PowWow!

We awoke and I got some coffee and bagels at the big tent.  PowWow grounds were busy.  Some vendors had started to set up.  Already, plenty of people had come down towards the river to celebrate.  Back to the campsite, which had so many people more and more coming in.

The dogs, tethered to the fence post were anxious to start their day.  Excited that I was back, they jumped up and down in a playful way.  They must have called their friends from the day before, because they came running into the scene.  The dogs were elated and they all just jumped around.

A few moments later, the same police officer from the day before came driving up fast.  "Who's dogs are these?!"  I sheepishly told him how the other dogs just came around.  He shoosed them away and looked at our dogs and said, "They're OK."  Pretty cool.  We never saw those two dogs again.  Pretty sad.

Naresh came by with Little Naresh.  We left for PowWow with them after a few minutes.  We put the dogs in the car, something they were used to.  They, I'm sure, were thinking that they were going for a car ride.  They had no idea that it would be a short bit.

We checked out the vendors and saw a ribbon shirt that I liked.  It was expensive, though.  Tom decided to take some pictures of a ribbon shirt thinking we could make one ourselves.  I've made a bird shirt and an indian costume.  Why not a ribbon shirt.

Ribbon shirt

The Elders get their own area at PowWow with plastic chairs under a tent.  My family had took up residence on the far up right area.  Naresh had dropped off Deuce by the entrance and she was just hanging by one of the vendors.  I walked over and interpretatively asked her if she wanted to join us.

We walked together slowly as she used her walker and I assisted over the rutty grass.  She set up camp and told me she had something for someone.  She gave me a bag and pointed to Tom.  She got Tom a present!  It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.  Tom opened the package and found a red t-shirt with the word Canada and a small maple leaf.  It was so cool!

We had to get back to the dogs.  They had to get their time in with some swimming.  A few miles up a gravel road on the side of the reserve was what we called the woods.  It has a great swimming lake as well as a small running river with a rocky beach that we could drive to.

It was still early and the mosquitoes were out in force at teh lake.  I put on smoe spray, got the dogs out and proceeded to throw the ball down the length of the beach.  One more for Luther.  They both retrieved them and then a toss into the lake.  They both ran in and proceeded to swim to their respective balls.  Swim back and drop the ball and repeat.

Luther has always been a water dog.  He's been swimming in both oceans with waves crashing into him a few times.  BuddyJack, not so much.  I have always had to toss the ball close to the shore.  His time in Lake Superior taught him a few things.

They swam for about 20 minutes and it was time to head up the road to the river.  We passed over the bridge and I went to look for my cousin, Betty's cabin.  We had stayed up there the last time we were here and I wanted to check to see whether I still remembered where it was located.

The woods were filled with cabins.  Different families had different homes.  The woods were originally the winter home of the Mi'qmag.  They would hunt while the salmon were swimming in the frozen Restigouche.  I visited my Grandfather, Pa, in our families cabin about 10 years prior.  It was amazing.  It was made of huge logs, had two floors and an open ceiling and fireplace under some huge stuffed animal heads.  I tried to get back there a few years earlier and found a small family living there.  I hoped that they were "family" and I turned around choosing not to disturb them.

We found Betty's cabin and let the dogs out to sniff around.  We kept them on the leashes so not to chase after any critters.  A little lookeyloo around and we were back in the car headed down to the river.  We parked by the river and proceeded to toss that ball into the river.   BuddyJack was a bit put off by the shard drop off where I tossed the ball, but soon enough they were in and out.  A few times he swam to the other side and was easily coaxed back over.

The dogs were pretty spent and we wanted to get back to our camp before they closed the road except to Elders and mobility impaired.  We arrived at PowWow grounds and was overwhelmed by the amount of people and campers there were.  It was so crowded taht it was questionable wether we could get the car back to out tent.

We saw an opening and found our tent.  Our neighbors left a bagel and a piece for toast for the dogs, which they ate up quick.  They were still pretty wet so into the car they go so we can get to the start of PowWow.  At the start of PowWow, they ask that no pictures or videos are taken.  The dancers were introduced one by one as they enter into the circle in heir regalia, each having their purpose or style of dance.

We watched the dancers and walked around the grounds.  I was hungry and wanted either some fry bread or poutin.  I also wanted some strawberry shortcake that would come out later.  I took some random shots of the day.

Man's Walkling Stick Head

Different Policemen watching over things

Dancer's Regalia

Spectators of the Day

Our greater family does not get to see each other often and Tom thought it would be a great idea to figure out our family tree.  I asked the kids to try and work on it, but it was a project they did not want to take on.  I had picked up a tiny notebook the day before at the health fair and pulled it out of my pocket. Grabbed my pen and started asking questions.

