Springs of Joy Homeschooling

House... Uhh... Van cleaning

2015-09-22T09:14:00.001-06:00

Keeping the van clean is always a challenge on a long trip. Over the course of six weeks we have collected a lot of souvenirs, snacks, water bottles, and brochures. The van is a complete mess- and the kids are the worst culprits as they just throw everything on the floor. So I came up with a brilliant plan: a contest! We have three rows of kids and I announced that whoever had the cleanest row in 4 days would win a prize! This worked wonderfully for a few days. Everything was immaculate! Some people took it a little more serious than others so a few fights broke out over water bottles and crumbs but all in all it was a success. I woke up on weds morning (the end of the contest) to find everyone dressed and outside sweeping out their rows with the broom!

Finding everyone's rows to be immaculate was a surprise but not unexpected. They were eagerly waiting for their treat of raspberry cordial. What was surprising was when I opened up the front door to sit down in my seat I was caught in an avalanche of bottles garbage books and paper. I guess I didn't win the contest :) but I think I know where all their garbage went.

Day 25- Celtic Music

2015-09-19T21:24:00.000-06:00

After leaving the little town of Port Hood and it’s beautiful coast, we drove through some more windy streets to get to the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre. It’s in a town called Judique, and is the home of Buddy McMaster (the uncle of Natalie McMaster, and a very famous fiddle player in his own right). This was a gem of a stop. They have daily lunch ceilidhs (kay-lees) where there is live music on stage (in this case a filddle player and a keyboard). We were able to eat lunch while watching the ceilidh. It was so much fun!! We all loved the music... even Srah was tappin her toes and watching with great interest.

After we enjoyed that, we went into the museum part of the building. It is a very small exhibit, but really fun. The first part talks about the history of music on Cape Breton and gives you examples of the different types of songs that they play. After that, there is a little room that has 3 little working fiddles that you can pick up and practice on. There is a video runing in the room explaining how to play an easy song, and the kids and Sean spent a long time just trying it out. What fun to be able to pick up a real fiddle and try to make some pretty music come out of it.

After we were done, more than one of the kids came up to me in the gift shop wondering if they sold any fiddles and would daddy please buy one.

I wasn't sure the fiddles were even real ones, as none of us were able to make much music come out of them, but then along came this old guy with a lovely European accent who picked one up and started to play a pretty song on it. Yup- it was real all right! He said he was from Switzerland and learned to play when he was 5. He was a very nice gentleman.

While some kids were learning how to play the fiddle, the other kids were in the next room learning how to do the various step dances. Even I tried this out and was surprised by how difficult it was. I was tempted to buy a celtic dance DVd so I can practrice at home. It's a great work-out.

Day 24- Alexander Graham Bell

2015-09-19T21:14:00.001-06:00

This was one of my favourite days of the trip so far. We drove a short drive to Baddeck, Cape Breton in the morning and used our Parks Canada pass to get into the Alexander Graham Bell museum. I just loved the way the museum was done. While it didn't focus on his invention of the telephone much at all, it did a wonderful job of immersing us in his character and his life. He seemed like a wonderful person- so passionate, interesting and kind. Sean and I bought his biography in the gift shop because we were so interested in reading more. I had no idea he did all the things that came after the invention of the telephone. In fact, he was rather embarrassed that he stumbled upon the aha moment through an accident… he wanted people to know that he was capable of coming up with something all his own. Did you know that he taught Helen Keller? And he married a deaf girl who was also his student?

Anyways, he moved to Cape Breton because it reminded him so much of his native Scotland.. and I can see why- Cape Breton really is what I imagine Scotland to be like. The town he lived in, Baddeck, is still small, peaceful and lovely.

After the museum, we wandered down the main street of Baddeck and had a nice lunch at the Yellow Cello where we were able to find yummy gluten free hot dogs and burgers-what a find! We even splurged and ordered a round of Shirley Temples. So yummy! We are always such a sensation when we go into restaurants. Everyone wants to know if the kids are all ours, and they almost always stop to comment on how well-behaved the children are! After lunch, we went in a few shops where the kids spent lots of their spending money and daddy treated us all to fudge and ice cream. We must have stayed in one store for over an hour looking at all the treasures. I found a pretty hooked wall-hanging and a kit to make my own! And Sammy bought an Irish Whistle. Peter picked out a metal puzzle, Zach added to his growing coin collection he has been nurturing since our visit to the Mint. Traveling after Labour Day has been wonderful – no crowds, nice weather, and most everything is still open for another few weeks. The ice cream stores are usually low on flavours- this one only had vanilla or strawberry, I think... but it was still yummy!

One amazing coincidence happened in the museum! I was just going around a corner when I looked up and saw my very-next-door-neighbours standing right in front of me!! I thought I must be mistaken, but when I heard her voice, I knew it was them! What a small world!!!! The kids couldn’t believe it was even possible, and even I was wondering what the chances could be. Apparently, they weren’t as surprised to see us, because our other neighbors have been following us on facebook and told them we were in Halifax the same time as them a few days ago. What a strange coincidence! I’ve never even ran into them in the grocery strore in my own city!

After Baddeck, we made our way around to the other side of the island to a little town called Port Hood which is where grandpa Ed’s grandma was from. She was the only Catholic on his side of the family for a few generations, and it was fitting that we stayed in a campground right below the church that she was baptized in! The campground was nice and quiet, and it even had a ‘heated pool’ though the heat part was debatable. None-the-less the kids enjoyed a dip and spent a lot of time taking silly slow-mo videos of themselves jumping into the pool and going down the slide. I don't know how they are going to decide which campground was their favorite at the end of the trip. They have had so much fun t each stop along the way.

I was thinking how travelling with a trailer and staying in campgrounds is really the best way to travel long distances with children. It gives them time at the end of each day to burn off some steam the old fashioned way - by playing out doors. They climb and run and chase each other, and generally just have a blast. In fact, a lot of their journal entries have focused on the campgrounds we've been at instead of any of the actual destinations :)

If we were in hotels every night, we would end up eating more junk, and the kids would end up watching TV or just getting bored all cooped up in a little hotel room. I would totally do a trip like this again one day again.

Day 23- Fort Louisbourg

2015-09-19T21:04:00.002-06:00

Cape Breton is a big island that is just off the tip of Nova Scotia, and is connected to the mainland by a land bridge called a causeway. There seems to be a lot of these causeways out here….. my dad was saying that they blast the side of a large hill and use all the rocks to fill in the ‘land bridge’. Along all the causeways, there are always these pretty black birds with long necks perched on the rocks and posts. They dive into the water for their food – I think they are called Cormorants. If you have ever read the book “Ping” they look like one of those birds.

It was fun to cross the causeway going into Cape Breton. I remember it vaugely from when I was visiting here with my parents as a child. We wanted to drive all the way to Fort Louisbourg to spend the afternoon there, as it was the last day of their summer season so we got up nice and early and were on the road before 9 am. Almost a record for us!! I think we are finally getting used to the time zone out here. It was a beautiful, clear day. The sun was shining, it wasn’t too muggy or hot, and we just enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we were driving along the big ‘lake’ Bras d’or.

We were enchanted by the island within the first few minutes as it is filled with rolling hills, beautiful water and charming houses and cottages. The roots of Cape Breton are mostly Scottish and some people still speak gaelic thered! In fact all the road signs were written in both English and Gaelic. It was so interesting. Cape Breton is so beautiful. It’s very rugged and hilly. Everything is green, except the crisp blue water, and there is hardly anyone living here. But those who we met were very friendly. The kids didn't like it as much as we did- with all the twisty up-and-down roads that make such a scenic drive for the parents, they felt it in their stomachs and were all motion sick in the first 20 minutes. It was a long drive to Fort Louisbourg for them.

