Back in the USA...

MONDAY, JULY 1 –
Today is Canada Day – Happy Canada Day to our Canadian friends, including those I personally know and hold dear!  I’ve been in Ontario now for 10 days.  I think I’ll be back in the USA on Wednesday.

I stayed at the Glenview Cottages and Campground (in Sault Ste. Marie) for a second day [Sat. June 29^th], catching up on emails and getting a head-start on online banking for July.  By mid-afternoon I was ready to check out this nearby loop trail.  When I inquired about the trail earlier that morning, the lady in the office asked me to please let her know when I’ve begun the walk and when I’ve returned.  I dutifully did as requested and went to the office.  A different lady was on duty and I told her what the other lady had asked me to do.  “Are you alone?”  Yes.  “Do you have a dog?”  No.  We looked at each other and when I did the “thumbs up-thumbs down” gesture, she responded with “thumbs down.”  I asked why and she said that they have bears in the area, there had been some recent sightings, and she’s nervous about me going on the trail alone.  She said it would be fine for me to go as far as the pond.  The short walk to the pond revealed to me just how very close the trees were, considerably darkening the path, I certainly wouldn’t have seen a bear…much less heard it.  As disappointed as I was, I was much more appreciative about the concern for my safety.

 

 

The pond at Glenview Cottages and Campground - Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

I woke up [on Sunday, June 30^th] to a clear blue sky and by 9:30 a.m. I was back on the road.  Still on Hwy. 17 – and still in Ontario – I left the Lake Superior shoreline and began my drive on the Lake Huron shoreline.  The water was not visible on this drive but it was a nice drive otherwise – less hilly, less trees, more farms and fields, some livestock.  I soon connected to Rt. 6 S and crossed the North Channel to Manitoulin Island.

Manitoulin Island is the largest fresh water island in the world.  There are two ways to get here – via a swing bridge at the north end, or on a ferry from Tobermory, a village at the tip of Bruce Peninsula at the south end.  I was here back in 1997, the summer I took my fantastic 6-week trip in my ’97 Honda CRV.  I came here by way of the ferry back then, this time across the swing bridge, which, incidentally, is 100 years old this year.  The bridge was first built for access by rail.  Now it’s a one lane bridge for vehicles and every hour on the hour, it swings out to a 90 degree angle for ships/boats to pass through.  Vehicles on either end wait their turn, via a traffic light system, to cross.  It’s incredible, really, it’s just wide enough for a truck camper like mine to drive across.  The engineers 100 years ago had great foresight!

The RV Park I wanted to stay at was full.  Holiday weekend.  Manitoulin Island.  But of course!  The fella in the office made a phone call for me.  Lip reading him, I observed him say “It’s a camper on top of a truck…uh…so you do have a spot?”  He gave me directions and 15 minutes later I had myself a site at the Providence Bay Tent and Trailer Park.  I had to back-in to my site and, because of the narrow gravel drive and the plethora of trees and other foliage around the site, it was a bit of a tight squeeze to maneuver the truck in.  My “neighbor” and another fellow very kindly spotted me and helped guide me in.  I had an extra big smile when I thanked them because my site number was “71” – my Gallaudet class year!        

The beach was a five-minute walk across the road.  There’s Lake Huron, directly in front of me, and I spent a couple of hours sitting out there with my book.  I went back out there around 8:30 p.m. to view the sunset.  A couple walked by, and realizing I was Deaf, the lady started signing to me.  When I commented on that, she was pleased as punch and said it’s been 40 years since she used sign language.  Then this lady’s dog came by to check me out.  I recognized the dog and said “Hi, are you my neighbor?”  She was.  Her name I understood.  Her husband’s and dog’s, she wrote on the sand.  And then there was the little girl, five years old maybe, a little ballerina who obviously had insisted on going to the beach in her pink ballerina dress, never mind the wet sand.  She spoke to me.  I did my usual ear poke and head shake.  She looked at me for a second and then bent down and scrawled the letter “D” in the sand.  The rest will always be a mystery because someone called her back to the group.  Exactly the right thing to do.  I AM a stranger, after all.

 

A solitary boat on Lake Huron - Providence Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario.

