Far-ranging trip brings perspective

A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

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Red naps on the floor of a boreal forest in the municipal park at Label-sur-Que'villon, Quebec.

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A sign stands along Trans Canadian Highway 11 near Val Gagné, Ontario.

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A horse-drawn buggy with rubber tires is pulled along Trans Canadian Highway 11 near Val Gagné, Ontario.

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An old grain harvester stands in the middle of a plowed field along Trans Canadian Highway 11 near Matheson, Ontario.

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Fields and farms reach to forests and granite bluffs in the municipality of Neebing south of Thunder Bay, Canada.

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Red and his human Cindy Dillenschneider pose alongside a sign marking the Atlantic Watershed along Trans Canadian Highway 11 in Ontario.

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A sign marks the Bouchard Fromagerie near Saint Fe'lician, Quebec. The cheese factory makes and sells cheese on an organic family farm.

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White buckwheat flowers fill a field near Saint-Fe'licien, Quebec. Buckwheat is a common sight in area fields.

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A tractor stands in the rain near Quebec Highway 167 near Lac Saint-Jean.

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A field of canola glows yellow under a smoky sky south of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Canada is the world's largest producer of canola.

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A bag of buckwheat flour and a container of buckwheat flour stand side by side. The flour is a common ingredient found in kitchens in Quebec.

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Hail whitens a lawn after a violent summer storm in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The storm produced a tornado, a rarity in Canada.

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A street festival takes shape on a main street under stormy skies in Chibougamau, Quebec. The city is near the northern reaches of paved road in the province.

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Red concentrates on not becoming seasick while his human Cindy Dillenschneider comforts him during a long ferry ride across the St. Lawrence River near the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord.

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Organic locally grown oats fill a shelf at a farm store near Saint Fe'lician, Quebec.

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A lifeboat hands ready for service on a ferry crossing the St. Lawrence River.

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A ferry casts a wake that seems to stretch to land along the shore of the St. Lawrence River. Crossing between Saint Sime'on and Rivie're-du-Loup takes more than an hour.

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A list of products and the local producers who made them stands in a farm store near Saint Fe'licien, Quebec.

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Bottles of organic canola oil fill a shelf at a farm store. Canada is the largest producer of canola in the world.

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Comfort foods fill a counter at the Bouchard Fromagerie near Saint Fe'licien, Ontario.

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A well-dressed cow that marks labels at Bouchard Fromagerie looks customers in the eye. The cheese factory makes organic cheese and yogurt from the milk of about 80 cows on the family farm.

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Blueberry cheese is advertised in French on a sign at a farm store.

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Coffee is advertised on a sign in a farm store. Prices are in Canadian dollars; the current rate of exchange is about 1 Canadian dollar for 75 cents U.S.

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An antique milk can adds charm to a farm store.

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Customers of several nationalities are greeted by a sign in a farm store. The main languages in Quebec are French and Cree. English, though not a dominant language, is also spoken by many as a second language.

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Blueberry cheese and yogurt made by the Bouchard organic farm are ready for sampling. Visit bouchardartisanbio.com/en for more information.

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A milking parlor and open barn stand in the distance at Bouchard Organic Farm near Saint Fe'licien, Quebec.

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A box of seasonal chocolates tempts customers with a sweet tooth. The confections are made at a Trappist monastery near Saint Fe'licien using only fresh wild blueberries and chocolate. The flavor is unforgettable.

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A sign advises that wild blueberries are bought and sold on-site on Main Street in Chibougamau, Quebec. In many areas of northern Canada wild blueberries are picked and sold as a cash crop.

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Red naps in the safety of the family tent while traveling through Quebec.

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Charred trees in a boreal forest stand along Quebec Highway 113 south of Chibougamau. Rains put out many fires in the southern part of the province in recent weeks, but fires in northern areas were still raging in August.

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Red finishes off a container of poutine at an outdoor stand in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Red favors the traditional Canadian dish made with potatoes, gravy and cheese.

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Blueberries tempt customers at a farm market in eastern Ontario.

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Beautiful fresh vegetables are reasonably priced at a farm market in eastern Ontario. Prices are in Canadian dollars.

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Locally grown vegetables populate a table at a farm store near Val Gagné, Ontario.

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Value-added products, honey, pickled eggs, maple syrup and more tempt customers at a farm market in Val Gagné, Ontario.

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A label on local eggs at a farm store indicates products from a group of cooperative farmers in eastern Ontario.

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A farm store stands ready to greet customers along Trans Canadian Highway 11 near Val Gagné, Ontario.

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Cucumbers by the box await home canners.

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A sign lures customers from Trans Canadian Highway 11 with the promise of fresh local produce.

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Sweet corn from down south is offered at a farm store in Val Gagné, Ontario.

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A sign urges support for local farmers who produce milk that is made into cheese in Kapuskasing, Ontario.

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Support local farmers is a sentiment to be shared everywhere.

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Summer sausage 'fresh off the block' temps customers at a farm store near Val Gagné, Ontario.

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A trap is laid for sweet-toothed patrons of a farm store.

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Fresh-baked pies fill a cart at a farm store near Val Gagné. Only because the cart was just wheeled out do they remain untouched.

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Fresh-picked local raspberries await jam and jelly makers.

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Beans of enough quantity for winter pickling await canners.

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A label on a sack of flour shows the local producer who ground it from local grain.

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Cindy Dillenschneider hunts for Canadian cash to pay for a package of homemade chocolate bars -- another package.

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A road sign near Val Gagné, Ontario, alerts drivers to horse-drawn wagons and buggies that are common on area roads.

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An ocean-going freighter travels the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec, Canada. The fjord is close enough to the Atlantic Ocean that whales are sometimes sighted at its mouth along the St. Lawrence River.

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A field of buckwheat stands straight under a rainy sky near Alma, Quebec.

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Red catches a quick nap at a national park along the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec, Canada.

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Wild blueberries await picking in a boreal forest near La Doré, Quebec.

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A road sign warns of moose crossing the highway near Geraldton, Ontario. The signs are common in much of Canada.

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Red keeps watch while his human, Jason Maloney, catches up on trip notes at a campsite in the municipal park in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Quebec.

Contributed by Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Kakabeka Falls flows with spring melt. The falls on the Kaministiquia River are located 30 kilometers west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. At 40 meters, it's the second-highest waterfall in Ontario, Canada.

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Jason Maloney and Red

Prefer us on Google

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Mother would always say we need to take the good with the bad. We would fail to appreciate the good things in life if not for something bad happening from time to time. It turns out such advice is especially useful when applied to travel in our modern era.

Jason Maloney is an “elderly” farm boy from Marinette County, Wisconsin. He’s a retired educator, a retired soldier and a lifelong Wisconsin resident. He lives on the shore of Lake Superior with his wife, Cindy Dillenschneider, and Red, a sturdy loyal Australian Shepherd.