Quebec Shenanigans

This morning I set out for Quebec City from Montreal. My first stop was Tim Hortons for my morning coffee. Who knew ordering a double double could be so stressful? The girl just curled her nose up at me and said, "Pardon?" when I attempted to say "grande" for large. Oh well, I tried.
In Quebec city I made my way downtown, circling many times through different exits because there is so much construction and I don't understand the French highway signs. But I found a nice place to park, payed the parking meter for a couple of hours and went on my merry way. I strolled down the streets, enjoyed the beautiful architecture and trendy shops. After a nice cold chocolate beverage from a nice little cafe, I started back towards my car. It wasn't there. There was still 32 minutes left on the parking meter, but my car was gone. It turns out the street turned into a city bus depot between the hours of 1500 and 1800. I just didn't understand this when I parked because I am not used to the 24 hour clock and I don't read French. I thought it meant no overnight parking. I phoned my daddy and while I was trying to figure out what to do, I found a security guard who spoke English and he gave me the phone number to call. I called and the answering service was only in French! I tried pressing 0 to get an operator, but I was just disconnected. I found another guy who spoke English and he called the number for me and got the address of my car. It was only about a 4 block walk away. As I approach I realize, it isn't impounded, it is just sitting there. There is a ticket on my dash, but other than that, a little jiggling of the key and steering wheel to unlock it and away I go. The ticket is for $133, but I won't be shelling over the cash.
I leave Quebec first thing tomorrow morning and I will be done with all things French for quite some time to come... with exception to fries, maybe toast and of course *kissing.



*Participant yet to be determined.

The "F" Word ... and Walmart

Fireworks, yes, fireworks is quickly becoming a four-letter word.

I am staying at a KOA Kampground tonight and on their website they advertise fireworks in town on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Perfect! Today is Wednesday. After the Fireworks Fiasco of Niagara Falls, this is just what I need. Luckily I decided to look it up before hand and I discovered for the Bronze tickets, yes tickets to see fireworks, are $45.99 and they even helpfully mention that parking will be $20. But, folks, flares are the new fireworks. I made my way into Montreal from the Kampground to a Walmart to see if I can find a cheap beach air mattress only to discover it closed at 9 pm. I could have tried to locate another, but it is getting late and there is so much traffic, and lanes and exits and construction, and I am just not a big fan of city driving so I head back to the KOA. This is where the flares come in, I am driving along a bridge when a construction worker just starts tossing flares onto the road, right in front of moving vehicles! So I got a bit of a light show after all!

I have after 2 ½ weeks finally made it out of Ontario and into the province of Quebec.  Woohoo!

I would also just like to mention that I am not looking for pity or complaining about my overnight stays on Walmart parking lots when I mention them. To me It is part of the adventure and it is not because I have no other options and the 9 nights so far have saved me anywhere from $20-$50 a night, which really adds up. And to those of you who worry about my safety, I am completely safe. There are many families who park their motor homes, etc. on Walmart parking lots overnight and I snug my car up close and pin up sheets for privacy. My car is actually even more comfortable than my tent as the seat has give for my hips and the ground does not. I say this as I prepare for a night in my tent on the hard ground after a fruitless trip to find an air mattress. :)

Goodnight.

Hamilton to Ottawa

In Hamilton, I visited the location of the 1st Tim Hortons EVER!!!  That was pretty exciting... I ordered an ice capp, it was way too hot for a double double.

After a lovely visit in Hamilton with Stefani, I had a generous offer to stay in St Catharines with the parents of Michel-lyn, another girl I went to college with. I made St Catharines my home base for the next couple of days as it is really close to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The first day, Friday, as I made my way to Niagara Falls, I spotted a book store. On a whim I decided to turn around and go back to it. The World's Biggest Bookstore had nothing on this book warehouse! There I found 4 books by my favourite author, Lionel Shriver, all for only $25! It is usually quite difficult to even find her books! I was thrilled. Niagara Falls had a lot of work to do to top this attraction! In Niagara Falls I did the one thing I repeatedly heard from everyone was a must, the Maid in the Mist, a boat that goes up right close to the falls where you get all wet. I then met up with Andrea, a really good friend of my friend, Amanda. Amanda used to live in Niagara Falls so Andrea took me around and should me Amanda's old house, school and hang-outs. For dinner Andrea and I went on an adventure to the U.S and ate at a buffet with her sister and nephew who live across the line. I had wanted to get back to the falls by 10 pm to see the fireworks, but as we were sitting in line at the border waiting to cross they went off. I could see a few in the side mirror of the car. Andrea assured me that they had them on both Friday and Saturday, so I could see them the next night. I still wanted to see Niagara-on-the-Lake yet, so I was ok with staying another night.

