This morning we were up at 6:30 AM ( the middle of the night, from my perspective ) in order to be at Shaw Park, Winnipeg's baseball stadium, by 8:30 AM, to register for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation / Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce "Run For The Cure", an annual, national, breast cancer research fund raiser. I was "team captain" of the team "Joanne's Fans" comprised of me, Joanne, her sister, and her two nieces. Here in Winnipeg there were over 4200 participants, with over half a million dollars raised. BRAVO ! The 5 km. ( 3 mile ) "run" ... most of the 4200 people walked ... was alongside the Red River. It took us ( and everyone else ) about an hour to walk it.
After the "Run For The Cure" was over, Lorraine and her daughters returned to their home to prepare brunch for all of us. Joanne and I drove over the Provencher Bridge into St. Boniface to view our first home, my childhood home, and Joanne's childhood two homes before returning to Lorraine's home for brunch. Not much has changed with our previous homes and neighbourhoods in the 27 years since we left Winnipeg !
We had brunch then while I did some online work Joanne visited with her sister. Early in the afternoon we quietly and unceremoniously left, leaving Bo behind < sniffle >. We didn't want to make a "goodbye fuss" and leave him upset at our departure without him. We miss him already. Thank you for your hospitality over the last week or so, Lorraine, and for taking care of our BoBo while we go to Churchill. I'm especially grateful that Lorraine and her daughters participated in today's Run For The Cure in honour of "Aunt Joanne", a breast cancer survivor for 14 years now.
We did some shopping errands at Safeway and Canadian Tire then drove to my sister's home in Lorette. Before we visited with my sister and brother-in-law Joanne helped me remove and reinstall the new water pump in the camper. It has not worked properly in the few days since I installed it with my brother-in-law's assistance, and I thought it may be due to an installation error. I wasn't sure of that before today's removal and reinstallation and I'm still not sure of that after we removed and reinstalled it. < huge sigh > Time will tell !
Once again my sister ( over ) fed us supper, then we visited for awhile before returning to our camper parked in their driveway. Thank you very much Sharon and Bud for all you've done for us in the last week.
Monday ; Lorette / Winnipeg to Devil's Lake Rest Area, Manitoba
Cloudy, cool, intermittent light rain.
This morning we left my sister's yard in Lorette about 10 AM and drove into Winnipeg. We stopped at the Bank Of Montreal in Southdale to get some U.S.$ traveller's cheques for deposit to our Bank of America account as soon as we cross into the U.S. in a couple of weeks. Buying the traveller's cheques took much longer than it should have. From the bank we went to Superstore and refilled with diesel, then over to the Winnipeg Sewage Treatment Plant on Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway 100 to dump our waste holding tanks. To avoid heading in the wrong direction on the Perimeter Highway upon leaving the sewage treatment plant, then having to make an awkward, unsafe, and probably illegal U-turn, I drove a short distance down a wet, muddy, gravel road to get back onto the highway headed in the correct direction. And now the truck and camper look like they have been driven down miles and miles and miles of muddy road in the rain ! HMPH !
We headed west then north on the Perimeter Highway until reaching Hwy. 6 heading north. We spent the rest of the day ... and will spend the next two days ... driving north on Manitoba Hwy. 6. We stopped for lunch at Oak Point, parked in a hotel's parking lot. We refilled with diesel again at Fairford, filling up at a cheap ( tax free, I think ) fuel bar on the Pinaymootang Reservation where we were visited by an extremely friendly, although skunk smelling Labrador Retriever / Border Collie rez dog. It wanted to go drivey with us. HA HA HA ! We stopped for the night about halfway between Winnipeg and Thompson at Devil's Lake Rest Area, beside a small, pretty lake, in the most Godforsaken middle of nowhere we've ever been ! Muskeg, muskeg, and more muskeg ! Well ... at least we haven't reached frozen tundra yet. HA HA HA !
Saw a Timber Wolf cross the road in front of us today.
