Ontarioooooooo

Yes, Ontario is BIG. We left our hotel early this morning to make our way across this province and almost made it all the way!

It was so cool to see Lake Superior. The Great Lakes just blow my mind every time I see them. I can't get my head around the fact that it is a lake, not open ocean! The first time my besties from Toronto visited they asked me when we were on the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, "What lake are we on?". I laughed, but I had only just stood speechless on the shore of Lake Ontario for the first time a week before.

Unfortunately driving past Thunder Bay we didn't see much of Thunder Bay. I was really interested in seeing Lakehead University, which, from the map, looked like it was on the side of the highway but I never did see it out the window. I am loving seeing the scenery from a car window, but I can't wait to do another cross Canada trip and get to experience the places more, and of course visit friends along the way! I'm sorry to the handful of you that I've already passed! I would have loved to have had you shown me around your small towns and cities.

Today we stopped for breakfast in Nipigon. Nipigon has the world's smallest Canadian Tire, but I doubt it could have been the most limited! Their stock went up to the roof, and things were hanging on to the walls by bungee cords. I'm thinking they must have a lot of ladders to get you down whatever you would like. They really had everything there though! It was incredible.

We took the TransCanada Highway along Lake Superior for awhile before heading across "Northern" Ontario on Highway 101. This has brought us to Timmins, apparently home of Shania Twain, where we are spending the night. Along the way we passed White River which is where Winnie the Pooh began. We did see a live bear, and also a live skunk on the drive. The live skunk was a lot nicer to see then the dead skunk. We've also seen a few dead porcupines on the drive - I'd really like to see a live one though!

For dinner we went to Eastside Mario's. There was a sign that said half price appies between 6pm and 9pm. When we went in the waitress said we could sit in a booth, or in the bar for half price appies. We kind of missed the part that it was only in the bar that you could get them half price, but either way we wouldn't go in there since we had Grayden who is only 12. So we went and got a booth on the restaurant side. Papa got two appies, and after ordering, read that they were only half price on the bar side. When the waitress came back he asked her about that, and said well, he couldn't go sit there with Grayden, and she was like "It's not such a bad place.". After she walked off I asked "Are you sure Grayden isn't just allowed to sit there?", so when she came back we asked her that, and sure enough, kids are allowed to sit in the bar section! Interesting, considering it seems the Liquor Control Board of Ontario rules all alcohol sales to the point where you can only buy alcohol to take away from them, and not on Sundays. However, you can buy fireworks just about anywhere, anytime, including from a school bus on the side of the highway!

It's looking like tomorrow we'll be into Quebec. We're a bit ahead of schedule only having to arrive in Quebec City for the evening of August 22nd so perhaps we'll get to adventure a bit more for the next few days. We are hopefully going to hang out a bit in Trois-Rivieres so I can show papa and Grayden where I spent 5 weeks of the summer of 2007 for the Explore program. Hey Explorers, where would you recommend we go/what should we do there?

Thanks for reading :)