Notes from the Road: Crossing Canada (Part 4) - Back on the Prairie

Thunder Bay, ON to Rosebank, MN

We spent our 34th night on the road in Pine Tree Campground and Trailer Park, on Birch River, near Prawda, MB.  A small family owned resort, it's clear to see the attraction for the seasonal campers.  It was peaceful, clean and incredibly beautiful, along the banks of the meandering Birch River.

Pine Tree Campground, Prawda, MB

It wasn't long before we found ourselves back in Big Sky Country. Montana isn't the only place with Big Sky; when we hit the wide open prairies of Manitoba, we heaved a collective sigh of relief and commented on how good it felt to see the various shades of greens and golds set against a beautiful blue expanse.  Most of us have always classed Eric as a Maritimer but, as we basked in the pleasure of a view-shed that literally went for miles, it occurred to us both that, after some 38 years of living in Alberta, Eric is, indeed a Prairie boy at heart.

When you think of Miami, you think of  Florida, right?  Did you know there is also a Miami in Manitoba?  True, it isn't as large and it doesn't have a beach.  Located some 100km southwest of Winnipeg, it's still the hub of its local area with a K-12 school, and curling and skating rinks.  It's claim to fame came just before Christmas Day, 2005, when all but one of its 45 signs were stolen. Miami was also the focal point of a prank by one of the local radio stations, which ran a contest offering an all-expenses-paid trip to Miami.  Apparently not everyone saw the humour; there was even talk of waging a lawsuit! Geez, some people just can't take a joke! Anyway, if you are by that way, considering stopping in to visit the railway museum.

The last leg of our journey home

As is our way, we stayed off of the main thoroughfares. Our plan was to skirt along the southern borders of Manitoba and Saskatchewan before turning northward, and toward home, near Red Deer, Alberta.  Our chosen route introduced us to a sense of Manitoba whimsy that we didn't know existed.  For example, did you know that Roland, MB lays claim to the world's largest pumpkin?  This supersized replica weighs 1,684 pounds, stands 12 feet tall and is 12 feet wide. 

Roland, MB

Constructed in 1990, this Giant Pumpkin even made it into the Guinness World Book of Records in 1997! I know what you're thinking; if this is indeed the world's largest pumpkin, clearly, I lay claim to the world's strongest man!

Deloraine, MB

We shared our 35th night on the road at a lovely well-maintained municipal campground in Deloraine, where we were treated to some spectacular Manitoba sunsets.  Trust me when I tell you there no scene the can rival a Prairie sunset. 

Melita, MB

While Sunny, the Banana and Breezy, the Blue Jay may have been the drawing card for Melita, it was the local Farmers Market and all its fresh produce that kept us. The area is steeped in history, dating back to the Sourisford Prehistoric Linear Mounds, remnants of the largest concentration of ancient burial mounds in Canada. The Mounds date back to 900 AD.  While the site itself is visually unimpressive to the average Joe (being us), you have to admit, that's a pretty spectacular tidbit of history. The area is also famous as the Grassland Birds Capital of the Province.  Remember that Manitoba whimsy I mentioned?  Melita calls itself ' a town with A-peel"! 

While there is a vast beauty to a horizontal landscape, there is also the downside that comes with it.  I don't know about you but being blown about like a loose tumbleweed is not my idea of a good time.  It wasn't haven't much fun in the driver's seat of my SUV as the wind buffeted our wee Winnie Drop.  As much as we wanted to skirt Canada's southern border, we decided we would enjoy ourselves a lot more if we pointed ourselves north, travelling with the wind at our backside.  

It didn't take long for Eric to realize that we were not far from his BFF's ancestral home of McAuley so we decided to check it out too. As we meandered our way down the streets, we came across an antiques and collectibles sale. Of course, Eric had to go in.  Not only did we find ourselves in a vast collection, the owner was born and raised in McAuley.  And so began our personal history lesson.  The community's biggest pride and joy was the McAuley Blazers. I know nothing about baseball but I'm told a .599 winning percentage over 21 years is definitely something to be proud of!  The team was inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011; according to our host, it was the first and only time, she saw grown men, including her dear old dad, holding onto each other and crying.  Not only were these men incredibly proud, there was a tinge of sadness as some of their team mates were inducted posthumously.

