So another day was spent in the water and with the Manitobans. the water is a bit warmer today but there were a few thunder showers in the area. It was nothing major though and all cleared up by the evening.

    In the morning I started reading "The Iliad" by Homer, but was called to from the water by Kara and Roxanne... so swimming it was! The majority of the day after was spent with Kara. She could be one of the coolest girls I've ever known. so fun and kind. That evening she had a sudden impulse to buzz her hair, and I have an electric razor, so I was the one to do it. Much to my surprise she looked incredible with short hair. Kind of like Cameron Diaz but better.

    The family had me over again for dinner (burgers!) and this time I ran to the store and picked up a case of beer for all of us to enjoy. Roxanne showed me a dip called Honeydill: basically mayonnaise mixed with half as much honey and some dill. It was so good for dipping veggies.

    The night was beautiful and we all sat inside their camper and played a text twist type game till early hours of the morning. Then Kara joined me for a bit of star gazing. Her and Jazzy are leaving early tomorrow before I'll be up so we all said our good byes. Winnipeg is one spot that I'll be hitting again on my way back so they gave me their phone numbers and are going to have a crepe and real maple syrup party for me, I've had neither. Awwww... they're all so cute!

    I woke up early this morning and packed up. On my way out I went and said one last good bye to Linda, Dennis, and Roxanne. Dennis invited me for a cup of coffee so we sat down and chatted a bit. Roxanne gave me their number and address. I'll stop in for sure on my way back home.

    Now off to Thunder Bay... well almost. I decided to camp at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park for tonight and go to Thunder Bay tomorrow. It's only 30 min away.

    Before I forget, Ontario has so many lakes! Lake of the Woods is wonderful. Haha.

    Alright so the camp ground is alright. Nothing exciting with the camping spots but there is a huge waterfall. It's probably 70-80 feet deep into a canyon. The little town attached to the park has a great slushy place. Lemon-lime is always a good choice.

    After note: I've been meaning to write about the amount of rock cairns along the highway (#71). Since entering Ontario I've probably seen over 200... crazy.

    This morning I arrived in Thunder Bay. It has a population of about 110,000 but felt smaller than Penticton. I guess maybe because there wasn't much going on that I could find. I walked around the water front and a small part of the downtown area, eventually finding myself at Dimitri's Corner Street Cafe. It's a small little place with 1 cook and 1 server. I sat down and started talking to the server named Troy, an obvious gay man, but fun and friendly none the less. I was wearing my Transformers hat and he told me he has a collection worth about $12,000 now. We talked for a bit and he gave me a few ideas to check out but also confirmed that there is not a lot to do right now. I ordered a cold clubhouse sandwich... it was damn good and fairly cheap.

    I then left and continued to walk around for a bit longer and check out the mall. In an information booth I found a campsite called Eagle Canyon so that's where I went for the night. It's hard to get out of the hot sun at this campsite because there are very few trees for shade. Paths from the campsite lead up a steep hill to 2 suspension bridges. These bridges are high above a small, narrow lake and walkway below. Very nice sights! Also there are 2 very nice wood gazebo's to rest in. Only about 5 other sites are being used so far so it's quite peaceful here now.

    After note: I met a nice young German couple backpacking from Vancouver to Toronto. They are the first foreign people i've met travelling and both said they were really enjoying Canada. Me too!

    Leaving Eagle Canyon, I was now headed to Sault Ste. Marie. The Ontario terrain quickly changed to small, steep mountains, almost plateau-like. I'm still amazed at all the trees here. It's kind of like BC but more variety... and a lot of birch trees. As I drove, I passed a small place with a large statue of "Winnie the Pooh". Surrounding the cartoon bear statue was a nice well kept flower garden.

    Further along the highway, the land opened up to reveal a huge, incredible beach on Lake Superior. I forgot to check the name but I had to stop for a picture. It was a far more scenic view of the massive great lake than I had seen in Thunder Bay. Water as far as I could see, eventually blending in with the cloudless blue sky. I took the picture and drove off again saying to myself that if I found a campsite with a beach like that I'll stop for sure.

    My hopes were answered as I came to Lake Superior Provincial Park. I quickly got a campsite only about 30 feet away from the water. I hadn't rode the bike now for 3 days and the arm was feeling about 90%, so out came the bike and I went for a good rip around. It felt great to use that energy.

    Being another cloudless day (seems to be the trend so far) the sun was hot! Time for my first swim in the Great Lakes of Canada. I waded knee deep into the crystal clear water. It was cold. With some hesitation I eventually dove in. Opening my eyes under water, the ground in front of me faded into a soft blue. It was amazing and completely refreshing. I then sat in the sun to dry off and tan for an hour.

