Day 33 - There’s No Place like Home

Day 33 - July 17, 2008

Today is our last day of holidays. Beautiful sunny warm morning with light puffy white clouds. We head from Strathmore, Alberta first thing in the morning, after of course our Super 8 continental breakfast! We get through Calgary like a breeze and make a quick stop in Canmore to get our last Starbucks of the trip.We all decide we are glad we left this part of the drive to the daylight hours as it is the most beautiful part of the whole drive. Really, nothing across Canada compares to the great Rocky Mountains, the Selkirk Mountains, and Rogers pass area. The mountains were so beautiful, with all the roadside wild flowers of daisies, indian paint brushes, purple clover, yellow daisies and butter cups and some kind of orange flower. Simply gorgeous! It truly is God’s country.

We travel over the passes and get through Golden, Revelstoke, the beautiful Sicamous area, and...we knew we were in the Okanagan Valley and close to home when we are stuck in traffic for 25 minutes as soon as we hit Vernon. Seriously, it took us 25 minutes to get through the city, which I must add, is the longest time in a traffic jam we have experienced across the whole of Canada. Upon arriving in Kelowna, we almost hit a guy on his bicycle going through a red light, with no helmet! Aaahhh, its good to be home!

Well, I can finally and yes safely say we made it home. Who would have known 5 weeks would go so fast. As we drove by the airport, Lucas reminded me that that was where his and my trip began - now full circle. Phil’s would be full circle once he drove in the driveway!

Pleasant Surprises: Quebec City was more beautiful than we imagined, traffic was easier than we expected, and we had our best customer service experiences. On the flip side - Montreal was exactly as expected old, big and dirty.

We did not experience any trouble speaking English in Quebec as a Province or Quebec City or Montreal.

We were surprised at how bilingual the whole country was. We experienced French speaking people from Nova Scotia, PEI, right through to New Brunswick, Quebec (a given) Manitoba, Ontario and even Saskatchewan.We were surprised at how incredibly level the whole country was, (except for along Lake Superior in some areas, where there were some considerable hills, and the Cypress Hills in southern Sask & Alberta) until you hit the Rockies.

Contrary to popular opinion, we did not experience people in the Maritimes to be any more friendlier or unfriendlier than any other province. What we did find was that people in Ottawa were probably the most unfriendly and the least helpful. It seemed that almost everywhere we went, our actual presence was taking time away from some other thing they would prefer to be doing, and that included the job they were hired to do.

Just some humorous moments on the trip......Phil asked a clerk in some business what was that interesting looking "industrial plant” on the river (weighing the possibilities of taking a tour or at least checking it out to see if it may be interesting). The clerk responded “I don't know, but we do have bulrushes.” Phil at the same place (a small village) was also inquiring as to where he may find a certain store. The clerk responded “no, we don’t have one here, but they may have one in Liverpool.” Liverpool was the next community - which was across the street – and equally small!

We were at the Toronto Blue Jays baseball game. On the jumbo-tron I noticed they were showing “ Shania Twain” with some fan and they were waving. I promptly, knowing that Phil and Lucas were great fans of hers, said “ hey Shania Twain is here and waving on the Jumbo-tron!” We all strain our necks to see where in the stadium she was actually at. While doing this we notice she was waltzing up the very stairs in front of us. I said to the guys “ here she is, coming up the stairs.” We were all excited to see her in person and in such close proximity, only to see it was the Nicorette girl! not Shania Twain (we all laughed at the ridiculous thought that Shania maybe was the Nicorette girl - drumming up some fan support and financial gain - as if she needs either!

We had a super holiday, feel especially blessed that we had the time and the means to take this once-in-a-lifetime trip. We are amazed, really after Phil driving through Chicago and us driving through Montreal, we are grateful and thankful we made it home in one piece. We did not experience any car trouble, tire trouble, nor did anyone break into our car and steal our electronics, which were essential for the trip. (I am guessing that with one look inside the car, they decided not to get involved. We basically lived in that car for 5 weeks - 7 if you count Phil’s weeks away - and well I think you get what I am saying- just a tad untidy!) We all got along, had some great laughs, some great talks, and some great Starbucks!