On a side note, it's a good thing we were close to home because Eric managed to fill the last remaining spaces we had with.. . you guessed it. . . antiques and collectibles.

Somewhere in Saskatchewan

As we continued to make our way, I was more than a little insistent that we take a detour to Little Manitou Lake.  I had visited this community 8 years prior and was determined to return.  In fact, I'm still determined to return!  Eric was none too thrilled to be dragging wee Winnie through this community.  Not only are the streets incredibly narrow, they are also incredibly steep.  There were, in fact, times when I wasn't fully confident that my SUV had the power to get us up some of the hills.  And did I mention, the roads are not only gravel but deeply rutted?  I had visions of returning in the Corvette but I have a sneaking suspicion that isn't going to happen.  At any rate, what is to be found at the bottom of the valley, along Little Manitou Lake, is fully worth the angst. I'm not going to give you all the details because I'm planning on going back and spending some real time.  But, just in case you're curious, here is a promotional video.

By now, even though we were loving the scenery, we were getting a little antsy to get home.  On we went through Outlook, Rosetown, Biggar and Macklin after which we finally crossed the border into our beloved Alberta.  I would be lying if I said we weren't somewhat exhilarated to see that big Prairie Rose welcoming us home. I admit, it kind of made us both giddy!  Clearly fall was in the air and combines were in the field.   

What Alberta embraces:  Big Skies!  Fields of Gold! Vestiges of Oil & Gas

It's not that we didn't enjoy our road trip though, admittedly, I enjoyed it more than Eric. But, after a long time away, it's so nice to be able to crawl into your own bed, don't you think? All told, we spent 39 nights on the road.  Over 185.5 hours, we put on 12,539 kms at a total cost of $6,800.  We have spent that much (each) on a two week vacation at an all-inclusive resort!  

What did we learn?  Well, to begin with, it took us a bit of time to learn how to travel with each other and a dog.  We had a bit of a dog incident on our second night that not only left us scratching our heads but gave us some worries. Both having worked our entire adult lives, spending 24/7 with just each other is an adjustment. By the time we were headed home we were pretty much in sync, not only with the dog but with each other.   We are still a work in progress but, most days, I think we are almost 'there'. 

There were parts of our journey that we both immensely enjoyed. Trading in our big 5th Wheel for Wee Winnie was the right choice.  Our only complaint is the bed; one has to crawl over the other.  No surprise. We knew that when we bought it.  We did fine. We found, once we pared down our belongings, there is actually quite a bit of storage space.  We love the roomy 3/4 bath; even the shower isn't bad! The AC is noisy but we rarely need it. We went a full 5 days without services and could probably have gone a 6th.  As most of our local camping is off grid, that's good to know!

Walmart Camping! No muss, No fuss!

We relished our evenings and found ourselves stopping earlier and earlier.  It became the habit for Eric to set up the outside while I set up the inside, poured us a bourbon and got supper organized.  We soaked up long daylight hours on the way down; when the evenings became cool on the way home, we played a few hands of cards before settling into bed with a good book.  We have a TV but we never figured out how to get a local channel (who knew one has to turn on the antenna?).  We had movies but we never bothered with them either.  Being off the grid is not a bad thing. Quinn (the dog) kept us both active, another good thing when travelling.

We enjoyed our time with our people, limited though it was.  Certainly, we loved seeing familiar faces and thoroughly enjoyed the few new friends we made.  We found the sights, scenery and people of Canada spectacular, as always.  I think we may have even learned how to appreciate each other in different ways.
Would we do it again? I'm pretty sure Eric's response would be a resounding 'no'.  We both recognized at the outset that driving across the country is not his cup of tea. He did it 38 years ago, over 6 days, and that was good enough for him. So really, he made the trip for me.  We both understood that I would need to step up and do my share of the driving.  We would need many breaks throughout the day, many of which focused on Eric's interests.

