Time for another Road Tour - Just for the fun of it.

Started by binch, June 26, 2022, 11:04 PM

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binch

Looks like 'the family' is having another reunion (last one was some 350 people) on July 23, in Port Dover, Ontario.   So seeing is dad is getting on in years I thought I'd best make an appearance this year.   Beautiful time of the year to do the drive above superior too ;-)    Taking the 110 down and will be cutting across the Georgian Bay/Lake Huron gap at Manitoulin Island and landing in Tobermory, on a 1.75 hour ferry ride.   Saves 5 hours of driving and if it's good weather it will be beautiful crossing.   Mind you...if theirs any stormy weather.....well, let's just say green will be a popular colour. 

Do a bit of camping across Lake Superior and again on the way home.   Not sure if I'll come back across the ferry or maybe I'll just head up into cottage country to camp a couple days on the way home. ;)
Cheers, Bill

spartree

Should be a good trip Bill. I'd be interested to know how long it takes you to get out there. I'm planning a Newfoundland trip, but want to head North from Quebec and take the Trans-Labrador route, crossing over onto the Northern peninsula of the island.
E Silva Surrexi

Moose

The sail from Manitoulin Island to Tobermory on the Chi-Cheemaun is a really nice trip. You'll enjoy that. And seeing as you'll be in Port Dover, if you have time Port Burwell is a short drive west and you can take a tour of the submarine Ojibwa. It went into service in 1965 and was decommissioned in 1998. I did the tour yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. You cannot view this attachment. 

binch

Quote from: spartree on July 05, 2022, 09:01 AM
Should be a good trip Bill. I'd be interested to know how long it takes you to get out there. I'm planning a Newfoundland trip, but want to head North from Quebec and take the Trans-Labrador route, crossing over onto the Northern peninsula of the island.

I've done the trip a few times now in the defender and in the 200tdi RRC.   I generally count on taking 3.5 days to get from my door in Edmonton to my parents old house in hamilton (3448km).    The ferry from South Baymouth to Tobermory is ALWAYS a nice rest in the middle of the drive, and it saves a few hours of driving.   That crossing just before thanksgiving is spectacular with all the maples turning red!!!!!   Looks like the forests are on fire ;-)

Moose,  Thanks for the tip!!    I'm might just do that......sounds tres kool!!!!!

I'm hearing the diesel down that way can get very cheap (snik, snik, snik)   Last I looked it was 1.85 a litre......
Cheers, Bill

Moose

Quote from: binch on July 05, 2022, 03:41 PM

I'm hearing the diesel down that way can get very cheap (snik, snik, snik)   Last I looked it was 1.85 a litre......

We were paying up near 2.25 a litre for diesel about a week ago but is now down around 1.98 here in Mississauga.

Brett

binch

Cheers, Bill

BurbleBeast

While driving to Carlyle SK on Monday, I happened to see a rather familiar looking 110 parked by a massive coffee pot in Davidson SK. Decided to re-create the shot on the way home on Wednesday; albeit with a far inferior vehicle...  You cannot view this attachment.

Hopefully the rest of your journey goes well Bill!

binch

Got back from my trip down to Port Dover last nite.   GREAT TRIP!!!!    My best mileage on the trip was in Ontario where the speed limit was 90km/h (at least it's suppose to be...but I must have missed the 1 in front of the 90).    I had 3 fill ups that returned just over 800km on the tank, when I was doing 95 or under.    On the prairies I was doing between a 105 and 110 and I only got about 730km to the tank.  If there was a strong head wind the brick shape of the 110 had to work a wee bit harder  ::)    All in all I put on 7500km+ in the 10 days I was gone and didn't use any oil or coolant (and yes, I did have some to start), but I lost a headlight (just died) and my heater fan is now squealing like a pig!