Even though we just scratched at the wrapping on the surface, we learned, experienced, and enjoyed all what we were able to see and do. We thank you all for your prayers and support and comments during our journey. It was fun blogging, and we hope we have inspired those of you who want to do the trip to absolutely do it. We hope that the others will at least think about it, and for those who don’t plan on it or don’t plan on thinking about it - we hope they have a great summer holiday season where ever they may be.

Oh... anyone with a few weeks to spare feel free to come help us sort pictures...

Phil, Terry-Lynne and Lucas

Day 32 - Hillendale where the Deer and the Antelope Play

Day 32 - July 16, 2008

Last night was the first night I thought we may be sleeping in the car. We stayed in Swift Current, and most of the hotels were full by the time we got there. Luckily, we did find one, so we all felt grateful, as there was a terrific lightning and thunder and rain storm that hit between checking in and finishing supper! Would have been a cold night in the car!

Today was another travel day as we leave Saskatchewan and go towards Alberta, and home. We continue through to the very south of Saskatchewan so we can go see and show Lucas Bracken, the place where Phil lived from ages 2-7. Even though he was very young when they left, he still has really vivid memories of the town. As we drive, I notice the sign for Hillendale – an actual town place, and we do see numerous deer and even antelope, which was a first for us all.

Bracken still has an elevator, however if you blinked, you would not know the town was there. The old co-op is still there, which sold lumber and was a gas station when Phil was a youngster. Phil used to buy his coke there for 10cents back in the day, so we all had to have one and celebrate the momentous occasion. (Actually it was the in the future coke zero, as they were all out of the regular coke.) Phil showed us the parsonage where they lived, the lane where he learned to ride his bike, Lecky’s Store where he would purchase his candy/treats and pick up the mail, the old church where his father was a pastor, the hospital trees, and some of his friends houses, or where their house used to be. Lucas thought this was all so cool to be in the same place his dad had been so many years ago. Phil told him of the parade that he, Shari, Maureen and some other kids had marched down their street, playing instruments to get people out to the “festival” (which included a shortened version of Puff the Magic Dragon and a finale on the rope swing at the old burned down fire hall. We actually got to go in the church (in these rural areas I guess they still don’t lock up some buildings) and the benches and the interior is the same as Phil remembers. We went to the basement where they had the church meals or potlucks, and the banister that he slid down is still there. He remembers that there were hardly any trees, and now there are plenty. When we were at the co-op, the clerk said her husband was also a preacher of the same church as Phil’s dad (Sam Wiens) and remembers .the Morehouse name coming up. Pretty quiet place, and Phil said there were even less buildings than the last time he visited 8 years ago when he ventured out there for his 40th birthday.

Lucas and I both enjoyed hearing about the stories and the memories of Phil’s on our walking tour of the town! This was a highlight for both of us.

We then move on to go through the Cypress Hills to Alberta. Quite a beautiful area, right in the middle of the flat prairie, there are these forest covered hills. We decide to go into the park and drive to Fort Walsh as there is a local road there, which would be a short cut for us. We were advised at the park entrance, that the road is virtually impassable as they had rain the previous night. We decide to backtrack and go through Maple River. We carry on our way to the fort, however realize we need to get gas, so we go back to Maple River and decide that by the time we get to the fort, we would only have about 15 minutes to see it and it would cost us a little more than an hours drive. We decide, much to our disappointment, that we better carry on to Medicine Hat, and to Strathmore, which is just outside of Calgary, to stay the night. We all reminded each other that “we can’t see or do everything”, and vow to come back sometime to see what the Cypress Hills and the fort are all about.

As we eat supper in Medicine Hat we reminisce about our travels, things we have seen, our favorite sights and moments, the surprises or things we experienced that were unexpected, our serendipity moments (had a bunch of those) and what all we learned.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow, and getting home... so until then we wish you all a good night and an even greater morning!

Day 31 – The good ol' days

Day 31, July 15, 2008

Great Hotel, great sleep and we are back on the road! Our first stop is to Rouleau, the home of the CTV show Corner Gas, which, in the show, is called Dog River. This was a must see as it is one of our favorite shows. As soon as we come to Rouleau, the Ruby Restaurant, and the Corner Gas station is right there off the highway. You don’t need to look for it at all. It was fun to get pictures of both, and then we ventured to the main street (1 block away) to find the Foo Mar t, the police station, and the bar or tavern at Dog River. Quite fun to do. We buy some souveniers, and make our way back to Moose Jaw to do the tunnel tours.