I, on the other hand, would do it all over again!  Tomorrow!  Except for those very windy days, I didn't mind pulling Wee Winnie. While I was intimidated at the thought of pulling her through urban centres, once I had a couple under my belt, I was no longer afraid.  Eric took the time to show me how to set up and break down camp.  I think I could even go it alone. . . if only I could back into a camping stall. One day, I'll get there, I promise.

And here ends our journey.  I blog for me.  It helps me collect my thoughts and commit to memory, highlights of our travels and other things of import. That said, I hope it helps others in some small way, perhaps planning their own trip or just filling in time.    If you have questions, if there is something you feel is missing, if there is a way I can be better, please don't be shy.  

Until our next adventure. . . . I can hardly wait!

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami,_Manitoba
http://www.rmofroland.com/attractions.php#1
http://www.melitamb.ca/tourism-committee
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/sourisfordmounds.shtml
http://mbhof.ca/teams/mcauley-blazers-1973-1979/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=54&v=9GUxtrHJINY

Notes from the Road: Crossing Canada, Part 1

crossing the Prairies, the first leg of our journey

It was a brilliantly sunny day as the three of us began our trek from Central Alberta, to the Bay of Fundy.  A year ago, we concocted a plan to introduce my father-in-law, Frank, to who he lovingly referred to as his 'grand-daughter-dog'.  Suffice to say, Frank was a dog man.  Over the years, the family had dogs but the ones that stand out in their field belonged to Frank.  And, while we had many cats over the years, the acquisition of our first dog, Quinn, held a special interest for Frank.  If we missed making our regular telephone call, the phone would ring; Frank asking how his grad-daughter-dog was. As with other grandchildren, he even had Quinn's photo displayed in a place of honor -- on the fridge.  But the introduction was not to be; Frank slipped away from us early one morning, this past March.

Our rig, Wander Woman and the Black Beast

Although taking Quinn to meet her grandfather was a good excuse for a road trip, in truth, I'm always up for a road trip. . . and the longer, the better!  In preparation, we sold our 5th wheel and downsized to a Winnie Drop that could be comfortably pulled with our SUV and I would be comfortable pulling.  Fondly dubbed Wander Woman, we managed a few minor interior alterations to increase it's livability, and we were off. Our goal was to make pretty good time crossing the country, spend about a week in Nova Scotia, and then meander our way back home.  

Did I happen to mention that Eric is not one for long-distance hauls? I have often said that this has to do with our respective upbringings.  Whereas my parents often roused us three kids out of bed early on any given Sunday, simply to hit the road and put 300 miles behind us, Eric's family drove 40 miles and got a motel for the night.  In my world, as long as there was some sign of humanity, we couldn't possibly be lost.  Eric was taught never to leave home without a compass and if you haven't been on that particular road before, you probably were, indeed lost!  My father began teaching us the value of landmarking(1)  while we were very young.  He often asked us to give him directions home or to someone's house that we didn't often frequent. He instilled in each of us a sense of adventure and to this day, all his children are only too happy to head out on a drive, be it short or long.  If it is a path we haven't been down before, so much the better!  We still joke of the dismay that mother's face often display when she realized that a lack of signage and poor road conditions was, once again, accepted as an open invitation to explore the Great Unknown! 

First night behind the Walmart, Kindersley, Saskatchewan

As you may have surmised, Eric and I are not 100% compatible when it comes to travel and we continue to work on the fine art of compromise.  In this scenario, his compromise was to actually agree to travel across Canada with a dog whilst living in an RV.  My compromise was to share equally in driving and RV responsibilities and to let him out of the vehicle more often that simply when one of us had to pee.  

