Canda: Day Three

When we went to bed last night, we had made a plan.  We would wake early, make hot coffee, jump in Lake Superior and then come back and enjoy the coffee as the foggy morning cleared.  Finally, we'd pack up and head back to America.

This is a panorama of what the lake looked like when we woke.  Slightly foggy, smooth as glass and very, very peaceful.

This is us, before we jumped in the lake.

This is us afterward!

It was so incredibly cold that when in dove in, I literally could not breathe.  Erica was ready to keep swimming, but I was immediately moving toward the shore.  I have always wondered how it felt when people did the polar plunge.  This wasn't even frozen, but it surely was cold.  I just checked the temperatures and it appears that the water temperature was in the low 50's.  Can't imagine the shock one's body must go into when falling into a frozen lake.

We started a tradition.  We want to take a photo of the teardrop at each of our campsites near some sort of sign.  Agawa Bay sure was a terrific place to have our first outing.  

We did a little shopping for souvenirs; sadly, we ended up finding our items in the duty free shop.

Welcome to the United States!  We entered on the fourth of July.  Thankfully, the border was not crowded. A short while after crossing the bridge we were at the crossing point.  The U.S. agent must having a very good day because our conversation went something like this: 

"...Is that a home made trailer?"

"No, I restored it.  It is a 1947."

"You two must get along pretty well to sleep in that thing."

"Yes sir, we do."

"Between the two of you, you have one correct passport."

"Excuse me?"

"Erica needs to sign hers, and Todd needs a new one.  It expired in February."

"Oh my goodness, I did not realize."

"Have a good day."

"Happy Fourth of July!"

With that, we were back to America.  Phew!

We made one significant purchase in Canada.  We purchased a EZ Up Shelter that came with the screens for all four sides.  We put it up yesterday evening to test it out while we are camping here at the island a couple of more days.  It went up quickly and simply.  The screens clipped on in minutes and we now have a 100 square foot addition to our teardrop.  We can put it next to the teardrop as you see here, or we could even put it over the teardrop to provide maximum protection.  I could imagine a really hot night where we left the doors open with the shelter/screens over the teardrop.  Hopefully we'll never have that yucky of a day to deal with, but now we have some alternatives.  As it is right now, the one side unzips to reveal an opening for the door.  We are thinking that the kids might end up sleeping in the screened portion.  We may add one or two 'privacy walls,' in the future.  This will truly extend our living space.  It was a good purchase.

Canada: Day One

Today was Canada Day.  We were both shocked with how patriotic the Canadians were.  It seemed that every home had a Canadian flag on display.  When we got to the campground, nearly every tents, trailer or RV had some sort of Canadian flag on display too.

We boarded the Sugar Island Ferry to take us back to the main land so we could begin our journey northward to Canada.  We were both pretty excited because it was the first time we've ever traveled out of the country together.  It was also the first time Erica had traveled with her new passport.  Crossing borders, at least for me, makes me a little nervous.  Going over proved to be no problem.

The Carpe Diem on the ferry.

My father-in-law suggested we take a picture of us in front of the ferry to show that we have had no problems with trailer licensing.  Wisconsin does not require a trailer plate because the teardrop is well under the 3,000 pound measure.  So, here is the obligatory shot of me with the teardrop in front of the sign.

Crossing the International Bridge over the locks of the Soo.

Literally crossing the border.

Welcome to Sault Saint Marie, Ontario!

We drove a couple of hours north on the Trans-Canadian Freeway (17) to the Ontario Provincial Park.  The views were spectacular and we made several stops to take in the views.  This is the view 'up' from our campsite.  We both learned a lot about backing the teardrop into tiny spaces.  We will surely be adding the 12" extension to the trailer tongue.  We need that tiny bit of extra room for maneuverability.  

Our first 'official' camping site at Agawa Bay in the Ontario Provincial Park.

A breath taking sunset, at nearly 10:00 at night, to end our first official camping trip.  We both slept very well.  The temperatures got into the 50's in the night.  The vent, blowing out, creates a fantastic cross breeze when one or both windows are open.  At one point in the night, I ended up closing my window too.  The suction was so powerful that I could feel the vent 'sucking' through the holes in the teardrops skin where the hinges meet the frame.  I made many notes about tweaks to the teardrop; one of them being covering the hinges with the foam rubber as I've done on the door.