Beaches and Boardwalks and Sky (Oh my!) – Exploring PEI’s Northern Shores, Postcards from Canada 2025

New London Range Rear Lighthouse and Beach, French River, Cavendish Beach and Dunelands Trail, North Rustico, Greenwich Dunes and Beach, Shipwreck Point Lighthouse, North Lake Harbour, East Point Lighthouse, Basin Head Provincial Park, Red Point Provincial Park and Beach

After a night of rain in my campsite at Cabot Beach, I set off to explore more of PEI’s beautiful countryside and glorious seascapes. My first destination was to visit the scenic Cape Tryon Lighthouse which is located atop red cliffs at the end of a narrow point, but the access road of red soil was wet with the night’s rain and I had read that drivers can get stuck in the slippery sticky mud of those roads. So, I carried on to the end of the paved Cape Road to visit my second planned stop, the New London Range Rear Lighthouse. I was thrilled to arrive at this surprising view!

Built in 1876, this historic wooden lighthouse was one of the few on PEI to have had a female keeper. Although it is sadly in need of a coat of fresh paint, it has a unique tapered design and is beautifully situated behind low dunes in an oasis of green meadow and adjacent marsh plants.

From there, I followed a trail over the dunes to arrive at a stunning beach with not another soul anywhere in sight.

There was a fresh breeze as I walked to a small point of sand where I stepped out for views of the luminous sea and sky, and then of red cliffs in the distance.

The cliffs beckoned so I continued on, curious about what there was to see around the corner. But, as I neared the point, tens of cliff swallows started to emerge from their nests and swirl about in the air, complaining loudly about my presence.

I respected their wishes and turned back,

but I was not unhappy as I had the pleasure of the return walk along that magnificent beach, now looking in towards New London Bay,

and then repeat views of the lighthouse in its beautiful meadowy setting.

A short drive later, I stopped at the colourful harbour of French River,

and I enjoyed the views from the hillside above the harbour where a riot of wildflowers stole my attention for a time.

I continued on to visit Cavendish Beach and to walk the Dunelands trail in Prince Edward Island’s National Park. This park encompasses a narrow strip, over 65 km long, of PEI’s northern shores and features red and white sand beaches, red sea cliffs, rolling dunes topped with marram grasses, streams, fresh water ponds, salt water marshes, and areas of forest. There are two campgrounds and many visitor facilities including over 50 kilometres of walking and biking trails. The nearby town of Cavendish, famous for its associations with Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables” is tourist-central for the island. Fans of the book visit Green Gables Heritage Place, the Lucy Maud Montgomery Cavendish Homestead, Avonlea Village, and other Anne-themed attractions. The town and nearby area also feature all kinds of family amusements like a waterpark, go-cart races, arcades, miniature golf, and plenty of gift shops and places to eat. But, I avoided all of that! On a sunny day, Cavendish Beach is usually crowded with visitors, but on this cool and overcast morning it was relatively quiet. I walked out onto the wide boardwalk that crosses over the dunes and stopped to take in views of the long sandy beach.

I’d already had an amazing morning beach walk, so I retraced my steps and made my way to the Dunelands Trail and its boardwalk that floats over a freshwater pond.

I loved this view, at the foot of the boardwalk, looking out towards the dunes,

and halfway across the boardwalk I stopped for views back towards the attractive grey-shingled buildings of the Cavendish Beach Complex.

Beyond the boardwalk there was a pleasant wide path that was lined with fireweed, wild rose, and conifers, and it led to yet another boardwalk that crossed over a grassy expanse of clifftops to views of the eroding red sandstone cliffs to the west and east. Interpretive panels provided information about the geological and ecological history of the area, and about management strategies that are being implemented to help protect the dunes and slow the erosion of these northern shores.

I then drove east along the coast on the surprisingly very quiet Gulf Shores Parkway, a favourite with cyclists,

and I stopped randomly at one of its many pullouts to descend onto a long red-sand beach that was completely empty of visitors. There was a clear goal in sight at the far eastern end of the beach – a small sea stack. It was time for another walk!

Afterwards, I continued on to the town and harbour of North Rustico. Settled by Acadians in the late 1700s, this fishing village has several small museums and popular seafood restaurants, but I was attracted by yet another boardwalk that led for a kilometre along the edge of a placid bay from the town’s pier to the North Rustico Harbour Lighthouse.

Nearby was the Seagull’s Nest gift shop and I was drawn there by the wonderful sound of Celtic-inspired music. Brendon Peters, a retired fisherman and very talented spoons player, was playing his spoons while accompanied by instrumental versions of traditional tunes on a speaker. He was really good! My dad used to play the spoons, so I sat and enjoyed several songs and then we struck up a conversation, my first of the day. He later played another tune, “Ode to the North Rustico Fisherman” that was written by his mother and tells of the hard work and sacrifices made by he and his brothers as they earned their livings from fishing. I was hooked (pun intended), and so I decided to buy his CD as my souvenir of PEI. As well as Brendon’s spoons, the CD features local musicians, friends of his, who added their talents on piano, vocals, acoustic guitar, drums, and fiddle.

As I walked back along the bay towards town, the rain that had been threatening all day slowly started to fall so I decided to end my explorations and head back to camp. I greatly enjoyed the drive, back along the parkway and then on scenic Highways 6 and 20 where I loved crossing over the wide rivers at Bayview and Stanley Bridge and New London. Brendon’s music played on my CD player as I travelled west, and I didn’t mind the rain and grey skies at all. By the time I reached camp, though, the skies had darkened, the wind had picked up, and sounds of thunder could be heard so, sadly, no late-afternoon swim at Cabot Beach for me. I cooked my dinner in a campground shelter because of the wind, and now-heavy rain, and then I had a really early night which was fine because the next morning I woke early to decamp and begin my drive to the eastern end of PEI. The roads were nearly empty, under still-grey skies, with small smatterings of rain, and after some ninety minutes of driving I was the first car to arrive at the Greenwich Dunes parking lot. Part of the National Park, the Greenwich Dunes Trail is definitely a “must do” on PEI, and I was lucky to have the trail all to myself as I began the walk along a country road through what was once a farm owned for four generations by the Sanderson Family. Fields and forest, an expanse of bright pink fireweed, and dunes to my left between the land and the sea. – I loved it here!

Later, the trail led into the forest where interpretive panels described the local flora and fauna, and then it led onto a curving boardwalk through the forest and over “Grey Dunes” which are low and stable inland sand dunes where large mats of delicate lichens grow.