The original plan was to stay in small municipal campgrounds the likes of which there are many across the Prairie Provinces.  We are both very fond of Rural Canada and love nothing better than to stumble on some wee community where the one single store is its focal point.  We also weren't adverse to staying in Walmart parking lots, providing it was allowed and we felt safe. In fact, when we inquired on our very first night on the road, it was suggested we park on the side of the Walmart where we shared a nice lawn, open fields and the companionship of another family and a local trucker.  What we wanted to avoid were the large luxury campgrounds filled to the brim with swimming pools, restaurants, and other amenities we had no intention of using.  And did a mention, we are rural people who prefer wide open spaces.  We quickly learned that space was key to Quinn's happiness as well.

Our days routinely began around 7am, when Quinn would get her scratch on, her not-so-subtle way of telling us that the day was upon us and it was time to get a move on.  While one of us took her for a walk and a bathroom break, the other would tuck away bedding, start breakfast -- hers and ours.  Indeed, we were easily on the road by 9 am.  Throughout the day we would stop at any place that took our fancy but two primary reasons stand out.  First, we had not previously travelled with Quinn so we weren't sure what her needs would be.  To that end, we stopped every couple of hours to offer her the opportunity to stretch her legs and, of course, we all have need of  biological breaks.  The Prairie Provinces are loaded with isolated ball diamonds, community halls, day use parks, and cemeteries, most of which offered amenities appropriate for human needs as well as canine. The other draw was to feed Eric's picking hobby.  We rarely passed a garage sale, flee market or second hand store without stopping in to see what treasures were offered.  While I would sometimes aimlessly pick over the offerings, I am generally of the opinion that I have enough stuff of my own to dispose of and don't need anyone else's.  This attitude left Quinn and me to wonder off for a stroll but I also managed to work my way through several books.

Winnipeg, Manitoba to Nipigon, Ontario

the geographic centre of Canada, just outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba

Our route across the Prairies took us through communities the likes of Hanna, Kindersley, Souris and Claude to Kenora where one must choose the route along Highway 17 or Highways 71 and 11, before returning to Highway 17.  We made our way through Dryden and Ignace to Thunder Bay and Nipigon.  From there, we had another option; to stay on Highway 17 through Marathon, or follow Highway 11 North, through Long Lake and Kapuskasing to North Bay.  For me, the choice was an easy one; I have never been to Kapaskasing.  

Nipigon to Haliburton, Ontario

The name itself fascinates me but I have yet to discover its roots. Originally settled in 1907, when it was known as MacPherson Station and established as a railway water stop, it served as a base during the construction of the National Transcontinental Railway.  During WWI, the Canadian government interned thousands of people who immigrated to Canada from Austro-Hungary.  Most were poor, unemployed single men, some even Canadian  born.  Prisoners were employed in the construction of buildings and the clearing of land for an experimental farm to determine whether farming was indeed viable in the Clay Belt.  The remote location acted as security as those who did attempt escape were often forced by endless muskeg, clouds of mosquitoes and frigid winter temperatures to return.  My interest in land use planning was further fueled when I discovered the 1922 plan of subdivision incorporated elements of the 'Garden City' and 'City Beautiful' movements as well as the American 'Neighbourhood Units" concepts. 

historical plaque

Admittedly, this history came as a bit of a surprise. As we toured around the community looking for a place to call home for the night, we came across three schools, all of which were Francophone, with little evidence of the vast number of Hungarians that once resided in here.  In fact, about 70% of the community speaks French as a first language. 

Lake Bernard Park, Bernard Lake, ON

From Kapuskasing, we turned southeast, with the plan to make camp somewhere in the vicinity of North Bay.  It was here that we discovered that not all small communities offered overnight accommodation in the same way that the Prairies did.  In fact, we were hard pressed to find accommodation in this area until we were given the name of a very well established campground, located some 30 km. distance.  Admittedly, it took a bit of looking to find it as it was several km. down a dirt road which our trusty Garmin GPS insisted did not exist!  

