We left Stanley with an early roll out and were on the road at 8:06! But, we knew it was going to be a long road day. Overnight it had rained, so the air felt blessedly fresh and clear, even though the skies were overcast.

Having started listening to “Philosophize This,” we spent the entire day (8 hours of driving . . . so about 6 hours of “Philosophize This”) listening to more. It was especially fun to stop after each episode and discuss what we had learned.

We made our first comfort stop in Rugby, ND which boasts the notoriety of being the geographical center of the North American Continent. We remember stopping there for gas in 1989 when we were traveling with the kids on the way to grandma’s house. The station manager was so delighted we were interested in their unique geographical statistic that he gave each of the kids a Popsicle! It wasn’t as hot today, however, as it was on that day! A light rain continued to fall throughout the day today, but it was blessedly fresh after so many days of being in a cloud of smoke. I’m sure this rain is the answer to so many prayers.

We made another stop at the intersection of Highway 66 and 44 – just a bump in the road. This is in the northern most area of North Dakota, and we were traveling east to Fort Frances, Ontario. The landscape was surprisingly beautiful, even in the rain! Road work delayed us for about 20 minutes along the way and we made our last U.S. comfort stop in Warroad, MN, right at the foot of Lake of the Woods. A few miles farther down the road and we crossed into Canada at Boudette as we took the bridge over the Rainy River that marks the border.

Canada seemed more colorful, even in the rain. The trees are turning and with the fields of sunflowers, hay and what we think may have been a golden wheat, as well as some pumpkins . . . it was a delightful ride.

Our room for the night is on the Ontario side of  Rainy Lake at the La Place Rendez-vous. And it is RIGHT on the lake. Even in the rain and waning light, it’s beautiful.

We were so hungry after such a long day in the car without stopping for food, that we checked into our room and went directly to the restaurant. Thankfully, the second to the last empty table in the dining room was available for us. Gratefully, we enjoyed a hot meal that was more than adequate. And, afterward, even before bringing in the luggage, we walked out to the lake shore to take some pictures.

When we finally went inside it was still lightly raining, baptizing everything in sight.