New Friends!

(PS yet again this is number 2 of 2 so read the 55th parallel one first!)




We drove to Clearwater Lake Provincial Park on the morning of June 12th. The drive was only about 4 hours, but along the way we had our first gas scare adventure (barely made it to the gas station after we left), and then we met a baby black bear on the road. He looked really hungry and straggly, so we think that his mom must have been killed and he was on his own searching for food and water. He was pretty bold ... he came right up to the car to see what we had as we stopped to let him cross the road. We drove to the next campground about ten minutes away, and let them know that he was there, but they said they would have to send the RCMP to help him because all of their conservation authorities were off fighting a huge forest fire somewhere north of us.
When we got to Clearwater we chose a site that was electric, since we needed to plug in our cooler and cool down our food again after a few warm days. One of the main features of the campground was a tiny little hike along the "caves" of the lake, which are actually huge crevices in the rocks where they split apart. We explored that area and then headed back home for a relaxing night by the fire. Just after we finished dinner, we were sitting at the picnic table on our site when a couple with a cute little puppy walked by. As seems to be the common reaction, we gave them a wave as they passed our site. They slowed down, and asked what part of Ontario we were from. We started talking (and playing with the puppy), and they told us that they were just down the road in an RV, with their four kids. They were Jen and Dwight, seasonal campers at the park, and they were from just around the corner in The Pas. As we talked, they suggested that since they know the area they should take us on their powerboat to tour us around the lake that they know so well. So within minutes of meeting these incredible people we were strapped up in life jackets in their boat, getting to know their four kids - Cordelia, the oldest at 11 (and 16 at heart -- so mature and fun!), 9 year old Joshua, (the little man of the house), 7 year old Christopher (little Christopher we called him ... the monkey/wildman who bonded instantly with big Chris), and lastly, 4 year old D'Anna (who was an instant snuggler and heart melter). (Hi guys, if you end up checking out this site!) They took us around the area of Clearwater Lake near our campground, and the lake was true to its name. We could see to the bottom even in the deep deep areas, and as we cruised around we got to see groups of terns flying alongside the boat, and American White Pelicans taking a rest among them on long stretches of rocks above the water. (Much to birdwatcher Chris's delight of course!) All the while we got to watch the sun setting over the lake -- at almost 10 pm because we were so far north! After we got back to shore, they invited to their site down the road to join them in making homemade beavertail desserts. They were delicious! The next morning we went to invite them over for a chocolate chip pancake breakfast -- the best we could offer them after all they had done, and somehow we ended up making them there and eating a huge "family breakfast" of pancakes, bacon, and watermelon. Then they convinced us to stay at the campground an extra day, since it was such a sunny beautiful day and they wanted to show us the beaches and views around the lake in the day. We were quite easily convinced, and before we knew it we were again on the boat under piles of towels, snacks, kids and a puppy. (As a side note, they found that puppy in a bus shelter and after hours of it still waiting there and nobody taking it, they decided to take it home because kids were starting to kick it. They had ads everywhere saying they had him, but nobody responded. They were trying to give him away and to be honest Chris and I were on the fence for a long time about trying to fit him into our packed car. We were VERY close to being puppy parents but it just wasn't doable). They took us to a little beach that was basically their very own since nobody else was there, and we played in the cold water, in the hot sun, among the rolling sandbars, and cooked up hot dogs on their bbq. Then we went over to the more public beach where Jen and Dwight chatted with friends and the kids (yes, that includes us too!) played in the water and on the beach. They cooked up a big steak and potato dinner that night and yet again were insistent that we join the fun, so we ate a glorious dinner, played in the park with the kids, and even played Sequence after the kids had gone to bed. It was like a family vacation day that we somehow felt right at home in ... it was unreal.
Even the next day, we drove into The Pas to get supplies and gas, so they gave us their address to come over and we ended up playing with their kids in the backyard (Chris and the kids had a trampoline party!), and getting teary eyed when we actually had to go for real. As a goodbye gift (as if we hadn't gotten enough) Dwight loaded us up with deer meat that he had hunted himself and brought to a really good butcher -- we now are eating like Canadian Kings and Queens with deer breakfast sausage, deer garlic sausage, and deer salami!
The simple fact that we needed an electric site put us in the arms of the kindest, happiest, most open-hearted family in all of Manitoba, and made the province a million times better than we thought possible. Now THAT is a Canadian experience.