Luckily, we just about had the fort to ourselves. There were hardly any tourists there! All the costumed soldiers, characters and shop owners were there and it was like walking back in history to an old French fort in the 1800s.

Old stone buildings, cannons along the stone walls, a guarded port at the water’s edge, a blacksmith, bakery, gardens and the king’s battalion. We learned so much, and it was exciting to discover that the very same Wolfe who attacked and won the battle on the Plains of Abraham had, a few years before that famous battle, taken this fort from the French so he would have a staging ground to go further into the continent. Visiting all of these historical places one after another in the same summer is really solidifying our knowledge of the history of our country. I have learned more than I ever knew about Canada on this trip than in all my years of schooling.

The highlight of the day was when we got to see the soldiers load and fire a huge cannon along the fort’s walls. Because there was hardly anyone there, one of the ‘soldiers’ who was keeping the tourists from getting too close spent a lot of time talking to the kids about the fort and the cannon. She even gave Sammy a real piece of flint that is fitted for the inside of a musket. (I had no idea that’s how they worked… when you pull the trigger it scrapes the flint and makes a spark to light the gun powder). She told us that to fire a cannon, you need 1/3 the weight of the ball in gun powder to pack into the cannon. When the English took the fort and turned the cannons on the village, they ended up blowing themselves up as apparently they didn’t know the right ratio for these finicky cannons.

Louisbourg is very authentic and so gluten free food was rather scarce. There was a big loaf of bread (one loaf was a week’s ration for the soldiers at the time), and a restaurant that sold fried fish and pea soup which the kids turned their noses up at. (plus the restaurant fit about 20 people, and I’m not sure they would have been happy with our big brood). We ended up having chocolate bars and doritos from the gift shop for lunch. The first of a trend in unhealthy lunches for the rest of our sans-Wiens trip.

After one last cannon blast, we slowly made our way back to the trailer, through the gift shop (of course) and drove to an interesting KOA past North Sydney and had a quiet evening of mini golf and cards. The kids have enjoyed playing this fast paced game called James Bond which has been keeping them busy every evening for the past week. Even Sammy can play- and its so nice to see them all getting along so well.

DAY 22 - Beach Day

2015-09-19T20:57:00.002-06:00

Today ended in an authentic beach day in a beautiful, sandy spot. I think it was called Bayfield beach - it’s not far from Antigonish (where we stopped for a yummy treat of ice cream… what a pretty little city). We wanted to dip our toes in the ocean and find some shells to take home. This beach did the trick! It was sandy, warm, and the tide was going out, revealing all sorts of treasures to pick up. We stayed until the sun went down and reluctantly dragged our sandy selves back to the van to find our next campground in the dark (again).

Sarah loved the water. She would walk right in up to her knees and then run back to the shore as a wave would come. She was trying to throw all the rocks on the beach into the ocean one at a time. The boys had a blast going out deeper into the water (it was nice and warm) and checking out all the hermit crabs. There was more than a little bit of screaming and running away from them. As the sun started to go down, the color of the water changed slowly from deep blue to a yellowy green that glistened with the waves. It was so beautiful – I wanted to stay there forever. I couldn’t imagine a prettier place on earth and it was so enjoyable watching the children play.

Earlier in the day we had found a little church to go to mass (it was Sunday) and then drove to a local park to have a quick lunch before heading to the coast. Except for having to back out the entire drive into the park (a good 3 or 4 blocks), it was a lovely place to stop for lunch. We must have looked pretty funny with me walking in front of the trailer making sure Sean didn’t bump into anything and Zach behind, waving the cars to go around us, Sean was born to be a truck driver, I think. He is so confident with all of this driving. I would have never made it out…. Can you call AMA to get someone to come and help you out of a parking lot LOL?

The pace of life in the maritimes is so peaceful and slow. We are really loving it and I could see us fitting in here pretty easy. I'm not sure I'm going to want to leave this place. The ice cream is yummy, people are friendly, scenery is beautiful and the air is clean. We do miss our dry climate as the humidity is a bit much for us prairie folk, but the stress-free life is very alluring. Tomorrow we will head to an even less-populated area: Cape Breton.

Day 20- Potatoes

2015-09-09T15:49:00.002-06:00

Our mission today was to get to Nova Scotia… and to find a new tire for the trailer after our adventures the evening before. The bustling metropolis of St. Jacques didn’t seem too promising, but when we stopped for gas, Sean stumbled upon a very nice mechanic who was able to drive to the next town and get a tire, fix the rim on the old wheel and get us all set for the rest of our trip…. And they only charged us pennies for the service. Lovin’ the maritimes!!

Onwards through New Brunswick!! A required stop was in Florenceville-Bristoll, which is the home of McCain foods. Our family eats a lot of their potatoes because they are gluten free, and just plain yummy.

As you are entering the (small) town there is a big sign with French fries proclaiming that they are the ‘French Fry Capital of the world!’. The Potato Museum was a fun stop, though not the best value for our money as far as museums go. Our tummies were happy with the fresh fries and potato soup at the restaurant, however. They even had a little set of Mr. and Mrs. Potato heads to play with at the kids table.

The rest of the day was a lot of driving, gas stations and a little grocery store ‘date’ for mom and dad. We pulled into our campground in Truro, just across the Nova Scotia border well after dark (again) and were glad to have the long drive into the Maritimes out of the way.

Day 21- Atlantic day

2015-09-09T15:48:00.003-06:00

We made it to Nova Scotia! When you look at a map it's hard to believe we drove all this way with eight kids in tow!! In the morning we met up with Bobby and Joyce, my dad’s cousin, and had a nice breakfast at the Masstown market with them. They are so kind and sweet and we had fun visiting with them. They insisted on giving Sean some spending money to buy the kids lunch later, and so the kids took the opportunity to run into the store and each pick out a bottle of pop. What a treat for them! My dad grew up with Bobby in a town called Trenton, which we will visit in a few days. It’s a short drive from Truro.

We found a little place there that sold gluten free fish and chips. Elizabeth and I were so excited!! We haven’t had fish and chips since we went gluten free years ago, so this was a great find. It was so fresh, and so good.

We stuffed our faces and laughed at Sammy who was trying to tell Mary that it was just like chicken nuggets… ‘fish is just a weird kind of chicken, Mary!’.

Even if they didn’t like the fish as much as we did, the kids loved the little play place beside the restaurant: they had a big area just filled with lovely white sand and lots of beach toys. They played there happy as clams for a long time and Sammy was delighted, thinking he was playing in a huge pile of ‘Magic Sand’ like the expensive stuff we had bought for him at Christmas time. Such prairie kids.

Halifax was our destination for the day. We wanted to go see the ocean – so we headed south and decided to stop in at the Citadel first. The citadel was a British fort that was built to protect their interest in Canada. It was really quiet there, nearing the end of the summer, and so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

They shot muskets, let us try on costumes and write with quill pens, and Sean even got to play with a very very old projector from the 1800s that they would have used in the school. Instead of a lightbulb, they used an oil lamp to light up the image. Pretty interesting for my A/V guy!

Afterwards we made our way down to the Harbour area to wander around. Our first time to wander by the ocean! Everyone wanted to go on a real boat so we were lucky that the HMCS Sackville was just about to close because they let us on for free to tour around. It’s an old Canadian Navy boat (Corvette) that they have preserved and leave docked in the Halifax harbor for people to tour around.

The kids had a blast here – they were especially interested in the ship’s wheel and the radio room because Sean’s grandfather was some sort of communications guy on a boat in the Second World War. Pretty interesting stuff! The kids tried sleeping in the hammocks under the deck, and were sufficiently grossed out by the medic’s room with blood and knives.

