generating only a fraction of the power we hoped for.

My afternoon was calmer than Sharon's. She took off for a beach hike, and later a swim, while I chilled. We did do a half bike ride, half hike to the western tip of the bay, but the next bay wasn't worth continuing the hike so we found a different route back to the bikes.

Over a bit of wine with our chairs on the sand watching the lake, we listened to Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Realizing it all happened offshore in far worse weather than the calm flat seas we were enjoying the story was still so much more relevant than any of the 400,000 times I've heard that song.

The mosquitoes weren't as numerous our second night, perhaps because their numbers were depleted by Sharon's previous killing spree.  Tomorrow we have a 5+ hour drive, though the Parry Sound 33 forest fire may be a monkey wrench in our drive, hopefully not.

Ontario pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/zv6SmV1TrSMNJKAT7

Stop 52: Rainbow Falls PP ON

Saturday, July 21. One week to see Josh & Jeanette. Two weeks to see Sarah & Greg. Three weeks to see Frank & Joy, and then home. I'm ready. Days on end of driving expansion joints is getting old. I need to just relax for a bit and recover. Maybe a vegetative afternoon or three by our pool catching up with friends...

Overcast with a threat of rain, we drove back to the highway and headed North along the Lake Superior coast, stopping a few times, including Grand Portage National Monument.

Grand Portage commemorates the native people and the early trappers and traders who made this a major site. The monument has an volunteers showing how people lived, and built their homes and boats. They also had a wooden fort that reminded me of F Troop, but nicer.

Crossing into Canada took a while, as only one lane was open for a while. Once through, Sharon found a provincial park a few hours in that seemed promising. Fortunately they had two sites available, one with electricity, one without but on the water. With three days of overcast and rainy, we haven't fully charged the house battery, and blowing up the SUPs was an extra hit the battery didn't want. But a view is a view.

Rain dampened the ground, but not our spirits. Cocktails on the beach before the weather degraded was delicious, and swirling winds under spitting skies made walking around the campground and beach/rocky shore after dinner a charging experience. If only our battery could get a charging experience like that.

Ontario pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/zv6SmV1TrSMNJKAT7

Stop 51: Ninemile Lake CG

Friday, July 20. It's an overcast day, it was raining lightly overnight, and Ernie's wipers take a swipe when the drops reach a critical mass.

We stopped at the National Forest Headquarters in Duluth for ideas of where to spend the weekend, and then hit a nearby Super 1 grocery store. Like the WinCo grocery we hit in Idaho, the bagging area beyond the checkout clerk is split in two. While she was scanning our groceries, the previous customer is still packing her groceries as ours are heading to the other side. But at least Super 1 accepts credit cards.

The drive on I-35 through metropolitan Duluth was delightful, especially considering it's a Friday morning. Traffic is light as the highway weaves between Lake Superior and Old Industry on one side, and the aging city on the other.

I-35 ends, turning into Minnesota 61, as it follows the lake north to Grand Portage and the Canadian border. We quickly took a scenic byway with less people heading to their favorite camping spot for the weekend. We stopped at a state park with a full campground but with day use parking to see the waterfall overrun with kids and adults taking selfies. Sharon saw a sign for smoked fish and had to stop. We also got some cheese curds, which I may enjoy more. I'm not a big fan of picking bones out of the food in my mouth, and the smoked trout definitely had enough bones to be wary of.

We had our choice of sites at this Superior National Forest Campground, and coughed up $7.50 for our choice. We chose #1, since all the lakefront sites had paper on their poles.

But then we went for a walk. To the boat launch area, and then the path along the lake, when we ran into some fishermen and a rainbow trout. And they showed us all of the crawdads (12) that the trout had eaten before being caught. There is now no doubt in my mind that trout do a yeoman's job of keeping the crawdad population in check. What was really amazing was one of the crawdads was still alive, and started swimming away while we chatted. I think the crawdad's name is Jonas.

One of the guys (who'd been here a few days already) also told us that a site we wanted but had a "1" slip on its pole had been like that for days, do we moved to #18, with a lake access on site! Yippee! (After dinner we stopped by their site, and got good advice about our camping options for tomorrow.)

Time for SUP action, we pumped them up (well, Ernie's house battery provided the energy), and wandered off around our lake. It's not 9 miles long (the name of the campground is from the railroad stop that was once here, perhaps rnamed because the next water tower was 9 miles away), but it does have a trio of islands. The gaps between islands and mainland are shallow with big rocks just below the surface. I hit a few with my fin before Sharon hit one hard, and lost her balance. Fortunately she broke her fall with water and not rock. The rest of the paddle was less eventful, but a nice way to unwind.

The weather forces us to put away the screenroom and chairs earlier than we'd like, but Ernie is comfortable and dry, and homey.

We're only here one night. Sharon is confident we will find another site somewhere else tomorrow, maybe in Minnesota, maybe in Canada.

Minnesota pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/NVTFbUfwkT6ZprAp8

Stop 50: Jay Cooke SP MN

Thursday, July 19. It started raining around 1:30 in the morning and continued through the morning. It fell hard enough that I drove Sharon to the bathroom to cut the 50 yard walk to just 3. We chose not to take the SUPs on the lake. But the good news is that the inside of Ernie is dry!

We drove in heavy rain and gusty winds. For a while it was a strong headwind, other times a persistent crosswind, with the occasional slap of a gust. But we also had Armand Gamache investigating and solving another mystery.

As the book wrapped up and the Sun began to break through the clouds, Sharon saw a Jay Clooke State Park sign, so we turned off the highway to see what they had. And they had a site for one night, so we took it.

Then we went for a bike ride on a paved trail that we noticed had dirt paths off the side for mountain bikes and x-country skiers. Our plan was to ride to a point, and ride back, and try the dirt on the return. But the rain returned just enough to give us the impetus to take the fastest route. The rain backed off so we took off on a hike that starts with a swinging bridge over the St. Louis River. But pain intruded, so I returned to Ernie to relax.

Sharon stopped to talk to the rangers looking for recommended camping possibilities, and came back with lots of ideas. So tomorrow may be an adventure.

The evening teased with a sprinkle, but a quiet and cooler evening ensued. The park has no water because of a main break, but fortunately we had a good amount of privacy at our site.
Minnesota pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/NVTFbUfwkT6ZprAp8

Stop 49: Big Stone Lake SP, MN

Wednesday, July 18. The plan was to have a reasonably short drive to a campground on the Missouri River. We got there, and Sharon figured it was 1) boring, and 2) too early in the day. So we started driving East.

Lake Mina was next on the list, another hour or two away. But there we discovered that South Dakota has serious issues with gouging tourists. A campsite is $17. But you also have to pay the Daily Use fee of $6. And if you are not a resident, another $8. And, just because, the applicable South Dakota sales taxes must be added in for the final price. We couldn't see any justification to spend that much for a parking spot for 12 hours, so we went back on the road.

This time, Sharon drove and I looked for destinations. We wanted to be out of South Dakota and in Minnesota. The closest State Park I found was Big Stone Lake SP, 7 miles from our entry into the state. And we got a lakefront site!

There are enough flying critters that we broke out the screen room with the chairs. Then we tried to figure out what to do next. Last night's plan is dead. Tomorrow is Thursday, we would like to find a site through Saturday. Sharon thinks our best bet is a National Forest, and I don't disagree. Minnesota State Parks reservations online show we only have a few options, so NF it is. If we're successful, we'll likely then go up into Canada over Lake Superior.

Minnesota pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/NVTFbUfwkT6ZprAp8