Niagara Falls and the Final Journey Home

We started this National Park Tour adventure on May 16th and returned on August 30th. Can you believe 3 1/2 months have gone by and we are already back home? We've traveled 16,000 miles (!), visited 13 scenic locations and stayed at 21 different campgrounds. Although we're happy to be back in the familiar surroundings of our spacious home, we adapted to the trailer so well that our home seems strange. This trip was technically an extended vacation and plein air painting trip, but in reality, it became our lifestyle. Living in our humble little trailer reminded us that we can be incredibly happy with so much less. 
  

We left the magical mountains of Banff on August 15, expecting a scenic drive to entertain us as we headed east across the southern edge of Canada. It didn't quite happen that way. An hour outside of Banff and poof - the mountains were completely gone! Shortly thereafter, we found ourselves traveling through barren flat-lands that were, well, really flat and boring. Even though we stopped for a few days at two different places along Lake Superior, our excitement just wasn't the same.  Maybe we had been on the road too long or were spoiled by the breath-taking beauty that surrounded us for months. We coined some new phrases to describe our mental let-down: "flatlands depression", "missing mountain malasia", "lack-a-vista claustrophobia", and the all encompassing "lower altitude sickness".  

Doug continued to paint as we traveled, and he even found time to fish when we stayed at the Lake of the Woods in Kenora, Ontario. Nearby was Rushing River Provincial Park where Doug got to paint one of his favorite types of scenes - river rapids.   

We also stayed a few days in Wawa, Ontario. Sue was excited, thinking it was the birthplace of the famous Wawa chain and she loves Wawa coffee. Well, the town was very small and located in the middle of literally nowhere. Curiously, there was no reference to the store chain at all, yet there were carvings and statues of Canadian Geese everywhere, just like the Wawa stores.  

While there was little population in the Wawa area, there was Lake Superior Provincial Park and the Sand River. It was a place of rapids, brook trout and falls carved in granite by glaciers. Everywhere we looked there were glacier traces carved in the rock. One could only imagine the thousands of feet of ice grinding slowly on a long march to what is now the US. Quite beautiful. 

By the time we arrived at our last stop, Niagara Falls on the United States side, we were more than ready to return to our native country with all of its familiar conveniences. Doug's sister Deb had called, saying it took them 1 1/2 hours to clear customs and all of their perishable food items were confiscated. Taking heed, we gave away our food and headed for the border. As we pulled up, a rather surly looking guard greeted us and asked gruffly, "Where are you coming from?" When we told him Banff, his face lit up and he and Doug proceeded to have a nice chat about the beauty of the place and how the officer plans to go there someday. He then did a brief check of our passports and waved us on our way without even checking our food. The whole encounter took less than five minutes! 

Sue's daughter Kelly joined us for two days at Niagara Falls and painted with Doug. She now has the plein air bug too! 

When we arrived home on August 30, we were joined by Doug's children and Verna for a meal at the American Diner, a place where often eat. His son, Brian teased us, saying they had gone out of business without our visits. Of course, the diner was just fine without us, although we were missed and greeted warmly by the staff. What a wonderful way to celebrate the end of a fantastic trip.

While on the road, Doug entered a number of art shows and received an award from the Pastel Society of the West Coast for "Trinity Flow"

Also, a painting from the trip, "Anastazi Witness", was accepted into the Pastel Society of America's Annual Show in New York and is on display there for two weeks in September. 

It's hard for us to remember the details of all the magical and wonderful places we visited these past few months. We became completely immersed in the moment, taking in each scene with its sounds, air, altitude, colors and temperature. The photos, although beautiful, do not come close to the actual experience of being there.  Both of us hope that each of you can do something like this in your own way. It truly is a great way to celebrate life on this planet. 

"So, what's next?", you might say.  We're glad you asked!  Plans for our next adventure with Conestoga Lite are already in the works. Leaving sometime in March, we'll be traveling through the southern states to Palm Springs and Monterey, CA. 
We hope that you have enjoyed our adventures as much as we have enjoyed sharing them. Happy trails to all!