With the weekend coming, we couldn’t extend our stay at Falcon Lake any longer so it was time to have our last breakfast at The Nest, get the van cleaned up and ready and hitting the road for Ontario.
Before leaving Manitoba we dropped in at the visitor centre and thanked the two ladies we had talked to when we first entered Manitoba. They had been very helpful in suggesting interesting places to see in towns off the Trans Canada highway, many of which we ended up visiting.
There was lots of road widening construction on Hwy 17 in Ontario and many sites where blasting was being done. We had several stops where traffic alternated along the one lane that was open.
In Vermillion Bay, we stopped at the Nowhere Craft Chocolate and Coffee Roastery. Little did we know that our stop for a cappuccino and a hot chocolate would turn into such an insightful and detailed lesson on how artisanal chocolate is made. Eleanor, the owner, spent close to an hour explaining and showing us the process while we were sipping our drinks and tasting her delicious chocolate. We couldn’t help buying some roasted beans, nibs, and bars. The seeds for making our own chocolate from raw beans has been planted. In time, this will no doubt, have been an expensive place to stop at. Ruth is already worried about the new set of equipment required.
A few kilometres further is Egli’s Wool and Sheepskin Shop. Last time we drove by Martin bought a sheepskin winter hat and we decided to stop by again. Ruth was particularly interested in the large selection of knitting wool, but was strong enough to refrain adding to her already vast collection.
In Dryden we had dinner at the Masala Restaurant which offers East Indian, Greek, Thai and North American food. They had a buffet, but it was mostly Indian except for maybe the french fries and spring rolls. The food was delicious and the entertainment was a large party celebrating a 60th birthday. We congratulated the birthday boy and were quickly accepted as family and each given a piece of the tasty birthday cake.