My father's side of the family is fairly simple.  They had small families.  My Great Grandmother had 14 kids.  Maybe more or maybe less.  I had three of them with me and we couldn't even get all there names. It was hilarious.

Family of Elders

We went back to the camp a few times, sneaking on the dogs, making sure that they were not getting too warm.  All was good.  Betty had offered us her cabin for the night, which we gratefully accepted.  There was some weather coming and it would be better in a cabin than in the tent.

Tom and his Canada Shirt

My Great Grandmother & Great Grandfather's Graves

Towards the end of the day, my family talked about getting a bite to eat somewhere besides PowWow.  There is a traditional meal that they prepare including salmon and fiddleheads.  In years past, when we had gone, our plates were pretty small after feeding the elders and then the dancers and then the drummers.  We decided to meet at the mall were there was a brasserie.

My Aunt joined us there and we had a nice meal.  We chatted about the day, my Mother's recent retirement and my Father's health issues, which have been getting worse.  Fortunately, we finished dinner before sunset and we were able to get to Betty's cabin while it was still light.

The cabin has no power or water.  Peeing happens outside.  Poop does too, but only after digging a hole and doing proper camping etiquette.  We lit the gas lamps and set out our linens on two small couchy beds.  The dogs would have liked to explore more, but I was spent.  I was out, fast asleep within a matter of minutes.

Wellness Fair and Family

We awoke refreshed and ready to see more of the family.  The large tent was abuzz with people setting up for the wellness fair.  They also had Tim Horton's coffee and bagels.  I walked around the tent looking for relatives, although in many ways, they all were.  There were many familiar faces even though I had not been back in many years.

The two dogs from the night before came by the tent again.  More play ensued until a local law enforcement official came by and told us that dogs were not allowed on Pow Wow grounds.  They shooed away the visiting dogs and then looked at ours.  I told them that I had just traveled 4000 miles across the country to come to Pow Wow.  The officer allowed the dogs, but they had to be tethered.  No Problem.  They were pretty used to it anyway.  It was sad that their new friends had to go away though.

My family came to the grounds that morning.  My mother and sister had to go renew their indian cards, so I went with them to the band office as Tom watched the dogs.  My mother had come to Canada without a passport and only her expired indian card.  She definitely needed to get a new one.  My sister's expired in a few days.

Sign Outside of Band Office

They found the woman to talk to and get their cards renewed.  We waited for their pictures to be taken and I tried to find out what happened to the gas station and my cheap indian petro.  I never really found out what the reason was, but customers now had to collect their receipts and mail them into the government for a refund.  A lot of work for a business on the reserve.  Certainly too much me as a visitor.

We got back to the wellness fair about 10 AM.  A group of volunteers were setting up the three teepees next to the large tent.  These were new for me to see and I liked them.

We went through all the booths at the wellness fair, picking up information about the reserve and their services.  Most of the booths had raffles, which we signed up for.  Relatives were showing up including my Aunt and her daughter-in-law, Betty.  My Great Aunt, Deuce was brought down by Naresh.  Other cousins stopped by and chatted for a bit.  We all sat around talking about we are up to these days.

Lunch was given by the community to it's visitors.  In traditional style, the Elders were served first.  I offered my services to get some sandwiches and soup for the Elders in our group.  Some of the Elders in our group did not like to get served, but I asked them to accept their status of being "old" and be served.

There was a call for help with the trash being accumulated in the barrels around the tent.  I believe it is our duty to help, so I asked Tom to help me empty the barrels and assist in the clean up.  He did so willingly and I was feeling great to participate in the work.

Restigouche River at Listuguj Reserve

Betty invited us to dinner that evening.  It was Auntie's birthday that past Wednesday and my family had brought her a few presents.  The highlight of the presents was an ongoing joke between my family and my Aunt.  My Father hates salmon.  The Mi'kmaq are salmon fishermen.  They have been hiding fish on each other in obscure places for years.  What does she get for her birthday, but a scary looking fish.

Auntie, Mom & Dad at Betty's

Dinner was great.  There was so much salmon, broiled and fried.  Some fresh corn and mashed potatoes as sides.  It was great to be here with my family.  My Cousin, Kevin even brought out his pot plants, proud of his pruning, to show the family.

We left around 7:00 PM, either indian time or atlantic time or some other time.  It's always difficult to know the right time due to the time zones.  The reserve goes by New Brunswick time although our phones say it's Quebec time.  It's just confusing.

