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5:53 PM 10/04/2009
I am now in North Bay, Ontario. I am rather glad to be out of Quebec. Although it is a beautiful historic province, it is nice to get news in English and to be able to read signs; any signs. I found the people there to be very friendly and helpful. It was also cold there. My old roommate, Pascal, told me it was very cold there and he is correct. I drove right through Montreal, keeping my eyes glued to the highway so didn't see much of any thing there. I also drove right through Ottawa. I would have liked to see the Parliament Building, but being Easter weekend everything is closed.

I got here on hwy 17, which in these parts is the Trans-Canada. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "shake, rattle and roll". I hope it improves as I continue.

6:05 PM 12/04/2009
The road did improve. I drove as far as I could yesterday, finally spending the night at a truck stop in Wawa (so called because of all the geese). It was a very scenic route. I saw both Lake Huron and Lake Superior. They are the bluest blue! I would call them royal blue. There were watch for moose signs all along the route. I didn't see any moose, but I saw a huge black bear on a rocky ledge by the highway. Today I drove as far as Dryden. I have been quite taken since re-entering Canada at how much forested area there is in our country.

I drove through Manitoba, stopping in Winnipeg. The one tire on my car Kaddie went flat and I was thankful that it happened in a city and not on the hwy. There was a lot of water in the ditches and some fields looked like lakes. I stayed at a truck stop for the night and it was a big mud hole, but I was tired from traveling and happy to park.

The next day I drove as far as Moose Jaw, Sask. and parked at WalMart. I had a great visit with my Uncle Mike and his wife Doreen. I drove through blizzard conditions from Moose Jaw to Swift Current. The radio was giving snow warnings for Maple Creek and I was undecided on whether to continue on or wait it out. I spoke to a couple who suggested I continue on as the snow was to last for 2 days. Presently the highway was warm and the snow was melting as it hit, but by tomorrow the roads could be iced up making travel impossible. I took their suggestion and arrived in Strathmore, which is where I sit to add to my blog.

It has been a wonderful experience and I hope I will get to do this once again, although for a shorter period of time. Thank you to all who have sent encouraging emails and comments to my blog. I will write again once I am settled.