Friday May 31

Started out with cloudy skies in Sault Ste. Marie this morning early. Made a grilled cheese and discovered the smoke alarm in the trailer much to the delight of fellow campers. And it's hard to sneak out in shame when you have to hitch up (am really NOT getting the hang of the hitch ball) and dump your tanks before you go. But people are really quite nice about newbies.

By the time I got to Lake Superior Provincial Park, it was raining, which made the pain of not staying there better. Not much is open up that way, although I did see some trailers at Pancake Bay - the rest of the park still seemed closed. Spring is a lot farther behind than in the south and I have the feeling that the last snow piles melted not long ago.

Stopped at Wawa. It has not improved over the years and I didn't even stop for a walk in the cold and rainy lakefront boardwalk. Instead I splurged on my first souvenir - a goose pin from the info centre. Classy all the way - but it will look nice adorning my knitting bag.

And then on to Marathon - aptly named. It takes a while to get there. I'd have stopped to take a picture of the rocks, trees, lakes, rocks, trees, lakes, rocks, trees, lakes - but when and how do you make the final decision of which ones warrant a stop? And I've discovered it's harder to stop with a trailer in tow than when you have just a car. So no pictures for you.

I did see a raven's nest at the top of a poplar tree, a bald eagle, and a heron. And seriously, the countryside is stunning, even in the rain. The rivers are not the dammed, controlled, and manicured waters of the south. They are torrents - particularly at this time of the year! And I can assure that spring is a recent phenomenon with coltsfoot in bloom (they've already seeded down south) and tamarack just beginning to show green.

The roadsigns warning of moose are interesting in these parts. In Quebec, the moose's name is Prudence, and she looks quite perky. I couldn't find an image to demonstrate - but recall that all the signs were of Prudence the moose who looks like she wants to dance.

Not so on Ontario highways. Here is the sign:

This is a moose with attitude - he's out to ram someone with those lowered horns! And Night Danger! When the mind is left alone with this image on a long drive, wonderful things happen. I think I have the plot for a crime novel titled "The Moose Comes in the Night" - but oh, deer, what potential for double entendre!

And why only at night? What do they do during the day? Not cross the road? Not behave in a dangerous manner? Or are they just easier to see and avoid? So many questions, so few answers. And no moose. Not one. I suppose I should be grateful as I've seen the postings of what a moose can do to your car.

I wrote the above with a cup of tea when I arrived in my campsite in Marathon. Then I tried to deal with the driving challenges I experienced - lack of power on the hills and swaying of the camper. After spending a few hours online, on the phone, and going for a long walk to make the decision, I've decided to end this trip and head home. I'm going to call this the inaugural loop. I hope to purchase a larger tow vehicle and set out again. The Forester, much as I love it, just doesn't have the power to tow on the kinds of hills I experienced between Wawa and Marathon, and it certainly would not be able to manage the Rockies.

I'm very disappointed in the so called 'professionals' that I consulted at a Subaru dealership, at a Subaru repair centre, the trailer dealer. None of them asked what I now know to be the right questions. They all assured me that this car was sufficient. When I heard the third assurance, I decided it would be OK. And it might have been had I not put anything in the trailer or car for the trip. But who does that? Of course I want my sports great, toys, books etc to come with me, otherwise what's the point?

So it is with disappointment that I sign off here. I'll post when I get home to let you know I'm home safe - it will be a white knuckled drive today - just to let you know I'm fine. And then I'll post again when I set off on version two!