Day 4: North Bay & Powassan "Rest" Day

So the plan was to have a bit of a rest today. No driving, just a bit of exploring the North Bay area with Tammy and Victoria. I woke up nice and slow with the gorgeous view of the lake right outside the window. I was feeling energized ready to go out. Plus I had a few errands to run to prepare me for the next leg of my journey.

Oley's Armory

Our first stop of the day was Oley's Armory in Powassan, about a 20-minute drive out of North Bay.

While we perused the store I learned a bit about the gun laws here in Canada. Anyone here can apply for a gun permit, though it may take some time to process your permit, and like in the USA, they will dig into your entire life before you get approval. But once approved, you can walk into a store like this and buy guns, ammo, bullets and more.

I made a small purchase of an Air Gun, just to practice my aim while I'm out camping. It's just a toy for a bit of fun to keep me entertained while I'm out in the wilds and to help me practice my aim.

Powassan Farmer's Market

Next, we were off to the Powassan Farmer's Market. This quaint farmers market is open every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM and sells all sorts of local produce, plants, baked goods, local meats and crafts. The market is surrounded by tall evergreen trees, and being outside strolling along on a sunny cool day with nature surrounding me was a fantastic feeling.

Victoria and I walked through the various stalls, just looking to see what they had. We saw some stalls selling some delicious-looking cookies, and stumbled across a very cute little photo-op area where I posed with some "pie" and "maple syrup".

Alderdale General Store

After walking through stalls full of tasty bits and bites, we were working up an appetite. So we headed to Alderdale General Store, just 5 miles away for a late breakfast.

Breakfast was incredible! Everything tasted so so fresh. I had 3 eggs, and yes I know they are just eggs, but wow they were the best-tasting eggs I've had in ages! Maybe they just have very happy chickens here. I ordered a latte and the coffee had such a wonderful smooth flavour. I sat there happily just talking with Tammy and Victoria over our breakfast.

At one point the owner came by to say hello to Tammy. The owner of this quaint remote bakery is one of Tammy's patients from the dental clinic. She was overjoyed to see Tammy. She had recently gone in for some dental work and she was very happy with the results and how Tammy had ensured everything was as it should be.

I just loved the energy of this place. The feeling was of a local country diner where all the locals come by and know one another. It was decorated to feel cosy and warm, with some great elements like saddles, row boats, and snow shoes hanging from various walls and even the ceiling! It felt like an upscale converted barn turned cafe.

Not only was it a great environment to settle in and enjoy your cup of coffee, but connecting to the internet was a dream! It was so fast. But how??? Back at Tammy's (sorry Tammy) the internet is slower than a crippled turtle! So off I went to solve the mystery. Apparently, they are using Elon Musk's fancy Starlink Satelite Internet. Good to know it works so well...

East Ferris Community Center Trade Show

On our way back to North Bay, we stopped by a small town, East Ferris, just 10-15 minutes outside the city. The town was running their Annual Municipal Tradeshow at the East Ferris Community Center. Tammy and Victoria were on the hunt for storage containers to use during the long harsh winters to store things outside.

Errands & The Quest for Dry Ice

After a fun and relaxing day, it was time to get down to business. I needed a few things to prepare for my drive tomorrow. One thing on my list was dry ice. But apparently buying dry ice in Canada is a no-no because I couldn't find it anywhere. I was given a couple of places (Lafave and Eco Trucks) to check out, but even they did not have any dried ice. I tried everywhere I could think of but no dice. Does anyone know why this is? Eventually, I gave up on my dry ice mission and continued down my to-do list.

The final stop of the day was the grocery store where I stocked up on food supplies for tomorrow's drive. They had such tasty-looking berries that I purchased a whole bunch of blackberries and blueberries to snack on for the road.

I also went to return the CB radio I purchased yesterday. My car has no antenna and since it has no metal it isn't possible to stick one on the roof. This resulted in being unable to use the CB radio. Instead, I repurchased a handheld CB radio instead. Now I'm all set!

Dinner at Tammy & Victoria's

Back home at Tammy & Victoria's it was time to prep for tomorrow. I repacked Steel (the name of my car) while Victoria cooked some incredible-smelling curry for dinner.

After a delicious meal, I got to work prepping multiple sandwiches for the 10-hour drive to come. I'm calling it an early night so I can easily handle the long drive to Lake Fushimi Camp Grounds tomorrow.

I am not nervous about camping at all... It's only been 36 years since I last camped. And I am only a little spoiled with the comforts of life. But tomorrow night I will be braving the giant mosquitos, spiders and even potentially some bears, just to give you all a great story and some beautiful pictures. 😉

Back on the road tomorrow. See you all then.

-Shlomo

Check out the photo gallery for even more photos of my trip!