Ontario is Very Big

Today is the last day of the trip. We have been in Ontario for nearly a week, and driving across this huge province has been an education on its size. We knew it was big, but now we have an idea of how big ‘big’ is.

As soon as we entered Ontario the landscape was becoming more familiar. We were back on Canadian Shield territory, with rock cuts along the highway and lovely lakes dotting the landscape. We stayed at Aaron Provincial Park the first night. It was a beautiful park. Our campsite was on a small peninsula which allowed us to enjoy the sunset and sunrise. It is definitely a place I would come back to if we make this trip again.

The next night we passed through our last time zone change on our way to stay in Thunder Bay at the home of a friend. Deb, John, and Noah were great hosts. We enjoyed the opportunity to share a meal and conversation with other people! Their home is lovely and back onto some really gorgeous country. We loved hearing about life in Thunder Bay and sincerely appreciate the comforts of home. Lucy tried really hard to read the entirety of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince in the 17 hours we were there but fell a bit short. Soon she will be surrounded by all of her books again. :)

From Thunder Bay we drove just a short distance to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, where we stayed for 2 nights. This is another beautiful park. Our campsite was right on the shore of Marie Louise Lake and we had our own private steps down to the beach. When we arrived we spent time at the beach and went for a swim between thunderstorms; the weather was actually very nice except for a couple of quick summer showers. Lucy had the misfortune of getting a leech on her foot - the blood-sucking creatures really seem to like her! We had fun around the campfire making lists of our favourite things about the trip. Look out for a big family post in the next day or so.

On our second day at Sleeping Giant we decided to do one more big hike. We hiked to the top of the Sleeping Giant’s head, with a short detour to see the Sea Lion rock formation. We hiked about 18 km in total. A park employee had recommended hiking up to one of the high points on the Sleeping Giant so that we could take in the magnificent views, and had warned us that the hike up the ‘Head’ trail was tough. After all of our hiking on this trip, we all agreed that the last kilometer or so on the way up to the Head was one of the most challenging of our whole trip. Although the Grand Canyon and Yosemite Falls were both epic climbs, neither was quite as steep as the Head trail for as long a stretch. We all toughed it out, with Miriam requiring the usual amount of encouragement. At the top of the trail we were rewarded with a magnificent view of Thunder Bay as well as a nice breeze. Back at the campsite we all went for a swim. The water was cool but felt great on our sore muscles.

The next morning we set out on a long drive (~6h) to Agawa Bay. We stopped for lunch at Neys Provincial Park, our first real glimpse at the gorgeous waters of Lake Superior from up close. The breeze off of the lake was quite cold, but the views were amazing. After a stop in Wawa for fuel and a photo with the big goose, we wound our way through Lake Superior Provincial Park to Agawa Bay. Our campsite was right on the beach with magnificent views. It was clear when we arrived and we could see Montreal Island. The girls spent some time beachcombing and Miriam even went for a brief swim in the cold water. We were treated to a fantastic sunset as the fog rolled in. In retrospect, I wish we had planned to spend more than just a night here. It is definitely a place we will come back to.

We launched fairly early yesterday morning for our last long drive. We broke up the drive with a stop to tour the sights of Thessalon, childhood home of our sister-in-law Holly! We visited her family farm, the cabin she and my brother stay at in the summer, her parents’ house, and her aunt & uncle’s General Store where we got some yummy ice cream. It was a relaxing stop and a nice way to break up the long drive to Killarney Provincial Park where we are spending the last two nights of the trip. We stopped in Lively for the last shopping of the trip: last groceries, last gas, last beer purchase! Heading south on highway 69 we saw a sign: Barrie, 265. We are so close to home that it almost hurt to turn off the highway to come here, but we are thankful to have another day to reflect on the trip and enjoy the long weekend vibes! We plan to be home by lunchtime tomorrow, a thought that is hard to imagine. We just enjoyed our penultimate trip breakfast (and enjoyed using the word ‘penultimate’ to describe it!) and will spend the day relaxing in our final outdoor home-away-from-home.

Top of the giant's head