After that we went in search of the perfect ice cream cone, which led us all the way to the other end of the harbor, past merchants selling jewelry on the dock, an awesome playground, and a very unsafe but alluring wave to climb on (again- what is it with the easterners in this country? No guard rails, crazy big statues to climb!!).

The ambiance on the harbor is festive: musicians and artisans everywhere, the sounds and smells of the ocean in the background. After we found our (very expensive) Cow’s ice cream, we sat on some benches and listened to a guy playing the fiddle for a long time. So far, we are loving the Maritimes.

Gluten free food was abundant on the harbor, except we were a few hours too late as the farmer’s markets were closed, so we chose the familiar and went to a Boston Pizza on our way back to the campsite but not before we toured all the gift shops and bought some fun sweaters, a cool navy bag, and magnets and stickers for our trailer. We are getting the full tourist experience.

Day 19- Further east to the maritimes!

2015-09-09T14:17:00.002-06:00

A late night the evening before meant a slow start to day 19. We were supposed to be driving further east to New Brunswick, and our friends were heading south to Boston, and neither of us was really motivated to press on. For one thing, we didn’t have any campground lined up for the evening and as it was getting closer to the long weekend, things were booking up. So far, we haven’t had any problems finding spaces, but I know Dana was up in the night worrying about where they were going to camp, and I was in denial.

The amazing pyrmid of boys

The boys had been bouncing on the big bouncy pillow while we were packing up, and they had organized an amazing acrobatic circus show for us to come up and watch. It was really good, though it wasn’t until after that I saw the sign about no flips! After the circus show everyone wanted to go for a swim and even the dads got in the pool this time. It was a beautiful, hot day and such a relaxing end to our time with our friends I don’t think we got out of the KOA until well after lunch, and we had a long drive ahead of us – but at least we had a great morning, and could follow the progress of our friends on mommy’s phone as we headed our separate ways.

Great Travelling Friends!

As for us, we drove through some more of La Belle Province, and then crossed into New Brunswick (and yet another time zone change!). We adjusted our destination because of the falling dusk, and were just about to the camp ground (so proud of ourselves for being somewhere before dark), when we made a wrong turn and ended up in a cemetery. We were admiring the pretty statue and flowers in the turn-around loop when we heard this loud noise that sounded like we had run over a shopping cart… and then daddy loudly exclaiming…. And we stopped… because we had accidentally run over the little wall around the statue and popped a tire! The noise I heard was the air leaving the tire in a big gush!

Helping daddy

So there we were, in the middle of a little cemetery in a little town in New Brunswick with a flat tire. Luckily I have a very handy husband and he organized the kids into a workparty to rebuild the stone wall, and he settled down to changing the tire. In no time, we were off again trying to find the missing campground. What an adventure!

Day 18- Vieux Quebec

2015-09-07T07:01:00.000-06:00

Old Quebec is the most beautiful town to visit in Canada by far. It is like walking 300 years back in history- wandering around cobblestone streets past artists and musicians, outdoor cafes selling wine and baguettes, and shopping in historic old buildings from the 1600s and 1700s.

We spent a fair bit of time just wandering around, sampling different treats as we went, and enjoying the ambiance. My oldest daughter and I took off in search of something gluten free (we are both celiac) and had an adventure going from store to store asking for something ‘sans gluten’ in a bad French accent. Finally we found a lovely little restaurant with a patio that offered a delicious gluten free maple-chicken salad.

I had a glass of wine and we sat on the patio and enjoyed watching the people go by. We meant to go back and try their gluten free cake but never had the chance as it started raining and we decided to head back up the steps to the area near the Chateau Frontenac.

Meanwhile, Sean and the kids had eaten some yummy sandwiches and were treated to maple syrup on a stick while listening to a guy playing the fiddle and spoons and singing French drinking songs!

On the way up the hill we stopped in at the beautiful Cathedral and quickly looked in – but we were pretty much done with pretty churches by then so it was a short visit. I also stopped in where the artists were selling their paintings, and I found a very nice one of Quebec City to put on my wall at home. After we got to the top of the hill again, everyone was ready for a rest and what luck- we came upon a circus act going on outside the Chateau. There was juggling fire and knives, diving through flaming hoops and walking on stilts and ladders! What fun!

The rest of the day was spent by watching a multimedia show about the historic battles that shaped Quebec City – Plains of Abraham was the most interesting for the kids. After, we walked up a long boardwalk and stairway (308 stairs) to see the very place where the famous battle was fought in 1759.

By this point, the kids were getting pretty tired, and were missing their friends as we had separated from the Wiens in the maze of the lower part of Vieux Quebec so we slowly walked (dragged the kids) back around the Citadel (could spend 3 days in Quebec city!!) and met up with our friends in search of something else to eat (found some great gluten free burgers!) and then headed back to the campground.

All the adults decided that we needed to come back without the kids one day and have time to enjoy the city a little more – sit out on a patio with wine and fondue and enjoy the night life. As it was, we enjoyed the nightlife of the KOA campground with its bouncy pillow and campstore. It was our last night with our friends, and none of us wanted to go to bed too early – though we did end up shuffling the kids off to bed so we could enjoy a little quiet time together.

Kevin asked our camping neighbors to join us at the fire. We met them earlier at the playground and discovered that we had so much in common! They were another catholic homeschooling family travelling with their 5 children on a Canada trip from Cape Breton across the other way to Ontario and back again. It’s funny how we can all be from the same country but live such different lives. He is a lobster fisherman with this wonderful Cape Breton accent, and we were all interested in hearing about lobster fishing and his adventures on the sea…. It sounded like another world to us prairie folk and more than a little dangerous. The other coincidence is that they are from Port Hood which is this little town in Cape Breton where my great-great-grandparents are from on my dad’s side. The only Catholics on that side of the family! And the priest who was travelling with them happens to be the pastor of the church that my great-great-grandma was baptized in! What a small world! We exchanged contact information with them and they insisted that we call them if we need anything when we are in Cape Breton. I hope they have a great trip and enjoy the shrines that we already passed through.

Our new friends travelling west, Dana and Kevin going south and us going east. Quebec city was a cross-roads for a meeting of like-minded families. Maybe we’ll meet up again one day and we can show them our big mountains and little churches. :)

Day 17 – Quebec: bouncy castles and Shrine

2015-09-07T06:42:00.002-06:00

The kids will always remember the bouncy castles at the campgrounds of Quebec, but the adults will remember the beautiful shrines and the French culture. What a fun province!

We have been enjoying it here so much. The people are very friendly, the churches are so beautiful and the geography is picturesque. I imagine it’s a delightful place to live. We didn't really want to leave the lovely Lac-St.-Michel camp ground we were in. In fact, before we even drove past the office on the way out, the kids discovered this massive bouncy castle there, so we ended up staying an extra hour just to have fun bouncing and taking slo-motion videos of flips and crashes. Everyone had a good time.

It was probably a good thing they had so much fun there, because we found another Shrine to visit at lunch time in Trois-Rivieres. This is the city that I stayed in for 6 weeks when I was on a government sponsored exchange in university. I remember loving the French culture back then too. The Church is called Notre-Dame-du-Cap, and it is so pretty (like all the other ones). It wasn't nearly as crowded as St. Joseph’s oratory, so it was nice to wander around and make hot dogs in the parking lot.

This little detour meant we were late getting to St. Anne-de-Beaupre later in the day (still having time zone issues LOL), but we made it to the museum just in time to tour around for half an hour to get some historical background on the church. The church is really stunning. It really took my breath away, and I have been there before when Elizabeth was only 10 months old.

You drive along a highway beside the St. Laurence to get there, past farmer’s fields and trees, a big waterfall, and little stores sprinkled here and there… then all of a sudden this huge European style church rises up on the horizon! What a testament to the faith of the people living in this area centuries ago. You really should come see it one day if you have a chance. The attention to detail on the inside is remarkable.

