Still in Ontario!

Hi Everyone:

We are still in Ontario and Yes it is one big Province!  We left Thunder Bay in the rain and it has been raining for the last 5 days, so we just kept on moving.

I takes 10 hours to get from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie, which is driving along Lake Superior.  The drive in beautiful, and the lake is huge.  It is full of islands and lots of little bays where people have their cabins and houses.

Doug has noticed that most Ontario drivers never speed.   The speed limit has been 90 on most of all the highways we have driven on, and everyone seems to be content to go at that speed, not like the highway between Edmonton and Calgary!  Another thing we have notice is the terrain has been rocky, they had to blast through rock to make the highways.  On top of all these rocks are small
inukshuk's that someone has placed.  We have noticed them all the way from Sioux Narrows to Sault Ste. Marie.  Some have fallen down but most are standing directing where to go, kind of nice!

We also noticed that like Alberta, many of the small towns have a symbol that they are proud of, or that they are trying to attract tourist.  Much like the huge Kobasa in Mundre.  Here is the giant Canadian Goose in Wawa, Ontario.  The lady at the camp site was so proud of this LOL

We try and stop every so often if it looks like something good to see, as we were passing through a small town called Bruce Mines, which is on Lake Huron,  we saw a marina, so we stopped to check it out, and on the pathway to the marina we saw a Alligator Snapping turtle that was the size of a dinner plate.

Notice he has a tail like a Alligator, has a blood sucker hitching a ride on his back and this species are protected.  Needless to say we did not pet it, so we did not see him snap!

He was quite far from the water, so not sure exactly what he was doing, or where he was headed!

We headed for North Bay because it was on a big lake called Lake Nipissing which we thought was strange name, and a good reason to go and visit.  At the tourist information we find out that North Bay is where the Dionne Quintuplet where born! Who would have thought!!!

This is the house where to Qunits were born on May 28 1934, and has a lot of their original furniture and cloths.  This lady had 14 children! OUCH!

The Qunits combined weight at birth was only 13lbs. 6oz. and they had to be kept in incubators for the first month of their lives.  Their lungs were so small that diluted doses of rum were required daily to help the Quints breathe properly.  One of the main reasons that Doug and I try to have rum daily!
It was a one in 57 million chance of giving birth to identical quintuplets and even less chance of them surviving, but the Dionne Qunits did.

What we found fascinating was that when the babies were 4 months old, the government took them away from their mother and father and used them for tourism.  The government built a big house, a hospital and a play arena, just for the children.  Twice a day paid tourists sat in the play arena and watched the girls play.
The government was making tons of money. The quints attracted 3 million visitors to North Bay and area during the peak years of the Depression.  It was not until the girls were 9 years old that their parents, though a court order, finally got them back.  Two of the five are still alive today.  The girls did not get any of the money that was made exploiting them.  In those days the government could do anything it wanted.

We also went to a Air Show in North Bay, as we found out, it was Arm Forces Day. I think more than half the town was there, we even asked if it was a holiday!

 They have a big CFB Base and we saw a CF-18 fighter jet put on a show for everyone.  I must admit the sound did scare both Doug and I at times.  We also went to their small farmers market and bought some Maple Syrup, that was made locally.  The price is the same as home, no deals to be had here.

Another thing we also notice is the provincial camp grounds are very expensive.  We are in Algonquin Prov. Park right now, and the price is $50.00 a night with power.  The one thing that is different is that all the showers in the parks are free, and all the parks have a paid washer and dryer to use.  The sites are big, but some are very rustic and are need of some TLC.  You need to buy your fire wood, which is also expensive, at $8.00 a crack for a small bundle ( of which is green wood).
The private campgrounds are about the same amount of money, some even cheaper, but not as private.

this carving was outside of a Information Center

Goose and her goslings out for a stroll 

The weather now is hot today, so tomorrow we are headed for Ottawa to check out our Capital.
Take care
Doug and Judy