The Tunnel tours are awesome. One tour takes you down in the tunnels to where the laundry and basically where the Chinese lived who worked in the laundry and in the town. Pretty close quarters, very dark and poor standards of living. The other tour took us through another set of tunnels where the famed Al Capone came to visit, and they even claimed had set up office. This tour was really well done. The actors are dressed in the clothes of the day, and act out the tour as we travel the tunnels. Quite entertaining. Lucas enjoyed this a lot too – all the secret passages, and the acting of the characters.

After the tunnel tour, we have lunch on the go and head out to where my Grandpa and Grandma Thompson’s farm was. We found it this time, with the assistance, again, of my brother. We got a chance to look at the maps he sent on the internet, so that was a great help! Thank you Daryl!!. It was where he said, although a lot of the old landmarks are gone in the area so it looks quite different now from approx 30 years ago (I hate to admit it was that long ago since I was there at the farm).

The big old tree is there at the entrance of the yard, and the burnt fence post. The house is the same house, but with new siding and windows. There was a couple there so I introduced myself to them and told them why I was there. They explained that their daughter and husband had bought the property (80 acres now), however were not living there, but planned to build a house and keep their horses there. They told us to feel free to wander around the property and even let us in the house to see it. A lot of the buildings my grandfather had there were gone, so were the old tractors, combines and some of the trees he planted. However the old tool shed was there and an old granary. We walked down the hill towards the valley and found the foundation of the old, firsthouse, but I could not find where the well was. My mom had showed me many years ago, but the grass and thistles are so tall there now I just couldn’t locate it. Was awesome to see the place, reminisce a little, and then have the comfort of knowing that the memories are in my head. All the life and good happy times is now long removed from that space, however they are locked away safely in my memory! The house and property has not been looked after in years, which is sad and is starting to take on the changes of other people, which is also sad for those of us who are sentimental, but time marches on and new people create their own mark on the land & new memories- so life goes.

We drive on west, and stop at Caronport to see Briercrest Bible College to see where our nieces had gone this past year, and then made our way to Swift Current for the night. We were lucky to get a room and it is raining & thundering so I will do a quick close in case we loose power!

ttfn

Day 30 – RCMP Heritage Site/Training Centre and some futility.

Day 30 - July 14, 2008

What could be more suitable to Regina than visiting where all the RCMP’s are trained for the country. This morning we set off a little later as it was laundry day. We only packed a weeks worth of underwear and clothes. We have found that we can wear our clothes for 2 days in a row, which means we packed enough overall, however the underwear….. not so much. I won’t expand on this one. I think you get my drift, no pun intended!

The new RCMP Heritage museum has only been opened for about a year. Really nice building to commemorate the history of the NWMP (North West Mounted Police) to the present day. We toured the area for the training of the RCMP which is a 26 week program with a graduation at the end. We toured their chapel which was built in 1883, originally as a tavern, is now a chapel with beautiful stained glass windows. We didn’t see any active training while we were there.

After this we went to the Government House Museum to take the tour, however was only open Tuesday to Fridays from 10-4, so we missed that. Oh well, as we often say to each other “…can’t see everything, can’t do everything.”

Then off to find my Grandparents farm. My Grandpa and Grandpa Thompson (my mom’s parents) lived somewhere between Regina and Moose Jaw. Somewhere is the exact word. I should have gotten specific instructions before we left, however was worried I would lose them during our trip. I did get directions and maps from my brother, however, we had to check out of our room, so did not get a chance to look them over. We decide to go anyway and look for the farm. Much to our surprise, most of the grid roads don’t have a name, and every mile looks the same as the previous. We decide to get back to the highway, get gas, check into a hotel in Moose Jaw and try again tomorrow with the aid of my brothers map. Hopefully we will find it tomorrow.