  

A kayaker and his sunset - Lake Huron, Providence Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario.



A contemplative young ballerina - Lake Huron, Providence Bay,
Manitoulin Island, Ontario.

 

Which brings me to today, Canada Day.  From Providence Bay, I took a rural route back to Hwy. 17 (via Rt. 6).  I loved this morning’s drive on the island – tranquil scenes of farms and lakes and ponds and bays.  One needs at least a week here to enjoy everything.

The Trans-Canada Highway – Hwy. 17 - ended for me at Sudbury.  Some road construction threw me off track for 20 minutes or so but I subsequently found the sign for Rt. 69 S and got on that.  Along this particular shoreline, because of the geological proximity of Manitoulin Island and the Bruce Peninsula, the water I’m seeing here is the Georgian Bay.  There are a number of rivers along this coast, the largest being French River, which empty to the Georgian Bay.  This region is beautiful, rugged, and wild, and, so says this publication, it belongs to the bears, raccoons, foxes, deer, etc.  That’s our cue, us two-legged beings, to respect the region and the wildlife. 

People can be so helpful…almost a little too helpful!  I arrived at the Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park and had a bit of trouble figuring out the entry point to my site.  I was trying to back in when this lady approached and started pointing over there and explaining how I can access my site from over there.  Her kind attempts only increased my confusion so I got out of the truck, told her I couldn’t hear, asked her to say again and tried to follow her gestures and lips at the same time.  And then this man strolled over and proceeded to give me the same instructions.  At that point we three realized that I actually had to nose-in, not back-in, because of the location of the electrical post in proximity to my power cord.  The man revised his instructions, telling me to drive around back that way and come this way.  Noting that I was totally confused, he flashed me a liberal “come on” with his hand and headed for the passenger seat of my truck.  He almost sat down when I hollered “Wait, wait, wait…” and I had barely a moment to safely relocate elsewhere my Nikon camera, my Sony camcorder, and my “Made-in-Russia” binoculars, all of which had been hidden under a blanket on that very seat, and toss the blanket to the back.  That sure did feel weird, having a strange man next to me in the truck but in the end I was properly parked and all was well!

The small sandy beach was nearby and I went there to read and relax.  My reading was interrupted quite a few times by this little girl who persisted in carrying on a conversation with me.  Oh, she was cute – curly brown hair, dark brown eyes.  Her mother was close by and when I told her that I was Deaf, she repeated the child’s comments to me.  Not wanting the little girl to feel or think that I was ignoring her, I suggested to the Mom that she tell her daughter I couldn’t hear.  That didn’t stop her from talking to me – “I’m going to the water…you’re reading a book…your ears don’t work…” - and she held up two fingers to let me know she was two years old.  She probably won’t remember this, her first encounter with a deaf person, but promoting awareness is always a good thing!   

TUESDAY, JULY 2 –

This is my last night in Ontario.  I drove for five hours today, from Sturgeon Bay to Kincardine, taking several routes, along the Lake Huron shoreline, through urban towns and rural communities.  From time to time I would catch snatches of Huron through gaps in the trees or between buildings or homes.  Some of the towns – Wasaga Beach and Owen Sound, to name two – were heavily populated by cars and people.  Tourists…just like me.

The lady at the Green Acres Campground and RV Park [in Kincardine] spoke with an accent.  As we processed my registration for a site, she asked the usual questions.  She said “hydro” instead of “water” but I caught that one.  Then she asked me whether I had something.  Trying to imitate what she mouthed, I repeated “Do I have…fu…food…ford…?”  She smiled and said she was from Germany and she knows it’s hard for me to lip read her.  She wrote “Do you have wood?” – just making sure I didn’t bring any firewood with me from somewhere else.  I liked her and I liked my site when I saw it -- I’m parked on grass, green grass - no gravel, no dirt, no mud – with pine trees around me.  A ladybug landed on my leg but that was it.  There were no mosquitos or other annoying bugs!

 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 –

I drove around the residential areas of Kincardine before I got back on the highway towards the border.  The homes around here are very attractive, especially the ones facing Lake Huron. 

 

It isn't always about the water.  The beauty of a field of yellow
will also catch my eye.  This one is in Kincardine, Ontario.