The ceiling alone could keep you occupied for an hour. Along the sides and back of the church, behind the main altar are many little shrines and altars to various saints: St. Patrick, St. Joachim, St. Benedict, and more… and a special one to St. Gerard, who is the patron saint of expecting mothers and those wishing to become one. I spent awhile praying there for my friends and those who I had promised to pray for.

Saint Anne is the mother of Mary, so that makes her Jesus’ grandma. Isn’t it fun to think of Jesus having a grandma? It’s not something I have ever spent thinking about. I know I have loved both of my grandmas so much – I can online imagine how much He loved his grandma. They are special!

In an alcove beside the main altar, they had an actual relic of St. Anne. Now that has got to be very old- she lived before Jesus did!

Near the middle, there is a beautiful statue of St. Anne holding the child Mary that had this beautiful prayer you could pray:

“God is the author of all blessings. HE is the one who raised you, O Good Saint Anne, to such radiant heights of holiness. Today it is through you that I offer my prayer to my loving and merciful God. It is He whom I honour as I venerate your holy relics as I lay my humble supplications at your feet.

Kindly pray for me, Saint Anne. Pray for us all. Bring us closer to Christ, our Redeemer, and through Christ may we be closer to God our Father.

Through your powerful intercession, may the Kingdom of God spread throughout the entire world, so that all people may come together and live in peace and harmony. AMEN.”

Where St. Joseph’s Oratory was strong and masculine, this church, dedicated to his mother-in-law was pretty and feminine and peaceful. We spent a long time just sitting in the pews in the quiet, taking it all in.

After we left, we wandered across the street to have some ice cream- trying to make the last days of Quebec linger… because after Quebec, we will be parting ways with our travelling companions. Our large crew (4 adults and 11 kids in total) took over the whole store, and the locals just sat and enjoyed the chaos. It’s been a lot of fun trying to communicate in broken French with the people we meet. They always want to know if we really have 8 kids, and where we are from. Everyone has been so friendly.

The Wiens left ahead of us, making tracks to the KOA we were scheduled to stay in for the night, and we took our usual time to get organized. A quick stop at McDonalds gave us a lot to laugh over! In the smaller towns of Quebec, there isn’t much English – even in the McDonalds, I can speak a little bit of French because of school, and the 6 weeks I spent living here in university, but I’m not very good… and so when I tried to order “sept frites” (seven fries), the lady just sort of looked at me with a funny look on her face. You see, the kids were all in the car and here was this crazy Anglophone trying to order SEVEN fries? Who does that? She obviously decided I couldn’t count in French and kept asking me if I really wanted ‘sept’, even showing me seven fingers. I just laughed and tried to tell her I had beaucoup enfants. Then I tried to order a burger without a bun. All communication broke down then… I couldn’t remember the word for bun or the word for bread or meat. So I was making hand motions and she wanted to know if I wanted one without onions… mustard? Ketchup? Finally a guy in line had pity on me and told her what I wanted. She still thought I was crazy. :)

Day 16- Resting in the middle of Quebec

2015-08-31T17:36:00.000-06:00

We were all ready for a rest day... a little laundry, a lot of swimming in the empty pool (all the kids went back to school this morning!) and a nice run in the morning with Elizabeth. Daddy and Peter made breakfast for us when we came home.

Tonight we are having an early fire and hopefully an early bedtime. The kids are enjoying a rousing game of truth-or-dare (oh the revelations that come out under the influence of fresh air and marshmallows!). The grownups are busy trying to plan our next stop.

We are just north of Trois-Rivieres where I stayed in university for 6 weeks as part of a government sponsored exchange. It's a lovely area- lush with rolling hills, fields of corn and beans, and the St. Lawrence river.

The closer we get to Quebec city, the closer we get to parting ways with our friends. They are going to visit family and tour along the eastern United States to brush up on some of the history they studied last year, and we are heading further east to the Maritimes where we will visit Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick. It has been such a fun time travelling with them. They are the perfect companions: easy-going, a great sense-of humor, and great friends to the children. We will definitely miss our buddies!! Maybe next summer we can travel somewhere for another adventure with them.

Day 15- L’Oratoire St. Joseph du Mont-Royal

2015-08-31T17:29:00.001-06:00

MaryJo just before mass at the very holy St. Joseph's Oratory

Once we crossed over the Quebec border everyone was excited to try out their new French skills. After being in Ottawa and hearing all of the people greet us with Bonjours, we couldn’t wait to get into Quebec itself! So far we have been treated to many friendly French-speaking people who remark on our large family size and how cute the kids are. My rusty French from university is helping un petit peu, but for the most part we just smile and nod our heads. I did learn how to say twin though: jumeau and we have all perfected Excusez, Pardon, and Desole (sorry). They come in very handy when travelling with four rowdy boys.

Driving into Montreal with an RV and only a GPS that lacks common-sense is quite the adventure. What a big city!- and what busy, twisty roads! Our trusty GPS led us up into a very expensive looking community with steep hills and skinny roads, straight to the back door of the Oratory. Oh dear! I’m sure many of the people in the neighborhood were wondering why this huge RV was rumbling through their pretty lanes…. Though we probably weren’t the first to make this mistake as we were surprised to find Dana and Kevin in the same spot after their GPS led them there as well. Someone should write to google and ask them to change their information!

After the traffic and crazy roads, I’m not sure my husband will ever go to Montreal again, though it seems like it could be a fun city to get around in without kids and the help of a few cabs and walking shoes. Definitely not the best place to drive a long trailer through. We missed a few interesting places in our desire to leave the craziness of the city, but we did manage to make a stop at St. Joseph’s Oratory.

beautiful organ that was played during mass

Brother Andre

This church is a must-see. It was the inspiration of a little Quebec man named Brother Andre Bessette, a lay brother (like a monk) of the congregation of the Holy Cross. He only died less than a hundred years ago in 1937, shortly before my parents were born and he was made a saint in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. He was a doorman in the original church on the site and was credited with thousands of healings. People would come from all over to see him and ask for his prayers. His vision was to have a magnificent church built to honor st. Joseph (the foster-father of Jesus).

While the main sanctuary is splendid with its vaulted ceilings and great pipe-organ, I found the rest of the shrine lifted my spirit even more. In the bottom, which houses his tomb (so cool to be able to touch the tomb of a real saint), there is a room that is filled with over 10,000 votive candle which you can light and say a prayer for a special intention. It was so beautiful and peaceful. There is also a crypt church in the basement which has the most beautiful statue of st. Joseph (the patron saint of Canada) at the altar.

I was surprised by how many people were visiting the shrine that day. It was very full, which helped our noisy crew to blend in a bit. We did make it in time for Sunday mass in the Basillica – in French! What a great experience for the kids, though I think they found that mass in French is just as long, if not longer, than mass in French. Joey and Zach have taken to timing the length of the homilies where we go and this one clocked in at 11 min. :) There was this lovely old French Catholic woman sitting across the aisle from us who kept telling us how blessed we were and what a good example we were as a family coming to mass with so many little children. We have been having similar receptions wherever we go. It’s a very friendly province here in Quebec.

Day 14- Wars and Walmart

2015-08-31T15:41:00.000-06:00

Walmart nights

Late mornings and even later evening seem to be our style on this trip… today this led us to sleeping in the charming campground of the Vaudriel Walmart parking lot. This particular lot came complete with blaring music from the nearby bar (open until 3:30 am), and some imposing French signs which we couldn’t read but could be inferred by the picture of the tow truck on it. Let’s just say that Sean won’t be allowing anymore Walmart nights for the Blairs, although it was convenient in the morning to get a quick shopping trip in. Even in French, all Walmarts are the same old place.

