Huntsville - Mosquitoes - Miles and Misunderstandings

Today the weather was – as announced – rather mediocre. After getting up, I suddenly felt a strong urge to finally see some animals. Tanja had written to me about how enthusiastic she was about the wildlife here. And I realized: I actually haven't seen any so far. I wanted to change that.

In addition, I had read that there is a nice park nearby with many hiking trails. And supposedly you might encounter animals there as well. So, we finished our American breakfast with plastic (by now, we know how it goes) – and off we went.

A nice moment was at the gas station. Gasoline is actually inexpensive here – I think it's the only thing that is really cheap in Canada because almost everything else is surprisingly expensive. There are three types of gasoline plus diesel. I was a bit uncertain about what our car needed, so I asked the woman at the gas station. She was very friendly – and another customer immediately chimed in to help. That was really nice.

You pay here directly at the pump – with a card. Just as I was about to do that, suddenly a friendly announcement came over the intercom:

“You have to come in again to see me again for paying.”

The woman smiled when I stood in front of her again. 1 liter of gasoline costs about 80 cents in exchange. Fair.

Then we set off towards the park. The road there was already very beautiful – everything green, water everywhere. Mika liked it a lot. Almost all cars had canoes on the roof, even school buses were towing trailers with stacked canoes. It was truly a lovely sight.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't ideal for photography – thus the photos don't really capture how beautiful it actually was.

We first drove past an information center, then thought we'd better look for a direct entry to a trail – only to eventually realize that we would have been better off staying at the center. There, you register your vehicle, get a hiking map, and tips.

So off we went back. The woman at the counter sent us to the prettiest trail – which of course was exactly where we had been first. So back in the car, back there. On the way, we stopped at a lookout. It promised a nice view. As soon as we got out, people coming towards us cheerfully shouted something – we didn't understand it. So, we asked the people behind us. While we were asking, we realized: It's swarming with mosquitoes.

Mika – in shorts – was immediately surrounded. So we headed back to the car. We could scratch that lookout off our list. A bit frustrated, we wondered if we should go on another trail at all. But we hoped for the visitor center – and indeed: they had mosquito spray for sale. Saved.

Our trail goes through a kind of swamp area – over wooden walkways, water on both sides. Very quiet, very beautiful. In between, we hear an exotic bird call that we can't identify. It's totally humid, all the plants are coated with dew. Beautiful ferns, moss everywhere. And the conifer trees all have fresh green shoots. But: no bears, no reindeer. What a shame. I would have liked to see one. Mika didn't (at least not any bears).

I had read about a wildlife center that takes in injured animals. You could visit them there – I thought. So we drove there. Upon arrival, we found out: You had to book a guided tour. In the morning. So unfortunately, another trip down the drain.

We ended the afternoon with ice cream and coffee by the lake. Again, so lovely, this atmosphere by the lake. Then back to the room for a little rest.

Now we are sitting – better said: I am sitting – at the local sports field. Mika is doing his interval training and had earlier remarked that it would motivate him if a women's soccer team was practicing. And indeed: it was the case. His dry comment after training: “But they were bad.” 🤣

Of course, this day had its merits too. The little hike was really beautiful. The effort for it was somewhat large – but that's how it goes sometimes.

Later, we want to grill a bit; tomorrow we continue to Ottawa.

Insight of the day? I didn't have one right away today. It doesn't always have to be that way.