No, No, I'm Not Ready To Go Back!

Today is the official "turn-around-and-head-for-home" day.  However, this is the first vacation trip I've ever taken where the turnaround point didn't generate the same response you get from a stable nag when you turn her for the barn.

In my past life it would have meant a 24+ hour marathon drive to get back to the office and deal with two weeks of neglected tasks.  To  be sure, there are a stack of things needing attention.  It's just that the urgency isn't the same as it used to be.

So instead of the minimum-stop run, we start the day at 9:30 and make a short back-track to St Anne's Canyon.

BUT - - - I must first relate last night's camping experience.  Since the previous day's activities were totally ad-hoc, I didn't try choosing a camping spot until late in the afternoon.  There being no parks along the route, I just pulled an RV campground out of my .... book... and hoped for the best. Named "Camping du Lac Something" it sounded decent.

As my trusty GPS said I was there, the only thing that appeared was what looked like a conventional trailer park.

After "discussion" with a guy who spoke English worse than I spoke French, I was assured this was Camping du Lac Something and that it was a very fine place.  As I followed the gentleman to our assigned spot, what had appeared to be a trailer park was in fact a trailer park.

Now Val and I spent the first year of our marriage as trailer trash, so we know it when we see it. Except this particular establishment had the added attraction of on-site entertainment.  It being Labor Day weekend, there was an all-hands party being held two sites away from where we were to park for the night.  Picnic tables lined up with pot-luck dining AND A LIVE BAND!

After endless crowd chants of "plus, plus, plus" at the end of each rendition of Proud Mary, The Macarena, You shook Me All Night Long and other timeless favorites, the crowd finally died from exhaustion about midnight.  My temptation was to just lay on the horn as we left in the morning.

Anyway, back to Canyon du St Anne.  Shortly after leaving the previous night's accommodations, about 1/2 mile back up the road we came in on, we pass a sign "Bienvenue a Camping du Lac Flambeau", which is really a quite attractive municipal campground only about 1/4 full.  I won't comment on my comments.

Although a privately owned attraction, St Anne's Canyon turned out to be quite spectacular in spite of the giant sized statues of bears, wolves, and woodpeckers (???)

OK.  You're probably right.
It's time to send him home now.

 
The falls are awesome, but access is a bit challenging.

The gorge contains a 150 foot cascading waterfall and is crossed three times with suspension bridges.  Not a large attraction, but well worth the stop.

From St Anne's, the drive continues west along the north shore of the St Lawrence with numerous quaint small towns until you approach Quebec City.  Fortunately it started to rain heavily so I had a ready made excuse not to venture into old QC winding streets in the 24 foot beast.  Unfortunately, the entire population of Montreal and Ottawa was returning from Quebec along with us on this last afternoon of the holiday weekend.

As if to apologized for the less than peaceful stop last night, our campsite at the mostly empty Voyager Provincial Park in Ontario with a beautiful double rainbow over the pond outside our back window.

Goodnight from Voyager Provincial Park, Ontario.