Pictures At Last

Alright. So we were having a terrible time trying to post pictures to this blog. Not to mention that we would only be able to put 1 or 2 per post, and we're taking lots. So we decided to get an actual photo site where we can post all of our pictures, and even have explanations etc. We created an account with photobucket.com (or just google photo bucket). In the search bar under images, search for vandykandstevens. Then you should be good to search our folders. You can try this link as well http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m171/vandykandstevens/ which should link directly to the page.
Enjoy.

Alberta Bound

Once again we have arrived in a place that offers us internet. In this case, Calgary. Bill and Leslie have been kind enough to allow us ‘freeloaders’ to stay a couple of nights. The trip here was quite different than the trip to Wawa. The trip to Wawa took about 30 hours, and we covered just about 600km. The trip to Calgary took 36 hours, and we covered 2600 km.
On our last night at NSA we got invited to Pooh-fest. Pooh-fest is in White Lake, about 90 km north of Wawa, and the designated ‘home’ of Winnie-the-Pooh. Saturday night was the town dance, held in the hockey arena. After starting the night at Genevieve’s house with her parents Don and Nina, we headed to the arena for a celebration of all that is pooh. Everyone from the town comes out, and needless to say several hours are spent dancing and mingling to the cover band Euphoria. The town shuttle, driven by Mickey, takes us home for a nice sleep in the Airstream trailer at Don and Nina’s.
On Sunday we head back to NSA to meet up with Ike, and instead of putting our foot to the pedal, we stop again at Gen’s for a Venison stir-fry, which was utterly spectacular. (Thanks again Don and Nina). We made it a fairly early evening in order to get a good start for our drive, which of course didn’t happen because we slept in until 11:30. Not only were we leaving late, but Gen also missed her doctor’s appointment. Good work. So with another good bye to our dear friend Shannon, we hit the road in Ike’s Toyota Corolla wagon on the long journey through northern Ontario. For those that haven’t done this drive, it takes forever. However, it is utterly spectacular, especially as you drive along the northern coast of Lake Superior. I recommend it to everyone. So we reach Thunder Bay by 6pm, and have a solid 800 km to go before we reach Brandon Manitoba, which we are determined to make that day. After 500 km or so of northern Ontario, we were unbelievably joyous to reach the Manitoba border. It was now just a matter of crossing ¾ of this province before we could sleep. What better than a pit stop in Winnipeg to carry us through the trip. We stopped at Portage and Main (the windiest corner in Canada???) but weren’t too enthused, so we hit the pub around the corner to lift our spirits. Bailey’s (the name of the pub) is a wonderful place, and I advise anyone in Winnipeg to step in for a drink, and maybe a game of pool, just like we did. So with lifted spirits, we hit the road for the final 200 km of the day. And to our enjoyment, the Northern Lights shone bright for most of the trip. We got a couple pictures, and even wrote our names into the lights, but by 4:30 am (central time) we were pretty focused on getting to Helen and Bob’s for a nap. When we finally made it into the house, we dropped like flies.

In the morning we shook the cobwebs of a 15 hour drive from our head and I (Adam) did some catching up with Bob and Helen. We had lots to talk about after six years between visits. After showering and getting cleaned up for the first time in a few days we sat down on the deck and chowed on lasagne and salad. A real meal was much appreciated after meals of beans and cheese on the road. Lunch was topped off with tea and ice cream, followed by a photo session before we took to the road again.

With Ike at the wheel we left Brandon at 1:30 pm. Within 10 minutes we were cruisin’ across prairie so flat that we thought we could see the Northwest Territory. We went south from Brandon to Manitoba hwy 2, then turned west toward Weyburn, Sask. It was the first prairie experience for both Ike and I, and it was unbelievable. No trees, no hills, no cars, and most of all, no cops. For the rest of the afternoon we saw all that southern Saskatchewan had to offer, grain elevator after grain elevator, hay bale after hay bale. At one point while heading northwest on hwy 39 toward Moose Jaw we had the pleasure of passing through Roleau, Saskatchewan, a.k.a Dog River, the home of “Corner Gas.” The experience was truncated slightly by the fact that we whipped by at about 140 kmh. After that fleeting highlight things were fairly uneventful until we neared the Alberta border and came across 4 young lasses in a red car with Ontario plates. We posted some notes back and forth with pen and paper and tried to convince them to meet us for drinks in Calgary. When they seemed disinterested, Ike and I gave them a full lunar experience, no small feat considering I was driving, and then left the hwy for a gas break, pride still in tact. By 8 pm we were in Alberta in the throws of a magnificent electrical storm which accompanied us all the way to Calgary. Near Bassano, Alberta the Corner Gas experience was trumped when we drove by a recently sparked grass fire, surely caused by one of the many bolts that looked to be touching down right beside us. We stopped for a picture and I managed to get one of the best shots of my career to date. An hour or so later and we were under the glow of Calgary’s ambient light, and by 12:15 we had arrived at 73 Somerset Circle SW, greeted by my Uncle Bill and a few cold beers, a good cap on a long drive.

