On the road Batchawana Bay to Ottawa

The contrasts between the two places listed in the title are quite incredible. I have already written more than enough about our stay at Batchawana, so I will pick up the story from that point on.

Driving out of the bay and along the lakes edge in thick fog seemed to suit the situation as though we were creeping away from a naughty deed. Even in Sault Ste. Marie the fog was thick enough to hide much of the city as we travelled through.
The moment that we left the influence of Lake Superior, just out of 'the Soo' the fog lifted and it became quite warm and definitely humid. The further east we travelled the more the humidity built along with the temperature. By Sudbury we ran into the dilemma of whether to have the air conditioner on in the car and overheat the engine, or windows down and overheat us. We settled on a compromise whereby we managed to do a bit of both.
By mid morning we were looking for a break and a chance to stretch our legs. Some helpful advice in Blind River we found a small lake at Algoma Mills – ideal for a spot of swimming actually. The leg stretch turned into breakfast and a stop of 2 hours. So much for our early start.

Just before Sudbury I saw a bear having a drink, but by the time I realized what it was we had driven past and the rest of the family missed out. Naturally I gloated for the rest of the day!
By the time we reached North Bay it was looking less and less likely that we would make Algonquin Provincial Park – our goal for the day. We decided to find an information centre and ask for advice – what a great idea – the ladies in the centre were absolutely wonderful. They gave advice, lollies to the kids, highlighter pens for our maps and even tried to find us some insect repellent! As a result of their excellent help, we ended the day Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park which was much closer.
We were exhausted after the previous night of broken sleep and a day that started on the road before 7am and was finally arriving at 6pm – it was a LONG day. Tempers were frayed and brains were mushy. A bloke from a nearby campsite helpfully pointed out to that we were trying to park in a turnaround rather than our designated camping spot – after numerous attempts to get it right!! The blokes name was Henry and he turned out to be a wealth of information and a good mate to have at camp.

Henry showed us snapping turtles, told us about the fishing and swapped stories on Canada and Australia. In the campsite next to us there was a 7 year old girl called Emily who became a fast and firm friend with Megan. The girls played happily the whole time we were there. We stayed for 1 night partly because the cost was more than $42 per night and partly because we still wanted to cover more distance.

Logosland is a water-park camping resort along the way to Ottawa. With the heat still high and humidity higher, we opted for a couple of nights there so the kids could play on the slides. We timed it wrong. The day that we arrived late in the afternoon it was hot and humid- perfect for the park but too late to get our monies worth. The next day we were ready to go – but it rained heavily all morning and into the afternoon so we didn't bother.

To make the most of the day we decided to take a drive and visit the Bonnechere Caves. Privately owned and run, these caves were a series of river tunnels that had been discovered by a very intrepid local. When he found the caves they were running with fast cold water and he found his way through with only a small torch and a camera. The story behind his discovery was fascinating and spun a 2 minute walk through into a 30 minute 'tour'. What made the caves really stand out though was the chance to take your time and photograph as much as you pleased, being allowed to touch everything and getting to travel along a side chute with little lighting. The kids were in underground heaven.

The next day as we packed up, the sun came out and again it began to get hot again. To late! We decided to move so off we travelled towards Ottawa.

We were told about a brand new park called Calypso just the other side of Ottawa and so we promised the kids a chance to enjoy that one instead.They did enjoy it too. Ian was savagely sun burnt because he didn't allow enough time for the cream to soak in before going into the water - ouch.       

The park was brand new and had terrifying rides just right for a fearless 8 year old. Dad chose to watch the girls (his own thank you) as they paddled in the water playground or the wave pool.    

The day was a long one but definitely worth the visit. We used the water park as a break from all of the museums that we were going to see. On day one we visited the Royal Canadian Mint at Ash's request and then wandered around the park area nearby to see Parliament Hill and other cool sights nearby.

The art gallery was interesting from the outside, but we didn't get time to see inside. The lock system that allows boats into the Rideau Canal from the Ottawa river was fascinating to watch. The gates are still opened and closed by hand, using a system that is likely the original - if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

Day 2 was a day for the Museum of Civilization. A day is barely enough and we could go again and again just to enjoy the activities in the children's museum.

The day after the water park it was very humid with a little rain, so visiting museums was a great choice. We managed the Nature Museum and the Canadian War Museum - where Ian wet himself with excitement.

The reason for his excitement were the huge range of World War II military vehicles on display, including a German Panther tank, a Russian T34 tank and modern day tanks. Very exciting for someone who has an interest - not so much for little children and a wife who are not interested. I'm sure there are still the heel drag marks across the floor after Jill persuaded me to leave!

The last day in Ottawa included a display of horsemanship by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a visit to the aviation museum (again, excitable loss of bladder control was a factor) and the science and technology museum which included a steam train ride.

The RCMP were very impressive and approachable too. The kids loved the chance to pat and chat.

The aviation museum showed planes from WWII - guess who was excited - including a Messchersmitt 163 - one of Germany's first jet fighters! The propeller is just in case the jet fails ;-)

The science and technology museum demonstrated to us a crucial piece of information - Paige is probably too small to be an astronaut just yet. After what seemed like 5 minutes we had to leave the museum as it was closing - 2.5 hours after we entered! That's having fun!