August+2015

August: The Great Lakes Tour
Follow this in a circle, if you will: Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Thessalon, Toronto, Burlington, Sarnia, Gary, Merrillville, Chicago, Wisconsin Dells, Duluth, Ely, International Falls, Fort Frances, Sioux Narrows, Kenora, Winnipeg.

Well over 5000 kilometres, accomplished in our family station wagon, Dad & Mom up front, kids in the back. It reminded me of trips that I took as a kid. Eight travel days where we lived in the car (and all of that went really well, happy to say) and excellent stops to visit family in Burlington and Fort Frances as well. In total, we were away from home for 23 days. It was so good to catch up with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents along the way.

Of course we took a million pictures, and we did a bunch of the classic touristy things. Traveled across Manitoulin Island and boarded the Tobermory Ferry. Took in the Blue Jays vs Twins game on the August long weekend when David Price made his Blue Jays debut. Got soaked on "The Hornblower" at the base of Niagara Falls, right in the middle of that horseshoe. Neither of the kids bothered to even wear the raincoats they were given, so they had a Niagara Falls soaking they'll never forget. Rode the Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, 8th biggest coaster in the world. Ate prime rib at the top of the CN Tower, took a stroll through the quaint downtown of Niagara on the Lake, and enjoyed the tour of wine country from the highway.

Wisconsin Dells was a stand-out. What a weird and wonderful place. Since it is stuck half way between Chicago and Minneapolis it seems to draw people from all over the midwest. Our day at Noah's Ark Waterpark (biggest in the States) included a ride on The Scorpion's Tail, a looping water slide. It was fun, if only for the physics involved.

And now we're home again, recovering from our vacation, and ramping up for a full and busy school year ahead. I'm glad we dipped our feet in Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan. Lake Erie, we'll get to you the next time around. It was truly a trip of a lifetime, and I'm thankful that it all went so well.