From North Dakota we popped north of the border, resumed our Tim Hortons coffee addiction, and did a quick stop in Winnipeg to visit with family and friends. From the corner of Portage & Main we made our way through the wilds of Northern Ontario. We had to pick up the pace a little in order to make the only hard coded deadline we've had since we started this roadtrip- the wedding of DH's Godson Devon B (yes, another member of the Killer B clan). This was a really big deal given that Devin has found a very nice girl, Melissa soon-to-be B, who has experienced the entire Killer B clan up close, and yet is still willing to tie the knot with Devon??

Our journey through the north was a bit repetitive since we had both done trip before but this time we were on the hunt for a relatively new addition to the legends of Bigfoot, Yeti, and Grizzly Adams- the soon-to-be famous Mountain Man of Temagami.

Given the need for speed and the fact that the primary residents of this part of the world are black flies and mosquitos, I was starting to employ the DH method of road tripping, and was just leaning out of the car window to get a photo of yet another really large statue of a native critter of one type or another. We did pay proper homage at the Terry Fox statue that marked the end of his heroic attempt to run across Canada raising money for cancer research (tragically his own cancer had returned to his lungs and he died shortly after having to stop). In this age of undeserving celebrity status, this unassuming Canadian remains a national hero and fundraising runs in his name are held each Sept all over the world.

Another worthwhile stop was in Kapuskasing where a local museum shines a light on a largely forgotten WWI internment camp that seemed less about security and more about forced labour to build northern communities. I'm always reluctant to judge yesterday's actions with today's standards but it does seem a shameful chapter in our history.

Unlike the elusive Yeti, it was relatively easy to track down the Temagami Mountain Man (PFC back in his city days) and his forest fortress. When we found him, he was busy building an ATV out of birch bark and was sporting a stylish clothing combination of plaids. With a beard that a woolly mammoth would be proud of, PFC has obviously taken to the idea of retired life in the country

PFC might be singlehandedly responsible for keeping the letter F in the top quarter of the English alphabet and, after leaving, it usually takes a couple of days before we stop using the F word as an adjective. He's still a great story teller and we had a good time visiting with both he and his oh-so-patient girlfriend, Nicole.

Now we’re off to find a wedding.