So, tell me honestly – am I the ONLY one who didn’t know that 1.8 billion years ago a meteor hit the area where Sudbury is now, and because of that event Sudbury is known for its incredible geology? Really? I mean, I knew about the meteor blamed for the extinction of the dinosaurs – everybody knows that – and Dr. T. had told me about a geological fault, but Sudbury? Ok, well, now I am informed.

The Dynamic Earth exhibit was out of this world, although, really, it couldn’t be more IN the world. The ticket bought me a trip underground into one of the mines – cool stuff – and there is a new diamond exhibit which just opened so I am up on these dazzling little bits of carbon that seem to mean so much to us earth dwellers.

From Sudbury I drove via Sault Ste. Marie and up to Wawa, which isn’t far from the Leadbetter diamond mine. Imagine playing around in a local river and finding diamonds! Made me want to run out and start panning, but for some reason I just seem to be doing a lot of driving these days. Anyway, I stayed at a very nice motel, so if you should ever be needing a place to sleep in Wawa then go to the Parkland Motel.

Then I went to Nipigon to find the ice-climbing area and found it but it had melted somewhat so no climbers to photograph; explored the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and the campsite was… closed; got to Thunder Bay, saw it, drove through it, and drove out of it.

By the way, these recycling bins were at the Terry Fox Memorial above - couldn't we do something simple like this in Powell River?

After a brief stop to look at the Kabaneka Falls (the one good thing about traveling at this time of year is that the run-off from the snowmelt lends itself to incredibly raging rivers) I drove onto Atibokan.

It was dark when I got there and the only accommodation in town was full, so I had a white knuckle drive through the night to Fort Francis. Luckily, no massive moose stepped into the road, but driving until 11 pm was not fun. Plus, this is hunting country.

However, now I am in Winnipeg and will be meeting up with Barbara, mother of Barry (of Barry and Camille from Pictou, where I first stayed and picked up my chariot), at breakfast tomorrow. The Red River is still very high.

Throughout my travels along every highway there have been little stone innukshuks like the one pictured here. Somebody has taken a very long time to climb up and balance the rocks to help show the way.

Also, I am up to triple figures in counting deer, and have now seen 5 moose. Yesterday I saw about 20 vultures feeding on road kill, plus I am sure I saw a couple of Sandhill Cranes (I looked them up on the internet to check and although not the same colour – mine were a light rusty brown with a very bright red cap – I can’t think of what else they may be) and right beside them three osprey nests with fledglings teetering on the edge. Bald Eagles are more common now, and I'm seeing lots of evidence of beavers.

Thank you to all who have sent comments. I have been publishing them all, so I hope that is ok, and like their positive complimentary nature. Roger – was I right about the Leamington tomatoes, and, I hadn’t put two and two together (until you did) about the erie-ness of Point Pelee. Good one!

Catch up time... this was written Sunday 26th April

Timmy's for breakfast and it's not yet 7.30 on Sunday morning. Yes, it is a bit early, but I've just realized how easy it is to drive around the centre of a city without masses of cars following. I've window-shopped all the sights in Sudbury, even the rising sun.

At 10 am the Dynamic Earth exhibit opens up on the hill next to the Nickel. There are three hospitals and three universities here for some reason, and almost every road leads to Hwy 17 and my journey west.

Yesterday had its memorable bits. I drove north across country passing farm after farm along the shores of Lake Huron. Bayfield, mentioned by Margaret who I met the day before in Eden Mills, is quite a pretty touristy spot, but it has no obvious public washroom so I didn't like it. I have realised that if my needs are met in a place, no matter what those needs may be, then I like the place, and if not, then I don't.

The weather was hot and hazy. And then it changed. For a couple of days the forecasters have been warning of storms, and finally one hit. The clouds were incredible, winds ferocious, rain could peal the paint off a car (it's all right Amy and Ted, no damage as the mud plastered on it has protected it - kind of like one of those pour cleansing face masks) and lightning a mixture of sheet and fork. It was very dramatic and I got very lost in the middle of it.

Finding the 400 proved to be difficult when unable to see much through the windshield. And, using a map with the entirety of Ontario on two sides (I have now realised the province is a little larger than I first thought...) means losing local detail. The road I headed up wasn't on the map, even the rather affluent residential area didn't exist. And the road led me to transmission wires high on a hill - not a particularly smart place to be in a major lightning storm.

Anyway, I did finally manage to get to Hwy 400 and the storm relented. The post-storm scenery was intense. Colours were vibrant and there was sweet light in the middle of the afternoon.

I stopped a few times between Barrie and Sudbury, and at one point found Port Severn locks (and flies). The visitor centre was closed - no surprise there. But, my favourite spot was actually travelling the 400 because of the geological landscape I was driving through.

