It is a blue sky, calm morning just perfect for a smooth ride out to the far end of the lake. We take up our position in one of the hopeful walleye spots.  It starts slowly: loons are hanging about chatting and diving.  A river otter plays.  A bald eagle perched high in the pines periodically scolds.  A raft of mergansers (18) float into view then move through diving and quietly talking to one another.  We float a while enjoying the beautiful morning. Kent gets a nice walleye and we keep it this time then decide it is time to head out to explore the river.

We troll along the tree lined banks. Kingfishers swoop tree to tree.  That mob of mergansers is now sunning in a long row on a log.  We will encounter them one more time as the scurry out of our way.  I catch a 24” northern.  We keep it too.  Together with the walleye there is just a nice mess for supper.

Dinner time. Pancake batter made with Sprite gives just the right lemony flavor (thank you, Grace) and along with a pan of home fried potatoes supper is a big hit.

There is the one standing problem, northern are too boney. It is very difficult to fillet them around all the bone and Kent hates to pick around them.  Decision, only walleye on the table from now on.  OK, I can live with that, as long as we catch a few more walleye.

Oh yeah, the next mess we are going to grill….all that frying makes for serious after meal cleanup.

Lynn caught the northern pike: 20”, 24” and 26”.  Fun to catch but really not very pretty fish.

Kent caught the pretty one; a 16” walleye.  He got the tiny fish prize too, a bitty perch that came at the end of a walleye run.

We let them all go today. It was late in the day and the cleaning station has no screens.  It is a mosquito nightmare in the evenings.

Rain drops pattered on the roof before dawn and the rain kept us in the motor home pretty much all day. Minutes before sunset with the sun low in the sky a huge bright rainbow appeared.  What a lovely ending to our first day here.

101 is wallowed out by heavy mining and logging trucks, they are working on 129 (the graded gravel in the construction zone was smoother than the old road), and 667 has a rhythmic pattern of cracks that kalumps even though new top coat. To finish it off, we ran through/across some classic washboard on the gravel road into the park.

Kent is a bit more tired than the distance would typically warrant but we are settled in at Wakami Provincial Park and even have the boat in the water.  Tomorrow morning we get out and fish; at least that’s the plan.  There is rain in the forecast but we are hoping they are wrong!

We are up early to catch the fair weather forecast for this morning and to maximize our chance of seeing critters while we are out on the lakes. As we launch, the air is cool and mist rises from the still surface of the lake.  The banks are heavily wooded but we keep our eyes peeled hoping for another look at a local bear or whomever else might be out.  We slowly circle Hughes Lake but find our only companions on or near the water to be two loons who move around the lake to maintain a comfortable distance and a couple mottled ducks that startle out of the rushes.  There are old beaver lodges but no occupants make an appearance.

On to Point Lake.  Wind is building and ripples cover the surface but we are able to pick out two baby loons trailing behind their mama. The other adult shows up too.  This must be their home lake.  We paddle to the far bank, enjoy our lunch afloat, then ride the wind back to our launch point.  No mega fauna on this lake either.  Perhaps we will take an evening drive in the park backcountry for one last look.

Laundry. It could be worse: the laundromat is right in the park and Kent actually baby sat it through wash and dry.  Nice that all is clean before we head out to Wakami tomorrow.

We were safely back at home when the storms hit as forecast. The sky turned grey.  Big drops fell.  The wind kicked up then the heavy rain hit.  Along with it was a noisy dose of marble sized hail.  It didn’t last long and no damage done at our site but we were certainly glad that we hadn’t taken the kayaks out as originally planned.

The sky cleared followed by the sputter of a chainsaw nearby. A 6” diameter tree blew down onto a trailer awning just three sites from us.  I suppose that is one downside of these wonderfully shaded sites.

Lunch was at Mom’s Fries and Variety. We ordered Poutine Quebec style; a huge stack of fries layered with a liberal helping of cheese curds smothered in a big messy ladle of gravy.   The cheese was all melty and stringy and this medium sized order felt like it weighed a kilogram.  It was plenty to share.

I told you Timmons is a mining town right? It is to the extreme.  Along the main drag through town there are lighted, digital signs that inform everyone the time of the next blast in the open pit mine in the middle of town.  I guess it’s a good thing to know!

Beautifully manicured parks are scattered about town each populated with a least a few pieces of retired and now rusted mining equipment. There is a lovely monument to miners lost though the years.

What are those weird curly looking green things at the farmers market? Garlic skates.  The fellow selling them says they are a mild tasting garlic, good for dips or even just to cook with.  Interesting looking.

When we checked in at Kettle Lakes the Ranger mentioned significant black bear activity around the campground.  “Just keep food and trash put away” it’s not problem.  I’m cool with that.  We settle in and have a quick supper then head out to explore a bit.  The loop around the edge of the park turned out to be pretty good for wildlife viewing: river otters and a loon in one lake and a cute little black bear peaking at us (in the car) from behind a stump.  He watched for a moment then scurried off into the underbrush.  We scoped out the various kettle lakes in the park and plan to take the kayaks out in the morning.  Maybe we will see some more critters!