Blind River, Ontario

It was Day 11 when we left Parry Sound for Blind River. The drive was as Google mapped it out, about 3 and 1/4 hours that forced us away from the coast for roughly half the journey as we bypassed Sudbury. This portion of the itinerary was hands-down the most dreadful of any of the drives we've had on this trip. Not that the roads were poor, but it was just a depressing hour-plus of nothing (not even a gas station), and you really feel the loss of major bodies of water along the way.

Once we got back to the Lake Huron coast our spirits were lifted. We stopped off at the small boat harbour for a free spot discovered through the iOverlander boondocking app. You never know how legit these things are, but this proved to be a stellar site to stay the night. Indeed, it was by far the second best informal campsite we've been to (with Arret Pour Un Nuit in Newfundland still king).

The view was certainly spectacular, and as a bonus, there was a beach just a five minute walk away. Kenting spent some time contemplating the vastness of the Great Lakes from the sand.

Afterward I took a run around town and discovered it to be quite nice indeed. The downtown features the Iron Horse Inn, a tavern open until 3am on Fridays. The lads on the left got started early:

Not to be outdone by Lake Huron itself is the Blind River that gives the town its name.

I returned from my run to find our Kodiak still on its own with the nearby boats parked for the night.

Kenting was convinced this concrete block in the Harbour was a living creature.

I even had a (much needed) bath in the water next to our vehicle, with none the wiser.

Then the Harvest Moon said goodnight.

And so we called it a day.

The next morning it was the sun that greeted us.

The positive omens were so clear that, unlike Neil Young, it was obvious Blind River would not be the final resting place for our beloved vehicle. 

Indeed, had we nowhere to be and were 30 years older/meaning to retire somewhere quiet, it would be at least a reasonable place to consider growing roots.

But none of the above was true...

...so we drove on.