Saturday I went into Niagara-on-the-Lake where Amanda had organized a free ride in a horse drawn carriage with her aunt who owns the carriage company. I wandered the overly touristy streets and went on a tour of the Hillebrand Winery. I may have splurged on a bottle of ice wine! I then had about 6 hours to kill. I eventually parked and made my way down to the park by Niagara Falls. I waited and waited, found the perfect spot to stand, with a view of both sets of falls, and then when it got to be quarter after 10, I decided to look up on my phone what was up. I discovered they did the fireworks on Friday and SUNDAY, not Saturday. So, defeated I made my way back to my car. After a phone call to my mom, she convinced me to stick around one more day, have a relaxing day, rest and read.

This brings us to Sunday. I had my relaxing day and left for the falls with an hour and a half to go the 20 minute drive. Wouldn't you believe my luck, but I had accidentally programmed my GPS for the American side and too late I realized this and had to go through the U.S. border crossing, which only took about 20 minutes, but I had a 40 minute wait to get back into Canada and then I had to pay a toll!! I made my way to the parking lot, sprinted down to the falls just as they were starting the fireworks. And then they stopped. I thought it was just a pause. Eventually, I ask another couple incredulously, "Was that IT!?" They informed me that they had to cancel due to wind. What wind, I would like to know, but apparently I just wasn't meant to see those fireworks!
Monday morning I leisurely made my way toward to Ottawa, stopping in Hamilton again to see Stefani, as on my last visit I had forgotten to get a picture with her. Getting to Ottawa too late to see any sights, I caught a movie.
Tuesday morning I went to Parliament Hill and saw the Changing of the Guard. I almost got a little weepy, thinking how proud I was to be Canadian!

After the Changing of the Guard I went and signed up for a tour of Centre Block, the middle Parliament building and while I was waiting it went from sunny to thunder, lightning and rain very quickly! I have had only hot sunny weather, with only one night of rain since I left home, so I figure it was time for some inclement weather. It didn't last long though, by the time I was done my tour it was hot and sunny again!
Later in the evening I went back to the Parliament Hill to watch a sound and light show they do against Centre Block. It was pretty cool and at least this light show wasn't cancelled on me!

Great Weather & Fabulous Times

I definitely chose the right year to leave the sunny Okanagan for the summer. I have observed many a complaint on my Facebook news feed from people back home complaining about the lack of summer weather. Today being the 3rd day in a row of the GTA having extreme temperatures, it is officially a heat wave. I am in Hamilton today ... Jessica Hamilton is in Hamilton, heehee... and they are calling for 46 with the humidex!
Yesterday was my second and last day in Toronto. It was jam packed full of activity. In the morning Catrine, the girl I met at the hostel, and I after breakfast, went to the CN Tower, going the extra hundred some feet up to to the sky pod. What a beautiful view of an enormous city and being early, there wasn't too much smog yet! After our tower adventures, we took a tour on this Hippo bus that drove right into Lake Ontario and became a boat! Very fun. It was a great way to see a lot of the city that I wouldn't have by just walking around. It even helped me decide which attractions I would like to walk to... for example, THE WORLDS BIGGEST BOOKSTORE!!!! 26 kms of book shelves! Not all in a long row mind you! But I have skipped ahead here... After the Hippo tour, Catrine and I had lunch and made our way to the Riverdale Farmer's Market where we parted ways. She was moving on to work at a farm in Niagara Falls catching a ride from the Farmer's Market. I then made my way to that fabulous bookstore! Walking back to the hostel I was stopped by two fellas holding signs reading, "Because we are girls". Gotta love a big city. My next and last adventure in Toronto was a Blue Jays game. What a yawn! It would have been much more fun with someone, and not beside the large fella overflowing into my seat. I left just before the game was over when it was all tied up! I am obviously not a hardcore baseball fan! But it was a great Toronto experience regardless! I did listen to the radio to find out that the Jays won in the end 6-5. A happy ending.
Which brings us today where I find myself in Hamilton meeting up with Stefani a friend from College!