Earlier in the day, after a short run to keep up our 10Km training program, we drove our RVs into Ottawa to the Canadian War museum. It was quite the adventure to find suitable parking but thanks to Dana’s quick navigation, we found a good spot just in time for an expensive lunch at the museum.

The boys loved this place. It had a touring exhibit on the gladiators with lots of hands-on artifacts to explore, and then another whole room with exhibits on all the wars that Canada has fought in from the Plains of Abraham all the way up to the modern wars.

Trying on gladiator clothes, building pontoons

The amount of history we have been immersed in for this trip has been outstanding. We have covered more than a whole year of social studies and we are only on the second week! I especially enjoyed the information about the French and English fighting for Canada- it makes the whole Quebec/Canada issue so much more understandable. I’m enjoying the history so much and I’m glad to have these pegs to hang our future schooling on -- when learning about things in the next years, we can remember when we were in Ottawa, and Quebec city and the east coast.

The rest of the museum was a bit of a blur for me, because I was busy chasing after 3 giggly girls who were running from room to room. The content was a little over their heads, but Heather and Lucy had a great time trying on some gladiator clothing (one girls in each leg) and I kept getting lost in the maze of exhibits trying to keep track of Lucy and MaryJo. I’m just glad Dana was keeping her eyes on the boys! I know they loved seeing the big tanks in the last room, and everyone loved the gift shop. They must have spent 45 min choosing the perfect souvenir to take home.

By the time we left the museum it was well past 6, and we were anxious to get on the road again. We tried to stop in a campsite just on the edge of the Ontario/Quebec border, forgetting that it was a weekend, but we discovered the only sites left were a little small for our monster truck/RV so seeing as how it was already dark and we didn’t want to spend $40 to sleep for one night just to get up again and leave, we decided to find a Walmart. Quebec- Here we come!!

Day 13- Canada's Capital

2015-08-31T14:50:00.002-06:00

Sammy found this statue: "mommy! there's that guy with the metal leg!"

Gluten free goodies

The best part of Ottawa was the Gluten-Free restaurant we stumbled upon in the Byward Market. It was this trendy cafe on the corner with this french couple outside beckoning people to come in and try their delights. We were in GF heaven!! Everything in the store was safe to eat for my daughter and myself who both have Celiac disease. They had fries and pizza and salmon and sandwiches and paninni,... and the bakery counter.. .oh my! We basically took over the restaurant and $165 later we left the store with a full tummy and a full bag of goodies for later. Good thing we have a very generous budget for this trip! If we run out of grocery money on the way home I will fondly remember my delicious lunch in Ottawa while I'm eating PB&J sandwiches for the last week.

The rest of Ottawa pales in comparison to my mocha opera chocolate layer cake, though it was a wonderful day. We visited the Rideau Canal and saw a boat going through the Locks (so interesting... though without any guard-rails I was a bit nervous with the kids so close to the edge of the canal). Just walking among the historical buildings made us realize how truly young our own city is. Even the kids remarked that Calgary has boring buildings.

Watching the boat go down the locks

Tomb of the unknown soldier at the National War Monument

One of the things we made time for was to walk by the National War Memorial to pay our respects to the soldiers who have fought and died for our country as well as the soldier who died there only a year ago, guarding the same monument. There was a very helpful info person there who took a long time to answer the kids questions and teach them a bit too, and we were able to speak with one of the soldiers who was with the two guarding it. He said it was a great honour for them to take a turn guarding the memorial.

We noticed a large security presence in Ottawa. Everywhere around the Parliament buildings there were pairs of police officers visibly armed. Just to get into the parliament buildings required a 20 min wait through security which was just as thorough as an airport check. Inside the building there were also many armed officers in every room and corridor we went down. It definitely changed the ambiance of the place - and it was odd the way the tour guide didn't mention the shooting last year, or even entertain my godson's question about it. She just brushed him off and moved on.

Library in the Parliament buildings- only part of the original building left after a fire in the early 1900s.

House of Commons under renovation

It was a beautiful building though. The library is the most lovely round room with books from floor to ceiling up to a pretty domed roof. The House of Commons is under construction so everything was covered with plastic. The guide explained that Elections Canada reviews the boundaries of the ridings every 5 years and this is the year they were doing a review- This election there will be 30 extra MPs elected for the extra ridings so they needed to rearrange things to make room for the extra seats. I don't even know what riding we are in, but we will be paying a lot more attention to the election this year because we have been to the actual place where the government meets. It makes it seem so much more real.

The evening light show on the Parliament buildings was even better than the tour. I have never seen anything quite like it. It was a cross between a movie, fireworks, and a museum - with the architecture of the building being the screen. If you've ever seen a disney light show it was similar to that, but better.
The narrator took us on a voyage through Canadian history including the great accomplishments of Canadians and all that make us a great nation. For the finale, they played O Canada with the buildings lit up like a huge waving flag and we all stood up and sang along in French and English together. It was quite touching.

Light show didn't start until 9:30 so it was a late bedtime for all, but one we will remember for a long time!

One of the more annoying, but amusing parts of the day was trying to acquire the tickets to go on the free tour of the parliament buildings. If there's one thing I have to complain about this country, it's the complete disregard for families who are larger than the usual 2 parents/2 kids. They would not allow any group over 9 people onto the tours, even though there was room for 35 people. Dana and Kevin tried to explain to them that we would like 15 tickets but they would not allow them to do it, even if Dana ordered 9 and Kevin ordered 6. It was quite the secret spy operation for us to figure out a way to let our 15 person group onto the same tour. Sean and I had to go in to ticket line pretending we didn't know each other and stall long enough to see which tour time the other was selecting. It was a close one, but we did it!!

All in all, it was a full but enjoyable day. We left feeling proud to be Canadian and anxious to continue east, exploring more of our great country.

Day 12- navigating to Ottawa

2015-08-31T14:49:00.004-06:00

Still headed East

If you've been following my posts in Instagram you might have seen a glimpse of day 12's navigating problems. When I look back at it, I laugh but only some of us were laughing at the time :)

We got up in good time in Midland and intended to drive to Ottawa that morning so we could settle into a campsite nice and way and enjoy the evening instead of the usual rushing around in the dark to set up and get kids to bed. However we to decide which road to take because now that we are out of northern Ontario there

However, we needed to decide which road to take because now that we are out of northern Ontario there is more than one road to choose from! We didn’t want to drive down the infamous 401 which is a very busy highway that goes through Toronto – and we didn’t really want to go through any more forests and provincial parks, so we chose the nice rural route along highway 7. Sounds like a good plan, although I forgot to navigate us through it – too busy being the social media coordinator, I guess.

So a short detour into the lovely town of Orillia (oops) led us right to a big sign that read ROAD CLOSED. Sean had to turn our large 30 foot trailer around in front of this old folks home with a little old lady glaring at us from her walker, probably wondering if we were going to knock over any of their flowerpots. (not that we have ever done that before, right sean? Don’t ask LOL)

After we got back on the highway, Dana texted me that they had accidentally taken a wrong turn and had been heading towards Toronto before they noticed and turned around. This is when I should have looked at our own map, but I was too busy laughing hysterically at the antics in the back seat and taking videos of the crazy noisy group that we are. Sammy was writing in his journal and wanted someone to spell museum for him, but no one was listening, so he started yelling in his big boy voice “HOW DO YOU SPELL MUSEUM?” and Zach would reply “I DON’T KNOW!” but before he finished, Sammy would repeat his yell even louder, “HOW DO YOU SPELL MUUUUUSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEUUUMMM?”, and Zach would try to tell him even louder, “I DON’T KNNNOOOOOOWWW!!”

