Back In My Home Province Spring 2018

For those that aren't all that familiar, Ontario is a very large province. The population is over 14 million and the land mass is 1.076 million square kilometers. People generally consider Texas to be a big state, but Texas is only 695,662 square kilometers, which means Ontario is 35% bigger than Texas! The provincial health care people require Ontarian's to be in the province a minimum of 5 months of the year in order to maintain the provincially financed health care coverage, or as the Americans refer to it, "free health care." I want to keep my health care, so when I was planning on entering back into Ontario from the west side and quite far north, I figured I could do a considerable amount of touring around, while I complied with their requirements. I should also point out that I am usually pretty meticulous about my planning for these trips, but I hadn't done much in advance for this portion. I think I was lulled into complacency by the fact that this place is my home and shouldn't be that difficult to navigate.

My first stop in Ontario was the Wabigoon Lake RV Park, appropriately named as it is on the bank of the lake, the night of May 7th. It is a very small campground but well laid out and well run. Easy pull through sites. If I was going to open a small campground I would use this one as a model, though I would want to build it in a location where campers were likely to want to visit 12 months of the year. If I had know what was ahead of me, I would have stayed at least a second night, even though it was right next to the Trans Canada Highway, so there was some traffic noise all night long. 

My next stop was Thunder Bay. I saw the Terry Fox Statue as I was entering the city, but didn't stop because it seemed like it would be difficult to navigate the area with the trailer. The Provincial Park I had hoped to stay in was not yet open for the season, so I ended up staying in the parking lot at Walmart. I got dinner from their "steam table"  and had breakfast a the in store McDonald's. (1st night without an electrical hook-up.)

The following day I drove a couple of hundred miles along the North Coast of Lake Superior. The views were quite nice. I spent the night in Marathon, which is such a small town, they don't have a Walmart, so I stayed in the shopping mall parking lot as once again the campground was not open. I had dinner at a Mom and Pop restaurant in the mall and breakfast at A & W. (2nd night without an electrical hook-up.)

Unfortunately as it turned out it was an old fashioned winter, not as mild as some of recent years, so the campgrounds were not going to be opening for a couple more weeks. They were gearing up for the May long weekend which this year was May 18th to 21st. 

The following day I drove about 250 miles along the East Coast of Lake Superior. Once again the scenery was quite nice. 

I don't usually stop at touristy spots along the highway, but I made an exception for Chippewa Falls. It wasn't planned, however there was some road construction with a signal person just past it, and I had to stop for that anyway. There also appeared to be public washroom there, but as it turned out they were not yet open for the season (there is a theme developing.) I was thankful that I travel with my own washroom, so went in the trailer to look after nature's call. Thus relieved, I was able to hike a short ways up the trail to the waterfalls, which were flowing rapidly with the aid of the snow melting up stream: 

There was interesting signage close to the parking lot, firstly about how this was roughly the halfway point on the trans-Canada Highway, and secondly about how members of the group of seven artists had enjoyed painting in this area. I enjoyed this brief educational stop and then carried on to Sault-Ste Marie, where with no campgrounds open I got permission to stay in the parking lot of the OLG Casino. 

When I arrived at the Casino, the battery in the trailer was showing that it was quite low. Not driving very far the last couple of days and needing the battery power for my CPAP machine, the furnace fan (the nights have been pretty cold), water pump and some lighting were taking its toll. I was pretty sure I needed to stretch the power out for at least one more night, so rather than use it all up and be really inconvenienced, I decided to not use my CPAP that night. I knew I would not likely sleep as well, but at least I would no likely wake up in the middle of the night without any heat available. I had dinner in the casino and breakfast from Tim Horton's. (3rd night without an electrical hook-up.) 

The following day I drove about 250 miles along the North coast of Lake Huron towards Sudbury, another place I had visited in the past but not fully explored. This leg of the trip also marks the point at which I have been on the coast of each of the five "Great Lakes" with my trailer. I arranged to stay overnight at Timberwolf Golf Club, where I had played a tournament several years ago, and which had opened for the season earlier that week. It was pleasant enough and there was enough daylight left to play 9 holes. I had dinner in the clubhouse before retiring for the night. Once again I opted to forgo the CPAP machine and thankfully made it through the night with heat. (4th night without an electrical hook-up.) 

The following day, before heading out of town I visited Dynamic Earth Museum, home of The Big Nickel:

Inside they have displays about mining and minerals. The highlight is a tour through a portion of a mine, which depicts the evolution of mining, from the early days of men with picks and axes and donkeys pulling ore from the mine in small carts, through more modern times with mechanized equipment. Now I have a better understanding of the confines and concerns when there are reports on the news of miners trapped in mines. 

