Scraping instead of trusting

You can see Batchawana Bay way off in the distance. By the end of the day we had got to the other side of the Bay.

Wanted you to see the rock face cliffs in the distance.

Leaving the Soo, Wawa 212 km and Thunder Bay 680.

Tried to let you see how steep this hill was - not sure I succeeded. We have mostly been going down all the hills. One day all that will change - Paul and I look forward to the Montreal Harbour hill with the excitement of a big challenge.

Yesterday started early. We decided to rise at 4:30 am and we managed to be walking by 5:15 am. I was so excited about our change in routine I could hardly sleep. Besides it was really hot and we were parked in a rough turn around area. Diane thought it may have been a gas station at one time but now all the traces of buildings were gone and all there was left was a gravel drive that arched from the highway across the property and back to the highway again.

It is always so rewarding to be up early. By 11 am we were having lunch at Chippawa Falls picnic area having done 21 kms of our day! We were all elated with our progress.

Back on the road we only had another 4 kms to do but Paul and I decided we would walk for an hour and then be satisfied with whatever kms we ended up with.

It was extremely hot once again (at least 30), but we were blessed with a good breeze that enticed us on. At the end of our last hour we had a diversion: our first indication that something was happening ahead was the way a semi slowed to a crawl as it came to the corner ahead. Our interest piqued we strained to see around the corner and finally we caught a glimpse of a police cruiser with its bank of lights flashing. Was it an impromtu inspection station? No, there was a semi trailer on its side in the ditch. It was on the same side as we had just been walking! We stopped to thank the Lord for His protection and watch care. There was a crew transferring the cargo from the disabled trailer to another, and a large tow truck waited nearby to upright the box. We spoke to a very nice policeman who explained the situation. The trucker had pulled onto the shoulder which was deep loose gravel. When he was unable to free his truck from the soft trap his decided to separate the truck from the trailer (which was a good idea in another situation). As soon as the trailer was on its own, the legs that usually provide stability sunk into the soft gravel and the trailer just laid down on its side.

The officer was very jovial and encouraging but we thought since Diane wasn't arriving with the RV we might as well keep walking. Thinking we were at the end of our day doing more mileage was that much harder. The other option, standing in the sun, was no option at all. So we picked a road sign as a short term goal and headed off. Diane still hadn't shown when the sign was passing our shoulders so we picked one more sign and walked forward. Arriving at the sign we began to understand that Diane was having trouble. We decided to wait a bit and then hitch a ride back to where we had last seen her. But it was not necessary as Diane had flagged down a cherry-picker (what she thought looked like some kind of service vehicle). She never ceases to amaze me by her resilience and resourcefulness. The truck pulled onto the shoulder and the driver, a Newfoundlander who lives in Toronto said, "Your partner in crime is broken down. She sent me to take you back to her." What a great guy! He did all he could with that special easterner happy attitude. So I says to Buddy, "tanks eh!" and he drove off the happiest driver around.

I wish I had thought about it then, but it was only this morning as I walked that I wanted to tell him to go home to Newfoundland. I want to ask him if he wouldn't rather live poor at home than poor in Toronto? Go home.

So the RV wouldn't start, no click no nothing. So after a series of unfortunate events (were I to write them each one, all of the books of the world would be unable to contain them) we picked up Paul at the Canadian Tire in the Sault. The RV had an appointment for 10 am the today. Putting three sun scorched heads together, we decided to get a hotel room for Diane and leave her in the Sault to wait for the RV, while Paul and I returned to the cabin we had rented earlier in the day (don't ask - its a long story).

So today, Paul and the Ranger is my escort. We have only gone 6 km and came upon this haven on the shores of Batchawana Bay. The Voyageur's Lodge has THE BEST HOMEFRIES Paul and I have ever had in our lives. This is not an exaggeration. They also have free wireless internet!!!

We will do the days mileage and then return to the Sunset Shores where we have arranged for Diane to do the RV chores for the day (dump sewage, fill water tanks, and do her laundry). Not sure where we will stay tonight but every day is a whole new adventure all wrapped up in a single rotation of the earth.

Yesterday was the first day I succombed to "scraping" as the events of the day tumbled out of control. I regret my lack of faith and letting go of my confidence in the Lord's providential care.