Single Step

Before I dictate our travels for the day, I want to say thank you to Tara and Jason for their warm hospitality these past 2 days. We left feeling satiated and satisfied, warm and fuzzy, but most of all grateful that we are family. Thank you from the heart.

After a refreshing cup of mint tea and a lovely visit with Siobhan’s mom, who attends the university here, we made our way east once again. Kenora is the first major stop from Winnipeg into Ontario and I needed to mail something home, so we popped in at the post office then took a quick jaunt along the lakeside trail before heading more south than east and deeper into the Lake of the Woods area. We both agreed that this looks like moose and beaver country, which it most certainly is. It is also cottage country and we were surprised to see “cottages” the size of mansions lining the waterfront.

Our provincial campsite doesn’t officially open until Friday so we weren’t sure if we would find a place here for the night but the Park Ranger welcomed us warmly, apologizing that things weren’t quite set up yet but the facilities were clean and firewood available so “pick a site and enjoy!” And that’s what we did.

Fort Whyte Sanctuary is Winnipeg’s equivalent to Nanaimo’s Buttertubs Marsh where dozens of school children congregate in the spring to learn more about marsh life and the great outdoors in general. That’s where we visited in the morning on Monday (the 17^th) with the Winnipeg Smokers (minus Jason, who had to work). The boardwalks are more like docks in that they are not attached to the land except at the shoreline and so we bobbed and swayed as we made our way along them – a little unnerving with a curious 2 year old. The school children were collecting specimens in Becel containers and were happy to share a look at their catches: tadpoles, tiger side-swimmers, water spiders and other assorted primary producers and consumers. I think Lila’s favourite part of the experience was the touch museum where a collection of taxidermied mammals could be petted and poked, which I did while she watched. Tate seemed to enjoy the aquariums and terrariums of fish, lizards and snakes. I enjoyed the company, the walk and the sunshine… and the familiar feel of pushing a stroller.

Today we also learned that the G. Smokers have a reputation for going to Costco whilst on vacation; not once but every day. We had no idea we were the objects of such family mockery so we went to Costco for comfort on our way home. We were in good company as a Canada Goose family decided to pick up a few things at Costco on their way home.

This day also warrants a happy birthday wish to our son Brendan who is 24 today. You know our sentiments so I will only say, “Happy Birthday, sweet son!”

The following photo gallery is mostly for family back home and I include it to say how much we missed you all while we were in Winnipeg. Please feel free to photoshop yourselves in where appropriate.

The surprisingly warm weather here has allowed us to keep the pop-top up on “Vanna” (new name for our Eurovan) at night and since the highway was just on the other side of the trees, I used my earplugs for the first time. (Thank you, Cheryl!) I slept like a log in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

We started mid-morning for Winnipeg, drove the 40 minutes to the city’s centre, and then called our nephew to give him a heads-up on the time of our arrival. Tara had a delicious breakfast waiting for us and after a brief tour of their classic and homey 1911 farmhouse, which now sits in a neighbourhood under a soft shady halo of elm and maple trees, we settled down to eat and visit and laugh a lot – as is true to Smoker tradition. Jason and Tara have been blessed with 2 little blonde cuties named Tate (2 ½ ) and Lila (1). The 6 of us piled into 2 cars and spent the latter part of the afternoon at the Forks, which is a park-like gathering place alongside the river. It reminded me of Granville Island in Vancouver with its green space, boutique shops and artsy ambience.

We came home to a BBQ picnic dinner of marinated chicken, and veggie kabobs. Very yummy!

Some of the most precious moments of the day were spent playing with Tate and Lila. Gord and Tate played ‘ockey (Tate’s “French accent” for hockey) with a couple of big boy hockey sticks, shouting, “He shoots, he scores!” More laughter! Lila smiled and cooed and sang to us in her sweet baby voice.

Tara asked me to describe one highlight of the trip so far – I said, “Spending this day with you guys.”

Our intention was to stop driving once we crossed the Manitoba border but it was before noon and it seemed good to us to keep going. Gord found a Saskatchewan radio station so we listened to, “I will never smile again until I smile at you” and similarly named country songs until we could stand it no longer. No offense to our country music-loving friends.

On our way through the tiny community of Neepawa there were police officers directing the westbound traffic, which was backed up for kilometers, and people in lawn chairs lining the righthand side of the street for blocks. We stopped for a break at a Fas Gas bar and I asked the young men who were pumping gas (Gord calls them gas jockeys) what was up. They directed me to the edge of the pavement and said, “Watch the skies! We paid $28,000 for this!” I heard the roar first then realized it was our own beloved Snowbirds here for the Neepawa Homecoming Days celebration. They put on a fantastic show, as usual, which we watched from the gas station parking lot. I felt proudly Canadian.

After a couple more hours on the road we settled in Miller’s Campsite, which is just outside Portage la Prairie and plan to hit the hay before too long.