Now Sammy is normally a mild sweet little boy, complete with a mop of dirty blond hair and a pair of dimples in his full cheeks, and so when he gets his grumpy face on it’s hard not to laugh. Sean and I were so busy holding our stomachs from laughing so hard, that we didn’t notice that we too were headed toward Toronto until it was too late and we were on the other side of a big lake from our travelling companions. We were going in circles! And the road we were stuck on was getting busier and busier as we went south, so we made the decision to cut overland and try to meet up with our friends on the other side of Lake Simcoe.

Poor daddy- needs a glass of wine and a good nap, I think

It made for a very long day – but we did indeed find the Wiens, and managed to stop in a beautiful little town called Madoc for a dip in their public swimming pool for a break. It turned out to be the town that my great great grandparents were from before they moved to Alberta. It was fun to imagine Grandpa Pete’s grandparents walking down the same roads.

We ended up in Ottawa just before dark (again) at a lovely little campground inside the city limits called Wesley Clover Parks. I had enough time to strap on my headlamp from the Night Race and stretch my aching legs out by running around the campground for half an hour with Dana chasing me down on her bike. It felt good to move again after being stuck in the car for so long. Tomorrow we will head into the Capital and take in the sights of a big city.

Day 11- Canadian martyrs

2015-08-28T05:49:00.001-06:00

Day 10 wasn't much to write home about - we spent the day driving the rest of the way to Midland to meet up with dana's hubby. We thought we might stop in at the Big Nickle and mining museum (Dynamic Earth)...

My dad worked in the old mine there as a summer student waaay back when. However, the museum was closed unexpectedly so we had a short lunch and snapped our souvenir pics and moved on through our last leg of northern Ontario. A great big party happened when the hubby arrived at last.

The following morning we wandered down to the Canadian Martyr's Shrine in time for mass. The whole place was a treat. Beautiful statues and stained glass- gorgeous grounds to wander around on, a gift shop, and some sweet priests who were happy to have is visit all the way from Alberta. We got another family blessing- and spent a good deal of time praying in the church and looking at the various relics they have.

I was so happy to be there, as the twins are born on the feast day of the Canadian Martyrs, and Sammy is born on the their American feast day. After mass, the priest ( a Jesuit, like Pope Francis) invited everyone to come up one at a time and receive a special blessing with the relics.

The Canadian martyrs were very brave priests from the 1600s who came to New France (canada) to help minister to the settlers and the native people here. They got along very well with (most of) the Hurons, but were often attacked and tortured or captured by the Iroquios (the enemies of the French and Hurons. They chose to stay here despite the dangers and were martyred for their faith.

After the Shrine, which we would love to visit again some day, we went across the highway to Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons. It's the site where the actual Jesuit Mission had been.

Similar to Heritage Park back in Calgary- this was a great place for the children to explore. It was very authentic and we were supposed there were no guard rails anywhere stopping us from exploring. In fact, there were open fires in the longhouses- flint and steel lying out on the tables, tall platforms to climb on and cows and pigs in the pens without warning signs :) Us city-folk couldn't believe they trusted us with so much freedom! It was a wonderful way to immerse ourselves in the history of both the early settlers and the Hurons.

One of the more unexpected sites in this touristy village was the actual gravesite of St. John de Brebeuf. It was like wandering around Heritage Park in the old area by the fort, turning a corner and coming across the real grave of a saint. Very strange- but I guess they didn't discover it until the 1950s after they had already built the shrine and maybe wanted to leave his remains where they had been for 300 years. Right beside his grave was a little graveyard of the unnamed Huron Martyrs as well. Even if it was in the middle of a tourist attraction, it was touching and I made the sign of the cross as we went by to honour them.

The museum on site was also very educational. It took us on a journey from 17th century France, to the exploration of the New World, early settlements in Canada and the native's traditions and beliefs. There was even bible from the 1600s and other interesting artifacts to view. I was very impressed with the little place.

Day 9 - ugh

2015-08-25T08:21:00.000-06:00

Today we drove.lots. Lake Superior is immense It almost looks like an ocean... and according to a tourist brochure I had picked up along the way, it actually contains 10% of the worlds fresh water. It is taking forever to get around. The views are incredible, when we can actually see it, but for most of the drive there are trees on either side of the road and we are going up and down very large hills. Hello Canadian Shield!

We didn't make very good time because we are still having a hard time adjusting to the time zones, and I had this brilliant idea last night to go into the local laudromat and wash all of our clothes in one go. Unfortunately, I didn't get back to the trailer until after midnight local time and all the kids were just settling into bed when I arrived. Yawn! We didn't wake up until almost nine in the morning and barely pulled out of the little town by noon. Dana was having a morning that matched the rainy weather, so we stopped at the grocery store to fortify her with some chocolate mini-eggs, and my sweet hubby replaced her wind shield wipers. She was motivated to press on though, because in only one more sleep her hubby would be coming!! What an amazing woman! One of the bravest, and strongest women I have ever known.

We started listening to The Hobbit and it seemed very fitting to hear Bilbo complaining about how long the trip was taking, and his descriptions of the land he was travelling through. I started a free trial with Audible, and downloaded two free books (Winne-The-Pooh and The Hobbit) and I also stumbled on a free 3 month preview of Scribd.com which is like the netflix of books so we have been enjoying other stories like Pinkalicious, Peter Rabbit, Jim Weiss, etc. I love listening to audio books in the car, because it makes the trip pass a little faster, and the kids are a captive audience so it's a great time to get those classics in. Last summer in our travels, we listened to the complete narnia series.

One thing that happened yesterday that I forgot to mention, is the amazing coincidence of Sean meeting one of his employees in the little camp ground of Marathon! They are on their own cross-Canada trip, but are on their way home now- west from Newfoundland. What are the odds of us meeting up with them in the middle of nowhere Ontario? I was truly amazed, because if there's one thing this trip has shown me- it's how vast and relatively uninhabited our country really is.

When we are in the car for these longer drives, there are a few things we have done to make it easier. For one, we don't do movies, or video games or any electronic device. Even though you think it will help pass the time, it tends to make the kids isolated from each other and breeds a bit of selfishness and entitlement among everyone. Once you get past the first bit of complaining, the kids settle in and get used to it. I love all the opportunities for them to talk to each other, listen to good audio books as a family, look at the interesting scenery, and color in their journals. Everyone has their own bag with a journal, box of pencil crayons, scissors, glue, pencil and eraser. Every day they write or draw a bit about what we did. I also have a stash of activity and sticker books from Costco that I hand out when kids start to get restless. I have a few clipboards that I will pass back with coloring pages as well. One of the fun finds was those grown-up coloring books that have lots of intricate designs to color.

The thing they look forward to the most is the various snacks we bring along, however. I have a box of ziplock bags in the front and portion out food in individual bags to throw back to the kids.

Doesn't that sound idyllic? Well, at least that is the ideal in my mind. Siblings getting along happily, maybe reciting geography facts as we drive by interesting viewpoints, and everyone eating healthy, portioned snacks by the calm and collected mother in the front. Ok, in reality, there is a lot of people having to go pee about every 15 min, and everyone is demanding more snacks (which I just throw at them and hope they catch it), and lots of people fighting over stickers and pencil crayons. The van is a mess (though we have managed to keep the garbage at bay by cleaning it out at each gas station), and I have no where to put my feet because there is more and more stuff piled up in the front. But that is pretty much what life is like at home too.. this is just a smaller space. :) We do have a lot of fun though... so much laughter, so many silly jokes, funny signs and place names to laugh at, and a sweet toddler to brighten all our days.