Tuesday ; Devil’s Lake Rest Area to Paint Lake Provincial Park, Northern Manitoba
Mix of sun and clouds, intermittent light rain, cold.
Late last night I discovered water in the cupboard under the sink. I removed everything from the cupboard and identified the leak location. Not surprisingly, it was part of the water pump installation. I awoke early this morning to get an early start to the day, and repair the leak. This evening, when we stopped for the night, and verified that the leak was indeed resolved, I removed the inverter to ensure no water had leaked underneath it, then reinstalled it. I'm getting pretty sick and tired of water pump drama !
This morning, after repairing the leak ... and using non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner ( a.k.a. dry cleaning fluid ) to clean some appetizer stains off the lapels of the sports coat I wore to my niece's wedding a week and a half ago ... we left Devil's Lake Rest Area and continued northbound on Hwy. 6. A flat, straight highway, no hills, no curves, across endless muskeg. Boring and tiring ! We stopped at Grand Rapids and refilled with diesel at another rez fuel bar with cheap fuel. Grand Rapids was the only town in hundreds of km. of driving. About an hour or so after Grand Rapids we pulled off the highway into a gravel pit in the middle of nowhere to have lunch and a very brief nap.
After Hwy. 6 merged with Hwy. 39 coming from Flin Flon to the west, we stopped at a rest area / day use area and hiked a short distance to see the lovely Pisew Falls. We continued north on Hwy. 6 all the way to Paint Lake Provincial Park, further than we had planned to go today, and not far from our destination of Thompson. The campground at Paint Lake Provincial Park was closed for the season. We parked overnight at the marina boat launch parking lot.
Wednesday ; Paint Lake Provincial Park to Thompson & return
Mostly cloudy. COLD !
This morning ( 37º F / 3º C ) as we drove from the Paint Lake Provincial Park marina parking lot back to Hwy. 6 we noticed a sign to Lakeview Campground on Liz Lake, still in the provincial park. We drove down a gravel road to check it out. It was a lovely, small ( 15 sites ), unserviced campground, empty but still open.
We drove north on Hwy. 6 about 40 km. / 25 miles or so to the city of Thompson. Thompson was created in the late 50's / early 60's when INCO ( International Nickel Company ) discovered nickel there and opened a mine. The INCO mine is still the backbone of the local economy. Thompson is a small city, population about 15,000. And it's pretty much the "end of the road" in Northern Manitoba. There are a few gravel roads leading off to remote villages and Indian reservations, but ... the pavement ends in Thompson.
First thing we stumbled upon was the municipal sani-dump station as we entered town. So ... we dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled our freshwater tank, then decided that after a day of running errands in town we would prefer to return to Lakeview Campground on Liz Lake in Paint Lake Provincial Park instead of heading to the private campground in Thompson as originally planned.
We spent the day in Thompson, mostly running errands. We drove across town and found the private campground. We'll check in there tomorrow. We found Wal-Mart and did some shopping / replenishment of supplies. We wandered through the small ( and dying ) shopping mall that Wal-Mart anchors. We drove over to the Heritage North Museum and had lunch while parked in their parking lot, then went inside to the Visitor Information Centre contained within to get some trip planning information. We wandered around the two log buildings of the Heritage North Museum learning about the development of both the INCO mine and the city of Thompson. From there we headed over to another mall where the Elections Canada office for the upcoming federal election is located. We voted ! Voting in advance, at an Elections Canada office, away from one's home riding, is ... complicated. And time consuming. After voting we drove over to the Thompson Public Library. I went inside and worked online using their free Wi-Fi while Joanne sat in the truck and did some trip planning. She's already planning Louisiana about three weeks from now. HA HA HA ! We drove to the two car wash stations in Thompson, but both were indoors ( would you want to wash your vehicle outdoors when it's below freezing, as it is for eight months of the year here ? ) and the entrance doors were not tall enough for our truck and camper. They'll have to stay dirty until we're back in Winnipeg ... or ? I went to an RV dealer looking for some plumbing parts but they did not have what I wanted. I drove over to Home Hardware and found what I was looking for.
