This version of the family trip is a little shorter, involves a foreign country (albeit a denim-fascinated local neighbor to the north), and will be a bit more skewed toward wilderness camping vs cities/towns. The plan is to complete the Lake Superior circle tour, or at least our version of it.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I am in the midst of a career transition, having just recently (like, yesterday) finished a 21 year stint in corporate automotive manufacturing. I start my next adventure as partner of a small business upon our return, so this is the first vacation in my post-college life where I will not be tethered 24/7 by phone & email. I plan to make the best of it.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I am in the midst of a career transition, having just recently (like, yesterday) finished a 21 year stint in corporate automotive manufacturing. I start my next adventure as partner of a small business upon our return, so this is the first vacation in my post-college life where I will not be tethered 24/7 by phone & email. I plan to make the best of it.
Enough lead-in, in the immortal words of Wyatt Earp's glorious 'stache,
Let's get rolling. Day 1 started off slowly, with construction starting immediately just north of Big Rapids.
From there on it was quite uneventful, with some high wind advisories going across the Big Mac and a ridiculous 20 mile detour just south of Sault St Marie.
Once we made it to the border, there was a 4 car line - the shortest I think we've ever seen. They saw our rig, asked a few questions, and sent us inside for a few more questions. Jordan was a bit intimidated by all the uniformed border patrol with their full body armor, but once inside the border agent approved us and gave us a great tip for an off the beaten path destination the next day.
Getting from the Soo to 17 N (otherwise known as the Trans-Canada Highway - no relation to Caitlyn Jenner) with our rig felt a bit like this.
I also realized that I need to pace myself on the Canadian jokes. No mentions of the Hip, MuchMusic, Canadian Tuxedos, or this guy.
As we made our way north at 90km/hr, Lake Superior Provincial Park started to reveal some unreal scenes. Both Kimberly and I were reminded over and over of Maine (specifically Acadia) and a junior version of Olympic National Park. All I could manage was this quick snap, as we were pushing it to get there before the visitors centre (couldn't resist) closed at 10.
Once we made it to the border, there was a 4 car line - the shortest I think we've ever seen. They saw our rig, asked a few questions, and sent us inside for a few more questions. Jordan was a bit intimidated by all the uniformed border patrol with their full body armor, but once inside the border agent approved us and gave us a great tip for an off the beaten path destination the next day.
Getting from the Soo to 17 N (otherwise known as the Trans-Canada Highway - no relation to Caitlyn Jenner) with our rig felt a bit like this.
Once in Canada, we looked to make a quick stop for some supplies, and realized that basically everything here has the same hours as a Bill Knapp's restaurant.
We were then also reminded of how comically slow Canadian speed limits are. It's like someone screwed up the metric conversion and is too embarrassed to admit it. Ultimately it has been working in our favor, as the Triton V10/Big Truck/GI-Joe Jeep combo is ideally suited for a 58-59mph top speed. That peaks the gas mileage at an environmentally responsible 8.3mpg, a record high in our 4 years of towing.
I also realized that I need to pace myself on the Canadian jokes. No mentions of the Hip, MuchMusic, Canadian Tuxedos, or this guy.
As we made our way north at 90km/hr, Lake Superior Provincial Park started to reveal some unreal scenes. Both Kimberly and I were reminded over and over of Maine (specifically Acadia) and a junior version of Olympic National Park. All I could manage was this quick snap, as we were pushing it to get there before the visitors centre (couldn't resist) closed at 10.
We rolled into Agawa Bay Campground at about 9:57, just catching the poor ranger before closing. She guided us to site 100, a beachfront site with power, which we soon discovered in Canada means there is power within a 100 metre radius (I will continue this until we are back stateside).
While jockeying the big truck around in the site to get the extension cords to reach, I resorted to a maneuver similar to this, ending up with trees on all sides but perfectly positioned.
With site prep pretty much complete for the night, I ventured out to see what Lake Superior had in store. This is a horrible representation, but all I could hear was waves lapping on shore, followed by what sounded like sparklers. I remembered this from our campground near Legoland on our first cross country trip. It was the rocks rolling over each other as the waves receded. I grabbed my flashlight and saw this.
Pretty bad pic, but you get the idea. Moonlight, cold crystal clear water, and rocks for as far as you could see. Great preview for day 2.
We called it a night without even setting up a campfire. The week leading up to our departure was hectic to say the least, so we were ready to rest up and attack day 2 with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
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