Pictures from Roadtrip Part I

Here are a few pictures I took on the June/July roadtrip. Our route was:
Day 1: Seattle, ID, Missoula, Helena
Day 2: Helena, Lethbridge (Alberta), Saskatchewan, Brandon (just outside Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Day 3: Brandon to Atikokan (Ontario, ~1.5 hours from Thunder Bay)
Days 4-9: Break in Atikokan and Thunder Bay
Day 10: Thunder Bay to Pancake Bay (Ontario, near Canada/US border)
Day 11: Pancake Bay to Ann Arbor
Day 12: Ann Arbor to Toledo, Ohio after much apartment hunting
Day 13: Toledo, Ohio to Hartford, Connecticut via Pennsylvania and New York (if you ever make this drive and find that you're hungry, don't stop! Believe me, you're better off waiting until you get to your destination)

Somehow, I can't find a lot of my photos, so the majority of these come from Days 2-3 and the break in the middle of the trip.

Factor Lake Sunset

House on Factor Lake, Ontario (near Atikokan)

Reflections on Factor Lake while paddleboating

Bad picture of me with the Sleeping Giant (mountain) in the background behind Thunder Bay and Lake Superior

?Otter Rock? We biked for a couple hours before starting our hike up the Sleeping Giant. Seeing this spot in Lake Superior was a little side-hike.

Cut-away view of Lake Superior from near the top of the Sleeping Giant

We made it! So much for a nice break...as soon as we sat down for a picnic lunch we found that hordes of biting red ants had also made it to the top of the Giant. :-P

Saskatchewan sunset

The sun finally set around 2:30 am and rose again while we pulled over for a quick rest at 4 am

Crossing the prairies

Alberta at last!

"Oh Canada..." Just before getting the third degree from a cranky Canadian official. "I swear officer, I'm from Thunder Bay and am moving to Connecticut, she's from Portland, Oregon and is moving to Ann Arbor later, we've both been living in Seattle for the past few years..." The truth can be so complicated!!!


Northern Montana...definitely living up to the reputation of Big Sky Country

Finally!

A chance to update this blog! :-) It's been a crazy week, with the obvious amounts of traveling, meeting Ed's friends and family, etc. Driving was a bit insane, with the first day being Seattle to Helena with a detour to see my 100+ year old great aunt (~18 hours), the next day from Helena to Brandon (just West of Winnipeg, another 19 hours), then from Brandon to Atikokan (near Thunder Bay) where we spent a couple days. During this time we fished (I actually caught something...strange!) on a huge lake known as the Flood Waters, ate WAY too much good food compliments of Ed's grandparents and family, chatted, paddle boated, and relaxed a bit. From there, it was on to Thunder Bay, where Ed's folks are and where he grew up. It's been wonderful these past couple days, and relaxing, eating delicious food, listening to stories, meeting more friends and family, etc. What a wonderful place to have grown up! On a quick bike trip yesterday, I finally saw why this is called "Thunder Bay," with lightening strikes ~3 miles from where Ed and I were (ok, so maybe I jumped...and squeaked a bit when the sky lit up...I'm from Washington! 10 miles is too close for comfort...3 is just craziness!) After the initial shock, I discovered that it really was pretty awesome, and Ed and I sat on a bench and watched the storm go over before biking back. Also, I finally saw Lake Superior and it really does look like an ocean! The four of us walked along the waterfront for a while the first day we were here, enjoying the view and the sunshine. Tomorrow, Ed and I are biking the hour and a half to the Sleeping Giant (one of the seven wonders of Canada!) and hiking our way up the chimney before biking on back. Oh, and the day is starting with a trip to the Finnish restaurant...I hope to avoid the eyeball soup at all costs! Wish me luck, and keep reading...I should have better internet access for the next few days, which means more updates!

Oh Canada!!!

The past two days have been crazy!!! I'll post pictures and a route map later (we're about to head out, but I promise I have a ton!), but day one we went from Seattle to Hamilton, MT (40 miles south of Missoula), then to Helena, and yesterday we went up through Lethbridge and I am currently in Winnipeg, about to leave for Atikokan, ON. Will write more soon!