By then it was 5 PM and time to drive back to Paint Lake Provincial Park. We got parked in a site at Lakeview Campground at Liz Lake then went for a long walk. I'm suffering from a stiff and sore neck, partially from long hours of driving, partially from sleeping "funny", I guess. I was hoping that a long walk would help loosen my neck. It did, but only temporarily. While walking we saw a woodpecker we had not seen before, later using our bird book to identify it as a Three-Toed Woodpecker. We also saw a couple of grouse, invisible when standing still, visible only when moving, but were unable to identify whether they were Ruffed Grouse or Sharp-tailed Grouse.
Thursday ; Paint Lake Provincial Park to Thompson ... again
Sunny and chilly. Not a bad day for this far north. Joanne read an interesting statistic today ; 99.9% of North America's population lives south of Thompson. HA HA HA !
This morning we departed Lakeview Campground at Liz Lake in Paint Lake Provincial Park and drove north on Hwy. 6 to Thompson. Like yesterday, we stopped at the municipal sani-dump station on the south side of town to dump our waste holding tanks and refill with freshwater. Just because it was convenient to do so there, and we didn't know whether it would be easier or more difficult at the private campground we were heading to. We drove around Thompson checking out the diesel fuel prices at the four service stations in town. We went to Home Hardware again and bought more plumbing supplies for a project I wanted to undertake today.
GEEEEEZZZZZ ... a young man has just set up a tent beside us ( at 7 PM ). BRRRRR ... it's too cold to stay in a tent !
We arrived at McCreedy Campground on the north side of Thompson, just across the Burntwood River, near the float plane base, around lunch time. The proprietor was not home, so we parked in her driveway and had lunch. When she arrived back home we checked in and she directed us to a site. I began working on my plumbing project. None of the parts that I bought yesterday and today at Home Hardware "fit" ! HMPH !
I disconnected the electricity to the camper and we drove back into town to return the parts to Home Hardware for a refund.
Back at McCreedy Campground, I trimmed my beard ... outside ... BRRRRR ... then downloaded and processed photos. Joanne plugged in our little electric heater so the camper was toasty warm inside. I did some minor maintenance inside the camper. While Joanne prepared supper I got online to check e-mail and ... < wincing > ... check Churchill's weather for the next few days.
HOLY MOLY ! ! ! ! ! What astounding Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights ! ! !
I stepped outside the camper at 9:45 PM to discard a basin of dishwater and ... < blink blink > ... the sky was dancing with green light. We both went outside, and walked to the campground entrance to get away from lights, and stood there slack jawed, staring upwards for fifteen minutes, until we were near frozen ! The sky was filled with dancing green bands, with occasional red bands dancing within the green. I've seen it on TV, but ... < shaking head in wonderment > ... seeing it for real was amazing ! I tried to capture it on my camera, but ... it requires more photographic sophistication than my camera and me !
Friday ; leaving Thompson by train
Well ... here we are ( at 6 PM ) on the slow train to Churchill. We left Thompson an hour ago. I wonder why the train travels so slowly ?
We woke this morning to big, fluffy snowflakes falling. Around noon it turned into icy cold rain. BRRRRR ! We had a slow day, packing for the trip, and taking care of regular "camping" chores, made more difficult and unpleasant by the weather. Yesterday the campground owner assigned us to a campsite for one night only, with instructions to move today to a different assigned site. After moving I dumped the waste holding tanks but did not refill the freshwater tank, thinking that a mostly empty freshwater tank was less vulnerable to freezing risk. Joanne prepared a large, hot lunch, and packed a "picnic supper" to take on the train. We prepared and packed for the five day trip to Churchill, and walked over to the campground owner's home at 4 PM for a ride to the train station.