Since we’ve been here, it’s now Thursday night, we’ve had a great time. Good food, an adventurous night on the town, and a solid day on the golf course this morning. Tomorrow we’ll take to the pavement, once again with outstretched thumbs and head for the coast. Hopefully we’re there in time to visit Jeb and others. Also, our sincerest apologies to the beautiful Camille whom we won’t have time to see.

That’s all for this leg of the trip, hopefully we’ll get online in Vancouver sometime before taking to the air on Sep 3. Happy trails to all and enjoy our words and photos!

Peace,

Vandyk & Stevens

after one week

Let's start in Lion's Head. After a week of drinkin' and sleeping in, which included a visit from good buddies Colin and Dave, we finally departed from Tobermory via the Chi Chimaun on Sunday the 12th at 11:30 am. The trip across to Manitoulin was nice, smooth waters and sunny skies. We intended to chat people on the boat into giving us a ride once we reached South Baymouth, but most passengers were either elderly and unwilling to tempt fate with a couple of twenty-somethings, or they were families on vacation, with kids and a car packed to the roof with supplies. So needless to say we were on foot when we deboarded.

From 1 pm to 7:30 we had decent luck on the road, five rides took us as far as Blind River on highway 17. This is where we thought we would have to spend the night, as 2 hours of thumbs out resulted in zero rides to that point. Just as we were about to find a spot to make camp one of the best overall rides of our lives came along. He went by the name of Mark and he piloted the "Slum Queen" a sweet Toyata camper van that had recently fallen victim to a spetic overflow. Depsite the smell she was quite roadworthy and we made it to Ironbridge that night. Mark invited us to camp at his friend's cottage on the shore of the North Channel which we gladly accepted. We arrived around 10 and I'll be damned if our hosts didn't offer us everything from drinks to a sweat in their beachside sauna. That night rolled on until 4 am when we finally made it to the tent. Originally the plan was to leave there by 8 the next morning bound for the Soo, but since no one was up until nearly 11, that plan hit the skids. After some bbq'd sausages and hangin' in the kitchen we packed and hit the road a little after noon. Mark took us into Sault Ste. Marie and dropped us off on Hwy 17 on the far side of town. Two more rides got us within 80 km of Wawa, our first destination, and again we thought we would be spending the night, but luckily a lovely fella from the Soo, who happened to be the Conservative MP candidate thwarted by the NDP in last winter's election, brought us the rest of the way. By 8:30 we were on the corner of Michipicoten River Village road and Hwy 17, with packs on backs and ready for the 5km walk to Naturally Superior Adventures where Shannon works and we've been for 5 days now.

When we showed up Shannon happened not to be around, so we set up camp and cooked dinner for ourselves. Unfortunately rice is very difficult to simmer on the MSR Whisperlite, but our meal of beans, rice and wraps turned out quite delicious. Delicious enough that we passed out before 10 pm and slept until Shannon woke us up at 9:30am. After some greetings and some food we decided we'd trekk into town to get some food for the week. Kjell gave us some directions that would make for a good bike ride. They were somewhat vague but we trusted ourselves enough to make it. We shouldn't have. We ended up doing the world's largest loop that ate up almost 2 hours of our afternoon, and all we got was a swim at Sandy Beach. So we show up at NSA 2 hours later with nothing in hand, and no energy. As we're cruising back, Dave Wells drives up and asks us our plans for meals. We were planning on being self-reliant, but he had another plan. If we gave him 3 hours a day of labour, we could eat for free. Sweet. So now we don't have to buy food for ourselves, but we still have to get the stuff that Shannon needed for dinner. Kjell was gracious enough to take us into town and show us what Wawa has to offer. Which really isn't much. After that wonderful chili dinner, we went for our first huck. Kjell and Shannon took us to Silver falls (5 minute drive) and we got to jump some 20 foot cliffs. Hucking would become our most prominent activity during our days at NSA. The rest of the days have been a combination of working our 3 hours, hucking, eating everything in sight, and a random assortment of extreme bocce, saunas, and kayaking. We also had a splendid evening with The Hudsons. The Hudsons were a band who got booked here tuesday afternoon, and played wednesday night. And they were spectacular. They were a group from Austin Texas, and Pheobe's spice of fiddle set them over the top. They were great entertainers and spuer musicians. After the show they needed their fix of the Trailer Park Boys, so we drank some wine and watch some shows. To say that was a highlight would be good, but this whole week has been pretty sweet. Now we're experiencing a rainy saturday where we actually get to relax. Thanks to Ike for picking us up tomorrow, when our adventures will continue.

Shout out to Mike, 'Biff and Jessica', the young gun in the red hot ford escape, Mark, the Yankees, our conservative candidate, and all the others who picked us up but we never got your name. Our trip was fairly easy, and a lot of fun.
peace love and road hockey.