 Catrine and I at Medieval Times

 Myself up the CN Tower

 In front of the Hippo Tour bus

 At Rogers Centre for the Blue Jay's game

 The CN Tower at night as I left the baseball game

Ontario, Ontario and more Ontario!

I can't believe how fast time is flying by, already 5 days since my last post and nearly 3 weeks since I left home. At first I was flying through the provinces but since I hit Ontario I have slowed to a crawl, or so it feels like it as it is so large! Since I left off  I have gone from "The Sue", Sault Ste Marie,ON to the itsy bitsy town of Webbwood, ON where I stayed with a family from the "Mennonite Your Way" directory. From Webbwood I went to Sudbury, ON and visited Science North and the giant nickel and went down into the mines. After Sudbury I was in Midland, ON where I went on another cruise, this time the 30,000 island cruise. I tried to stay at Awenda Provincial Park my first night in Midland, but I couldn't get through to them ahead of time and by the time I got there Saturday night all 333 sites were full, so another night at Walmart. The next day after being put on a wait list and going through "roll call", I made it in and that is where I set up camp last night. Of course there was a big thunder and lightening storm and it poured rain, so I ended up moving into my car for the night and rolling up a wet tent in the morning, but it was a beautiful park. Tree upon tree. While I was there I made use of their beach, which, has NOTHING on Okanagan beaches. The water was murky and full of sharp rocks so that you had to wear your sandals in the water. The sand was nice though, and I may have gotten a little pink on bits that haven't seen as much sun as my arms and legs!
Today I arrived in Toronto, ON and I was overwhelmed at first. I spent more money here in the first hour than I have in at least 2 days combined anywhere else. First of all just for parking, where the attendant told me I had to move everything from view or my windows would be smashed. I definitely felt a pang for home in that moment! Things turned around though, when I met a nice girl in my room, Catrine from Denmark. We wandered around town together and when I told her about my plans for Medieval Times, she was totally game to go which made it so much more fun than if I had gone on my own. It was an amazing experience! I caught a rose from our knight and the food was all eaten with our hands, it was delicious!
Tomorrow Catrine and I plan to go the CN Tower first thing and then maybe go for a city tour on a bus that goes right from driving into the water. We shall see what tomorrow brings!

"Travel is Only Glamorous in Retrospect"

A quote by Paul Theroux that I remind myself of each time I find myself in a random public washroom brushing my teeth and washing my face after a night of sleeping in my car on a Walmart parking lot!

Ontario - July 9 - July 12

Early in the morning on my birthday, July 9, I set off from Winnipeg, MN to Kenora, ON! I spent the day in Kenora exploring the downtown, found a campground and set up my tent before boarding the M.S. Kenora for the evening dinner cruise.
From Kenora, I moved on to Thunder Bay, ON, which when I arrived in the evening seemed like a beautiful city, with its old brick buildings and Lake Superior. But the next morning when I went to explore the downtown area, I discovered that most of the buildings were empty and it was a really sketchy area. Even some of the newer area had stores and restaurants shut down and vandalized. I wanted to go to a beach on Lake Superior and aside from a small park, it was surrounded in industrial buildings and ship yards. I did still have a good time while I was there though! Went to see the movie "Midnight in Paris", read at the small park by Lake Superior, stayed at the KOA Kampground, which has a pool ... and SHOWERS!
Yesterday, I drove from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste Marie, where I am currently. I left at just after 8:00 am and arrived at 9:00 pm. The drive was really long, but I took my time, stopping at many places along the way including a park called Katherine Cove where you could actually swim in Lake Superior! It was absolutely beautiful. The sand was so fine and soft and the water was so clear. The waves coming in and the horizon made it feel like the ocean. Despite the fact that it was only about 20 degrees Celsius and windy, the sun was warm and it was the perfect summer day!

Link to Facebook "Cross Canada Adventures" photo album.