Beyond that, the boardwalk led out into the open and across an area of marsh that was packed thick with cattails as far as the eye could see. It was a thrill to step down and onto the 700 metre-long floating boardwalk that curves its way across Bowley Pond towards tall sand dunes.

What a place!

Here is a view back down over the beautifully-sinuous boardwalk after I’d climbed halfway up the dune.

And here was the beach after I’d crossed over the dune! Yet again I was on a spectacular long beach, with dramatic skies and the invigorating wind, and there was not a single person in sight! I decided to walk towards the east,

and after about a kilometre or two I turned for this view back, with my footprints the only ones visible on the sand.

Further on, I found a colourful kite, noisily rippling in the wind atop the dunes, that was trapped among plants, and I took some time to free it and about 20 metres of string so that it wouldn’t end up in the ocean. I continued to have the beach entirely to myself for the return walk, and then I climbed the staircase back up onto the dune where I couldn’t resist taking another photo of the floating boardwalk. As I crossed the boardwalk, I finally encountered another party, a family of three, from Quebec, and the son of about eight years old was very excited to accept the kite. I passed more walkers on the trail through the forest, and again along the fields of Sanderson’s Farm where some were stopping to take selfies amongst the fireweed as I had done. The last great and unexpected pleasure of my morning walk was finding an excellent patch of tasty wild raspberries. Joy!

From Greenwich Dunes, I made my way to Highway 16 to continue my journey towards the eastern end of PEI. En route, I stopped to visit the lighthouse at Shipwreck Point, but wind and a sweep of oncoming rain sent me scurrying back to my car after just a few quick pics.

I made another quick stop at the nearby Naufrage Harbour,

and I just had to stop here, by the side of the road at Priest Pond Creek, for these gorgeous and inspiring views.

I stopped again at North Lake Harbour,

and then I reached East Point Lighthouse with its excellent interior museum that provided information about the lighthouse’s history from 1867 to 1989 when it became automated. The last lighthouse keeper, Harry Harris, worked here from 1961-1989, and his family were direct descendants of shipwreck survivors aboard the San Domingo which foundered on the reef at East Point in 1822!

From East Point I made my way to Basin Head Provincial Park where I explored the facilities and walked a short distance on the beach. Normally busy with beachgoers on sunny days, the park was very quiet, with some visitors electing to visit the Fisheries Museum here, or to browse in the gift shop which I did for a few minutes. Others were placing their orders at the take out cafe and here I finally decided to order my first-ever lobster roll, planning to eat it under a picnic shelter in view of the sea. But, by the time the order was ready, the wind had decided to pick up and blow cold, and the clouds had finally decided to unleash all of their rain in a heavy downpour rather than in small fits and starts. I retreated to my car, post-haste, and drove just a few minutes away to park with a water view over the Basin Harbour as the rain lashed down on my Toyota.

It was fun! I was happy, dry, and protected, and the roll was delicious! Then, only a short time later, the squall was over and all was relatively calm as I settled into my campsite at the nearby Red Point Provincial Park. I had a fabulous site, with epic views of the sea and sky, and of the narrow beach below that stretched to the north and south.

As evening drew near, I was happy to take yet one more walk to end another wonderful day of PEI beaches and boardwalks and sky.

P.S. On the following day I would make a return trip to Basin Head Provincial Park (and explore other local attractions) under quite different conditions – bright sun and bright blue skies! Here’s the link to that post: https://christineswalkabout.com/2025/07/25/skipping-ahead-im-going-to-les-iles-de-la-madeleine/

The Last Leg Homeward – Postcards from Canada, 2025

From Eastend Saskatchewan, across Alberta, and into Beautiful British Columbia

I drove the last leg homeward, over four days, largely on familiar territory. It was a quieter, reflective time, with fewer stops, that was less about seeing new vistas and more about saying hello to old friends (a highway, a town, a campground…). Each day started early, with solid sessions of driving, still mainly on secondary rural roads, and each ended in time for a campground dinner, quiet evening, and early night. My headache was still present each day, and most of me was fixated on getting home, but another part of me was feeling slightly melancholy, and did not want my journey to end.

I said goodbye to Eastend Saskatchewan, and rose up out of the Frenchman River valley and onto another perfectly straight stretch of prairie highway, empty of traffic.

Tractors and harvesting machinery were parked in the fields, ready for the day’s upcoming work,

or resting after the previous day’s work was done.

I turned to the north, from Saskatchewan Highway 13 onto Highway 21, to avoid a long stretch of gravel road travel, and the road took me down into and across a new section of the beautiful Frenchman River valley.

I turned west again, crossed the border into Alberta, and later turned south onto Highway 685. Here, the road swooped down into and across another wide flat-bottomed valley,

with distant views of the 40 Mile Reservoir. These gorgeous valleys stir up strong feelings of wanting to be a land baron!

Highway 685 ended at the tiny town of Etzikom, Alberta, a new place for me. A sign at the edge of town advertised a windmill museum so I thought that I would make a quick stop as I love windmills. All was dead still in this town as I drove down its main street at about midday. The air was heavy, and there was a sense of abandonment and disuse.

I turned down one of the side streets and passed a few tidy houses and parked cars, but there wasn’t a person in sight, including at the town’s Jubilee Park where I just had to stop because the playground equipment was all pretty much identical to the equipment that I had played on as a kid in the late sixties and early seventies in Cumberland’s Kin Park.

There was no one anywhere around – not one kid, nor any moms with toddlers, and not even a passing car. There was just this empty and deeply silent place, seemingly trapped in time, like something from a Twilight Zone episode. But, despite the slight sense of eeriness, I loved the playground memories that the equipment sparked and I felt compelled to linger. I sat on the swings to add a bit of movement and life to the park, and I wanted to try out the teeter totter but I didn’t have a partner. (One always needed a teeter totter partner that you could trust, not one of those friends who thought it was funny to jump off suddenly when they were at the bottom and you were at the top!)

I left the park and drove a couple of blocks to arrive at the Etzikom Museum and Historic Windmill Centre which was a much grander enterprise than expected! I was drawn first to the windmills, arranged to the side and behind the large museum building which was once the town’s school. There are almost twenty historic and varied windmills on display, each with a descriptive information sign that detailed the windmill’s design features and history of use on the Canadian prairies.

