August 12, 2001, Sunday- an easy day today with only 150 miles from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Kenora, Ontario, along the transCanada, highway 17. These two provinces, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, seem to be less affluent then BC and Alberta since the roads seem to always need to be repaired. Lots of thump, thump, thump, with gravel instead of paved shoulders along most of the roadway.
We arrived in Kenora at the Long Bow Trailer Park and found a gorgeous new section with wide spaces, fully sodded, and, unlike last night, away from the railroad tracks. Looking down the row of coaches we spot an American Tradition, a sister model to ours, and I said to Susan that they were a few coaches away from us in Banff, 1100 miles away. When we introduced ourselves to Rod and Colleen, they did many of the same stops and campgrounds, just a day or two ahead of us. When they were traveling through South Dakota, they were hit with golf ball sized hail, and larger. It did $6000 of damage to their Ford Explorer tow car, and several times that to their coach. all of the roof vents, sky lights, lights, windshields, and even the roof were destroyed. The roof alone is $12,000. Word to the wise….stay out of hail.
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Susan and I went into town and were pleasantly surprised with all of the activity going on. First, there was the Kenora International Bass Fishing Tournament with today being the final day. Hundreds of boats, ranked by class, were in the harbor, having their catch weighed. First prize was $20,000, with $120,000 in total prizes. Heading along the waterway we stopped by Husky the Musky, a walleye, for a shot of Hobbes and Susan.
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This area was, during the construction of the trans Canadian railway, the site for all of the railway ties manufacturing. 400 to 500 men were employed with a monthly payroll of $20,000, all during the 1880's. The lumber company, which later became Boise Cascade, had a tug on display that showed the modifications needed to push and pull logs. Enormous cages to prevent log damage surrounded the props. Log booms of 1000 feet by 500 feet were pulled by these tugs.
August 13, 2001, Monday- we packed a picnic lunch and purchased tickets on the Kenora sightseeing tour boat. This 90 foot, 200 ton vessel, provided two enclosed decks, one with full food service, and an open top deck for viewing the Lake of the Woods. It's quite a body of water with 63,000 miles of shoreline on a lake that totals 3000 square miles. Much of the land is owned by the First Nation….Rat Portage Reservation. People have built half million dollar condos and cottages along parts of the shore even though they have only 99 year land leases. Add lots of boat docks and seaplane moorings and you get a great summertime playground.
One enterprising man bought a floating trampoline, and for $200 per day, tows it to your cottage. Feel flush and you can charter a wonderful old wooden motor vessel for three days, and pay only $17,500 US$ for the privilege.
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Controlled by a dam, the lake level, at 1966 feet above sea level, only varies by a foot or two a year. The lake feeds into a river that heads north to Lake Winnipeg, which, in turn, flows into the Hudson Bay.
Kenora has something that Denver also has….it's the home of a Stanley Cup winning team. Of course you know the name…the Kenora Thistles, who won the cup in 1907.
August 14, 2001, Tuesday- 300 miles from Kenora down to Thunder Bay, Ontario. At the first stop to walk Hobbes, we pulled into a parking area, and alongside the perimeter was the largest 5th wheel trailer that we've ever seen. It was the size of a 53' semi. If the people weren't in the rig, I would have paced off the length. It was enormous. We could definitely tell that we were in a different Province. Instead of open land, we were now in tree country.
Arrived in the Happy Land RV park and noticed the American Tradition of Rob and Colleen, who had left Kenora yesterday. They were gone so we headed out to the Kakabeka Falls. These waterfalls are only 30 feet shorter then the big Niagara Falls. Very impressive!
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Returning to the park, Rod and Colleen were back. Susan asked if they play Euchre (they had lived in Michigan and everyone there plays the card game). The next thing we knew, the marathon was on. Susan and Rod against Colleen and Larry. We lost the first two games but won the last three games. Lots of fun. Colleen is also an expert embroiderer with a mini machine in the coach. She showed us a quilt for a grandson, and a "president's challenge" mini embroidery piece……definitely works of art. By the time we left them it was well after 10PM…another time zone today….finally in the Eastern Time Zone.
August 15, 2001, Wednesday- the Old Fort William Historical Park was the order of the day. Today was August 15, 1815 at the world's largest fur trading post. At the height of the trading season, 1500 people were in and about the fort. It served as the stopping point for all of the goods from Europe and the east coast being shipped westward. It also served as the stopping point for all of the furs being shipped from the west. Many of the goods came from the east in sailboats and small vessels, and westbound in birch bark canoes. Furs included seal, beaver, bear, buffalo, weasel, fox, coyote, lynx, and raccoon. Northwest Trading Company had more then twice the number of outposts then their main competitor, The Hudson Bay Company.