We left at a time to get to bingo that evening.  The sun had come out by the end of the day and we looked for a shady spot for the car and the dogs in it at the community center.  We met my Karen & Naresh along with Deuce at the hall.  We bought our cards and played a quick game of cribbage.

None of us won that night, but it was fun to see Naresh get upset about not winning.  Even better to see him half way through a game and have nothing on the board except his free spot.  Tom had gotten a bit more than he bargained for when one of the special games was one that had you marking all numbers that ended in 3.  3, 13, 23, 33, etc.  I got him an extra sheet and he was behind the whole game.  It was hilarious to see him scramble.

Back to the tent we went to settle in for the night.  We found a few new neighbors upon our return.  They were in for Pow Wow and were quite nice to the dogs, even giving them some left over treats from their grill.  It was a great day and I looked forrwad to tomorrow and the opening of Pow Wow.

Beautiful Route 132 and a Day in the French Countryside

We were off the major highways at this point.  The Trans-Canada Highway followed along the St. Lawrence going through many small towns.  The English language was never used on signage.  There was one point where I forgot if Ouest is East or Est is West.  It didn't really matter.  After 4000 miles, we could always make a u-turn if I was wrong.

We headed Est, correctly and ran across so many Mom & Pop stands.  Our first stop was to get some ferme.   Fresh and delicious vegetables.  Tom had read about this particular store in one of our travel books that we picked up at the information booths.  We picked up some bluets (blueberries), tomatoes and some ears of corn.

We traveled down Rt. 132 and Tom kept telling of more and more stores that he wanted to stop at.  A Chocolaterie (chocolate), a Pouissanerie (fish), a Fromagerie (cheese).  At this rate, we would be arriving into Listiguj by midnight. There were churches with tall silver spires in practically every town.  We learned that the spires were actually gilded with silver in the olden days.

We stopped in Kamouraska and walked through the town a bit.  We went to the La Fee Gourmande Chocolaterie to check out there chocolates.  Take note, that when you go to a chocolaterie, you will spend at least $50.  There is something about the selections of truffles and bars.  Each of them with their own flavors and sizes and shapes.  We took one of these, one of those, ooh...that one.  Needless to say, $60 spent.

Next to La Fee was a pouissanerie.  We stopped in and Tom picked up some Salmon Pate.  Further down the road and out of Kamouraska, there was signage for a fromagerie.  This place was packed with people.  One door to enter, the other to exit.  From start to end there were wares everywhere.  Fresh baked bread, soft serve ice cream, cheese and more cheese.

Tom can get lost in stores like these.  He tends to follow my lead when it comes to spending money.  He'll be thrifty but also want to get a bit of this and a bit of that.  He appeared lost at the cheese cases, as he picked up a small wedge, then another after putting the first one back.  I wanted to get back on the road, so I found a nice sampler pack, showed it to him for approval and paid the clerk.

All of these shops had the backdrop of the St. Lawrence.  It was a cool day with cloud cover which was a nice difference from the hotter plains.  We were headed to Rimouski, a town we had both been before when we traveled around the Gaspe Peninsula a few years back.  Tom had found a brewery, Le Bien Le Malt, that opened at 3 PM.  We were approaching the town around 1 PM.  Tom thought we should see if the hours had changed.  I doubted it, but took the right into town anyway.  It was a nice building with shuttered doors.  No beer for me here.

We headed out of town, passing the unique lighthouse on the waterfront.  It was here that we took the right on 132 down towards the border of Quebec and New Brunswick.  We had a few hours left of driving before getting to Listuguj and getting more petro at my reserve.

We traveled through the valleys of the Gaspe, following the rivers along the road.  The sun was playing peek-a-boo through the clouds.  Tom was driving at this point, as I tried to nap.  I got turned around in my head and we arrived into Mi'gmaq land from a different direction than I thought.

I have been to Listuguj many times, so I knew my way around.  The first order of business was to get some gas.  We saw the Woodpile Handicrafts store and out front were the pumps.  I got out of the passenger seat and went inside to handle payment.  I showed my indian card and was completely shocked that they said they do not honor them anymore.  I got gas from every other reserve in Canada except for the Blackfoot (where I'll never go again).

We filled up anyway, as we were just about empty.  Needless to say, I was very annoyed and disappointed.  We headed to Pow Wow grounds, where I was planning to set up camp.  The Pow Wow grounds were located on the bank of the Restigouche River.

The community was at work setting up the grounds for the Pow Wow which start off with a wellness fair in the big tent the next day.  The layout had been expanded since my last visit here.  The housing had also grown with a number of newly built homes along the bank of the river.