I almost forgot! We also found the place where the bear that inspired the Winnie-The-Pooh stories was from! Apparently, there was an army guy passing through town and bought a little bear cub who eneded up being the mascot of his group of soldiers, but when they went overseas he donated it to the London zoo where A.A. Milne visited often with his son Christopher Robin. How cool is that? Of course we had to stop and take a picture :)

Day 7 – Stars and blessings

2015-08-25T07:33:00.002-06:00

I never questioned that the earth is round… but it still feels pretty flat when you are just a tiny human walking around on the surface… but let me tell you: the earth is actually round. I knew this in theory from school, but it is sort of getting in the way of my travelling. It’s like this irritating jetlag that you can’t shake every day because we keep driving slowly east without really adjusting our internal clocks. Some days this means we haven’t really got on the road until well after lunchtime and then end up eating supper in the dark.

Today this worked in our favor as the campground we ended up in was right beside the David Thompson Astronomical Observatory. They host Star Walks from 10pm-midnight on the weekends and excepting the toddler and maybe Dana who is counting the days until her husband joins us, everyone was still wide awake enough to walk down. The kids took turns looking through high-powered telescopes to view the moon and some planets, and then watched an interesting tour of the solar system in their program room. What fun to be up so late and watch the stars with your siblings and friends!

The earlier part of our day was also full of adventure. We were headed for Thunder Bay and it was our second day in the land of northern Ontario, which consists mostly of windy roads with lots of rocks and trees… and a few glimpses of lakes. We discovered that Ontario is a very big province… but we press on because, as we keep promising the kids, after we get around Lake Superior there are more things to see and they are much closer together. These 90km/hr speed limits and windy roads are testing our perseverance but as Dana keeps reminding me, it’s a pilgrimage, not a vacation.

Speaking of a pilgrimage, we arrived in Thunder Bay on the weekend, and that meant we had to find somewhere to go to mass. As Catholics, we take our weekend mass obligation very seriously, and did not want to miss a chance to receive communion to fortify us on our long journey. However, we were racing against the clock and those rotten time zones that keep messing us up, so by the time we made it to Thunder Bay mass was already going on.

Dana picked the beautiful downtown church St. Andrew’s as our destination, but being downtown it wasn’t exactly RV friendly. We parked in a questionable spot and ran to the church. Ask Dana sometime about how they ended up in the service elevator – not sure what went on there :) At least we were seated before the gospel reading started. We snuck in the back and thought we could make it through mass without disrupting the quiet church which was sparsely filled with older folks.

Halfway through the mass, however, a man from the front walked walk straight to the back where we were sitting (uh-oh) and whispered in my ear that the priest wanted us to come up to the front at the Our Father to bless us. Well- I guess we didn’t come in unnoticed, and since we had the only children in the entire church (11 of them in total) I suppose we didn’t look exactly like locals. The kids felt like superstars walking up to the front. Everyone smiled at how cute they all were, the adults felt a little disheveled and camp-worn, but all in all it was a boost to have the whole congregation raise their hands to pray for us and our travels. Thank you St. Andrews!

Day 6- Crystal Lake

2015-08-25T07:32:00.000-06:00

Last night it seemed like we drove FOREVER. The kids were waging an epic Cheesie war in the back (don’t ask), momma was starting to feel under the weather, and we kept going and going, never any closer to our destination. The beautifully flat and predictable prairies turned into windy roads with trees and more tress. Little lakes popped up on either side of the highway everywhere we looked and it got closer and closer to sundown.

Kenora was beautiful and we stopped for directions at the tourist Discovery Centre, but along the way, we abandoned our provincial park destination in favor of a little campground outside Vermillion Bay called Crystal Lake. It only had 14 sites listed on their website and it was nearing 9pm so we were sending up prayers with our 14 guardian angels accompanying us that there would be room.

When we pulled in, it was like a vision of heaven: a beautiful lake, freshly mowed grass, large even spaces to camp on and even a pile of toys and bikes for the kids to play with. We decided within the first 30 min that we should change our plans and stay there for two nights to enjoy our good luck and relax a bit before we attempted the crazy drive around Lake Superior.

The kids spent the day in the little lake going for canoe rides with Sean, floating on big tubes, and playing in the sand. Dana and I went for a leisurely 7Km run, and Sean explored the hiking trail around the lake. It was a perfectly wonderful day – especially considering all the complaints of snowy weather from back home.

Besides the fact that their washer was broken, it was a nice vacation within a vacation. Now to find someplace up ahead to wash the growing mountain of dirty clothes in my shower.

Day 8- off-roading for purple rocks

2015-08-25T07:31:00.002-06:00

Well, we are still in the land of trees and windy roads Will we ever get around Lake Superior? It’s quite lovely in its vastness- and some of the views are stunning, but for the most part we are driving in this corridor of trees and rocks. Again, I will say it – Ontario is BIG! Imagine those explorers and early settlers who traversed this land without the benefit of a highway to pull your mini-house behind you.

Just after we left Thunder Bay we stopped in at Terry Fox Memorial site and spent some time learning about the courageous young man who ran with only one real leg for over 5000 km from Newfoundland all the way here until he was forced to stop his run because the cancer had spread to his lungs. He was attempting to run across the entire country, raising money all the way – running a full marathon each day. What an inspiration – it’s been about 35 years since he died and so it’s time to pass on his story to the next generation.

According to Wikipedia, the Terry Fox run has gone on to become the largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research every year. It just goes to show that you don’t have to be big, or old, or strong to make a difference in the world.

After that, we were still trying to kill time while Dana was unsuccessfully trying to get an oil-change done on the RV – so for the next potty break (there is usually at least one person in the van who has to go pee at any given moment), we decided to stop at the Amethyst Mines and Panorama that the priest at St. Andrew’s had insisted we tour.

The sign off the highway said it was a short 7 km ahead, but as we started down the road, we realized that not only was there nowhere to turn around, we were committed to driving up a very steep, narrow gravel road. There were a few moments of concern as we wondered if the van could handle this excitement- but halfway up, we saw a sign that assured us there would be RV parking at the top. That must mean RVs can actually get up there, we reasoned, so we kept going. Then we got to the very steep part of the hill and Sean had to gear way down to first gear to make it… a few tense moments and hail mary’s later, and we were assured by another sign that the worst part was over (why didn’t they warn us at the bottom??). The worst part was, along the way I was trying to text Dana that the road was a little dicey, but there was No service so the message didn’t get through.

It turned out to be a fun detour though- we went on a little tour of their amethyst mine and then were handed a bucket and a digging tool and were sent to dig up our own stones to take home for only $3/lb. The kids were given strict instructions to abandon the buckets (can you imagine 8 pails of amythest and granite bumping around in the back of the van.

Everybody found a few special rocks and in the end we only walked off with $12 worth. What an adventure!!

With that unexpected stop behind us, we readjusted our camping destination and drove on through the forests to the little town of Marathon.

Day 5- winnipeg

2015-08-21T21:07:00.002-06:00

After our day at the Mint we wanted to go back into Winnipeg to explore a bit more, so the next morning we got up a bit earlier and drove into town to find the church where my great-grandparents were married. My mom had been there before a few years ago and I really wanted to see it.

I'm not the best navigator in the world (sorry Sean!) and so it took a few tries to get to the right street but when we found it we were glad we made the effort. It turns out, they were married in what is now the Cathedral for the Ukranian Catholic church in Winnipeg. It was so beautiful on the inside. Stained glass on every window, statues, icons, candles, and even a beautifully painted blue ceiling with images and stars on it.

So pretty! The ambiance was complete because we could hear a choir practicing down the hall. I'm not sure if we were supposed to be wandering around, but no one stopped us and the door was open so we took advantage of it. The kids lit some candles and prayed for their great Aunt who has cancer, and were stilled by the beauty of the building. (except sarah who was running around making lots of noise and trying to climb onto everything).