Week 1 in a Nutshell

As I mentioned in my blog days before I left I had a couple loose ends to tie up before I left. One, to sell my old car, which happened the night before I left. It went to a cute little 17 year old cowboy, farmer kid who had the look of a kid in a candy shop as he circled it. I was glad for the new owner, but there still may have been a few tears as it lurched away. The other loose end was my driver's license. After the postal strike was over there were just 2 days it could be delivered and it didn't come. After a big rigmarole at Service BC, trying to get an extended temporary license, I realize they didn't change my address when I renewed and it was sent to my old address. So I dropped by there, riffled through the mailbox, stirring the curiosity of the new tenants, and there it was! I was all set to go!

Alberta - June 30-July 4


My first stop was Edmonton to visit my long time and dear friend Amanda (aka Mandy). We had so much fun and she was a spectacular host and tour guide, showing me cool things like Whyte Ave and a little tour of unique coffee shops, we didn't even go to the obviously touristy West Edmonton Mall. Amazingly, the whole time I was there we had gorgeous weather. Yes, in Edmonton! Crazy, I know. On Canada Day, my first full day, we spent the evening on Whyte Ave and had dinner at O'Byrne's Irish Pub. There I made my first random connection to a complete stranger. The patio was crowded and is set up so you share a table with other people. We sat with a girl and two guys and end up talking with them and having a fabulous evening, we even share the cupcakes we'd brought with us from Fuss Cupcakes! The one fellow was just moving to Edmonton from Calgary and just happens to mention his new roommate's name and though I have never met this girl, I recognize the name and it turns out her mom is in my book club! The rest of my time there was filled with more cupcakes, deep fried Oreos, deep friend ice cream, paddle boats, parks, trolley rides, Scrabble and a rubber chicken named Henry.

Saskatchewan - July 4-July 6


After 4 nights of luxury at Amanda's I spent a night in a campground in Langham, SK just a few minutes outside of Saskatoon. A campground, but a campground with showers! The next day I quickly made my way across the province, stopping in Saskatoon for the morning, walking downtown and in the park by the river. In Moose Jaw I did the tours of the Tunnels of Moose Jaw (actual tunnels under the streets of Moose Jaw). The first was called Chicago Connection and focused on bootlegging and how Al Capone used the tunnels as a hide away and the second was called the Passage to Fortune and was about what the Chinese people had to endure immigrating to Canada. I then moved on to Regina where I spent my first night sleeping in my car on a Walmart parking lot. I didn't even bother going in to ask if they were a Walmart that allowed over night parking. I knew just by the dozens of million dollar motor homes all grouped together. Some of them had flat screen TVs that were bigger than my windshield! I hung sheets over the windows for privacy, which I was glad of at 7 am when a construction crew showed up, parking beside me and trying to peer in. And of course, the gas station I choose to fill up at and brush my teeth in is the sketchiest of bathroom in all of Regina.

Manitoba - July 6-July 7

On my way to Winnipeg to stay with my friend, Sarah, from college, I made a stop in to visit my Uncle Abe & Aunt Arlette and cousins, Timothy & Meghan in Rivers, MN. I don't know them that well, but it was a very good visit. I got to see their house before they move out in August and see their new kittens. Meghan, who's birthday is the day after mine, had a birthday present for me! It totally blessed my heart! They then took me out to dinner in the cute tiny little town and drove past the house they will be moving into. After parting ways there, a little later than I anticipated I continued on to Winnipeg to see Sarah for the first time in 5 years! Today, my first full day here, she took me to The Forks, where we ran into her friend, Danielle, where I found my next 2 random connections. It turns out that she has family in Vanderhoof, the tiny town I was born in and Sarah and I went to college with her best friend from high school, Jenene, originally from Niverville, who happens to have cousins I know where I live in Vernon! I know, so many connections it makes your head spin!

All in all, it has been a very good first week and I am blown away by the beauty of Canada. From the mountains I grew up with and left behind in BC, to the vast and open prairies with yellow fields of canola flowers, windmills, 3D like clouds and spectacular sunsets.

Hopefully it won't be a full week before I blog next so I don't have to cover so much ground!

I am only adding a few pictures here, so if you'd like to see more check out my Cross Canada Adventures photo album on Facebook. This link should allow you to view it without having to have an account.