OMG — when you’re traveling, you’d better expect the unexpected!
Yesterday was a tough and exhausting day. We left Elliott Lake planning to drive just a few hours to Wawa, hoping to cut our travel time to Thunder Bay in half. Several people had warned us that this stretch of the route—across Ontario’s lakes—is long and somewhat dull.

When we arrived in Wawa, we realized it’s a tiny town with very limited options for accommodations. So we pushed on to White River… same story. Nothing there either. By then I was getting tired, but Martin felt good and suggested we try making it all the way to Thunder Bay.

I dozed off in the car and we arrived around 9:00 p.m. We hadn’t eaten since early afternoon, so we stopped at Boston Pizza. It was packed. I was starving and needed to eat quickly, so I ordered nachos. At one point the server informed me that my nachos had been mistakenly given to someone else—but that mine were coming soon. Argh! I was frustrated but took deep breaths and stayed calm.

As a diabetic, I need to eat roughly every four hours. I’d had a banana earlier, but the energy had long worn off. When I finally got my food, Martin pointed out that no one had even taken his order yet. You can imagine how that went…

Then came the hotel situation. Everything in Thunder Bay was fully booked due to a hockey tournament—except one suite for over $400 a night. “What now?” I asked Martin. “I’ve got a second wind,” he said. “I can keep going if you’re okay sleeping in the car. Let’s try for Kenora.”

We ended up driving for over 15 hours and arrived in Kenora in the early morning. We finally found a room at the Clarion, though they charged us for one night plus half a day—a hefty price, but we were absolutely wiped. Martin slept until mid-afternoon.

I went down for the “complimentary” breakfast, only to find out the restaurant was under renovation. Since Martin was still sleeping, I drove to McDonald’s to grab a breakfast sandwich.

Now it’s a beautiful day, and we’re heading out to enjoy some fresh air. Tomorrow, we’ll head to Winnipeg. It’s just a couple of hours away, and we’re thinking of staying there at least a night—maybe longer if we decide to explore the French quarter of Saint Boniface.

It was a tough day, no doubt, but we made it through. Brighter days are ahead! I’m grateful Martin is a good driver and that we both remained calm through it all, although I came close to losing it! lol