9/25/17

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

It was raining pretty hard with we left Dryden yesterday, but by noon, the weather had cleared significantly. It was a nice drive to Thunder Bay, although the scenery was pretty much the same for the entire journey. We drove through evergreen and deciduous forest on both sides of the road for most of the day.


As time passes, we're seeing more fall color, including some red.


Also, we passed into the Eastern time zone, which really makes us feel as if we're getting somewhere.


Thus far, we have driven about 2,700 miles, or 4374 kilometers, if you're of that persuasion.

As we approached Thunder Bay, the terrain began to change. We'd round corners and find ourselves above it all.


So many of you told us to stop off at Kakabeka Falls, we decided we had to see what all the fuss was about.


In a word: Wow! It was big!


The Falls are 40 meters high and a result of the flow of the Kaministiquia River. You can read more about them right here. And they were LOUD! Here's a little video so you can listen. If you can't see the video, then click right here.


There was a very nice viewing platform that allowed us to see it at different spots along the river.


We could even cross over a bridge and get above the falls.


From the other side, it looks like this. You can see the bridge in the upper left-hand corner of the image below.


From the opposite side, it was possible to see the steep cliffs. There were birds nesting there as well.


And speaking of steep cliffs, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you all the ways you could die out here. Please keep your arms and hands inside the vehicle at all times.





We spent about an hour there, and then moved on toward Thunder Bay, just about 40 km away from here. Along the way, we saw the first barns of the day.



As we approached our KOA for the night, we got our first glimpse (this trip, anyway) of Lake Superior. You can barely see it above the trees and below the mountains in the image below.


And I've badmouthed KOA so much that I figure I should also say when they're doing a good job. We've stayed at this KOA in Thunder Bay one other time. Since then, they've done some work on the place, and it's pretty nice! The man in the office seemed determined to give us an upgraded site. At first, he suggested a nice patio site, but there was no sewer. I needed it to wash a load of clothes. As he took us to our assigned site, he remembered a patio site with full hook-ups and he took us there. Very nice, indeed, and he seemed very pleased with himself for remembering it. We were pleased too.


Now, it's important that you understand the sleeping arrangements in the fifth wheel. It's been raining so much that we've brought in the little quilt from the catio and placed it on the chair beside the catio window. Sadie has staked out that spot for her morning nap. The kitties need morning naps because they've spent the night keeping all of us on high alert.


You might recall from our trip last spring that there are now two kitty cubbies in the cabinet above our couch.


The kitties like this area, and for whatever reason, it makes them feel secure. Fast forward to this trip, and Sadie is such a seasoned traveler (and so focused on escape) that she can't be bothered with silly cubbies any more. She's abandoned them to Smitty's usage full time, and so we've closed the cubby on the right.


But then, the other morning, we were looking for Smitty, and I got an idea that he might have decided to use the right cubby for his private bedroom. When I opened it up...sure enough.


Also, I need to back way up to Warren, Manitoba, to tell you that I attempted to cut down our favorite recipe for Original Plum Torte into a dessert for two, and it worked!


It was so yummy, and now I don't feel so bad about leaving behind our plum tree still loaded with unripened plums. We found these at a grocery store in Manitoba, and so it seemed like the right thing to do. I cut the original recipe from the New York Times by about one-third, and then baked it in a 6-inch cake pan. Here's my recipe:
                      
Original Plum Torte for Two

Recipe adapted from Marian Burros
Serves 2     

1/4 cup  sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup unbleached flour -- sifted
1/4 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
pinch salt
1 egg -- lightly beaten
6 plum halves
Sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon for topping

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 6-inch cake pan with butter and flour and line with parchment paper.

Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well. 

Spoon the batter into prepared cake pan. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon. Bake 45 minutes, approximately. 

Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream.

So there was that...and then last night I tried out my new smallish Dutch oven purchased especially for this trip. We love our soups and stews in winter, and I miss cooking them when we're traveling. I brought along a pork roast from home and tried this recipe for Peruvian Pork Stew with Chiles, Lime, and Apples published recently in the NY Times. My own image wasn't very good, and so I swiped this one off the internet:


It was delicious, and it worked out pretty well. It took about 3 hours to prepare, and I started it right away when we arrived at our site. It was ready to eat well before we keeled over from starvation. I had to make a few adjustments to the recipe. For one thing, I made just half. I used Golden Delicious apples and forgot to peel them. Oh well...it didn't matter at all. Also, I was unable to find ancho chiles along the way, and so I substituted one tablespoon of chili powder. Also, my cilantro wasn't looking very good, and so I substituted about 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin right into the pot. A few of the commenters online thought the recipe was bland, and so I also added two cloves of coarsely chopped garlic. Finally, we didn't eat ours over rice, but instead plopped a dollop of reduced-fat sour cream on top. It was so tasty...not at all bland, and we both agreed I shouldn't change a thing when I made it in the future. I'd still like to try it with the ancho chiles, however.