My last stop "on the road" was at the KOA in Barrie, Ontario. It was quite busy there, somewhat surprisingly, on Mother's Day Weekend, which most Ontarian's would consider to be a couple of weekends before the official start of camping season, and I would think most Mothers given the choice would prefer to be at home rather than camping. It was nice to be back in a campground with full hook-ups, and I was able to get a discount using the membership card I had purchased in Cedar City, Utah. I stayed there just one night.  

And finally on Mother's Day, May 13th, (not my favorite day of the year, since my Mom passed away) I arrived at my "home" for the summer, Maitland Shores, RV Resort and Marina near Dunnville, Ontario, on the shore of the Grand River, just before it enters Lake Erie. 

If I had decided to purchase a portable generator earlier on in my RVing career, I could have hung out a bit longer in Northern Ontario during this cold spring, but for the few nights I really could have used it, I don't think it was worth an investment of a minimum of $1,000.00 and then the worries about where to store it so it wouldn't get stolen, having fuel on hand for it, and maintenance on it. (A solar system has its limitations and expenses as well.) The last few days of this trip were a bit stressful, worrying if my batteries would hold up and sleeping without my CPAP, but I survived.

Winnipeg Manitoba

The next stop on my journey east was Winnipeg, Manitoba. I had been there a couple of times in the later 1990's for Christmas visiting with my then boyfriends family, but had never really done anything touristy there. There are quite a few people I know who live in Toronto, who are happy to be FROM Winnipeg, or in other words, not living in Winnipeg anymore. 

I stayed at the Town & Country Campground on the outskirts of town, next to a water-slide park that wasn't open this early in the season. The park seemed to be owned and run by a nice young couple that were really enthusiastic. A whole different vibe than at the place I stayed near Calgary. Their water wasn't turned on at the sites yet, but the sewers were working. You could fill your trailer with water next to the office, or you could borrow their water tanker truck, fill it up and take it to your trailer to fill it. I filled up on my way in. 

The Jets (NHL team) were in the playoffs and the entire city had caught the fever and were on the bandwagon. Each night of their games, home or away, there was a giant street party on the streets adjacent to the arena. They had a jumbo "goal light" 

Selfie with the goal light.

set up as well as a stage for live bands to play from and big screen TV's to watch the game on, if you couldn't/didn't want to get a seat indoors. They had food and beer concessions outside. I wasn't happy that they were only selling beer in pairs. I went downtown to take in the festivities prior to the start of the game and was interested in getting a ticket for the Manitoba Moose minor league teams playoff game the following night. Low and behold, when I got to the box office, they actually had a few single seats left for the Jets game. (Prior to this, I was hoping that the manager of the campground in Saskatoon, who's son is the equipment manager for the Jets would have been able to arrange a ticket for me, but sadly that didn't work out.) It was a bit on the pricey side, but I figured it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so bought one of those and one for the following night. (If you dollar cost average them, it works out a little more palatable.)

View from my seat for the Jets game.

View from my seat for the Moose game.

As it happened, both teams lost, so I have vowed to never attend another hockey game in Winnipeg.

Saturday morning I attended synagogue and in the afternoon I visited The Royal Canadian Mint,

Photo op, outside the mint.

Large Lone outside The Mint.

where not only all of our Canadian coins are struck, but also those of 62 other countries from around the world. Each countries flag was flying on a separate pole outside. There were so many it wasn't possible to take on photo with them all in it. There is a display inside with details of these countries and the coins the mint produces for them. I found it quite interesting. For security reasons the raw materials arrive and the coins are shipped out in nondescript trucks. The mint wasn't in operation so the tour was less expensive, and the place is reportedly much quieter and the floor wasn't vibrating.

They had a very large gold bar on display, which was well guarded, but there was an opportunity to pick it up, which pretty much required two hands as it weighed about 400 troy ounces, which is equal to about 28 lbs and at the current price of gold was worth a bit over half a million Canadian dollars.

Large bar of pure gold.

On Sunday, prior to my planned visit to The Canadian Museum for Human Rights I decided to treat myself to some Dim Sum. I did a google search for a good place and headed there, however it seemed that there were more other people heading to the place across the street, so I decided to follow the crowd and wasn't disappointed. This is just one of the carts they had going around with items on it:  

Dim Sum the old fashioned way, on wheeled carts. Yummy.

The museum, approaching its 10th anniversary, is quite an interesting shaped structure situated next to the river and not far from an area of small shops and restaurants. 

Museum of Human Rights, from behind it.