It was very interesting! To the left is the Beatty Pumper, which became the most widely used windmill on prairie farms, and there was even a European-style windmill which could be found at places like Fort Douglas, Manitoba, and Fort Edmonton, Alberta, in the early 1800s.

After touring the windmills I decided to skip the museum and head back out on the road, but luckily I popped in to use their washroom and this is what greeted me when I entered!

An old-fashioned soda-fountain shop selling ice cream and floats, coffee and pie! And, behind the counter were two bright-eyed, fresh-faced teenagers with big welcoming smiles. I wish that I had a photo of them! They looked very happy to have someone walk into their museum, and I couldn’t bear to disappoint them by not staying. It was an excellent museum! Like many prairie town museums, the focus was on early settlement, farming, ranching, and pioneer life. There was a replica Main Street with a boardwalk, and views into spaces such as a barber shop, post office, general store, and school room.

There were also many themed rooms, including a replica mid-1900’s kitchen where the table was set with “Rosalie”-patterned kitchenware. Edged in 22 karat gold, these dishes would have been collected as premiums in bags of Quaker Oats!

After my tour of the museum I decided to splurge on a piece of homemade pie with ice cream, and I greatly enjoyed talking to the teenage girls about their school life (favourite subjects, sports played, future plans etc.), and about their summer work at the museum. When I asked about the origin of the museum’s focus on windmills, one of the girls replied that “every prairie town museum has an old-fashioned sewing machine”, so the museum director decided to have their museum be unique by being the only windmill museum in Canada. It was a joy to talk with them – such a bright spark of life and light in the town – and the pie and ice cream was delicious!

Fortified by my stop, I continued west, now on Alberta Highway 61, with a quick stop in Foremost,

and later I stopped to photograph the tail end of a very long, long, long line of black rail cars that had stretched, for multiple kilometres, roughly parallel to the highway and across a wide expanse of freshly shorn wheat.

As I continued west, dark clouds steadily built up overhead, and I decided to stop early and camp at the Lower St. Mary’s Reservoir campground where I have stayed before. I was feeling tired and headachy, and a bit woozy from the road. Luckily, the campground was not very full, considering that it was Thursday night before the Labour Day weekend, and I was happy to get a large waterfront site with no near neighbours.

It was blessedly peaceful and quiet, and after dinner I took a walk to view the spillway and then decided to walk downriver a ways until a gentle rain started to fall.

It rained through the night, and I woke often, but the rain on my roof is a comforting sound, even in a downpour. My Toyota looked a bit forlorn in the morning, though, covered in leaves and twigs from my campsite’s tall cottonwoods, and a few of those cottonwood leaves were bright yellow, signalling the coming of autumn. As I was leaving, I stopped half way up the gravel road that takes campers from the lower reservoir back up to the prairie level, for this view back down over the area.

It was definitely time to head home, and from here that thought amplified as the Rocky Mountains began to come into view as I travelled west on Alberta Highway 505.

The day brightened as I drew closer to the mountains, and I soaked in my last views of the magnificent Alberta prairie.

I turned onto Highway 6 North, with a brief stop in Pincher Creek, and then onto Highway 3 West, first passing the site of the enormous and devastating Frank Slide,

and then stopping to photograph the gorgeous Mt. Tecumseh and Crowsnest Mountain.

I crossed into B.C. at the Crowsnest Pass and was quite frankly astounded anew by my province’s incredible mountain scenery. I have driven the wonderful Highway 3 across southern B.C. several times before, but the mountains seemed to have grown in my absence! I greatly enjoyed the drive along forested slopes and river valleys, passed quickly through the towns of Sparwood, Fernie, Elko and Cranbrook, and then decided to camp at the small and well-remembered Yahk Provincial Park where I have stayed before. Inexpensive and convenient, with large and reasonably private sites, this campground is located beside a lovely section of the Moyie River where I sat and watched bats swoop and swerve over the river as dusk fell.

I woke early again, ready for my second-to-last day of driving. It was a beautiful day, with a bright blue sky, and I stopped briefly in Creston for this last photo of a grain elevator. Built in the mid 1930’s, it stored wheat, oats, and barely that were grown in the fertile and extensive agricultural lands of the Creston Valley.

As I continued westward I enjoyed the rising and falling curves of the highway as I took in more views of forested mountain slopes, sparkling river valleys, and rocky pinnacles. Unfortunately, photos do not do justice to the immensity of the mountains, but they do capture the beauty of this small alpine lake at Kootenay Pass, looking towards the west,

and then from the other side of the lake looking east.

I made a stop in Greenwood, one of my favourite B.C. small towns, to visit “my house”** (see link at the end of this post),

and later I made my first ever stop in the town of Midway, where I checked out their riverside campground for future reference. It was a nice place to stop, eat some lunch, and rest a bit while watching the lazy flow of the Kettle River, and there is a riverside trail starting from here that I might walk someday…

Here, I made the obligatory stop at the top of Anarchist Mountain for the view down into Okanagan Valley,

with a zoomed-in view of the town of Osoyoos, and yet more mountains ahead!

I followed the S-curves down to Osoyoos and considered stopping for a swim, but home was now like a magnet, pulling ever-stronger the closer I got to the coast so I zipped straight through town, rose steeply up out of the valley, and later stopped for this view as the road swooped down again.

I stopped again on the approach to Cawston and Keremeos. Look at those mountains! It was like I was seeing them for the first time. Below is the Similkameen River and nestled ahead in the narrow V of the river’s valley is the town of Keremeos with its vineyards, orchards, and roadside fruit stands.

It was still early in the day, and I had thought that I might drive all the way to Vancouver, arriving near dark, but I was feeling tired. I then considered driving as far as Manning Park, but I knew from previous experience that it might be impossible to find a campsite there on the Labour Day weekend so I checked out the Prikard Creek Recreation Site campground, located just west of Keremeos, and luckily there was a site for me, and an excellent one at that! The campground was right beside the beautiful Similkameen River, and the air was hot and dry and smelled of Ponderosa Pine.

I had a wonderful and relaxing late-afternoon swim, entering upstream, floating downstream with the current, and then walking back upriver to do it over and over again. I felt happy here, and I took a rare selfie as it was my very last night on the road. I also took a last photo of the Similkameen River as the sun lowered in the west. It was to be my last photo of my long journey across Canada and back.

The Very Last Leg of the Last Leg!