    Peanut butter and honey sandwiches were on the menu for tonight. As I ate I was joined by a hungry chipmunk who gladly accepted some of my sandwiches and eventually took it directly from my hand. I named him Skippy, brother of Fuzznuts (hey Steve! haha).

    Now the sun is a few hours away from setting and I have some thinking to do. A park warden at a place like this would be an amazing career. And before I forget, the rock cairn count has to be over 400 by now. Who stops and makes all these?!?!

    Last night I was able to watch my first clear sunset over open water. It had all the vibrance that I expected and more. I set up my lawn chair on the beach for the show and as I sat there about 30 other people came to watch too. Ontario parks are so amazing so far that I think when I get back I'll do what it takes to become a warden and hopefully work at Lake Superior or Rushing River. I'm so excited!

    Now on to today. For some reason the digi-cam quit working, so unless it magically starts again I might be putting one onto the credit card. Bah!

    The plan to stop at Sault Ste. Marie changed because it was so hot and dry there. I continued to Sudbury instead. At first I wasn't to sure about Sudbury because the road I took in brought be to a fairly run down area. But soon I found "Bell Park" and everything got nicer. I parked the truck and headed out for a good urban ride. It was nice riding full steam again! As I rode along the park I found out the 6th annual Dragon Boat Festival was beginning today. Things were still being set up so I continued to ride around for a good 3 hours. Sudbury's a fun place to ride because not only are there some good urban elements, but lots of smooth rocks too, perfect for natural jumps and drops.

    After heading back to the truck to put the bike away, I went to the festival just in time to watch the opening ceremonies. The festival was to raise money for cancer and alzheimers. The main part of the opening was a traditional Chinese dance meant to wake the sleeping dragons. This I guess is always done before anything else in the festival. Next was another traditional dance but involving just one girl, dancing with swords.

    I walked along the lake one more time before heading to Richard Lake Campground. While setting up, a young couple camping beside me came to talk. They're from Guelph and just finishing going all the way west to Vancouver Island, now almost back home. They weren't able to talk long but were great to talk to. Christine and Jay were their names. Good luck to them!

    Now it's off to bed early. No trees for shade here so I imagine I'll be up soon after sunrise. I'll be a master at camping after this trip.

    Today was the first cloudy day and still humid. I said good byes with Christine and Jay before leaving. Then it was off to Manitoulin Island to catch a ferry across the Georgian Bay to the Bruce Peninsula below.

    When I got to the ferry I had to wait for about 5 hours for it to come. The area near the ferry is geared for the people waiting with lots of little shops with all kinda of native crafts and candles. There were a few cafes and restaurants, and a hot dog vendor. I explored the nice little community for a while before taking the opportunity to do laundry. I hate laundry :P.

    While waiting for the machine I talked with this mother also doing laundry. She lives in London, Ontario, and told me not to go there. Haha. Seriously though she said there's nothing to do or look at in London, but it is a nice place to live. Instead she recommended that I go to Pinery Provincial Park instead. It's about 45 min west of London. I think I will take her advice... I'm actually really excited about that.

    So the ferry came and everyone boarded. The ride was nice but there was a lot of fog over the water so I couldn't see much. When we landed I checked in at the first campsite I came to, Happy Hearts Campground. It has a public pool within but other than that it's pretty plain.

    After note: The first big rain storm happened last night. I woke up to thunder and my tent being pelted with rain. I also found out that my tent has a small leak on the door side, but not big enough to worry about. Yay!

    I went camera shopping today because I'm missing out on a lot of great pictures. But first I stopped at a Crossroads Coffee House for some eggs, toast, and a cold chai tea. Ahh it was great! After eating granola bars almost every morning anything different would have been great. Gerry, the owner was nice and we chatted for a little while. They ask everyone that goes in to write back and tell them about there travels.

    I left for Stratford. Stratford's a neat place. They have a tonne of little shops, cafe's, and what-not in the downtown area, covering about 5 streets. Plus all the buildings are made of old bricks, not like back home. It's a nice look.

    I bought a new digi-cam only to find that it wasn't my camera that was messed up, but the new batteries I bought were dead right from the beginning. So I took it back. Then after driving about 45 min towards Pinery I realized I had forgot my memory stick in the camera I bought and took back. So I had to go back and get it. Bah!

    Eventually I made it to Pinery and this place is great! The roads are gravel but the rest of the land is all trees and sand. The campsites are split with trees so it's more private. The best part though is the beach on Lake Huron. You have to walk through semi-grassy sand dunes to get to the soft, sandy beach. The beach spans down the coast, farther than the eye can see in both directions. And then it's pure sand as far out as you can walk into the water. AND the water was incredibly warm. I spend a good about of time in it. :)

    After swimming I tagged the sand and left.

    Beans for supper tonight and it looks to be a nice night. There are some sort of bugs in the trees that start making this loud drone noise, rising loud and then falling silent again. Like a pulse. It's very strange.