September 14th -

The radio forcast said "cloudy with the chance of showers". It's pouring buckets of solid water! I'm enjoying it and hoping it extends back to B.C.

Left the campsite around 7 a.m. It is a fishing resort but no one seems to be up at this hour....not like at home where the boats are streaming down the canal at 5 a.m. The man who owns the campsite said breakfast would be ready in the restaurant around 8 o'clock....or maybe 7:30...or maybe....! I was hoping to see some wildlife in the early morning or at dusk, but only just missed stepping on a frog on a trip to the bathroom.

I stopped for breakfast after driving for about an hour. The people there didn't seem to know I existed! They were sitting at a table chatting. I think God was telling me to slow down! As I get into Ontario with it's vast areas to drive, my tendancy is to rush. I'm also somewhat later than I thought I'd be reaching this point. Will the world come to an end if I'm not on schedule?

Just after Thunder Bay (I think!) there is a memorial for Terry Fox. We stopped there to remember Terry and all the people who are living with cancer, or who have died with it.

The late afternoon became a see-saw of decision about where to spend the night. I prefer camping to staying at a motel where dogs are accepted only in a smoking room. But as the rain fell, I was drawn strongly enough to the Northern Lights Motel to actually turn around and go back to it. The friendly hosts, John and Mo, seem to really enjoy their work and it shows in the hospitality and little extras they extend. Jessie was welcomed in a non-smoking room, an email was sent to Marie with my latest position and expected ETA at her house, and I enjoyed a clean room and hot bath. The rain still falls, and has soaked the van bedding through the roof window which I had left open, but we are warm and dry. Hospitality feels "sacred" where-ever it appears, and this kind of welcome goes beyond running a business.