Raw on the Road: The Journey East Part II

Here's the next part of my account of our recent trip across Canada. (You can read Part 1 here.)

The Journey East - Day 4
We left Ghost Lake, Alberta and continued traveling East while sipping on a green smoothie that I'd whipped up the night before in Sandy's RV. We all felt rested and energized from our time at Ghost Lake, and the day's drive went by super smoothly.

We stopped for the night at Cavan Lake Campground near Medicine Hat, Alberta. It's old farmland that was transformed into a recreational campsite. Once again, being the middle of the week, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Kylo went crazy running in the nearby fields, chasing who knows what little critters.

We decided there was no point in leaving Puss on the leash here either. She kept going back and forth between the car and the tent - her new 'home away from home' - and even ventured in the nearby bushes.

As you can see, she was turning into quite the adventuress!

*~*~*
Breakfast: That morning, I discovered a really delicious combination that became an instant favorite: Sweet Seed Crackers topped with a generous layer of raw almond butter and banana slices. Yummy!

Dinner: Green soup I'd made in the RV, tuna salad on crackers, asparagus, and salad drizzled with a little oil and tamari.
*~*~*

After dinner, Don and I and Kylo went for a walk along the lovely Cavan Lake. It had been a while since we'd seen so much sky! lol

We leisurely sat down in our camping chairs later that evening to watch our first real sunset in years. What a treat!

The Journey East - Day 5
Treeless and exposed as our camping spot was, the sun forced us out of our tent early the next morning. We took the time to sun worship a little and do the 5 Tibetan Rites before heading towards Saskatchewan. That's when the Prairies began in earnest.

As Don says: "That's what I call flat!"

That day's ride was uneventful, with the animals gradually (and thankfully!) relaxing more into our travels. We stayed the night at a small private campground, Creekside Gardens, in Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan. It was almost deserted which was fine by us. Puss roamed around like she owned the place!

*~*~*
Breakfast: Chia pudding

Dinner: Cucumber Soup, Kristen Suzanne's Gourmet Italian Quiche Tarts, and salad drizzled with a little oil and tamari.
*~*~*

After dinner, we enjoyed a lovely walk in the gardens, admiring the gorgeous flowers, so carefully tended by the Lipp family.

The Journey East - Day 6
We managed to get a fairly good night's sleep in spite of the nearby train tracks, and by 9:45 AM we were ready to roll. That day, we covered the most mileage, making it all the way past Winnipeg, Manitoba. We had read about a new campsite that sounded interesting, but once we got there, we were told the tenting area wasn't completed yet. Actually, the place wasn't very appealing anyway; each site being so close to the next. I have difficulty understanding why people make the effort to escape from the crowded cities to stay in such places where they hardly have more privacy. *shrugs* Perhaps I've been living in the boonies for too long! lol

We ended up having to backtrack a few miles to Rockgarden - a family oriented campground. As a general rule, we tried to stay in small, quiet and park-like sites, but this was the weekend and we were too tired to keep going the extra hour to take us to a more suitable place. With all the noise and comings and goings around us, Puss was totally freaked out. She escaped and went hiding under a shed on a nearby site. We decided it would be best to keep her on leash overnight. As there's no way we could have gone to bed early with all that racket, we rented a DVD from the office and watched it on our laptop; no small feat given the techno music blasting from next door.

*~*~*
Breakfast: Sweet Seed Crackers topped with raw almond butter and banana slices.

Dinner: Zucchini Soup, fermented cashew cheeze and crackers, and salad drizzled with a little oil and tamari.
*~*~*

The Journey East - Day 7
Between the music and the loud talking around the fire until dawn, the bright street lights, and did I mention the skits?, let's just say we were surprised we managed to survive the night!

We were on the road for less than an hour when Puss started complaining. This was not good, so we decided that we could all use a good rest after such a traumatic experience and stopped at the beautiful Falcon Lake Beach campground, located in Whiteshell Provincial Park, just before the Ontario border. What a radical difference! When we first got there, several campers were still around, but most of them were gone by mid-afternoon to head back to work in the city. The whole family went into recovery mode...