In my memory, my campout at Prikard Creek was the end of my epic roadtrip, but of course I still had the very last leg to complete, a further 320 km to reach home! I left shortly after dawn, and I had the beautiful highway through more scenic B.C. wilderness mostly to myself all the way to where Highway 3 joins Highway 1 just east of Hope. From there, the traffic began to build considerably, and soon there was a thick stream of holiday-weekend traffic, still travelling at speed, as we crossed over the Patullo Bridge and continued westward towards the city. (“It would be a shame to have an accident now!” I thought!) Finally, I exited the stress of Highway 1 and crossed Boundary Road into Vancouver. Phew! Then, after a last half hour of driving, my trusty Toyota and I were finally back home, safe and sound, having travelled 17,787 kilometres, over two and a half months, together across Canada and back. Phew indeed!

So, would I do it again? When I first returned I would have answered, “No way, once was enough!”, but now, months later, I’m not so sure!

Thank you for joining me on the journey, and I hope to see you on the next! 🙂

P.S. I have just realized that the very first and the very last photos of my trip were both of the Similikameen River, taken two and a half months apart. Here, at Bromley Rock Provincial Park in June, the river had been running fast and high with spring runoff, and it was so beautiful – deep, clear, green, and sparkling!

** This following blog post, from a previous drive across Highway 3, has some really great photos of Greenwood (including “my house”), as well as a bit of history of this former mining town. There are also photos and details of other great stops along the exceptionally wonderful B.C. Highway 3. https://christineswalkabout.com/2022/01/05/western-road-trip-a-magnificent-start-heading-east-on-highway-3/,

And, here is a link to the post which follows the one above, with great photos of sights along Highway 3 east of Yahk, (mountains!), and then south on Alberta Highway 6 to the Waterton Lakes National Park area and beyond. https://christineswalkabout.com/2022/01/07/western-road-trip-into-southwestern-alberta-mountains-and-prairie-together-oh-my/

Prairie Highways, Harvests, and Headaches- Postcards from Canada

Well, it’s almost the end of January, 2026, and I am finally getting back to writing some posts from my 2025 cross-Canada road trip. As my loyal readers know, posts from that trip were few and far between because I was mostly camping, with limited access to power and wifi, and because of technical issues with WordPress. The “Headaches” referenced in the title above are still on-going, months later, but various medical assessments have been made and treatment options are being explored. Despite those headaches, which began in Nova Scotia and worsened as I began my journey homeward, I continued to make the most of my travels and to appreciate all that I saw and experienced. I’m not quite sure how to best organize upcoming posts, but I have to start somewhere so I will begin with heading west, homeward, from my last post written in Winnipeg. We’ll see how it goes after that!

Heading West – From Manitoba into Saskatchewan

My last post was written in Winnipeg where I had decided stay in the same excellent airbnb that I had stayed in on my way east. It was late August and I had been suffering from daily headaches for about a month. They had worsened in severity as I travelled across northern Ontario, and I was at the point where I felt that I might need medical attention. I had the entire peaceful and quiet main floor of a small house to myself so I rested a lot, did laundry, downloaded photos, worked on my blog post, and rested some more. The following morning, feeling somewhat refreshed, I decided to carry on with my journey so I quickly made my way out of the city and onto wonderfully quiet secondary highways that were as straight as an arrow.

I could drive with speed, and yet look all around at fields that stretched far to the horizon, including this immense field of sunflowers! What an expanse!

I walked a short way into that field,

and it was a bit freaky because there were so many large grasshoppers flying about, as well as literally hundreds and hundreds of black beetles on the ground, moving very quickly every which way all around my feet, and they could jump forward at least eight inches! I’ve never seen anything like it! I dragged my focus away from those bizarre beetles, up to the large nodding sunflower heads that were heavy with seed, and I was charmed to find one late bloomer that was doing things in its own way and on its own time.

Continuing westwards, I passed fields and fields of ripe wheat, and of corn that was taller than me.

I also stopped often to photograph the built environment of grain storage elevators, some historic, tall and angular, clad in faded wood, and others newer, round, metallic, and grouped in clusters. Whether old or new, they act as vertical punctuation marks on this horizontal landscape, and they proclaim modern human dominion over the prairie.

I made a stop at the small St. Paul’s Anglican Church (1910) in Baie St. Paul and admired the peaceful lines of its interior architecture. These small prairie churches are almost always unlocked and well cared for, and they evoke the hopes, labours, and community connections of generations past.

After a morning of quiet roads, the Google Lady directed me to the Trans Canada Highway for a (thankfully) short part of the drive, and then I was back on secondary highways again, heading roughly northwest, with the roads now losing their arrow-straightness as they began to curve and rise and fall around small hills on the approach to Riding Mountain National Park. It was a beautiful drive, but the park itself and the campground were a little underwhelming. It was still early in the day, but I was already feeling tired, and a headache was growing. I took a slow easy walk along the lakefront, read for a bit, and had a quiet dinner in camp. I retired early, but my headache was growing to massive proportions and I had a rough night.

The following morning, just as I was leaving Riding Mountain, I got a “How are you doing?” call from a kind friend and I immediately and tearfully blurted out my worries about my ongoing headaches. She got in touch with a nurse practitioner and urged me to visit an ER for a CT and bloodwork. I decided that it was past time to finally seek some medical help so rather than continuing northwest, I decided to head southwest to Regina to visit a hospital. I was still determined, though, to enjoy the beautiful prairie landscapes as I travelled. It was a gorgeous morning, and I enjoyed the quiet highway that curved up and over low hills, past golden wheat fields, and beside many ponds and small lakes that were edged with deep green.

Here, I felt lucky to see a beaver swimming across a placid pond that reflected the bright morning sky.

Sandy Lake looked like a great little town,

and I loved the curving lines of shorn wheat on this field.

I continued to stop often for postcard photos as I made my way west and crossed into Saskatchewan. The fields of canola that had been in bright yellow bloom when I travelled east in June were now a mottled mix of green and pale burgundy, with long pods filled with seed,

and in some fields purple-tinged clover filled the air with sweet scent.