Cool facts we learned: The RCMP’s uniform is all earned in stages, starting off with their black boots. Once you pass a certain level, you get your boots and so on. You get the Serge ( the red dress coat that they wear for ceremonies, special events) at graducation. The tall boots given out are custom made, and a leather color of peachy gold when they are issued. The officers have to polish these to get them the nice brown color. This takes about 24 hours of polishing.

Lucas’ statement: Did you know the RCMP used to shine their shoes in their barracks, but this was changed a couple of years ago, and they now have dedicated buildings to shine their shoes and clean their weaponry. This is because the polish fumes used to get so strong in the barracks that it actually turned one guys skin colour yellow!

Until tomorrow, this is just us saying good night and hope all is well . Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary to Dave and Bev!!!

Day 29 - Sunny Windy-peg

Day 29 - July 13, 2008

Today we have sunshine to lift our spirits and we press on. We find that the last couple of nights of accommodation not being real great, sleeps not being real great sleeps, and not great weather made us long for the comforts of home. We could not connect to the internet yesterday either, so it was a lonely day for all of us. However, with some sunshine, and……… you guessed it – Star Bucks, we are ready to keep a stiff upper lift and carry on.

We stop off at Lower Fort Gary, along the Red River in near Winnipeg. Beautiful setting once again for 19th century living. This fort is a stone fort, made from limestone quarried from the area. Its really a pretty colour, soft yellow and creamy so it has that look of some English stone cottages. This fort built by the Hudson’s Bay company was started in 1831 and was used to supply its network of fur trade posts. Because it was built below the rapids, it was a great place to load supplies and furs bound for distant outposts like York Factory (located north on the mouth of the Hayes River at the Hudson’s Bay) and on to Europe. It sort of governed this area on its own as this was the only place to trade your furs, and crops. They enforced this, and took military action (including calling in the government troops from Britain) to enforce its royal charter and to disband the secret free trade.) In 1871, the Crown, the Ojibwa, and the Swampy Cree First Nations made the first of the numbered treaties in western Canada here at the fort. This fort was also one of the first training grounds for the North-West Mounted Police (later the RCMP).

We played “archive bingo,” toured the homes, shops, blacksmiths, teepee, the big house (the Governor’s residence) the powder magazine and other buildings. Throughout the tour, the park staff act and do as they would have in the 1800’s. Lucas enjoyed letting them know that in the future, as that is where he came from, that Hudson’s Bay Company would be bought out by the Americans and is now just a store called the Bay. We got a demonstration on the difference between the flint lock and a percussion cap muskets on real old muskets. Quite interesting and entertaining.

After a couple of hours, we make our way to the Grande Prix - a co-cart, bumper car, water-balloon bomb, mini golf place. Lucas got a chance to race his go cart with about 25 other cars. A thrill for him because it is all about the race and passing the other cars. He did really well in both races and managed to leave some cars in his dust!

On then to Regina Saskatchewan, about a 6 hour drive. We listen to some Cosby, had supper in Brandon, Manitoba, look for a Manitoba flag, which there is none, and then put in a DVD of Brian Regan, a comedian, on the lap top and hooked it up to the car’s speaker system. Was hilarious, kept us in stitches, and passed our time on the road. We were welcomed to Regina late at night with a display of lightning works from about an hour away right until we got to the city. Turned out to be a good drive, good day, and are now ready for a good sleep…

TTFN (as tigger puts it… ta ta for now).

Day 28 – Wet ‘n windy-peg

Day 28, July 12, 2008

Title says it all, except of course the temperature! Its quite chilly this morning, grey, raining, and winds of up to 65 KM per hour.

We decide to check out and find another hotel in the Winnipeg area for our second night. The carpets were filthy in the rooms, the hotel had smoking and non-smoking rooms, however the stench of the smoke wafted up to the 2nd floor, (where we were staying) anyway. The a\c worked, however, the fresh air was broken. There was a parking security guard patrolling the parking area, and signs on the hotel door say that they do not hold cash in the till of over $50.00 , and that the staff do not have a combination to the safe was a real good indication that maybe it was not the best area to stay. I expected our windows to be missing in the morning, however, they were still in place.

