Day 16 - Fort Frances - Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Day 16 – 24th June 2005 Total Distance Travelled 6985 Miles

Woke up at 5:30am and watched the sunrise over the lake, hit the road at 11am and drove the 390 km to Thunder Bay, Crossed the time zone into Eastern Standard Time On route we stopped at Kakabeka Falls, which is a waterfall with 125ft drop. We checked into a premium hotel and had dinner, then I played table tennis, had a swim and a sauna.

Sunrise over Lake Rainy River 

Lake Rainy River During Storm 

Lake Rainy River 

Lake Rainy River 

Kakabeka, Ontario, Canada 

Kakabeka Falls, Ontario, Canada 

Kakabeka Falls, Ontario, Canada 

Day 15 - Winnipeg - Fort Frances, Canada

Day 15 – 23rd June 2005 -6:00 GMT Total Distance Travelled 6742 Miles

Another day on the road, travelled 430km into Ontario, from Winnipeg to Fort Francis, stopped at a picturesque town called Kenora which is on a lake for lunch.
before crossing the border into Ontario. The weather forecast says it’s 36 C today. Arrived in Fort Francis and checked into a hotel with a room overlooking Lake Rainy River. Had a huge thunderstorm, which had created hail stones the size of baseballs in other towns. Had a few beers in the hotel bar before hitting the sack.

View From Hotel in Fort Frances

Kenora 

Day 14 - Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Canada

Day 14 – 22nd June 2005 -6:00 GMT

It’s to hot, hardly slept, it’s 31 C and we have no air conditioning, Explored downtown Winnipeg and saw the display of painted concrete polar bears, went to walk along the riverside, but the patch was closed due to the river flooding, so looked around an area called forks which is a historical site and stayed there for a spot of lunch, went back to hostel for a siesta and then went to see Batman Begins at the local cinema, Found a nice restaurant for dinner and retired for the night.

Legislative Building, Winnipeg 

River has burst it's banks

Concrete polar bear 

It's amazing what you can pick up for a dollar in winnipeg 

Day 13 - Regina - Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Canada

Day 13 – 21st June 2005 Total Distance Travelled 6474 Miles

Drove 590km over 7 hours from Regina to Winnipeg and crossed the border from Saskatchewan to Manitoba, stopped on the way at a small town called Brandon for lunch, then checked into the hostel which is a 1908 Victorian house, had pizza and a few beers before crashing out

Day 12 - Regina, Saskatchewan,Canada

Day 12 – 20th June 2005 -7:00 GMT

The sun is shining and it is around 30 C Explored downtown Regina, spent a couple of hours looking around the shops and the mall, spent the afternoon lying in the sun and reading a book in Regina park.
Went shopping for a laptop with Reece in the evening and he bought a nice little Gateway laptop. Had a Swim and Jacuzzi, then headed to a micro-brewery for dinner, where we sampled their local brew.

Regina 

Regina Park 

Regina Park 

Additional Post - Weather

In the first 10 days we have had a huge variation in the weather first were the Earthquakes off the West Coast which lead to Tsunami warnings, Luckily the wave was only 20cm when it hit the shore, We have experienced the worst rain in the Calgary area for 103 years, we have had Snow, Sleet, Thunder and Lightning and Blazing Sunshine. What will be next…

Day 11 - Medicine Hat - Regina, Alberta, Canada

Day 11 – 19th June 2005 -7:00 GMT Total Distance Travelled 6107 Miles

Visited the World’s tallest Teepee in Medicine Hat then went to the law courts to pay my speeding fine. Carried on along Highway one and stopped at Swift Current for lunch then stopped at Moose Jaw to see the giant Moose and then arrived in Regina after 5 hours of driving and 520km. Today the weather has been lovely and the temperature in the high 20’s. Visited the Casino in Regina and played a little Blackjack, and won on the slots.

The World's Tallest Teepee 

A Large Moose at Moose Jaw 

Additional Post - Money

Due to my speeding fine I am slightly over budget so any donations to my travels are most welcome, I can accept any amount in any currency, please pay simon@fivemileshigh.com using www.paypal.com Many Thanks in advance Simon

Day 10 - Lake Louise - Medicine Hat, Alberta,Canada

Day 10 – 18th June 2005 -7:00 GMT Total Distance Travelled 5727 Miles

Woke up to and it was snowing, we set off on the road for another days driving in the torrential rain, the radio said it was the worse rain storm since 1902 they had 150mm in 24 hours. This caused the highway to flood so we got diverted along the back roads until we got into Calgary. We stopped at the Olympic park where the 1988 winter Olympics took place. We went on a guided tour and our Guide was the 2005 world games Luge gold medallist “Marshall” got to see the Luge, Skeleton and Bobsleigh centre and also climbed to the top of the ski jump and saw where Eddie the Eagle came second to last, we looked around the Museum there and I got top hold the actually Olympic Torch. We then carried on along highway one, I got stopped for speeding by the police, only 10mph over the speed limit on the motorway and ended up with a $124 fine. After 6 hours of driving and 500 km We checked into a Motel in Medicine Hat for the night.

Lake Louise Village in the snow 

View in rain at Lake Louise Village 

Calgary 1988 Winter Olympic Park 

View from top of Ski Jump 

Simon with Calgary 1988 Olympic Torch 

Simon, Jill and Reece 

Day 9 - Lake Louise, Alberta,Canada

Day 9 – 17th June 2005 -7:00 GMT Total Distance Travelled 5356 Miles

Had a lazy day today, spent the morning doing our washing whilst I also cooked breakfast for three of us. Then drove to the lake which is actually 4 km from the village, It is a stunning view and has a glacier behind it. It started to rain but still I walked around to the other side and I saw a porcupine racoon, then we headed back to the hostel, had a sauna and cooked dinner.

Lake Louise