For this land, the painter's palette would contain rose, grey, black and some rust, green and white thrown in for good measure. One sign described the area as Rainbow Land. Photos don't do it justice, and the high water table creates muskegs and inlets everywhere. This is the Georgian Bay area.

I pulled off a side road to Sturgeon Provincial Park (closed) and tootled along to the marina area some 10 km later. On route, the frogs were deafening, a pileated woodpecker made short work of rotten bark, deer ran across the road with their white fluffy tails high in the air, and just like up on Mt Tremblant area I found a male grouse showing off to a female. A deer watched me watching it as I ate my dinner.

It seemed to take a long time to get to Sudbury (not surprising given how many stops I made) and as the light was fading I was thinking of where to stay - should I go to the expense of another motel, or would camping be ok? And then a moose sauntered across the road right in front of me.

An emergency stop (from 90 km/hr) sent maps and books flying off the passenger seat and onto the floor. She, the moose, was HUGE and mottled. In the seconds during which I watched her pass by, I noticed how strange a gait moose have - she reminded me of an extra tall person shyly trying to fit into a 5'5" world. I didn't catch my breath for another 30 minutes.

So my head wasn't quite on straight when I arrived in Sudbury in the dark and booked into the first motel I saw. That was a mistake, an example of why sometimes it is not good to travel alone, and led to me leaving before 6 am and arriving here at Timmy's. There are three Timmys at least in the downtown area - I think Sudbury has a thing for threes.

As a final note, it is just above freezing and a lady with way too high short shorts has just come in. There's an awkward whisper and giggles from the staff. Perhaps its the likely difference between hourly pay.

Hello,

I am in Chatham, close to Windsor and Sarnia, listening to some sparrows building a nest at the corner of my window. I was woken by the 6.30 am train hooting as it trundled through perhaps 50 meters away and now have the excited tweets of the birdies.

I have been in the birding capital of Canada, seeing Point Pelee and all the little winged friends. At first, driving down the No. 77 through Comber and to Leamington I wondered where on earth I was going. Rows upon rows as far as the eye could see of covered greenhouses - it reminded me of one of the X-files movies. And then, going through the heart of Leamington, it all came into focus - Heinz has a massive factory there - so that's probably all the tomatoes being grown in the area for your tomato ketchup.

Point Pelee is a funny place. It is swampy, sandy, marshy, and there is a cacophony of both crashing waves and bird song. I wandered around quite happily for a few hours. Now, this is where I should have checked my bird books before writing this... but anyway, there were some strange warblers (!!) and a couple of brilliantly scarlet cardinals (I am presuming). There were red-wing blackbirds everywhere. As for anything else, there really wasn't the mass number I expected of migrating birds, but the forest was alive. It was a little eirie. The squirrels and raccoons are MASSIVE and I saw a muskrat swimming in the reeds at the marsh.

Ok, so for the botanists... what type of orchid is this? At least, I think it is an orchid. It has a gruesome face if you look carefully...

The forest floor was littered with them.

Prior to that little jaunt, I drove through Toronto yesterday morning - a white knuckle drive, with lanes here there and everywhere.

And, prior to that I drove down from Ottawa to Whitby via the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence. I was too early in the season for a boat ride, so instead drove slowly.

I stayed in Ottawa one extra night because I had the opportunity of sleeping in a haunted youth hostel! Just behind the hotel I had been staying in was an old jail house converted into sleeping accommodation for the poor... and so I booked a room in a cell. Didn't see any sign of ghosts, but it was quite fun. I forgot to take a photo. But, on a walk around the back of the parliament buildings, along the Ottawa river, I found these too lovebirds... mallards... enjoying the added vitamins provided in the scummy water! Yummy!

Oh, and I visited Eden Mills yesterday - the place that is going Carbon Neutral - and found that really it isn't as carbon neutral as I thought it would be. I had a lovely chat with a lady who was out doing her gardening, and then gave me coffee and a tour of the little village. That was Margaret Kennedy, for anyone who thinks they might know her.... yeah right! Anyway, if you ever go there, try to find her. Very nice lady. So, not much to report on innovations - seems like we are doing just as much if not more already in Powell River.

You know, the more I see what others are doing, with the exception of more of a concentration on recycling waste in parks, etc., I think we are doing pretty well - but there is always lots of room for improvement.

I am driving north today up the eastern edge of Lake Huron - I'm off in hunt of the underground tomato-growing network...

Well, just a short post tonight as it is bedtime. But, what is a girl to do in a capital city when she knows nobody? Yep, play with her camera.