By early afternoon I was driving along on the very straight Highway 22, past the huge mine buildings and tailings of the world’s largest potash mine near Esterhazy,

and about 80 km later I stopped for a much-needed lunch break in a small shaded Lions park at the far end of the tiny town of Neudorf. A large RV with B.C. plates was parked there and a couple sat at one of the picnic tables. They noticed my B.C. plates and struck up a conversation, and we were soon aware of an amazing coincidence. I had met this couple, Jack and Stella, briefly, on a trail in Manitoba’s Spruce Woods Provincial Park exactly two months prior and here we were together in a small park beside a little-travelled highway in the-middle-of-nowhere-Saskatchewan. Even more amazing is that when I first met them I had been walking the last section of trail with a couple from Winnipeg, Jill and Ralf, who had later visited me in my campsite, and afterwards they had also visited with Jack and Stella! My call on this very morning from “a kind friend” had been from Jill, who was following my travels via my blog and texts, with Ralf beside her! So, in the huge expanse that is Canada, what are the odds that five people who met one day on a trail in Manitoba, should somehow connect together on one day a full two months later? Not very likely at all! When we realized the connection, Jack and Stella and I called Jill and Ralf to say hello and texted them a selfie. It truly was an amazing coincidence!

I continued on the drive west and enjoyed the sweeping swoosh of the descent into the beautiful Qu’Appelle River valley.

In Fort Qu’Appelle, I visited its museum which features one of the oldest buildings on the Canadian prairies – an original building from the Hudsons Bay Company trading post that was built here in 1864.

I didn’t stay long at the museum, as the day was now very warm and I was beginning to tire, but I did take time to admire the beautiful artistry of colourful Métis beadwork, and of a buffalo hide painting, done in a traditional style, by Wayne Goodwill, a former chief of the Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation. Chief Goodwill’s ancestors had arrived in Canada in 1867 with Sitting Bull who was his great-great-grand uncle.

I drove down Fort Qu’Appelle’s main street and stopped to photograph the Hudsons Bay Company Store which was built here of brick and stone in 1897. It is is oldest surviving retail HBC store building in Canada. There, I ran into Jack and Stella again, and they urged me to visit a wonderful bakery down the street. Full of locals who were seated at the front of the cafe, and owned by Brad, the butter tarts and saskatoon berry tarts were delicious!

Reluctantly, I soon made my way onto busier roads and then Highway 1 into Regina where I visited a very crowded ER. Four hours later, the waiting room was just as full as when I had arrived, with new people constantly arriving that looked worse off than me. I was tired, and I had a headache (!) so I decided to leave. It was early evening, and I considered camping stealth in a residential district close to the hospital, but I was feeling anxious in the city so I decided to head some sixty kilometres south to the small town of Milestone to camp in their municipal campground. En-route, I stopped to photograph an old red barn that was bathed in the golden light of the lowering sun,

while directly across the highway, to the west, that light filtered through the dust raised by a pickup truck as it drove fast along a gravel road.

And, as I arrived in Milestone, that setting sun cast a rose-gold light onto railroad tracks that stretched toward the horizon.

I had a better night in Milestone, woke early, cooked up a breakfast, and then continued westward for a great morning of prairie driving. The road stretched ahead of me, with endless views all around, and I stopped often, including here,

where I was curious about something. On the left side of the highway, for many miles, were acres and acres of golden wheat, ready for harvest,

and on the other side was a rusty-coloured crop that I didn’t recognize so I walked a short way into the field to discover Saskatchewan lentils!

I have written before that the prairies are certainly not boring! I loved the rolling terrain of this expansive hay field, recently shorn,

and prairie machinery often caught my eye.

There were windmills, and transport trucks,

isolated farmhouses,

and reminders of days gone by. Here, all was silent as I walked through tall grasses to explore an old homestead.

I stopped in the town of Assiniboia to photograph railway tracks and cars,

and I was inordinately thrilled to get a free soft serve cone with a 30 L fill up at the Co-op. Bonus! Such simple pleasures to be had on the road! I continued, westward on Highway 13,

until I reached Ponteix, a great little Saskatchewan town that I had stopped in on my way east. Their historic grain elevator is so striking!

I made my way to their excellent municipal campground, which is green and nicely shaded, to have a healthy lunch, a bit of a rest, and a shower. Luckily, their outdoor public pool was open so I had a refreshing and very happy swim while kids played around me and their seated moms chatted with each other. Feeling like a new person after my swim, I continued west, with a quick stop in Cadillac to photograph yet another beautiful grain elevator. I had stopped here too when heading east, and had camped in Cadillac’s municipal campground. I really do like small town Saskatchewan!

I passed quite a few oil derricks, small dinosaurs feeding on dinosaurs,

and at this stop to photograph another, I again found a new type of crop that I hadn’t previously noticed.

I guessed from the size of the pod, and the leaf shape that is particular to legumes, that maybe they were chick peas, and I was right!

I continued westward and was excited to finally approach the familiar and well-remembered territory of the hills and range lands of the Frenchman River valley, and the town of Eastend where I planned to camp. I’ve stayed in the municipal campground here twice before, on previous prairie road trips, and had made friends in town with a group of seniors who sit together and chat on a Main Street front porch. The seniors weren’t sitting out today so after choosing my campsite I decided to make the short trip to visit Chimney Coulee, some six kilometres out of town along a curving gravel road that took me up out of the valley, with sweeping views down and back,

and views to the west,

and far distant views to the east.

Chimney Coulee was once, briefly, a Hudsons Bay Company trading post. It was established in 1871, but was abandoned after only a few years because of frequent skirmishes in the area between parties of Blackfoot and Assiniboine and Cree warriors. Later in the decade, some sixty families of Métis settled in the area, and in 1877 a Northwest Mounted Police detachment of three men was established here as a stopover between the larger Fort Walsh and Wood Mountain detachments. A principal task of the detachment was to run patrols and to keep an eye on Sitting Bull and his thousands of Sioux followers who were camped south of Chimney Coulee, near present-day Eastend. The NWMP detachment closed in 1887, and over time the Metis left the area, leaving behind their house foundations and stone chimneys for which the coulee is named. The last chimney collapsed in 1915, and there is very little to see today, beyond several information boards. Trees and grasses have overtaken the site, but it was still a beautiful and worthwhile stop.

I decided to continue a ways further beyond Chimney Coulee, and the road rose higher and up to a gorgeous and beckoning expanse of rolling prairie grassland. The photo below, sadly, does not even begin to do justice to how beautiful that place was, and how enticing the road ahead.

The road whispered, “keep going”, and I wanted to say yes, but my decision and strong conviction was, “I’ll come here again.”