Besides, picking, Eric's other great love is his Corvette (Ginger).  He shares this enthusiasm with a great many others across our country and, through the Canadian Corvette Forum, he has developed friendships with a few of the members, including a fellow from Carnarvon.  Murray and his wife, Wendy welcomed us into their home, showed us some of their beautiful community, and offered suggestions as how best to reach our next stop.  We swapped a few stories, including some banter about our slow-poke travel style before heading out the following morning.  No doubt, we got a snicker out of Murray when a few hours later he discovered us in a parking lot only a few miles down the road.  What can I say; we stopped to pick up a few items and got sidetracked again.

Quinn soaking up the love

Russell, a small community southeast of Ottawa, was our next stop.  While Kelly and Derek certainly made us feel welcome, it was obvious they were ecstatic to host Quinn.  We were barely in the door when Quinn discovered a bed just for her. Derek ran to fill a water bowl for her in the 30C+ heat.  Quite literally, Quinn had it made in the shade!  You see, they lost their own beloved Akira earlier this year and they clearly missed her company.  In fact, Quinn came home with one of Akira's old toys which still remains a favourite.

Again, we were given great advice on how best to cross the St. Lawrence Seaway while avoiding the bigger cities.  While many are quite adept at maneuvering down major thoroughfares and through urban centres, we were making a conscious effort to explore small towns and rural communities.  

We crossed the St. Lawrence at Cornwall and bypassed Montreal and Quebec City

We hugged the shoreline of the St. Lawrence, travelling through Sorel-Tracy, Sainte Croix and Montmagny before turning southeast at Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska (isn't that a mouthful!) for the New Brunswick Border, near Edmundston, and to Sussex, via Fredericton.  

While we didn't spend time there on this trip, Freddy-town, as it is often lovingly referred to, is a lovely university town and home to historic Kings Landing.  An easy place to while away the day, Kings Landing is a 120 ha. museum housing 70 historic buildings.  You will be greeted by characters in full costume, going about the daily life in a village dating back to the American Revolution. When we visited the women were busy in the kitchen making preserves for the upcoming winter, and boiling wool from the fall sheering to prepare it for carding and spinning.  The men were throwing up the last of the harvest and working at the flour mill the coopery.  Trust me, there is something of interest for everyone.

Water Mill at Kings Landing, Fredericton, NB

Welcome to Nova Scotia, my second home

On we went to our final destination in Nine Mile River, Nova Scotia.  Again, we were fortunate to be given space in the yard of good friends.  Here, Quinn was finally able to enjoy a bit of freedom as they have a large yard without any dog neighbours nearby to entice her 'dark' side.   Not only was Quinn given the run of their house, our friends were willing sitters, which allowed us an opportunity to inter Eric's father's ashes and spend time with family before making our way back west.  And, once again, Quinn came home with a few new toys and a leash, left behind by a very well-loved Badger their own fur-baby who also passed this year.

A final family photo taken at the gravesite of grandfather Lewis Sanford
where ashes of parents Lorna and Frank are also interred.

We have been making this trip to the East Coast for many years.  As I mentioned, our original intent was to share our beautiful Quinn with Grandfather Frank, but that was not to be.  While travelling with a dog can be a bit of a hindrance, I don't think either one of us found it to be.  For us, Quinn made our trip decidedly different, and for that we are grateful.  She alleviated some of our sadness that naturally acompanies final goodbyes.  She distracted us from the very reason we were making this journey, which allowed us to fully embrace elements that were not focused on Frank.  While it's true, we might not make such a journey with her again, we are neither of us sorry that she accompanied us and yes, we are even grateful.  Dogs are such joyful creatures, bringing love and happiness to their people, not to mention, the last people that would ever want us to be sad are those who have loved us as no other; our parents.

And with that, we began the journey home. Stay tuned for Notes from the Road:  Crossing Canada, Part 2.


References:
http://postalhistorycorner.blogspot.com/2010/12/kapuskasing-ontario-model-town-of-north_14.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapuskasing#Spruce_Falls
http://lakebernardpark.com/
http://kingslanding.nb.ca/


(1) an object or feature of a landscape or town that is easily seen and recognized from a distance, especially one that enables someone to establish their location.