Finally!

A chance to update this blog! :-) It's been a crazy week, with the obvious amounts of traveling, meeting Ed's friends and family, etc. Driving was a bit insane, with the first day being Seattle to Helena with a detour to see my 100+ year old great aunt (~18 hours), the next day from Helena to Brandon (just West of Winnipeg, another 19 hours), then from Brandon to Atikokan (near Thunder Bay) where we spent a couple days. During this time we fished (I actually caught something...strange!) on a huge lake known as the Flood Waters, ate WAY too much good food compliments of Ed's grandparents and family, chatted, paddle boated, and relaxed a bit. From there, it was on to Thunder Bay, where Ed's folks are and where he grew up. It's been wonderful these past couple days, and relaxing, eating delicious food, listening to stories, meeting more friends and family, etc. What a wonderful place to have grown up! On a quick bike trip yesterday, I finally saw why this is called "Thunder Bay," with lightening strikes ~3 miles from where Ed and I were (ok, so maybe I jumped...and squeaked a bit when the sky lit up...I'm from Washington! 10 miles is too close for comfort...3 is just craziness!) After the initial shock, I discovered that it really was pretty awesome, and Ed and I sat on a bench and watched the storm go over before biking back. Also, I finally saw Lake Superior and it really does look like an ocean! The four of us walked along the waterfront for a while the first day we were here, enjoying the view and the sunshine. Tomorrow, Ed and I are biking the hour and a half to the Sleeping Giant (one of the seven wonders of Canada!) and hiking our way up the chimney before biking on back. Oh, and the day is starting with a trip to the Finnish restaurant...I hope to avoid the eyeball soup at all costs! Wish me luck, and keep reading...I should have better internet access for the next few days, which means more updates!