Overall, I found my visit to the museum worthwhile, though rather depressing, which I guess is only natural, given how badly many groups of people have been treated over the years, and the need to keep human rights front of mind. The museum boasts 10 galleries, which touch on indigenous people, the holocaust, doctors, Canada 150, a big timeline, among other things related to human rights. I chose to proceed through the museum from the bottom to the top, which meant walking up innumerable rather steep and long ramps, imposing some misery on me, which I suppose rather intentionally helped dull my mood as well. (As I recall The Guggenheim Museum in New York City had lots of ramps, but my impression of them was quite different than here.) I think I would advise others to visit in the reverse order, by taking the elevator to the top and walking downwards.

After visiting the Museum, there was still enough daylight for me to play the 9 hole Winnipeg Canoe Club Golf Course. I had practiced a bit of chipping and putting earlier in the week. It was very early spring like conditions, so I didn't have very high expectations for the course conditioning, but it was nice to get out and play now about a month removed from the decent golf in Arizona and a couple of weeks since I last played in Utah. I played on my own, and a couple of slower groups let me through so it didn't take long. There is some talk of closing the golf course soon, because the land would be very valuable for development as it is virtually downtown. So, if it meets its demise, I can say I had played it. Sadly for the golf enthusiasts quite a few courses are going that way. 

Eastern Saskatchewan

My next stop was Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (most likely named by indigenous people after the local creek who's shape resembled the outline of a moose's jawbone.) I visited the Western Development Museum, which has displays of mostly modes of transportation (cars, boats, planes, trains, snow mobiles, etc.) and how they evolved through the years. 

A very early RV.

Snowbird acrobatic team training aircraft.

Next up was Regina, Saskatchewan, for the primary purpose of visiting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police  (RCMP) Depot or training center. Every member of the RCMP attends the Depot in order to receive their training in policing. From there they are deployed anywhere in the country to begin their careers. I have always loved the red coats and their musical ride. My favorite piece of currency had been the Canadian $50 bill with the picture of the musical ride on the back. For those of you who may be unfamiliar:

I enjoyed my visit at The Depot, 

including touring the museum, which was designed in the shape of the RCMP's iconic hats:

and watching the new recruits parade around the grounds. 

As one would expect, the training is done in quite a militaristic way. The recruits earn parts of their uniform as they progress through the training program, from running shoes to riding boots, tee shirts to red coats. Though they don't all have to be willing to take to the back of a horse anymore, but they all need to be able to play a musical instrument. 

To break up the journey between Regina and Winnipeg, I stopped in Grenfell, Saskatchewan.  I picked Grenfell because they had a campground that was supposedly open, that I was able to book online. Unfortunately, when I arrived shortly after 5:00, the only thing that was open was the gate. There was no water or power turned on at the site I had reserved. Additionally, access to the washrooms and showers for the campers, in the adjacent arena complex, were locked as well. At this point I really needed a campground with power available because my on board batteries were getting depleted due to several nights in a row without being fully recharged. I need the batteries to run my water pump, washroom exhaust fan, 12 volt lighting, CPAP machine, thermostat and furnace fan when needed, and in this instance it was needed because the nights were still cold!  I managed to find the circuit breaker for my site in the main power distribution box, which thankfully was unlocked. 

After sorting out the power matters, I headed into town for a bite of dinner. All the locals I encountered were quite nice. I settled on a one of the two Chinese restaurants in town. I prefer more authentic Chinese food but the meal was fine, a good sized portion for a reasonable price, prepared fresh, arrived quickly and was piping hot:

After dinner I was seeking out Saskatoon Berry Pie for desert. I realized this was my last night in Saskatchewan and I hadn't yet tasted their berries. I knew they weren't in season yet, but I thought they would have been more readily available then they proved to be. Neither the bakery or diner in town had any baked goods with the berries in them. The best advice I got was to go to the Co-op grocery store in the morning and they may have some in the freezer section and then I could do with them what I choose.

The following morning I switched it off the electricity and I was able to reach someone in the city office responsible for the campground. They said they didn't really open until the May 24th weekend and that the website had recently been opened to start taking reservations for then and the rest of the summer. They need to learn to block off the dates for possible reservations when they don't really want people camping there. I ended up getting a refund for my stay.
On my way out of town I was able to pick up two bags of frozen Saskatoon berries. Mission accomplished.

Eastern Alberta and Western Saskatchewan

From Calgary I headed to Drumheller, Alberta (which was close enough that it could have been a side trip, but I was getting kind of sick of the campground in Calgary) in order to visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. 