We decide to do all things in-doors today. The Royal Canadian Mint is our first stop of choice. We learn the first coin, a 50 cent piece in Canada was first struck in 1908, and the mint in Canada has been producing coins ever since and is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. Unfortunately, because it is a weekend, the production is not in action. Anyhow, the tour was really interesting. We got to hold a 28 pound, 24 carat gold bar worth 450 thousand dollars. Would have loved to bring this home as a souvenir of our trip, however the police officer guarding the bar was a good deterrent, so was the chain keeping it in place. The tour explained how the designs are made, what type and size of steel they use, the way they prep the steel as blanks, and then how they stamp and burnish the coins to the familiar ones we see today. The Winnipeg mint produces the circulated coin. The Ottawa mint produces the collectors coins. They also have information and quizzes to see how much you know about coins and money. They also had this one discussing the pictures or designs on the coins (the beaver, the Polar Bear, The Caribou and the loon). What was funny about this was after they explained why these designs were chosen, they went on to play the “ Hinterland Who’s Who. We got a good laugh out of this. For those of you who are 40 something and more will know why!

After the tour, we go on to the Winnipeg Children’s Museum where Lucas entertained himself for about and hour, then we were done. During that time Phil found the buidling where Grandpa and Grandma Morehouse lived the first year of their marriage, (which with some simple math also was an important place for Shari).

We move on to the Louis Riel house, located on the Red River. Riel never really lived there much because he was exiled to the US, but his wife, family and kids lived there. His descendents lived in the house until 1970. We learned some things about the Metis life but not much about Riel himself. Probably we will find out tomorrow when we visit Lower Fort Garry. Here’s hoping for better weather for it tomorrow.

Some cool things we learned:
1) The Canadian Mint in Winnipeg produces 15 million coins per day, 5 days a week.
2) 60% of Winnipeg’s production of coins is for other countries (80 different countries- including Ghana, Australia, Malawi, New Zealand to name a few).
3) 40% of people in the world have a coin in their pocket that was minted in Winnipeg.
4) Our families weight in gold is worth $6,300,726.77.
5) The Winnipeg mint made the biggest coins ever: 6 gold coins, 20 inches in diameter, one inch thick, 99999% pure and weighted 220 lbs. They sell according to the price of gold ($3.7 million today) but have a face value of $1 million. They are legal tender.

Lucas’ Statement: Did you know that… collectors coins are stamped 2-3 times to be perfect and of high quality ,and are also made of gold or silver, whereas the circulation coins are only stamped once and made of steel and plated with nickel and copper.

Day 27 - Lakes, Woods and Steinbach, Manitoba

Day 27 - Lakes, Woods and Steinbach, Manitoba

Fort Frances is where we checked in last night at another Super 8, a lovely community if you like dirt, pulp mill smells and big mosquitos.(Although it is positively upscale compared to Kenora). However we had probably the best service, and best hotel we have had at Super 8’s. Staff were friendly, efficient, quick and the breakfast area was a good size so we weren’t tripping over other guests, and it was the most well supplied (they hadn’t run out of anything}. One of our favorite items on the continental breakfast is the do- it-yourself waffle. I am sure they are as healthy as they sound, but when you are on the road, you do need some comfort food. We top it off with brown toast or bran, just to keep things moving if you know what I mean!

Today seemed the longest. We woke up to thunder and lightning and showers, but by the last hour of the drive, it cleared up to cloudy and windy with some sunny periods.

Lucas was given some spending money to buy souvenirs by his Grandpa Morehouse, so he decided to collect the flags of each province. Would you believe, we couldn’t find one Ontario Provincial flag in Ontario? Tis true! The only flags we saw in Ontario were Canada flags, and this is looking in Ottawa, Toronto, Sudbury, Marathon, Thunder Bay, Kenora, and 2 tourist info centres. We will have to check ebay when we get home.

The drive and scenery today was much like yesterday, however not as dramatic. We head north from Fort Frances to Kenora. Again really beautiful and moose country – signs were posted quite regularly to remind us, however did not see one moose charging at us (as depicted in the roadside signs). In some ways it was disappointing. We all wanted to see some big game. I guess that’s why the people come with their camping trailers, canoes, hiking boots and gear and go into the backwoods: to get up close and personal with these wild creatures. Kenora is or is really near to “Lake of the woods”, which pretty much describes this whole area of Ontario, but it should be Lakes of the Woods.