I took four days getting down there:
- Left monday at 7am on hwy 14 to Battleford and then Hwy 16 to Hwy 1, fueling up in Deacons Corner petro canada @ $1.93/lt
   (just east of winnipeg) stop for the nite in their lot out back.
- Tuesday left at 630am and followed trans canada and a few Hell's Angles through Kenora, Dryden, Thunderbay and to Helen Lake
    Reserve for fuel @ $1.62/lt (just east of Nipigon).  Spent the night on an Ont Hydro service access road, up on hill over looking superior ;-)
- Wednesday was another 6am start and followed the trans Canada down the north shore of lake Superior (and the water was fine too) to South
   Baymouth Ferry terminal.   Stopped along the way to top up on Manitoulan Island (not to far south of Espanola), at a reserve station @ $1.80/lt.   
   That gave me lots of fuel to get south to Hamilton and drive around for the weekend.  I got my ferry ticket bumped up to the first crossing in the
   morning, but spent my nite in the chateau 110, at the front of the que for stand-by boarding.   
- Thursday up at 6am, to get sorted for the 830 opening of the ferry terminal.   It was a great crossing on the ferry and had a chance to have a
    really nice conversation with an elderly native women.  Made an 1.75 hour crossing go by like it were only 20 minutes!   Now I could have driven
    from Tobermory straight down to Hamilton but I wasn't due for another day.  So instead... I drove down hwy 10 to Millbank, enjoying all the little towns
    and hamlet's along the way.  And since I'm in this neck of the woods I wanted to stop at 'Anna Mae's restaurant' in Millbank for their famous 'Broasted'
    chicken dinner.  Second best chicken I've ever had....and dirt cheap too.  And the attached bakery will fill any void left in your belly ;)    I went back up
    north again to stay at a campsite (not much crown land in that area for random camping) I found online.   Great 'primative' style sight all to myself...
    just me and the peepers to lullaby me to sleep.
- Friday 6am start again and made my way to Hamilton where I could visit with family over the next few days, a visit to the War Bird Heritage museum,
   and a family reunion in Port Dover lake Erie). 

I had a good visit down there, even though I arrived in a warm spell with lots of humidity.  10 minutes outside and your shirt is sticking to your body! 
Sunday morning I went out to one of the Six Nation Reserves and topped up the fuel for $1.60/lt, enough to carry me well up north of Superior again.
In the evening I had dinner my younger brother at Ancaster's Coach & Lantern pub (built in 1830's, across the road from the Barrack's hotel from the 1820's for the British army). A lovely yorkshire pudding bowl filled with roast beef and guiness gravy, and all the fixings, chased with a 'Sticky Toffee Pudding.  8)

- Monday morning, with the 110 all packed up again I stopped by Dad's retirement home and said are farewells.  By 930am I was on the
   road heading back up to Tobermory to catch the last ferry of the day.   The crossing was MUCH windier this time, and much larger swells
   rocking the ship side to side.  After disembarking the ferry I made my way past the Manitoulin reserve I visited on the way down.   The
   feds had decided to knock 6 cents a litre off the fuel and diesel was cheaper still for the 40 litre's I topped up with.    I made as far as
   Spanish, Ontario that night and found truck lay-by that wasn't being used.
- Tuesday was another start of 6am and I followed the trans Canada for the day, filling up again at Helen lake reserve (picking up some
   smoked white fish mmmmmm), but I continued back through Dryden and Kenora, onto Deacon's Corner for more fuel and sleep.
- Wednesday I decided to swing by Saskatoon for fuel at Costco (busy place that) and then carry on to North Battleford.   From there it
   was back down to Wainwright, through some beautiful country side.   From Wainwright it was west on hwy 14 to Edmonton and my own bed.

I've done this trip many times (only twice in the 110) and it never gets old.   There is SO MUCH to see and enjoy, with a million lakes on the way. 
The wildlife I saw included Deer, Moose, black Bear, Mink, Coyotes, Fox, Gray Squirls, Porcupines, Canada gees, Great blue Herons, Pelicans, Loons, Cormorants, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Cardinals, and a whole lot more I just can't recall.   There are all the interesting folks you meet along the
way and so much history in all these little towns and villages that played such a big part in this countries history.

It was another good trip that I'm sure I'll be doing again one day.... ;)
Cheers, Bill