There is a cemetery on the outskirts of the Pow Wow grounds, next to the catholic church on the reserve.  This is where I wanted to set up camp.  I had seen so many others doing the same in years past and this was my land, so no issues.

The next order of business was to meet up with my family.  We drove across the river into New Brunswick over the bridge that the Mi'gmaq disallowed entry thirty years ago in a standoff over fishing rights.  The other unique item about this bridge is that it is the border of the two provinces and the edge of the Atlantic Time Zone.

Going through time zones is fun.  We always check our phones to see how long it takes AT&T to change.  I change the clock in the car and sometimes we gain an hour, sometimes lose depending on the direction we are going.  I always like to "chase the sun" rather than lose an hour.  Heading west though does have it's drawback.  Sunset is not easy to drive into.  Too much glare!

My family was staying at the Super Eight Motel in Campbleton.  It is always the same people that come give or take a niece or two.  My mother and father, my sister Karen, her husband Naresh and their kids.  I don't see them too often since moving to California, so this was a nice treat for me.

We made plans to meet at the Red Roof Hotel for dinner.  It is located on the reserve and generally has good food.  It was great to break bread with the family and to tell of our travels across the country.  We did have to deal with everyone's food issues when ordering, which also became a topic of conversation.

We finished dinner and the family headed back to their hotel.  We went back to camp and let the dogs enjoy their new home for a few days.  A few dogs showed up and really brightened up the dogs day.  They all got along, fetching sticks and balls.  They also went down to the river and swam together.  It was a great finish to the day.  We let the dogs dry off in the cool early evening air and then went to bed.  Tomorrow, Pow Wow!

Ottawa and Out Of Ontario

Needless to say, we were pretty tired coming into Ottawa.  We drove through the city and located a Starbucks.  I ran in for a few coffees while Tom watched the car.  We were in the middle of urban looking like a few mountain men.  We hadn't shaved for a while and our clothes were crumpled as if we slept in them, which we did.

There were lots of buildings and historic views to see, but we watched them pass from our windows.  The Royal Canadian Mint was in this town, but I decided that it would have to wait for another time.  We drove through the city and watched the urban parade of business professionals.  The morning was more like a blur and what seemed like a moment, we were back on the Trans-Canada Highway.

We found a reserve in Odanak, Quebec.  We filled the car up with some petro and our bellies with some food from the Au Calumet,  a Waban-Aki restaurant outside of the Reserve.  We drove through the Reserve, which was quite beautiful. It is located along a river and had many farms growing fresh veggies.  I wish we had stopped for some of them.

Menu on Hide at the Au Calumet

We had been traveling, for what seemed to be days.  We were finally out of Ontario and we were tired.  We skipped past Montreal and Quebec.  We found a beautiful campground along the banks of the Saint Lawrence River, Cap a la Roche.

It was filled with RVs,  but the clerk gave us a tent site with the best views.  I tried my best to communicate to the clerk, as we had entered into Quebec and the language of the land was French.

We set up camp, finding out that the folded tent was not a bad idea after all.  Everything was dry, and nicely all set up from the last time we used it.  It was one of the first times that we arrived at a campsite with lots of day hours still at hand.

We tossed the ball for a bit with the dogs.  They were appreciative for all the grass and open field without leashes.  

Drying out some items that got wet 36 hours prior

We proceeded to each take a shower.  The bathrooms were located on the other side of the campground so the boys had to be tethered as we were coming and going.  They enjoyed being out of the car and in the open air.  We enjoyed the warm showers and clean facilities.  Our destination tomorrow would be Restigouche and meeting my family, so I wanted to look decent.  I shaved my weeks growth except for my chin.  Let's see how long it can get during this holiday.

I scoped out the campground, trying my best to get answers to my english questions.  We decided not to get any wood that night and also that we would go out to eat that night.  There was a small eatery nearby.  We drove not knowing that it was literally across the street and had my first order of Poutine.  Les Bricailles prepared my poutine with fresh cut fries, warm gravy and cheese curds.  Very traditional and tasty.

We headed back to camp and had an amazing sunset.  The clouds that were with us throughout the day had managed to clear up and offer a magical sky.  Right after sunset, we were in the tent.  Asleep!

Sunset over fleuve Saint-Laurent

Thunder in Thunder Bay

We had been fortunate not to run into any foul weather on our trip.  Our luck ended around 4:30 AM at Happy Land.  Lightning and Thunder pealed the sky.  We struck that camp in three minutes.  Tom got all of the food stuff and kitchen box.  I took care of the tent.