Puss got comfy in the car and didn't move all day. (Literally! We even had to take her in our arms and bring her to the tent for the night!)

Kyky took his fave spot under the car.

After having a small lunch, Don and I went to the beach to soak up a bit of sun and go for a refreshing dip in the lake. Then we came back to our site and prepped our evening meal. We weren't alone for dinner (read: LOTS of skits), but we weren't complaining; at least it was peaceful and quiet! ;-)

*~*~*
Lunch: Corn on the cob, coconut wrappers with fermented cashew cheeze, avocado and tomato.

Dinner: Quinoa with marinated veggies, and salad drizzled with a little oil and tamari.
*~*~*

I discovered a yummy dessert treat: Sweet Seed Crackers with Artisana's Cacao Bliss. Need I say more?

Don relaxing after dinner.

The Journey East - Day 8
The next morning we packed the car in record time under a light drizzle. I had sent Heathy an email just before leaving the Okanagan to let her know we were going to be in her neck of the woods, but unfortunately, the timing wasn't good for us to connect. It felt strange to shop at the big supermarket in Dryden where I know she goes all the time. On the bright side, I bought a couple of young coconuts - probably the last ones I was likely to see for a while. Don and I sent Heathy a big raw wave as we passed the turn off for Sioux Lookout.

That night we stayed at Rousseau's Landing, a fishing hot spot, in Ignace, Ontario. There were so many skits that we prepped dinner and ate inside the tent. I saw a fox cross the road when we first arrived, so we felt it would be safer to keep our pussycat inside with us.

*~*~*
Dinner: Fermented cashew cheeze on crackers with avocado and tomato, and salad drizzled with a little oil and tamari. Mango and papaya for dessert.
*~*~*

The Journey East - Day 9
This was another smooth day in the car; although by now we were all becoming weary of being on the road and were looking forward to reaching our destination. Still, the animals were super chilled, making the going so much easier.

Kylo being a good boy, as always.

Puss usually liked to hide between the black sleeping bag and the mattress, but that day she decided that the mattress was more comfy after all. ;-)


Driving by one of Ontario's many beautiful lakes.

We spent the night at Wild Goose Lake Campground near Geraldton where we were given an awesome site right on the lakeside. We were expecting a thunder storm that night, but it passed right over us. Yay!


*~*~*
Lunch: Chia pudding with mashed bananas.

Dinner: Quinoa with marinated veggies, and salad with my House Dressing. Dessert: Sweet Seed Crackers with Artisana's Cacao Bliss.

*~*~*

The Journey East - Day 10
Getting there, getting there...

We slowly made our way to Moonbeam in spite of the many construction zones and stayed at Twin Lakes Camping - another pretty crowded, family oriented place. Their tenting area wasn't finished either so they gave us a spot on a green patch next to the toilet/shower building. We were just happy to enjoy the luxury of using our Vitamix to make fresh soup and doing our dishes under running water.

We whipped up a lovely feast for our last supper on the road.

*~*~*
Breakfast: Fruit Salad with chia seeds.

Dinner: Tomato Soup, corn on the cob, zucchini pasta & veggies tossed in my House Dressing, and salad drizzled with a little oil and tamari.
*~*~*

Yummy!

The Journey East - Day 11
We woke up early to yet another lovely sunny day and packed up the tent for the last time. Yay!

We drove through forest devastated by some kind a disease;
not a pleasant sight.

Don cruising along!

Can you tell I'm ready to get there? My poor bum was getting sore! lol

What a name for a town, eh?

Just a little ways to go now!

Yippee! We made it at last!

My sister wasn't home when we finally arrived at her place. It gave us a chance to set up the tent, wash up and relax in the sun for a while. We had seen each other when she came to Vancouver in the Spring, but back then we had no idea we were to get together again so soon. (Let alone live under the same roof!)

We all contributed something to dinner that evening: Zucchini Soup, veggie sticks with Cheddar Cheeze, raw and cooked crackers, salad with House Dressing, and artichokes dipped in butter (olive oil for us).

I think Josee's liking the soup! ;-)

And you know the rest...

Phfew! What a journey!

Now let's see what new adventures Life has in store for us! *wink wink*