Here are some rather artsy shots. I tried holding the camera steady with the help of a chair on the first, but breathing and pulse shifted the makeshift six-pod. I didn't like the result.

So, remembering a photography course I took a few years ago, here's the rest of what I see outside my window at night...

(To recreate this, I set a 10 second exposure, held the camera steady for perhaps a few seconds then moved it around in small circles - e voila!)

In the one below, if you look really carefully you can actually see the clock tower on the Houses of Parliament.

Oh, and I just got back from the movies. Saw State of Play which was thrilling! However, take your headache medication before going because it is one of those nouveax ideas where somebody runs with the camera following the action. Perhaps that should be motion sickness pills. Anyway, it was worth sitting for 2 hours.

This one's my favourite although the actual scene seen like a normal person is quite dull.

I'm leaving the city tomorrow and heading down the map a short way.

Janice and Gerald - thank you for your lovely comment! You inspired me... what can I say :)

Hello, I am in our Nation's capital in a very swanky (fab) hotel moments from the Parliament Buildings where I spent most of my afternoon. Who would have thought that I would arrive on a day when the House of Commons was in session!

It was recommended to me that I take a tour of the Houses of Parliament and so I did. The building is really quite beautiful inside and out. The library is incredible - almost surreal - but no photos allowed in there so don't look for them.

The emblems are stained glass inserts into one of the ceilings in the main building beside the entrance into the Senate. The Senate was also in session so I couldn't go in there. I did, however, sit through question period for about an hour in the H of C and the person sitting next to me summed it up when he said "it's just like Kindergarten".

Going back a day, I spent another lovely day up in the mountains. I even hiked most of the way up the main mountain, up the Grand Brulee trail for anyone who has been to Mont Tremblant. But, it got a little tricky with the residual snow so I didn't make it to the top.

For the birders, there are thousands of Canada Geese in farmers' fields between Montebello and Gatineau, and I perhaps mentioned before that there were skies full of snow geese when I was driving through upper New Brunswick and Quebec.

(The male grouse (I'm presuming it's a grouse and not a ptarmigan) in the photo was in the Mont Tremblant National Park - the female had already disappeared. I guess she had seen the show before.)

I'm here in Ottawa until the end of Wednesday so not likely to add more to this blog till I leave. My bed has 5 pillows on it - what on earth do people do with 5 pillows?

Oh, and Ted - your comment - no worries re the light, wiper, tire, etc. Tire was rear passenger side. And, glad to know that the light taxed you too. It was very complicated. I am learning new things about the van all the time - like for instance this morning I got up really quietly so as not to wake the sleeping few at the hostel, and knowing I'd be leaving early I decided to use the key to unlock the drivers' door. Then, the engine wouldn't start! So, after pondering what to do, I called CAA thinking there was something major - turns out it was a safety device because I had not deactivated the alarm system! Silly me!! Oh well. CAA arrived within about 4 minutes of my call - amazing!

Ok. That's all.

Ok, so after a dreary day yesterday (although truly only about 2 hours while at Canadian Tire were dreary), I have had a FANTASTIC day today.

This morning, not sure where to go, I looked at the map and saw greenery - Mont Tremblant. Perfect! So, that is where I am right now. And, I found a Youth Hostel, so cheap accommodation, a room currently to myself (4-bed dorm, so fingers crossed nobody else arrives) and wireless internet! How could things get better than this :)

I drove to Drummondville, which is about 100 km north of Montreal, for breakfast at a little coffee shop. My French is really coming along nicely! Egg and cheese croissant with extra strong coffee got me on my way and geared up for navigating Montreal.

Wow, it seemed like the network of high speed highways went on for hours. I felt like laundry on the spin cycle! This way, that way, go here, no, go there, drive in that lane, pass the slow driver, watch out for road works! OMG.

But, now I am up in the Laurentians and have 2 days to saunter around before going to Ottawa (which is apparently just a 2 hour drive away - all downhill).

I got out into the woods for a walk this afternoon; a paultry 6 km, but I am aching from being seated so long behind the steering wheel. The forest is alive. The leaves are rustling with the tiniest bit of wind (see what I call the Tremble Tree below) and there are chipmonks, flickers, crows, ravens and goodness knows what else. I am sure I found a couple of owl hang-outs, too (judging by the amount of poop on the pathway), I should go back there tonight to check them out, but too tired!

Tremble Tree

This is an Intrawest resort (think Whistler) - full of huge oppulent "cabins", but almost everything is for sale.

Taken purely for it's abstract nature - this is what emerges after the snow leaves.

My first Lake Superior (frozen still) and quite a bit smaller than the next I am likely to find on my travels.

Ok, that is all for tonight. The light is fading and I ate too much KD so need to walk it off. Bye for now.

