Canada Day in MB, Day 1
September 10th, 2007 @ 16:24 by NormMonkey
PREFACE
The lazy bastard who used to update this blog on a semi-irregular basis got sacked.
A new lazy bastard who failed to update the blog on a regular basis was also sacked, but not before receiving a verbal kick in the groinal area.
The latest lazy bastard whose job it is to at least say something, once in awhile, please, just so we know this webpage actually can in theory change content once in a blue moon, would like to tell you about his recentmonths-past time driving across Northern Ontario with his hunnybunny to spend Canada Day in Winnipeg.
Management recognizes that the lazy bastard who halfheartedly tries to write stuff here every once in awhile can’t do this all in one go, so for the next little while (what, you were expecting actual dates and timelines?) periodic updates describing bits and pieces of the trip - hopefully in some sort of chronological order - ought to appear here. Unless, you know, a book or oddly whirling speck of dust in the air distracts him. For a long time. Again.
June 29th - DAY 1
We leave early in the morning to spend three days in a car and two nights in our new, untested camper trailer.
I scrambled about the house looking in all the nooks and crannies for my cigarette lighter power bar thingie (you know what I mean, just think about it for a moment) so I can run my GPS and music player and cooler all at the same time. I can’t find it. Nor can I find a Radio Shack that’s open at this evilearly hour (we finally found a Canadian Tire in Wawa, ON that had one).
The trip was uneventful. One tank of gas got us to a gas station 30km east of Espanola, ON. Hunnybun hears rumours of some kind of delay on Hwy. 17.
Made it another 5 or 10 km further on 17 before being blocked by stand-still traffic:
Many Idle Cars
As it turns out (apparently you can learn stuff if you pay attention to the news, and, you know, the world out there in general) there’s a protest going on.
Traffic was at a standstill on Highway 17 for most part of Friday afternoon and early evening, disrupting travel plans on the first day of the Canada Day long weekend.
About 60 protesters gathered on Highway 17 at the Highway 6 turnoff to Espanola around noon, and for an hour, were not allowing any traffic through. Ontario Provincial Police arrived and worked with protesters to direct traffic through the blockade.
“It’s going peaceful, orderly, there are no confrontations,” Staff Sgt. Gary Mills said at the intersection.
Protesters left the roadblock peacefully shortly before 3 p.m. No one was arrested.
An hour and a half later, about 200 people gathered on Highway 17 at Serpent River First Nation in Cutler and stopped eastbound traffic completely.
While we were waiting we took some pictures. Actually, the weather was nice and, once we called ahead to our intended campground to confirm that nobody will shoot us if we show up in the wee hours of the night, we had a pretty stress-free time of it. If you’re ever traveling through Northern Ontario, Twilight Resort will not shoot you if you show up late. And they have good rates. While waiting in line we chatted and took some pictures.
Blockaded Train
We stopped where Hwys. 17 and 6 meet to get us some yummy Wendy’s. And a metric tasteload of Jelly Bellies (for those playing along at home, an imperial tasteload should last a roundtrip, while a metric one is one-way). And some fudge. That’s right, you heard me. Stopped again for more protests near Cutler. The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. The scenery turned extra-beautiful as we started heading north. It didn’t take long before I just had to pull over and take some photos:
Sunset in Northern Ontario
If this looks not quite right, don’t bug your eyes out too much. It’s a blend of 3 exposures to try and capture the beauty above and below the horizon without too much highlighted or shadowed. You know what I mean, don’t make me get out the technical words.
Shortly after this we settled into our first campground. The sun gave us barely enough light to set up. Then we watched an episode of Gargoyles on the laptop and went off to sleep.
Next time
(you guessed it)
Day 2!