Okay, so as I'm writing this, we're considering whether to move on to our next destination of White River, Ontario, or whether to stay here another day. We said we'd let the weather be our determining factor, and the morning is looking pretty good. You'll just have to wait until my next post to find out the exciting conclusion to this story.

16 comments:

Doreen said...

Given my lack of enthusiasm for heights, I appreciate the photos!!!! Was that a solar panel behind that first barn??? Have "Pinned" the plum recipe for later in the week. Like you, reducing the size of baked goods' recipes is a good idea for just the 2 of us (or we eat larger portions!!! sigh.....) I/we have changed over (entirely) to natural Greek yogurt, replacing the sour cream addition. For me, it's the lactose, but it does reduce some of the caloric intake we are so prone to over indulge in! That last dish looks/sounds mighty good. I like the chilis in Adobo and usually keep a can on hand (once opened and stored in a small glass jar, they keep a long time in the frig!).

DeeDee said...

I'm loving being able to go along with you on the trip! Thanks for sharing. And Smitty reminds me of my Doodlebug. He loves to find little hidey holes to curl up in.

Lana said...

Those falls are beautiful. So many great things you're experiencing in your travels. Thanks for taking us along.

Goofin' Off Around the Block said...

Barbara, Those are all such stunning photos of all the scenery. I love your kitty cubbies. They seem very happy and content in them. Thank you for the recipes. I've copied them down and will give them a try. Happy travels! Andrea

Lyndsey said...

Fabulous pictures of the falls and I loved listening to the noise from them. Smitty looks most comfortable and content in his cubbie. As for the plum torte it looks delicious. I have some plums so I will try the recipe out tomorrow.

crazy quilter said...

Wow those falls! I saw you uploaded the video last night so I took a peak early. Your meals look delicious. I guess I is cooler up there. I am wanting the cooler temps to reach the lower 48 and I mean Lower as in Texas! Still in the 90's here so no fall color yet! I think both the kiddies are seasoned travelers now but I do hope Ms Sadie stays in the camper and does not escape into the wilds of Canada... You have really traveled more miles than I would have guessed.. Glad you got a good campsite this time. Looks like you can even cook out on the grill you wish. Keep on having fun , safe travels!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Wonderful photos! Looks like you had a nice KOA spot and I would enjoy an extra day if the weather permitted. I think you need to make a post on 'driving Miss Sadie'.

Ray and Jeanne said...

So glad you stopped at Kakabeka Falls. It really is an experience. I love the signs! Keep enjoying yourselves. ~Jeanne

Terri in BC said...

Too funny - I just found a postcard of Kakabeka Falls that I picked up when I was kid - about 45 years ago! I'm having fun following your trip. It's bringing back old memories of going back and forth across Canada as part of a military family on the move.

claudia said...

The falls are beautiful and noisy, but a good kind of noisy. The KOA looks like it was a good stop for a change of pace with KOA's.

Brown Family said...

Glad you got your Plum Tort! The Kakabeka Falls is amazing! that looks like a nice spot to park

Jenny - the lilac cat said...

Really enjoying my virtual tour of US/Canada, you always write with a lovely blend of humour sprinkled in with interesting facts about places and your life on the road. Of course seeing the travelling kitties is the highlight. Someone told me that life in these big fifth wheels still requires a lot of work when you arrive at where you are staying in terms of stabilising and hook ups etc. The practicalities of living like this intrigues me.

piecefulwendy said...

Glad you stopped at Kakabeka. You do a great job of helping us see what you're seeing. The signs were a great idea! We didn't walk around as much as you two did, but we have pictures in front of that huge waterfall (and yes, the noise!). Will you be visiting Fort William while in Thunder Bay? My favorite part of that was walking through the pathway lined with ferns. Haha. So enjoying your posts!

WoolenSails said...

Another beautiful place, love places like that where you can walk below and above the falls.

Debbie

quiltzyx said...

Wow! Kakabeka Falls is (are?) impressive!! As I am reading this at work, of course I clicked on the video & the switchboard started ringing - but I couldn't hear it!!! LOL No worries, turned out to be one of many "butt-dials" I get. Thank you for warning us about all the ways to die there too.

I think it's fun & interesting that the Holland Dairy Farm barn is WHITE! I wonder if they were thinking "milk" when they painted it?

That does look like a nice KOA site - did you two sit & swing? Good ol' Smitty, taking over ALL the cubby area now. :)

Oh my the plum torte looks yummy. I haven't been grocery shopping, and the "Fruit Guy" that comes to work hasn't had any plums, but, maybe from your mentions, I have been wanting some. I will have to force myself to go shopping I suppose.

Kate said...

Those falls are really impressive!