Written Friday 17th April

Friday 17th was kind of like Friday 13th. Everything had to do with the van. First, within 15 minutes of entering an entirely French world, I got a flat tire. I think I last changed a tire when I was 21 – no, 24 when back in England.

So, finding the tire, first of all, was quite an adventure. It wasn’t in a false floor in the rear. I parked beside a Fromagerie and tried my best French inside to ask where the nearest garage was – to blank stares. But, unlike Friday 13th, two customers – a father and son team traveling from Manitoba home to Sydney NS – came to my rescue. And best of all, they spoke English, with the son also being able to converse in French.

So, while the dad (Bill English, a Natural Resources Nova Scotia manager) got down on his hands and knees to discover the hidden spare tire under the rear, the son (Hal English, student) spoke with the Fromagerie owner about a place to get the tire fixed. Well, it was beyond fixing. But, we were directed back down the road I had traveled to a dealership.

There, I got a good replacement put onto the rim and balanced, so I’m all set for the next tire episode.

On a roll, I decided to fix the headlight that was out and get a new windscreen wiper for the rear window at the closest Canadian Tire. After finding a salesperson who spoke English, I stood in the carpark for 30 minutes in ferocious wind trying in vane to replace the wiper. Why are these things so difficult? Not only is there the wiper, but there is the extra connection stuff, of which I had to choose between 3 items as to which to use. None looked like the original. But, after going back into the store and asking for instructions I finally managed.

Then came the light. Have you tried to replace a headlight? It is a case of fumbling in the dark amongst cables and containers to find little pieces of wire – one to pull off, one to snap aside, and then a bulb to twist out. Well, I managed the first one and was lost on the rest. So, I gave in and stood in line and waited for a mechanic to sort it out.

After that episode, I arrived in Levis, on the east shore of St. Lawrence River, and got the ferry across to the old part of Quebec City. If you have never been before, then do that. It saves a huge amount of driving and is a relaxing restful way to get right down town to the touristy bit.

The streets are narrow and old and the shops are small boutiques. There are countless pubs and cafes, and there is colour and history everywhere. I liked it. I got a good feel for the place, with horse drawn carriages, buskers clad in gold paint, outdoor seating at cafes (it was a sunny warm day today), groups of school kids on tour, loads of tourists, and a whole street full of artists. I think it would be impossible to be unfit in Quebec City with all the uphills and downhills and opportunities to walk. The Citadel (quite similar but larger than Halifax) has a great walk around it to give a good perspective of the lower city. I didn’t make it up to the new shopping area as shopping is just not me.

And now I’m at a place without internet. So, this posting will have to wait a while. I’m partway between Quebec City and Montreal and am unsure what to do tomorrow.

This post was going to be all in French. I have been listening to French radio, have French TV on at the moment – some cooking show – and have been trying at least a sentence in French before reverting to English. But I’m not feeling so adventurous, so all I’ll do is Bonsoir.

I've just driven over 600 km and have chosen to sit down again (!) to write this post. These posts are getting addictive. It's a one-sided conversation with friends. Perhaps there's a way to get reaction and response - I leave that up to you. In the meantime, here's what went on today.

This is the beautiful Cle'O Spa Motel in Edmonston, NB. (And there's my kettle, which for some reason did not work in the vehicle - I had to make a special stop at Timmys for boiling water for my tea! Times are hard.)

I know - another non-hostel accommodation. These hostels are few and far between and it is still snowy outside. Temps are due to dip to -6 tonight, so no good sleeping in the van either. So that's my story. I'm sure it will be positively balmy going across the Prairies and BC.

I started the morning in PEI, searching for scenery. This little cottage (Dayton Beach Cottage) is a walk across the road from... Dayton Beach. DB is a dune edged beach and today it must have been -20 because my face just about froze.

Here's the friendly beach access...

And, the view from behind. (This one's looking north and the other one above looking south, in case you were wondering.)

600 km is a very long drive. I finally figured out how to get off PEI after an hour or so touring the countryside. Not sure it is the province for me - no offense, but it was a little too "English" for comfort - very few trees, mostly agriculturally cultivated, big boys' toys everywhere. But, the bridge drive back over to the mainland was just as thrilling as the drive over to the island. I let out a little scream each way.

Along the route, I took the No 2 highway past Fredericton and via Woodstock to Edmonston. This photo (I call it "A hillside full of hydro") was around Woodstock area where an entire hillside profile was taken up with a wind farm. And yes, I was driving 110 km/h and juggling the camera - sorry Ted and Amy, but everything is fine!

Ok, well I think that is it for tonight. I am going to quiz the manager of the motel about downtown Quebec City, because that's where I'll be tomorrow. I have my French phrasebook ready!