Goodbye Prairies...Hello Ontario!

   I could not believe the difference between the Prairies and the landscape of Ontario. No longer was it yellow canola feilds and purple flax fields but now marshy forests lining the road. I had no idea that Ontario was essentially one large marsh, and I was very excited to possibly see a moose. We stopped in a beautiful little town called Kenora to buy some groceries before camping. I loved Kenora at first sight! I liked how the town was right on Lake of the Woods and the way the banks and pharmacies were located nearly on the docks. If travelling through again I would definitely plan to stay a night.
  That evening we drove another hour or so down the Trans Canada Highway until we reached Thunder Lake Provincial Park. It was a nice campsite with rustic campsites and a nice beach to swim at. We were so hot by the time we arrived, after being stuck in the van (without air conditioning) for several hours that we couldnt wait to jump in. Except, when we got in the water it was incredibly warm! It was as warm as the water in our waterbotttles that had been sitting out in the sun all day! Great beach though, and wonderful water to swim in. The only downfall to this campground was the dozens of spiders!

Our next day was spent driving through the swamps of Ontario admiring the luscious landscape. I would compare the scenery to the rainforests of Costa Rica, so green and full. Every so often you could catch a peek of Lake Superior off in the distance stretching out in the horizon like the ocean. It was truly one of my favourite drives of the trip. We stopped at the Terry Fox Memorial Site and took a few minutes to reflect on the accomplishment he had made on his journey. It really is amazing what he did, and if you arent familiar with Terry Fox I would encourage you to read up on him, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox

We also visited Thunder Bay for a couple of hours and walked along Prince Arthur's Landing which is a wonderful park that follws the shore of Lake Superior. There is a neat Native Gathering art piece in the park along with flowers and park benches providing an excellent spot to get out and stretch the legs. I would not necessarly recommend staying a night or entire day in Thunder Bay, however it is a great town to stop in for a couple of hours.

  Now on to my most favourite campground of the trip! About half way between Thunder Bay and Sault St. Marie is a campground called Rainbow Falls. We rolled into the driveway of this Provincial Park later in the evening after a very long day of driving and just looking for somewhere to sleep. There were not too many campsites to choose from along this 10 hour stretch so we were just happy to of come across one finally. We set up our site and started the fire for dinner before going for a stroll around the campground. On our walk we found the natural water slides! Down the path from our campground was an entry to Lake Superior and instead of a beach there were giant flat rocks. For about a kilometer you could hop along the giant rocks and slide into the water on the smooth surface like a waterslide! At one point we brought our camping pot out and splashed water down a 40ft long rock and slid down into the refreshing water.

It was one of the funnest evenings I can remember and we all felt like children again, laughing and playing until the sun went down. If you are ever in the area make sure to stop at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park and play on the rocks...it is the most fun you will have since you were a child. It always seems you come across the most amazing things when you are least expecting it.