Happy Anniversary

Jeff and Kathy celebrated their three year anniversary on July 21, the day we took off for a camping trip at Humbug Mountain State Park on the southern Oregon coast. We are so grateful to have Jeff as Stepdad and Grandpa, and so thankful that they let us tag along for their big day!
Here are some pictures of the happy couple.
Em

We know how seriously they take their ice cream!

Kathy here:  Thanks for the Anniversary post and your writings about our trip to Humbug, Emily.  It was such a great trip.  I do admit to having a bit of a tantrum because the battery in the camper wouldn't charge and we were left without lights or fridge.  But Jeff has a way of helping me see that the big things (spending time with family having fun and creating memories) are the most important and the rest are small things. That is one of the many reasons that I love him and am so glad we are married.

 Here are some more pictures of the camping trip/river run

Lots of wildlife

On the windy beach the first day

Sunset.   Ruben observes from a rock

Emily contemplates

On the jet boat.  We were relatively dry here.

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Eagle nest and baby

Canoe paddlers had fun getting us wet with water guns. 

Ruben photo bombs me and Captain Kevin

We really did see a bear!!

Lovely Rogue River

Lots of smiles

Jeff and I enjoyed camping, even without power, but wanted a hot shower and restaurant meal.  We stopped south of Bandon at Devil's Kitchen state park and enjoyed the sun and views

Devil's Kitchen State Park

Sunset at Sunset Beach

Then we rented a room in Coos Bay and cleaned up, took a nap and went out for a nice Italian meal.  We watched the sunset and spent a couple of hours at the casino.  It was a nice way to end the adventure.  Thanks Ruben for letting us share your birthday present and thanks Emily for being such a supportive and prepared camper.  And blogger supreme.  We love you!

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!

We were on the 8th floor

The Vice Regal Suite

Living room with recliners

King size and soft but firm

Overlooking the bay

Plush robe

The man of distinction

Reflection off the water

On the shore of Lake of the Woods

64th birthday dinner

Happy Birthday beer

Sunset on July 7

West across Ontario--July 5-6

Kathy here:  After leaving Bayfield, we stopped for breakfast at the next biggest town, Godrich.  The whole place seemed deserted. We walked into the only open restaurant and found practically the whole town was there.  Good food too!

City Hall in Goderich

Great Breakfast place

Our plan was to drive north to Tobermory, take the ferry across Lake Huron, and continue north to the Trans-Canada Highway.  The first day we made it to Espanola and stopped for the night.

Lots of farms and canola fields

The bay at Tobermory

More of the bay

All the signs are in English and French

Panorama at the end of the dock

Into the ferry.  It was so tight we could barely get out of our car when we parked

View from our window

Lightouse on the way

Fellow travelers

Jeff amuses himself

The town of Espanola was not memorable in any way except that it was about a mile from the Trans-Canada Highway, which would be our road west across the country.  The motel we stayed at was called "The Pinewood Inn".  It's claim to fame was that it had an attached restaurant and there was nothing else to eat anywhere else in the area.  My fish and chips were really awful and made me long for Tim Horton's.  Which we found for breakfast further down the road.  TH does have great coffee. 

Ontario seemed really long.  We drove and drove and drove, up and down hills, with little peek-a boo views of rivers or Lake Huron.  Then we drove around part of Lake Superior.  The trees were pines and firs with tracts of birches.  The white bark of the birches was stark against the green trees and blue water.  It was beautiful, but after awhile, monotonous.  We stopped at  Terrace Bay for the night, just short of our goal, Thunder Bay.   The motel was called "The Red Dog Inn"  and it was a step up from the Pinewood.  But it was raining as we went to bed.  I felt sorry for the motorcylists in the room next door.

Beware of Moose.  You don't want to hit one!

Lake Huron.  It was so hazy, you could hardly tell the lake from the sky

Moose is on the loose

Another feature of the area north of Lakes Huron and Superior ...beautifully colored rocks.

Terrace Bay---They love their geese

Terrace Falls

Another goose

Construction and rain......a good reason to stop for the night.

I woke up to a sunny day for my birthday.  We were determined to get to the border of Ontario, maybe all the way to Winnipeg, Manitoba by the end of the day.  But more about that in another post!

Panorama of the Bay

Lake Superior in the sunshine