I turned my Toyota around and enjoyed the return journey, still exulting in the views. I made a last stop here,

for a view across to the deep green band of cottonwoods that line both sides of the Frenchman River in its valley. The town of Eastend is hidden beyond the trees, but its old wooden grain elevator can be seen to the left, between the trees and the hills behind. My campsite was down there somewhere, positioned right beside and above the river, and I now knew that Sitting Bull and his people had also camped somewhere in the near vicinity!

I made dinner, and then took an evening walk through the campground and alongside the river to the town. It was a peaceful way to end another day on the road, full of harvest-ready prairie vistas, from Milestone Manitoba to Eastend Saskatchewan.

P.S. A fond hello to Jill and Ralf, Jack and Stella! 🙂

P.P.S. Apologies for the excessive length of this post! I’ll aim for shorter posts going forward. 🙂

The Most Beautiful Place in Nova Scotia? – Postcards from Canada

Cape Sable Island, Shelburne, Kejimkujik National Park – Seaside

Hello everyone. I am currently in Halifax (my last morning here), and would like to get this post out after many trials and tribulations tech-wise (both my camera and iPad have been acting wonky – yesterday I went to the Apple Store, Best Buy, two Walmarts, and Henrys Cameras, with limited success at solving the issues, and that’s not how I wanted to spend my time in Halifax!). It’s been a bit of an odd time here in Nova Scotia, with some low energy and spirits on my part, which is not surprising considering how much activity and excitement I experienced on PEI and Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Also, I have been on the road for quite a while now, so a bit of road fatigue is to be expected. But, I have definitely seen some beautiful places here, and have visited excellent museums where I really connected emotionally with the history. (Posts (hopefully) to come in the future!) For now, I’d like to jump ahead to a very special place that may very well be the most beautiful place in Nova Scotia. This opinion is subjective, of course, especially since I have seen just a very tiny fraction of what this province has to offer with all of its varied landscapes, but to me it was perfection. Let me take you there, with a few stops, first, on the way…

After a day of sightseeing down the Fundy coast, and with some great long-weekend-holiday-Monday classic rock playing on the radio as I drove a very fun and scenic, curving coastal road, I arrived at Cape Sable Island, via a causeway, to see the tallest lighthouse in Nova Scotia. Uh, it’s way out there, accessible only by sea!

Okay, so I didn’t do my research well enough! I was still happy to be on the island, and I found a convenient picnic table by the sea for my dinner (with the lighthouse, teeny-tiny in the very far distance).

It was a peaceful place, and there were some lovely photos to be had as a I walked out to a dock over the water,

and looked back over a calm bay.

I chatted with a local couple who were out for a drive, and they told me that sometimes people camp at a local beach parking lot so I went to Hawk Beach, with its long stretch of white sand on one side, and a high bench of cobbles on the other,

but I didn’t think that it was a good spot to overnight. I then checked out the beach parking at Daniel’s Head which looked to be perfect. It was still early evening, so I walked down the beach a ways,

and then a long way up the beach,

enjoying the breeze and the sound of the sea and gulls. On the return, I watched piping plovers hunting for food at the tide line. They nest in the nearby dune area, and it seemed like the adults were supervising their young as they moved back and forth between patches of seaweed.

As the sun set, I assessed the situation (I have been camping in established campgrounds and it was only my second time on this trip to camp stealth) – two other SUVs, a respectable-looking van, and a smallish motor home. The other occupants and I gave each other nods of acknowledgment that meant, “Yes, staying the night”, and so I settled in for a very good sleep as night fell and fog started to roll in from the sea. The next morning, this is the sun rising, above the dune behind my car, and through the fog.

I was the first up, made breakfast quietly, and then went for a morning beach walk. I crossed over the dune to this view,

and began my walk up the beach.

Fishing boats were just visible on the horizon,

and past the rocks,

a group of seals seemed to be dozing, with a few slowly waking up.

As I walked, I was diverted by the beautiful forms and colours of seaweed and shells on the beach,

and by glances back to the sun on the water.

I did not want to stop! But, there were more places to see so eventually, reluctantly, I turned back, returned to my car, and headed to my planned stop at the town of Shelburne. Known for its historic waterfront, Shelburne has many beautiful old homes and buildings, including 17 homes that were built before 1800. In 1783, after the American Revolution, around 400 families, loyal to England, moved here as a group to settle in British-controlled Nova Scotia, and many more followed in subsequent years to establish a community of fishers and ship builders.

The orange building, Coyle House, was built in 1784, and the light blue house beyond it was built in 1785.

The elegant Matthew Dripps House was also built in 1785,

as was the very large Ross Thomson House.

There were other beautifully restored and maintained buildings on the waterfront, including the Shelburne Barrel Factory, which is said to be the last working, privately-owned cooperage in Canada, and for 41 years it was run by the only female cooper in the world.

There was also the Dory Shop Museum building,

and so many characterful wooden houses to see.

I really enjoyed my walk here, in the quiet of the morning, on a beautiful day, and was glad that I had arrived on the early side when just a few others were around – locals walking their dogs, and shops just opening.

Again, I wanted to linger, and stay a while, but I carried on to my next planned stop, a hike to the sea in Kejimkujik National Park – Seaside. By the time I arrived at the trailhead, it was getting close to high noon, and was very warm. I had already walked a fair bit that morning, at the beach and in Shelburne, so I decided that I would just do the 2.6 km trail in and along a short section of coast, take a few photos, and hike straight back out again. The first two kilometres were on a level trail, surfaced with crush which I hate because of the noise it makes, but the views and the plants kept me happy, especially the wild roses which have been a constant for me on this cross-Canada trip. I have seen them in every province, and their bright pink colour and gorgeous scent always cheer and enliven me.

There were also bog plants, which I love, including pitcher plants and a white orchid that was new to me and very delicate and pretty.

And then I arrived at this view, and saw a long white beach in the distance, stretching out far along the coast.

I descended to the first sandy cove,

and then chose to walk south to the next small cove,

with its large rounded stones, some stained by algae.

The stones were so fun to walk and balance on, and I stopped often when my attention was caught by interesting lines, textures, and shapes.

There were small seaweed-covered rocks off-shore,

including one for the birds,

and I made my way carefully over the slippery seaweed for this shot of a balancing rock.

I turned back north to begin the return trail, but that long bright white sand beach was still stretched out in the distance so I just had to go that way. I crossed the sandy beach of the first cove and found the trail that led over rocks and a short boardwalk, past the iconic National Park red chairs, and then on to the next little cove.

The rocks were so beautiful!