Once on the train I chatted with two young women seated near us. They were from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, headed to Churchill to see polar bears, like us. This was their first train ride. One of the young women was Ukrainian. We chatted about perogies. HA HA HA !
As the train departed Thompson, Joanne pulled out a sheet of paper, with lyrics written on it, and ( quietly ) sang the song she composed for me, to the tune of Elton John's "Daniel". Well ... how beautiful ! Thank you so very much, my dear. She's VERY excited about this polar bear viewing adventure. She originally had planned to wait until midnight to sing this song to me, in honour of my birthday, but then decided that waiting until midnight might not be such a good idea.
During the two hours or so of daylight on the train ride the scenery was more muskeg and boreal forest, like the drive up Hwy. 6. And ... mud ! Manitoba's license plate tagline should be changed from "Friendly Manitoba" to "Muddy Manitoba".
Saturday ; arriving Churchill by train ; Daniel's 61st Birthday
Good morning. And Happy Birthday to me ! It's 7 AM. We'll be arriving in Churchill in two hours.
It was dark by 7 PM last night. And it is just now beginning to be light again. Early October and darkness already lasts over twelve hours this far north.
We had a fitful sleep. As did most of the people on the train. The ride was not smooth. Lots of frost heaving makes for uneven tracks, I guess.
Yesterday evening the train stopped a few times, to drop off or pick up passengers, at a few very small Native settlements, and at the town of Gillam, a town created by a large hydroelectric dam development. When the train boarded in Thompson we noticed that most of the Native passengers were carrying pizza take out boxes. We assumed it was their dinner. We were wrong. They all were bringing take out pizzas from Thompson back to their homes. HA HA HA !
Last night I chatted briefly with the Native people sitting across the aisle from us. They were returning to their home in Pikwitonei, population about seventy. Nine children in school !
When darkness fell last night we were crossing muskeg and boreal forest. The Native settlements and Gillam were all covered in a fresh, thick layer of snow. This morning we are crossing barren tundra, with a light covering of snow. There are few trees, and they are scrawny little things. Seconds ago we passed a dozen or so derailed and smashed freight cars lying beside the track.
When we arrived in Churchill at 9 AM the owner of the hotel where we were staying was waiting for us at the train station. While driving us the very short distance from the train station to the hotel, he took us on a driving tour of Churchill. When we arrived at the hotel we went to the breakfast room for a continental breakfast and to wait for our rooms to be ready. We had breakfast and chatted with a couple from California for about an hour, then went to nap in our room. When we awoke around lunch time we showered and prepared to go walk around town. We stepped outside and ... into an honest to goodness Northern Manitoba blizzard. Heavy blowing snow, winds of 50 to 80 km. / hr. ( 30 to 50 MPH ).
We spent the afternoon walking from one side of town to the other, stopping at each restaurant, and the town bakery, and gift shops, walking into the wind and blowing snow all the way. We ended at Lazy Bear Lodge & Cafe, the most upscale restaurant in town. We definitely wish to have dinner there one night, but were uncertain whether that would be tonight or another night. We walked all the way back across town, but this time with the wind blowing the heavy snow at our backs.
Around 6 PM we walked down the side street facing our hotel to check out one of the two restaurants in town we had not yet seen, the Tundra Inn, Pub, & Restaurant, specializing in wild game dishes. We had my birthday dinner there. I had ... astoundingly good Elk meatloaf ! Joanne had fish and chips, made with Manitoba Pickerel. Both dishes were superb ! I think we will be returning there again before we leave Churchill.
While exploring town this afternoon the California couple discovered that there was a movie for the townspeople tonight at the community centre. They invited us to join them at this community event, and we happily did. The hotel owner drove us there. However ... once we arrived, and I saw that the movie was a Sci-Fi thing aimed at teenaged boys ... I bailed ! With Joanne's blessings. We returned to our hotel with the owner.
Over milk and pastries in our hotel room, Joanne presented me with a birthday card and gifts. Thank you very much, my dear.
DSK
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