We always enjoy hearing from you and just want to say thanks for allowing us to share our journey.

P.S. You may have noticed my blog headings for each new province we enter are named after the province’s license plates. I know you knew that!

The majority of our day was spent in Saskatoon enjoying a walk along the South Saskatchewan River and visiting the Western Development Museum. The architecture in the downtown area is interesting and there’s an honest-to-goodness castle. I once spent a week in a castle just south of London, England when my Dad and I visited the city. He worked in the daytime and the daughter of his business friend and I explored as much of it as we dared. The Saskatoon castle also acts as a hotel now and I imagine it would be great fun to explore, however, since I am not a guest there but am instead camping at the Gordie Howe campsite, I will rest content.

Did you know that Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey himself, was a Saskatoonian? It was news to me.

The WDM, as the museum is known, doesn’t deserve its anemic name. The exhibits are so well done that I lost myself in 1910 Saskatchewan for hours. The museum houses the longest indoor old western street in Canada and the detail is something else. The photo on the right is taken in the Mercantile and displayed everything from candy to poison to garden rakes to the kitchen sink. The one below is taken in the Pharmacy, which had hundreds of bottles and boxes of medicines, ointments, powders, and tinctures. The tea is said to relieve “Affection of the Breast.” Yes, you read correctly.

My only real brush with palaeontology happened because our son, James, was a bit dinosaur-crazy for his middle childhood years. Those were the days that we ate, slept and breathed dinosaurs; Allosaurus, Brontosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex and many more names almost as large as the creatures themselves rolled off his little tongue like nobody’s business. We talked then about visiting the dinosaur museum in Drumheller but just never got there. You will understand better now why today feels like a bit of a pilgrimage for us and the best part was that we got to share the day with our palaeontologically gifted son and his new bride.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is one of the best on the planet (Lonely Planet Canada, p. 637)  and since so many of the fossils, which are very well-travelled, were found in Alberta they remain here. The museum is home to one of the best archeological dig sites around so the unearthing, constructing and preserving processes are accessible to school groups and the public. I’m glad we dropped in!

After a quick stop at A&W, we sadly parted ways with James and Siobhan as they headed southwest to Calgary and we made our way east toward Saskatchewan. (Thank you for sharing the day with us!) The campsite we found in a tiny town called Kindersley was a Regional one and there seemed to be a lot of labourers staying in 5^th wheels and trailers. I had the WC all to myself whereas Gord had to share.

The weather is sunny and warm as we drive to Saskatoon and I thought you might like to see the view out my passenger window. You can likely guess which photo I am refering to. I am amazed at how flat and tree-less the land is but beautiful in its vastness.

The following photo is for my dear quilting buddy Leslie who would appreciate the drool factor of a quality quilt shop; another great thing about Fernie, BC.

I have already introduced you to the primary members of our team; the Van, Gord and me. There are also secondary members of our team that deserve an introduction so I thought I would start with the most vocal of these. Her name is Jane and she speaks with a lovely Australian accent. She is calm, cool and collected even when we choose not to heed her advice. She is persistent, insistent, and great with the “when” aspect of destination travel but has some trouble with the “where” and “how” elements, the latter of which are actually the 2 reasons we brought her onboard. She is our GPS.

Today she directed us to turn left into the opposing traffic lane of a 4 lane highway. She may be secretly plotting to do away with us as revenge for our inattention so we intend to keep an wary eye out. The trouble is that we don’t entirely trust her. However, we are loyal team members and will persevere with her for now. It’s early in the trip and she may hit her stride yet.

It has been in the works for about 3 months. Since its inception I have finished my first semester at university, we sold our home, found another in another town, celebrated our son’s wedding (and gained a beautiful daughter-in-law) in the neighbouring province and now are ready for the launch. Tomorrow we begin a trek across Canada.

We are travelling in a 1996 VW Eurovan with all the amenities. Well, almost all as it lacks a lou and a shower but other than that is completely self-contained. The Eurovan’s maiden voyage was to Tofino in April so I could dip my fingers in the Pacific Ocean. We camped on the beach, which is something not every RV can do and we have decided we will need to name her at some point. It seems only fitting as she is a key member of our team.

The team consists of my husband of almost 29 years and me. We are in an in-between place in our lives so decided a vagabonding sort of trip was in order and the prospect of a drive across Canada fit the bill perfectly.

We invite you along as a guest observer and warmly welcome your comments, advice, cookstove recipes and conversation. Most of you are either family or dear friends and read because you love us – thank you! It is our hope that you will share the joys and challenges of our Great Canadian Adventure, be inspired toward a greater love for our wonderful homeland and have fun too! Thank you for reading!

Oh, and one more thing. A big thank you to my wonderfully talented son-in-law who is responsible for the foundational work on this blog. Without him I would have had no idea where to begin, so thank you, Marc!