We also wanted to visit an area called The Forks where two main rivers meet. It is an old traditional meeting place between various First Nations peoples and also where the fur traders would come to sell their wares. We wandered around the market, had some lunch and played in a little water park. Kids wanted to go on a boat tour but the grownups were getting weary and we still had a long drive so we promised a boat ride somewhere further east.

We wandered around the market, had some lunch and played in a little water park. Kids wanted to go on a boat tour but the grownups were getting weary and we still had a long drive so we promised a boat ride somewhere further east.

day 4 - mint

2015-08-21T21:02:00.001-06:00

Gas!! We are going through a lot of gas. Our trip across Canada might be better titled, 'An Epic Tour of Canadian Gas Stations'. Our budget for gas is a very modest $5000 for the entire trip, but I'm a little concerned we will even go over that. Let's hope we never have to drive more than 300 km between gas stations or these blog posts will become a lot more colorful :)

On day 4 we woke up outside Brandon, Manitoba in Bry-Mar RV Campground and went on a fun 30 min run with a big posse this time: all three adults and a handful of little boys. As we were running off past the office, a guy jumped out and pointed out this great trail he had set up around the campground. It was a good 4km loop through the fields and bush that was kept nicely mowed. He must have been excited that someone was actually going to use it and Dana and I felt like we were real trail runners after we that adventure.. mud and all.

Speaking of Dana, she is doing such an amazing job of camping and driving every day without her husband. I don't think I would ever attempt what she is doing. He had to work all week and so he is flying in to meet us after we get around Lake Superior. She can navigate, drive, cook, set up camp and even deal with the dreaded black tank all on her own -- never mind entertaining the kids. Way to go Dana!! It's been so much fun to have a friend along on the trip, and the kids are loving spending so much time with their buddies. We will definitely miss them when we part ways after Quebec.

After dealing with more evil sewer problems (ugh!) we headed towards Winnipeg. None of us have ever been there before so it was definitely uncharted territory. The roads all looked the same on the way there but we were a little dismayed by the ring road that was more like a crazy-long-detour around the city road - took much longer than we wanted to. By the time we made it to the Mint we were all ready to collapse out of the van and camp right in the parking lot.

The Mint was a lot of fun though. We had booked a tour, which is definitely the way to go, and we all learned something. I had no idea that our Mint actually makes coins for dozens of other countries and it was really interesting to see real coins being poured out of the machines. The kids had visions of swimming in money after that tour :)

The gift shop was a big draw afterwards - there was a security guard with a bar of gold (SO heavy) that we could take turns lifting (half a million dollars worth!), and then the girls all bough cute little stuffies, Sammy bought a Moose dressed up like a Mountie and the boys happily exchanged some of their own coins for brand new ones that haven't even left the building yet. Zach even bought himself a $20 silver coin with an image of Superman on the front.

Because it took so long to get to the Mint, we changed our camping plans for the night and found a really close campground in the city called Town & Country that was a snapshot right out of the 50s. It was like good old fashioned camping and we had a nice quiet night with the kids playing an epic game of soccer at the park, and the parents relaxing with a bottle of well-deserved wine at the campfire. Another great day in our great country.

Day 3 - RCMP museum

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More grass. More Classic prairie towns. More gas stations.

The third day we were still going strong so we got up early and wandered into Regina to find the RCMP Heritage Museum. I made the group take the required picture in front of the big moose at the front door and then our group of 11 kids and 3 adults invaded the building.

It seemed like a pretty serious place... we had to trade our driver's licenses for a fancy visitor pass we had to wear around our necks as it is a working RCMP training centre. The kids were outfitted with a scavenger hunt on a clipboard and we wandered around the exhibit until it was time to go to the Sergeant Major's parade.

The boys seemed to gravitate toward the CSI exhibit where you could help solve a crime, complete with examining blood samples, fingerprints and other clues. I was hoping we could learn about the history of the RCMP LOL, but where there is blood and weapons, there are boys. The little kids enjoyed dressing up like a Mountie, and I mostly followed the toddler and preschooler around making sure they didn't climb into the exhibits.

At lunch time we walked as a group to the parade. The kids were thrilled to see a real marching band go past us (though Sean says they were very out of tune). After that four squadrons of cadets of varying years marched around. It was fun to try and guess who were the newbies and who were more experienced. It seemed to us that the more senior they are, the cooler the shoes and the poofier the pants.

On to Manitoba!! It was exciting to put the little red dots on our map of Canada as we drove through each new town: through more fields, listening to more music and oh the mosquitos!

Day 2 - Saskatchewan Prairies

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We made it to Saskatchewan the evening before - slept in a quiet campground along the highway and woke up for an early run (Dana has me training with her for a 10Km run in the fall so we are running our way across Canada). The run was quiet - just me and the prairies... and a few dogs that startled me when I ran past them. The whole rest of the run was spent worrying about how I would make it past these terrifying guard dogs without being bitten. I had even picked up a few good sized rocks as weapons to be ready. As I came back around by their driveway, they started bounding across the field... but as they got closer, I realized they were wagging their tails and giddy to see someone out in the middle of nowhere - they were just very jumpy puppies. So I loved on them, and kept on running.

While I was out running the kids were having a blast running around the campground exploring all the new terrain. They even came across a dead porcupine (ewww) and some very live cats.

After a not-so-quick pack up and breakfast (theme of our trip so far), we turned our vehicles east and headed further into the prairies.

Day two found us taking a gas/lunch break in Swift Current where we stumbled upon a lovely little spray-park and playground. The kids were overjoyed at this little stop, and the grownups wondered if we could just move to a house on that block... with house prices so high in Calgary I bet we could buy TWO houses!!
moved

Along the way, we kept quizzing the kids on which province we were in ("What's a province?" ugh), talking about all the farmer's fields and listening to some good music and audio books. At one point we were surprised by our virtual tour guide, Grandpa Jack, who must have been following us from home on the Apple app Find My Friends because out of nowhere he texted me some information about a small town we were just about to pass by. We took the opportunity to turn off into Mortlach, a Classic Prairie Town, and take a quick spin through the two streets we could find. Our efforts were rewarded with an old grain elevator and a handful of ramshackle houses and interesting stores. Staying on the main highway doesn't give you a chance to see the real life on the prairies- glad we stopped.

We were making good time, so we decided to drive all the way to Regina for the night where we stayed in one of those campgrounds with as many rules as grass on the prairies. I spent a bit of time arguing with the office staff about how unethical it was for them to charge me extra for my own biological children (can you just picture it? A cranky, hungry momma bear!) but alas the only thing we succeeded in doing was letting Dana temporarily adopt a few of my kids. The last straw was when the office guy wanted to sell me a chocolate bar because I mentioned I was probably just grumpy because I was hungry. Haha. Sean says I'm not allowed to go into the offices of any more campgrounds :)

Tell me- what is the point of a playground if not for letting the kids go play while you relax for a few minutes? Let's just say we might have broken a few of their rules :)

Day 1

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The first official day of our trip had us leaving from the Catholic Music Festival, One Rock. It was pouring rain pretty much the entire weekend and maybe not the best way to start a 40 day trip, but the kids had fun with their friends and we were able to get a priest to give us a beautiful blessing just as we were leaving.

The twins eating gelato on the heat registers in the trailer because it was cold and rainy- I'm sure we made the gelato truck very happy to show up in the rain with 9 people who actually wanted to buy ice cream on a rainy cold day.

We left One Rock on Sunday morning and made it to Okotoks just in time to go to mass with our dear friends who are going as far as Quebec with us.

Leaving the city limits was super exciting! I made Sean slow down so I could get a picture of the sign as we went by. We all waved by to calgary and I wondered how crazy we were to go on a 40 day road trip with 8 children :) who does that?

Our first real drive of the trip took us through Medicine Hat where we ate supper under the tallest Teepee in the world, and then to Maple Creek Sask for our fist night.