The trees, the curves of sand, the colour of the water, and the plants were all beautiful. I was beyond thrilled, and everything that I saw, far and near, was exquisite and perfect. I walked,

and walked,

and walked,

and stopped for a closer view of these amazing plantains, growing in a few inches of sand, just metres from the sea.

The next cove was gorgeous,

the granite rocks were veined with quartz and sparkling flakes of mica,

and this view nearly stopped my heart!

Seriously, I was in love, and ecstasy, and awe. I continued on,

and on,

until I finally stopped here,

atop a large mound of sun-warmed granite to have a rest and a snack and to look at the sea and the expanse ahead.

I lay down for a while, my face tucked away from the sun and under my hat, and I think that I slept for a few moments. As on my morning fog-beach walk, and my time in Shelburne, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to go further. But, of course, eventually, (or almost always), a return is necessary, so I set off, back south, so incredibly grateful to have seen this extraordinarily beautiful place. I took photos on the way back, and will include a few in this collage,

but this deer will get a full frame, even though she is distant and not well-lit or in good focus. What a lovely surprise she was, browsing there in what felt, to me, to possibly be the most beautiful place in all of Nova Scotia.

Now, it is well past morning, and I want to visit the Immigration Museum in Halifax before I leave for my next destination. I think that I may not be able to post again on this cross-Canada trip, as time, etc. is very limited and technical issues still plague me. Tomorrow, I am off to Cape Breton Island, but sadly all Nova Scotia trails have been closed due to extreme fire risk. (They were ordered closed as of 4 p.m. on the day that I visited Kejimkujik – thank goodness that I was able to visit that magnificent place!). So, I will spend a bit less time in Nova Scotia than I had initially planned. After Cape Breton, I may revisit PEI for a few days to see a few places that I wanted to see and missed, and to have a last swim at a favourite beach. Then, it’s off to the north coast of New Brunswick (with lots of seascapes to look forward to there), a drive around the Gaspé Peninsula, visits to relatives in Northern Quebec, and then, finally, homeward….

Thank you so much for following along on these few Postcards from Canada posts – I appreciate the company!

All the best, Christine. XXoo

Starting from the Middle, Ontario Part I – Postcards from Canada

I guess that I have finally decided to continue with this newest journey, seeing as I am now in Ottawa! I had many reservations about doing a cross-Canada drive before I started out, and those reservations and worries have dogged me since I left Vancouver: I’ve been worried about the long driving distances, the wear and tear on my dear Toyota, the cost of gas and accommodations (although I am camping on most nights, many campgrounds have become quite pricey), the vagaries of the weather (too hot, too cold), the bugs, etc., etc. I have considered turning back west multiple times a day, pretty much every day, as of this writing, even though I passed the geographic centre of Canada, located a short distance east of Winnipeg, many days ago.

But, each morning, despite my misgivings (and a few panicked calls to Brent), I continued to head East, resulting in my arrival here in Ottawa! I had originally planned to begin posting about my cross-Canada trip when in Winnipeg, but I held off because I still wasn’t certain that I wasn’t going to turn around and head back home. So, I am finally making a start with this first post, “Ontario – Part I”, but I don’t know how often I’ll be able to post as I have little access to wifi as I travel. We’ll see how it goes!

Whiteshell Provincial Park – Falcon Beach Campground, Manitoba, to Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, Ontario, 531 kilometres

Shortly before leaving Manitoba, I lost the prairie, with its far-reaching, expansive, beautiful-sky views. The road was now bordered by trees, and would continue that way for many hundreds and hundreds of kilometres across Ontario. Luckily, that monotony would be interrupted often by quick glimpses (as I drove on by) of pretty lakes, beautiful marshes perfect for moose, and wide and impressive rivers.

On this first day in Ontario, there was a mix of sunny skies, and some very heavy afternoon thunder showers. I drove mostly in silence, but I also listened to CDs – Elton John, Neil Young, Van Morrison, and Abba were good company on the road. A highlight of the day was the sighting of a mother moose and her calf feeding by the side of the highway, and a short while later I reached Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, my stop for the night. I viewed the impressive falls,

and I walked the trail along the top of the gorge, with views back upriver.

The trail I was on was part of a portage route used for centuries by the Ojibwa, and later by the fur traders of the North West Company as they ventured westward from Fort William on the shores of Lake Superior (near present-day Thunder Bay.)

Kakabeka Falls to Pukaskwa National Park (342 km)

The next day I was back on Highway 17, heading east, despite having slept poorly and feeling strongly that I should head west instead! I made my first stop just past Thunder Bay at the Terry Fox Memorial which is located just west of where Terry had to end his Marathon of Hope due to a return of cancer, this time in his lungs. He is a hero of mine, and I always took time in my teaching, when it was close to our school Terry Fox runs, to impress upon my students how strong, courageous, humble, and determined this young man was, and how he contributed so much to our country and to the fight against cancer. He ran 5,373 km across Canada – nearly a marathon a day for 143 straight days – and since his run hundreds of millions of dollars have been raised for cancer research. I was happy to see others stopped there as well.

I continued on, with peeks of Lake Superior as Highway 17 travelled sometimes close to the great lake and sometimes farther from its shores, up and around hills, and past many small lakes, marshes, streams and rivers. It was Canada Day, and I listened to some of my Canadian CDs (Neil Young (again), Joni Mitchell, and Spirit of the West), and I also tuned in to CBC radio for their coast-to-coast coverage of Canada Day events, including some of the performances being held at the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. It was a good day of driving, and a highlight was seeing another moose – a female who crossed the highway about 300 metres ahead of me, surprisingly graceful on her incredibly long legs.

I had a reservation for the night (the first of 3) at the Agawa Bay campground in Lake Superior Provincial Park, but I had read positive reviews about Pukaskwa National Park which has a FCFS campsite, and many trails, so I took the access road and 15 km later I was able to get a great campsite and I knew that I wanted to stay there. It was such a wonderful park, with iconic and beautiful Canadian Shield, “Group of Seven”, scenery – rugged rocky headlands, off-shore islands, dramatic pines, three long curving beaches of golden sand,

and the seemingly endless expanse of Lake Superior.

The vegetation was gorgeous as well with many low-growing shrubs, mosses, and lichens,

and also wildflowers that were new to me. Yellow-blooming blue bead lillies, and tiny pink twinflowers, grew in areas of shade,

and I also met (clockwise from top left) bunchberrry, Labrador tea, Canada anemone, encrusted saxifrage (an Arctic plant that is able to grow this far south because of the cool conditions created by the massive amount of water in Lake Superior), and wild rose.

