Clean Bin Tour Day 60 - The Sault

 As one travels through any country we recognize certain things that remind us of our home town. We also ogle the features that are new to our eyes. Yet we have found the aesthetic scenery does not give you the lasting memory that you take with you. The people who live in these towns offer that.

The folks we met in the Sault, who included Clean North volunteers and Katimavik participants, made us feel welcome instantly, set up a fun screening, and really got the word out for a great turnout at the funky venue LopLops.

The day we left town, our host Katie from Clean North and Andre from Velorution Bicycle Shop (they have free camping for cyclists BTW) came for a 40km ride along as we continued our ride east.

We are over halfway through the tour, and we feel we are starting gain a sense of what Canada is, and what a Canadian is. We're 'putting a face to the the name' of many towns that previously had only existed in our minds on news broadcasts or in a setting for a Vinyl Cafe story on Sunday afternoon radio.

We are realizing we need to come back to many of these cities and towns, not just for the scenery but for the new friendships that give you a true sense of where you are and also who we are.

Clean Bin Tour Day 56 - Northern Ontario!

Holy smokes, is Lake Superior ever gorgeous! Yes, it's true, there are lots of rocks and trees in northern Ontario, but once we headed around the east side of the lake, we were absolutely awestruck by the clear blue water and sandy beaches.

We had lovely hot weather, and folks around here said that it's the warmest the lake has ever been. Grant (also known as "aqua-grant") insisted on swimming 2 to 3 times a day, and our cell phone was out of reception the entire time.  It felt like a real vacation! Wahoo!

Clean Bin Tour Day 51 - Winnipeg and Dryden

We hit Winnipeg just as the Fringe Festival was starting.  Jen's aunt and uncle were amazing hosts, guiding us around town and ensuring we got our fill of good coffee and gourmet fudge.  We even managed to catch two Fringe shows before our screening at the Park Theatre.  As for the theatre - what an excellent venue! The Park has a licenced cafe in the front and a cinema in the back and is exactly the sort of place to show indie films like ours.  Plus, we had our name in lights for the first time! (thanks Erick). If you're ever in Winnipeg, check it out!

We also managed to sneak in a day of relaxation out at Minaki at Jen's aunt's family camp (check it out in the last video we posted) before heading to Dryden.  There we were met by more of exactly what has made this trip so great - amazing people.  People who are generous and genuine and love their community.  People who go out of their way to organize free camping and even bring you a couple beers to welcome you on your first night in town.

Grant tells me to keep these short, so I'll just say we received a warm welcome from the City Manager, Arie Hoogenboom, and got a fun intro to the Rotary Club who had us come and speak at their lunch meeting the day of our screening.  Thank you so much to Michelle Arseneault and Arie who coordinated the screening and to the folks at the Centre who made sure everything was just right. 

And as a final note, check out Michelle's blog if you get a chance.  She's just out of highschool, but mark my words, this girl is going places.   She is already running a local campaign to get businesses to ditch plastic bags, and we were truly struck by her mature and focused nature and her passion for the environment. I know we'll be hearing more from her in the future.