A Chipmunk Northern Adventure!

I decided I wanted to take a fall tour of the North! I can not go south! Lol! Come on border! Its getting cold outside!!

Pickle Lake is the most northern point in Ontario you can drive to! It is 23 hours north from my starting point in St Catharines Ontario. I have never been there! Sounds like a good place to go. I left on Tuesday sort of! Lol! I got about 2 hours out and a piece of paperwork I needed for my retirement came in and yup you guessed it. Turned around! Wednesday seemed like a good day to start!

I left Wednesday morning with no hiccups. Through Toronto and on up the 400. As I was passing thru Parry Sound the trees were a beautiful red colour and I could feel the north getting closer. I almost wondered of the trees had already turned up here, but thank goodness it is just as beautiful!

I made it up to Sudbury the first day. Pretty good haul although it would get much slower from there! Stayed the first night at the Sudbury Walmart. Great spot for RV’s right next to the cliff wall. There were a few there already as I pulled in and a few more joined in after that! It was a nice quiet night which was good as I was planning on driving a good distance the next day!

Thursday was a little cloudy and overcast but a nice day! Onto Hwy 17 west I go! I love this Highway! It follows the top of Lake Superior, a winding, scenic road with lots of scenic pulloffs that you can stop to take an Ahh moment. I have driven it many times for work, but always had a deadline. This time no deadline so a few stops along the way! Its a pretty straight drive to Sault St Marie. I love stopping at the little picnic areas and lookouts. Blind River is a cute little town about halfway between Sudbury and Sault St Marie. Quaint with some very pretty views.

Stopping at Sault St Marie Walmart for the night as the fog rolled in. That is one thing about traveling this highway in the spring and fall. Fog!!! It can linger across the highway or roll in off the lake like a bad horror movie. One minute you can see and the next you can not see the front of your van! Knowing is half the battle. So waking in the morning to fog was not unexpected. I sat and waited for a few hours and it began to burn off. Back on the Highway I go. Excited that I would be getting to the most beautiful part. Up through Lake Superior Provincial Park. It is a Huge Provincial Park that is on my list of stays but not today! I did stop along the way! Its overcast and cloudy but still beautiful. I recorded some of my drive and even found a lookout while I was recording! Check it out!

My first stop after a couple of lookouts was Batchawana Bay! Funny name but a very pretty place. Even with it being later in the season and a not so nice day it was still pretty busy. I saw a small road off to the left so I turned and behold nobody and a nice beach spot. Score! Time for a little chillin!

There are so many stops along the way and I stopped at a few of them. I saw a sign for Old Woman Bay! Hey I am an old woman lets meet another!! The Bay is is named after the rock formation looking out on the bay. As you look at it you will see the face of an old woman.

What a lovely spot! A beautiful beach, picnic tables and a breathtaking view. Just what an old woman needs!! Lol! Nice place to make a coffee and have a sandwich!

Even had a little squirrel want who seemed to want to share my sandwich! You know I did! How could I resist that cute little face!

A little farther down the road was Wawa! I was looking at my Boondocking apps as it was getting later in the day and I wanted to find a place to park. I drove into Wawa, drove past Timmies, and went into town for gas. $1.13/L! Ouch!!! My app said just outside of town there was an old abandoned truck stop. No buildings left just an empty lot!! Perfect!! I pulled around the back of some brush, made some dinner and time for a disaster movie!

Just a note! There was a lot of garbage. I picked up some and took it out with me! There are garbage cans Everywhere along this highway! No excuse not to use them! Grrrr One of my pet peeves!!

During the night it started to rain! I love the sound of rain on the roof of the van as I sleep. It is a peaceful sound!

I headed out the next morning enjoying the drive through the mountains. I love the feel of the open road and my tires rolling down the highway.

Marathon is a small town on Lake Superior. I stopped at the information center and apparently it is also a ski place but closed long ago. The information building was also closed but there was a big parking lot and a beautiful view. I went for a little walk, pulled out my computer and felt this was a beautiful place to write a blog!

As I was working on what your reading btw, looking over the view I noticed a fog rolling in. It looked thick. I had never been to Marathon, I have been through Marathon along the highway, even slept in the 69 at one of the gas stations once but had never been in the town. I thought I should move if I want to see some sights before the fog rolls in. Too late!! As I pulled into Marathon I litterly hit a wall of fog! There’s a little beach at the end of the road called Pebble Beach. It will be my spot for the night!

I am a little closer to Pickle Lake! Hopefully a sunshiney day tomorrow!!

Thanks for coming along on my Chipmunk Adventure. Stay tuned next week and see if I finally make it to Pickle Lake!

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