 

There were a lot of trucks and cars and RVs spread out over ten lanes (or more) waiting to cross the border.  After 30 minutes of inching forward in my lane, it was finally my turn with the stern-looking USA Customs official.  “Where did you go in Canada?”  He must have been satisfied with my response because within the next minute I was in Port Huron, Michigan.  I didn’t find the Michigan Visitor’s Center where I thought it would be (I think they relocated) and feeling ready to call it a day, I headed for the Port Huron KOA.

 

Some observations about Ontario:

 

- Considering all the posted warning signs to watch for deer and moose, I didn’t see one carcass of a deer or a moose on the highway.  Not a one, the entire time I was in Ontario, and I’ve seen many in the USA.

 

- It didn’t occur to me until after I saw the term again, several times, on Manitoulin Island, but the Canadians use the term “First Nation” for their original inhabitants, the Indians.  The USA term is “Native Americans.”  I think both terms are appropriate and most respectful.

 

- The cashiers in the stores seem to insist on giving you your change in $1.00 or $2.00 COINS.  They have $1.00 bills but they seem to want to hang on to those bills.

 

- The fuel pumps at Ontario’s gas stations show their prices as, for example, 125.9.  That’s 125.9 cents.  I’m no math whiz but my guess is the equivalent would be $1.26.  And it’s per litre, not per gallon.  So, at 125.9 per litre, filling up 92 litres would set me back 11,582.8 cents, or $115.92.  I further noticed that the receipt does show the amount in dollars and not pennies.  Why their fuel pumps are set up that way, I don’t know.

THURSDAY, JULY 4 –
I’m celebrating another national holiday in the same week!  First it was Canada Day, today it’s the Fourth of July.  The Port Huron KOA is p-a-c-k-e-d…with families…and I’m outta here! 

With Lake Huron to my right, I took a leisurely morning drive through several small communities and farmland on Rt. 25 N, the eastern part of Michigan’s “thumb.”  As before, I would see glimpses of Huron and at one point I stopped at a roadside viewpoint for a better look. 



Lake Huron - somewhere on Michigan's "thumb."

As I reached Port Austin, the tip of the “thumb,” an unexpected blast of color greeted me.  People were mulling around, all decked out in colorful attire, and off to the side was a long line of vehicles getting prepped for the town’s parade.  Fortunately, the parade had not yet started and I was able to continue through town on the highway.  Hundreds of people lined both sides of the road for several blocks and noting that they were looking at me, or my camper, I started waving to them.  My little contribution to the spirit of the Fourth of July!

Around 1:00 p.m., I turned into the Albert E. Sleeper State Park, near Caseville, and was much relieved to learn that they had three sites available.  Not only is today a holiday, this is peak season along Michigan’s shores and reservations at the state and county parks are always encouraged.  Not an easy feat for me to do but I’ve learned from past trips that if you stop early enough there’s a good chance at least one site will be available.  So I got my site, set up the camper, and walked across Rt. 25 to the beach. 

Located on Saginaw Bay, on the western side of the “thumb,” the beach was long and sandy and full of people.  Lake Huron, as well as the other Great Lakes, looks like an ocean when you look out to the water.  The water here, compared to Lake Superior, has more of a green color and it was a bit murkier.  That may be because of the horde of human bathers and the propensity for some litter.  I sat down with my book but occasionally found the antics of the kids and their parents much more entertaining.  I finished my book, which is good.  I got some sunburn, which isn’t. 




The beach on Saginaw Bay, near the Albert E. Sleeper State Park - Michigan.

FRIDAY, JULY 5 –
Today would be a good day to do some errands I decided.  At Bay City, I got groceries.  I then parted ways with Rt. 25, got on Rt. 23 N, and stopped at the Tawas RV Park in Tawas City, MI.  A few miles inland from the shore, this RV Park promotes itself as being for the “mature” traveler, catering to the “adult & senior camper.”  The layout is nice, green grass and trees everywhere.  No children running around or biking around.  I did my laundry.  I have cable for my TV and WIFi.  I'll stay here tomorrow.  By Sunday, the weekend crowd should dissipate some.  I can always hope!