J and K Adventures: Birthday in Kenora, Ontario--July 7

It was my birthday and the sun was shining and we had a good night's sleep at the Red Dog. I was glad to get on the road and see an end to endless Ontario. We continued around Lake Superior and finally stopped for lunch at a place called Burger and Cone.....two of our favorite things. As we drove along we noticed that the landscape was increasingly flat and we were going through an area with many lakes. In fact, we went north and inland from Lake Superior and were still driving by the water most of the time. As time went on, we realized that we weren't going to make it to Winnipeg, and in fact were not even going to leave Ontario behind. We drove into Kenora and hoped we could find a room.

Kenora is on the northern shore of Lake of the Woods, one of the largest lakes in North America. Kenora is a bit of a tourist mecca for the area and has lots of boats and other water vehicles for rent at numerous marina's. Since it was my birthday, I wanted to indulge in a room by the water. We followed the main street past the usual Motel 6's and 8's and through a cute area with restaurants and small business. At the waterfront was a tall round building--The Lakeside Inn. We walked in, but I was pretty sure the rooms were over our price limit if there was any room available at all. Sure enough, the only room left was the "Vice Regal Suite" and the price was WAY above budget. Jeff looked at me and said "it's up to her" and I said, "SURE, we'll take it". Jeff turned a lovely shade of green, but after we got the key and saw the room, his complexion took a more normal hue. The room was absolutely the most lush hotel room I have ever been in. It was on the 8th floor. A suite with floor to ceiling windows, a separate living room and bedroom facing a gorgeous western view of Lake of the Woods and the surrounding islands. We enjoyed a shower with two rainshower heads and donned plush robes to take a little nap before dinner. Ahhhhhh, Luxury!!! After we found a local brewpub with ice cold beer and great food, I though I had gone to heaven. What a nice birthday surprise!