I simply deflated the mattress and folded everything up like a big piece of paper.  Once over and then again.  It fit nicely in the back of the car.  I figured we would let it dry out later, but Tom was a bit annoyed about my actions.  Oh well.

It was early, and thankfully there was a Tim Hortons open.  A few coffees and some Timbits (donut holes) and some local weather from the locals.  "Rain" in unison.

It rained off and on all day.  We got our first glimpse of Lake Superior at a rest stop along the way.

We let the dogs out to explore.  Tom found lots of blueberries and started collecting them in his Tim Hortons coffee cup.  They were a tasty snack as we headed back out on the road.

There were lots of small hills and mountains to go through.  Not once, but twice, we saw a small bear cross the road.  The first one, a brown bear, we were very excited to see.  It was my first bear in real life outside of a cage.  The next one, a black bear, we tried to get a picture, but simply were not fast enough.

We found another reserve of the Michipicoten First Nation.  Another 20 k down the gravel road.  We passed a beach area on Lake Superior.  We drove down to the community but found no gas.  The people were gathering for a feast of some sort, but we did not stay.  Instead we went back to the lake and let the dogs out for a swim and a run.

Both of the dogs loved it.  It was their first time in a vast "ocean" that did not taste of salt.  We tossed some balls, although BuddyJack seemed to have lost his fairly quickly and I had to go back and get another.

We had lost a few balls along the way and the only one I could find was a bigger green ball which they had played with back in Paso Robles at Tom's sister's ranch.  It was just a little to big for BuddyJack to get a grip, but with effort, he could just get it right to bring it back.

All was perfect for the dogs and us.  The rain had held up nicely.  Both Tom and I hopped into the lake and tossed the ball even more.  Luther would swim out and get his.  BuddyJack would swim for his, although because of the ball's size, he would bite at it and miss it.  Bite.  Miss.  Bite.  Miss.

This went on for quite some time until he could get it closer to shore and force it down into the sand and grab onto it.  Then we would toss it out again.  We laughed so hard watching him and his green ball.

We spent about an hour there.  The dogs were tired and we had more miles to cover.  We had no idea how many we would travel that day.

We hopped back into the car expecting to put on some miles, but BuddyJack was very insistent on getting back out of the car.

This was not common for BJ.  He was licking his chops and whining.  He had to go to the bathroom and bad!  We stopped about 10 k up the road and I opened the door.  BuddyJack ran out that car so fast.  He found the closest tree and peed.  And peed.  And PEED!  Literally, he peed for two minutes.  It was almost comical how long it was.

It appears that while he was going after that green ball in the lake, he was swallowing lots of water.

We got back into the car and about an hour later, he started licking his chops again.  We were in a more urban area at this point, so I pulled over to this muddy construction site and he finally relieved himself fully after a few minutes more.

We got a bite to eat at this local pizza joint and I got onto some wifi to check on timing and roads to Quebec.  We had already been in Ontario a few days.  Statewise, it was like traveling in Southern Texas.  It just doesn't end.

We drove for quite some time.  We had been up since before dawn and I was getting tired.  Tom took over the driving and I took a nap.  He drove through Sault Ste. Marie and continued on to North Bay.  I woke up somewhere after that.  I took a look at the gas gauge and we were almost out of gas.  It was late and there were nothing but small towns coming up.  The next largest town on our route was Mattawa.  Hopefully they would have gas.  We were right at the point that we would be stuck if we went forward or back.  No mans land.

There was no gas in Mattawa, but there was a police station.  To Protect and To Serve, right?  I rang the phone that was on the outside of the building.  A dispatch person somewhere picked up and I explained the situation to her.  A few moments later, an officer came out and asked what pour problem was.  I explained the gas problem.  We had 100 k left in the tank and the next town was 100 k away, Deep River.  The policeman let us know that there was gas in Deep River.  With hope he was right, we traveled on.

We got to Deep River an hour later to find no gas station open.  I stopped at the first one and tried my credit card in the slot.  There were no locks on the pump, so maybe it would work.  No such luck.  We were stuck.  No gas.  No lodging.  Wet tent folded up in the back.  What do we do?  Sleep in the car in the parking lot of PetroCanada.

This hasn't been the first time we have had to sleep in our car on a roadtrip.  We have done it a few other times when the situation called for it.  We don't have many pictures of this night as we also were quite "thunderous" towards each other.

I slept for a few hours.  Tom, he says, not at all.  About 5 AM I awoke and was the first person to fill up that day.  It was a very quiet morning with very little talking.  Not the best day of our journey.

Another Tim Hortons stop for coffee and we left for Ottawa.