Thunder Bay KOA Campground

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Sunday, September 7, 2008, 4:30pm Eastern Time (yes, we are back "in the East"--time zone, at least)

For Herd and Yvonne:  Yes, we stayed here in 2004.

Overcast with intermittent rain, heavy at times, all day; temps in the low 50's.  As soon as we got the camper parked here at the KOA, a heavy storm hit and it has been pouring for the past 10 minutes;  also, the temp has dropped to 48F.   Fortunately, we had just turned on the gas and electric, so we have heat and 110v power, and we're warm and dry.

And as you can see, this campground has a working WiFi that I can access from the camper (something new since our '04 visit).  The picture at right is the house rolling down a road in eastern Alberta that we mentioned a couple of days ago.  I'll see if I can load a few more pix after we get settled.  The downpour is over, but a steady rain continues.

We plan to stay here for two nights and spend tomorrow (my birthday!) relaxing.  We've just spent 3 straight days driving from the woods of north-central Alberta to the woods of northwestern Ontario, with a whole lot of tree-less prairie in the middle.  We need a break.  We've already planned to go out to dinner tomorrow night at a local steakhouse the campground owner recommended. 

An observation or two:  this is probably the sixth time we have driven across the continent (three with the kids, once on the Alaska trip, and once on the trip following the Lewis and Clark route.  To anyone considering such a trek, do it now while you still have your youth--it doesn't get any easier as you get older.  The driving itself is fairly easy, what with climate control, cruise control, satellite radio and CDs, no kids yammering "are we there yet", and a flexible schedule not demanding one get back to the office by date certain.   But even with all the driving comforts and the supreme comfort of sleeping in one's own bed each night in the camper, the body still gets stiff and, without the kids, the sense of wonder and even adventure is lessened.  We've had a marvelous time and have enjoyed nearly every minute, but the excitement when you travel with your children cannot be duplicated by a couple of old retired folks and their ever-faithful Charley.  We're having fun, but it's just different.

The rain has stopped and the sun is trying to come out.