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At this site, which has been well preserved and/or restored, every building served a purpose. Entering the carpentry shop, one could see the start with logs, cut via handsaws, and all the way to finished furniture and building components. Ditto with the coopersmith (barrel marker), baker, apothecary, canoe and boat building, Indian trading stores, fur sorting and packaging center, etc. etc. All aspects of life were represented and staffed with folks in period costumes. But what really impressed us was the extent of their knowledge of the 1815 history and use of the tools of their trade. The buildings storing food and grain were built on stilts to prevent rodents and flooding from damaging the goods. A structure holding the arms, munitions and powder for the fort, was made of stone and had a metal roof. Why….to prevent fires from destroying the contents.
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In the afternoon we headed into town, Thunder Bay, a city of 117,000 people. Nice waterfront, malls, and downtown government buildings. As we headed out in the morning, unleaded gas was 72.9 per liter. As we returned in the afternoon, it was now 78.9 throughout town. Amazing! No price fixing here either.
August 16, 2001, Thursday- 325 miles from Thunder Bay to Wawa. Rain all day. Good travel day. Arrived in Wawa Campground, an old KOA. No cell service between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. Checked out downtown. With 4600 folks living here, it's obvious that it' a working class area. The most upscale eateries were family style restaurants. We'll use tonight to get caught up on some computer work and blow this pop stand in the morning. It's a good thing we only paid for one night.
August 17, 2001, Friday- it rained all last night, hard. This morning's ride, although only 140 miles, was in rain and mist and had several areas of road construction. Arriving in Sault Ste Marie, at the KOA campground, our new neighbor said….it looks like you also came through the cement and tar. Our car and half the coach were covered in an oil/tar grit that didn't come off the car with Windex on the windows or with the carwash high pressure hose. The pits. We drove into town, population of 86,000 and walked along the waterfront. Lots of diversions are available as time permits. Returned to the campground and spent two hours cleaning the Jeep. Too bad the coach is so much bigger.
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For dinner we went to the "Charitable Casino" - really, that's what they are called in Ontario, and invested a few quarter's in the machines. Not as much action as the casino in Winnipeg.
August 18, 2001, Saturday-cleaned basement doors on both sides today of the tar film. Hopefully tomorrow I can make a dent on the rear and more of the sides, but the heaviest dirt is gone.
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Dropped over the border to the USA and drove the jeep an hour south to the ferry to Mackinac Island. We've heard and read that this island is a special vacation paradise. To our surprise, it was more beautiful and serene than we had imagined. With no cars or motorized vehicles, bikes, foot and horse drawn carriages are the only modes of transportation. Like a bygone era, lots of small hotels and big mansions, along with the Grand Hotel, provided a quiet elegance. Flowers, grass and trees were everywhere. Small shops provided the needed services. Imagine going to the post office and seeing signs….bike parking limited to post office use only, 10 minute limit.
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August 19, 2001, Sunday- a relaxing day…Susan with laundry and me working on the coach cleaning after the disaster sand and tar from 2 days ago. In the afternoon we went down to the lakes and toured the Canadian locks, where the water level between Lake Superior drops 21 feet to Lake Huron. Before the locks were built (and there are locks on both the Canadian and American sides), the water transferred from one lake to the other via a series of rapids. All of the boats had to unload and portage their cargo from one lake to the other. Now, the locks can handle the longest vessels without trouble. It felt good to do the hour plus power walk, stretching our legs. Tried to hit some golf balls but one course didn't have a driving range and the other had only 200 yards and all hitting was from mats. Not our first choice.
August 20, 2001, Monday- we left the KOA in Sault Ste Marie Campground, and as too often, found that this chain is comprised of old campgrounds. Turns are too small for big rigs, and trees and bushes have overgrown the roadways. We finally made it (after having to take the car off the hitch so we could backup and maneuver). A schlepy ride of 180 miles to Sudbury. Lots of small towns where the speed limits went from 90 k/hr (54 m/h) to 50 k/hr (30 m/h). Canada permits significantly higher weight trucks and also longer trucks then are permitted in the US. Tandem trailers of two 53' rigs are common, making a long, long load. Also, it's not uncommon to see a trailer (open or closed), having 6 axles with 4 tires on each, plus 4 axels on the tractor. Maybe that's why the transCanada is in such bad shape. We've been on it for several thousand miles, and mostly it's just one lane in each direction with a 6 inch paved shoulder with a 4 foot gravel extension. Many bikers use this road and when they have to share the same pavement, it's sometimes a challenge to pass safely.
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