Three trails led directly from the campground and the Visitors Centre, and I connected all three to hike a total of about 8 kilometres. I was excited to find the iconic National Park red chairs atop a headland above Hattie Cove,

and I marvelled at the shapes of the ancient rocks, sculpted by glaciers, waves, and wind.

It was a truly marvellous park, and my favourite stop in Ontario. Thank you Pukaskwa!

Pukaskwa National Park to Lake Superior Provincial Park, Agawa Bay Campground – 276 km

The next day was a shorter driving day enlivened with views of lake, after lake, after river, after lake. Very scenic. Unfortunately, driving on HIghway 17 at speed, with other cars behind and not much of a shoulder, makes it very difficult to stop for photos. Fog had rolled in over Lake Superior as I entered the provincial park, and made for this atmospheric photo when I stopped at Old Woman Bay.

I continued on to Agawa Bay campground, at the far southern end of the park, and found my campsite with its view, across the camp road, of Lake Superior.

The fog came and went all day as I strolled the long beach, searched for pretty rocks, spent time at the Visitor Centre, and read an entire book. I broke up my reading sessions with small walks on the beach, and I was drawn there again to watch a long-lasting and beautiful sunset.

The next day, I drove back west to access several park hikes that I was interested in. First there was the short 500 m trail to the Agawa Rock where there are 150-400 year-old pictographs of animals, canoes, and supernatural creatures, painted with red ochre by the Ojibwa. Viewing the pictographs involves walking along a narrow slanted ledge below a rock face, and I found that my hiking boots were slippery on the very smooth rock. I was alone there, so I reluctantly decided against taking those last few steps to view the art.

Next, I drove to the trailhead for the Pinguisibi Trail which follows the Sand River for 3 km upstream, past a series of falls and serene stretches of river.

It was a wonderful trail, full of roots and rocks and hard packed soil, in the shade of trees and with the rush and roar of the river alongside. But, I was alone again, with no other cars in the parking area, and I was concerned about the possibility of meeting a bear. I kept up a nice loud silly and cheerful monologue, “Go away bear! I have bear spray but I really don’t want to use it!”, but after about 2 km, as I got further from the trailhead, I decided that I had best not go on. I turned back reluctantly, and of course passed a pair of hikers about halfway back. Oh well! My next stop was beautiful Katherine Cove where I had planned to have lunch,

but the highway was close and interrupted the peace so I returned back to camp. Feeling somewhat disappointed with my morning, I made lunch, read again for a while, revisited the Visitors Centre, and then decided to do the 3.2 km lakeside trail that led from the campground to the mouth of the Agawa River. My expectations were low, even though a young park interpreter had said that the trail was “pretty”. It was wonderful! And definitely very pretty, along an old road and then a sandy trail with grasses, flowers, birch trees, and tall, very old white pines.

I saw bunch berrry and twin flowers again, as well as a hardy plant with tiny yellow flowers growing in pure sand, orange hawkweed, and (wow) pink lady’s slipper!

Agawa Bay Campground to Lake Grundy Provincial Park – 516 km

This was a long day of driving, with a section of freeway that I hadn’t expected, just as I was beginning to feel tired. I made a quick stop at the French River, which I had been excited to see as it was an important part of an historic canoe route, along with the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers and Lake Nipissing, that connected settlements on the St. Lawrence with the upper Great Lakes and the far West. The route was used by indigenous travellers, by the voyageurs, and by the great explorers Mackenzie and Thompson. The Visitor’s Centre was closed by the time I arrived, and despite my fatigue I began a trail walk, but it was buggy and I quickly decided to retrace my steps, take a quick photo of the river,

and continue on to my next campsite at Grundy Lake Provincial Park, not far distant, and luckily accessed on a quiet and slow highway.

Grundy Lake Provincial Park actually has four lakes, swimming beaches, and trails to hike so I had booked two nights here. I arrived hot and sweaty (so humid! 37 with the humidex), and should have gone for a swim, but I chose a shower instead and the water was really hot. Aaargh! The following morning, I woke early and set off to hike the short Swan Lake trail. It was an auspicious start as the trail led right away onto a floating boardwalk over a beautiful small lake with irises and pond lilies, a beaver lodge, and gorgeous rocks and trees all around.

But, after I crossed the boardwalk and entered the forest the black flies and deer flies began to swarm me. I probably should have turned back, but I continued on the 1.5 km trail at a faster walk, then a jog, then a quick stop to break off a branch of leaves to use as a switch, then a bit of a run, then a quick stop for another switch for my other hand, then a full run to get out of there, switching those branches back and forth around my head like a crazy person. I was hot, bothered, sweaty, and highly irritated, and it wasn’t yet nine in the morning! How would I spend the entire day here? And, the next day of driving was going to be a long one, so I decided to forgo my second night of camping at Grundy Lake to travel to North Bay, about two hours away, for a hotel night of AC and electricity, clean sheets and wifi. It was a good decision, with a lovely drive along quiet roads,

and a long stop in the pretty town of Callander, on Lake Nippising,

where I spent time in the welcoming library while I did laundry in the laundromat next door. The day was a welcome break from camping and the heat.

North Bay to Fitzroy Provincial Park – 313 km

A rainy day of travel, off and on, with just a few stops along the highway including here, for obvious reasons,

and here, at Deux Rivières, where the Ottawa and Maganasipi rivers meet.

Then, on the latter half of the day’s journey, the terrain changed to the rich farmland of the wide Ottawa valley, with its large dairy farms and fields of corn. The day grew very warm and muggy, the traffic increased as I got closer to Ottawa, and suddenly there was freeway driving and a missed turn. Thank goodness for the Google Maps lady who got me back on the right road to arrive at Fitzroy Provincial Park, located on the Ottawa River. I had planned to swim here, but the beach was incredibly busy with families and groups large and small seeking an escape from the heat on a Sunday afternoon (I took the least “crowded looking” photo I could).

I returned to my campsite, hot, sweaty, tired, and despondent to mope a bit (I don’t do well in the heat). But then, I put on my bathing suit and returned to the beach, determined to at least put my feet in. The water was cool, and I waded in, and then swam, out past the roped off area and the busyness, to better views of trees across the river and clouds moving across the sky. I was swimming in the Ottawa River, so I guessed that I was likely going to finish this drive across Canada…

Thank you for reading! 🙂