I believe I said in the post from Salt Lake City Utah that I'm not really that into Dinosaurs, but being at this amazing museum it is hard not to be enthralled and is 10 times better that what is at the University of Utah museum. They have some amazing artifacts and fossils of massive proportions:

In addition to the displays they have windows open into the preparation labs, where recently dug up fossils are being prepared for display in the future. Much of the work is done by volunteers and university students. 

A few kilometers down the main road there is a collection of Hoodoos, stone columns remaining after the softer rock around them has been eroded by the weather.

My next stop was Kindersley, Saskatchewan. This was the first time I had set foot in the province of Saskatchewan and crossing through the province was an important part of this trip for me seeing as I had previously visited all the other provinces in Canada. 

In Kindersley, I went to their small museum that had a number of large collections of small items like: 

Match Books

Manual Meat Grinders

both items you don't see that much any more, so pieces of nostalgia for me. 

That evening I had dinner at Boston Pizza. It was the trifecta for Toronto Sports fans. All three major sports franchises were playing on the same night and were on TV for me to watch at Boston Pizza. The Raptors and Maple Leafs were both in the playoffs (that in itself doesn't happen every year) and the Blue Jays were starting their season!

No campgrounds in the area were open, so I stayed in the parking lot at Walmart. It wasn't the most restful night because a car dealership nearby had audible music playing on their outside speakers, even though they were closed. 

On my way out of Kindersley, I stopped at the Regional Park Community Walking Trail for some exercise. The well marked and maintained trail circles a pond. I passed quite a few other people using the trail for exercise. Across the street from one end is the local campground, which wasn't open for the season yet, but looked nice and may be worth a visit if I am ever passing through this way again. 

My next stop was Saskatoon. I had a reservation at the Gordon Howe Campground. This is probably the nicest, most well run campground I have stayed at to date. The fellow who runs it has a lot of experience that other campground operators could learn from. It is located within the city limits, adjacent to some sports fields and the river. When the trees and shrubs are in leaf, the campsites would have a very private feeling. 

A little outside Saskatoon, I visited the Wanuskewin Heritage Park in the Opimihaw Creek Valley. There was a large friendly looking soapstone bear to greet visitors. 

It is an archaeological goldmine dating back 6,000 years in the lives of indigenous people and was a stop during the Amazing Race Canada 3, Episode 7 where the participants had to either build a t-pee or learn the hoop dance. Unfortunately the museum didn't have many artifacts on display. They had a display of really bad art. The outdoor area is quite vast and you can tour it on foot with some guideposts providing explanations, but compared to other sites I have been to this was was rather disappointing. Areas that had been buffalo jumps and buffalo traps had been excavated and then filled back in and were already grown over, so there really wasn't anything to see. Another example, when it comes to a medicine wheel:

Explanation of Medicine Wheel

Just a few rocks on the ground.

The things I found to be the most interesting, like these colorful ribbons tied to the trees:

weren't "interpreted" and when I asked about it back inside the museum, I was told it was because it was "to sacred." The highlight of my visit was the jingle dancer, unfortunately my video of her dancing didn't come out very well due to the lighting conditions. Click here to see a sample of jingle dancing. Sadly, at $8.50 for admission, this was the most disappointing side trip I have made since I started my RV adventure. 

While I was in Saskatoon I took in the Humboldt Bronco's Country Music Tribute Concert at the Sask Tel Centre. 

The place was a sea of green in honor of the Broncos and was rocking from start to finish, 3 1/2 hours in total. I'm not that into country music and don't really know much about the Canadian country music start, but they did put on a good show and I recognized a few of the songs. 

For those that are unfamiliar with the need to have a benefit concert, the reason was that on April 6th, 2018, a 22 wheeled transport truck carrying packages of insulation collided with the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team en route to a game in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. Tragically sixteen passengers were killed and 13 others were injured, when they were ejected from the coach style bus, which was equipped with seat belts, but none of the occupants were wearing them. The driver of the truck was very inexperienced. He ran a stop sign and caused an unthinkable tragedy that deeply effected the small Saskatchewan town. There was an unprecedented outpouring of support from hockey enthusiasts around the world. I was prepared to volunteer there for up to a week. I though they might be able to use some administrative support or something I could handle, but as it turned out when I inquired it was too soon after the event for them to be organized enough to make use of my talents, so instead I stayed clear of the town and moved on. 

The following night I attended a Rush National Lacrosse league game at the same venue. (I used to be a Toronto Rock season ticket holder.)

During my stay in Saskatoon, I also attended a sabbath synagogue service and went on a couple of bicycle rides along the river. I feel Saskatoon would be quite a livable city if I wanted to be situated more directly north of Arizona.