We got to Steinbach Manitoba (previously fenced off to stop the spread of Abes) and hit the Mennonite Heritage Centre. Really nice place to visit. They had old homes, schools, barns, animals, windmill, and a couple churchs from the old days to tour through. I saw a picture in their museum that looks just like a friend of ours in Kelowna. If the guy had short hair it would have been our friend. (I plan on showing him the picture we get home.) We thought of the Penners often as lots of businesses in town have the name Penner in front of it. (Josh, we hope your collar bone is healing quickly) . We also thought of other friends and family who are from the Mennonite group. I think you all know who you are.

Then on to Winnipeg for the night ,but that about does it for today.

Day 26 - Everybody sing… “the long and winding road….”

Day 26 - July 10, 2008

That about sums up today’s drive, which was about 10 hours. From Wawa to Thunder Bay, it was still a beautiful drive, as we followed the coast of Lake Superior most of the way. Lots of road construction today which lost us 2 hours. We did pass through White River, and for all you Pooh fans (as in Winnie the Pooh) “this is where it all began” as their signs say. Winnie, the pooh bear was picked up in White River as Dr. Harry Colebourn (a veterinarian) was traveling through on a train to Halifax as he was going over to England to fight in WWI. When the train stopped in White River he bought an orphaned bear cub from a trapper, named it Winnipeg after his home town, and took it to England as the regiment’s mascot. When the regiment shipped out to France "Winnie" was given to the London Zoo where it became a favourite of A. A. Milne’s son Christopher Robin Milne and you can guess the rest.

Thunder Bay is a nice sized town with a population of approx 120, 000. We stopped here for supper and to pick up some comedy cd’s to listen to so it would pass the time. For all you outdoor enthusiasts out there, between Thunder Bay and Fort Frances there is tons of Outfitter cabins, Outfitter guides, float planes, and tons of water to fish in whether it is a creek or lake. Water everywhere. Not much else unless you include mosquitos. No real towns to speak of. We also passed a sign which said that it was the beginning of the Arctic Ocean Water Basin – from that point it says all the water flows north to the Arctic Ocean. Looking at a map, you will see there isn’t much but wilderness and water from this area to as far north as you can go! Being the landlubbers that we are, we will be going west to seek out more things to do and see. We saw a deer, 3 marmots, and 3 chipmunks, and have lots of bugs on the windshield. That’s about all I can say about today. We all have been in more dirty gas station bathrooms than we care to count! We look forward to being back in civilization again.

Really that’s about it for today. (Hey it can’t all be good.)

Day 25 – Muskoka Region, Georgian Bay, and Lake Superior

Day 25, July 9, 2008

This is the first of a couple days of long drives for us - 10.5 hours today of drive time, which seemed long at the outset, but we were rewarded with beautiful scenery, and freeways and highways with way less traffic than downtown Montreal or Toronto! A welcome feeling (except when we passed a sign saying “Entering Mohawk Territory,” followed almost immediately by a highway exit sign for “Go Home Lake”)!

We expected a lot of flat land, just covered in bush. Instead …what a beautiful drive! The beginning of our drive from Barrie took us through the Muskoka region and Georgian Bay. Beautiful scenery with bush, tons of lakes, and rock outcroppings everywhere. We saw dozens of Inukshuks on rock outcroppings along the way, tourists making their mark. So we of course had to show our individuality by doing what everyone else had to done and set up our own marking. I can see why Ontario has such a thriving cottage industry. There seems to be thousands of lakes, rivers, and islands. Perfect for that little cottage!

We stopped in Sudbury, home of the worlds biggest nickel, and home to huge mines for nickel, copper, and to lesser degree cobalt, gold and silver. We of course had to take a picture with the world’s biggest nickel because it wouldn’t fit in our pocket! Then back on the road, stopping for supper in Sault St. Marie where our server turns out to be a graduate of Kelowna Senior Secondary.

Then back on the road again. This time the highway took us along Lake Superior. Beautiful drive, again with outcroppings of rocks, trees, and forests. We also went through the Lake Superior Park while the sun was setting. Absolutely beautiful scenery. Recommend for all of those adventurous people. This park has lakes, camping and hiking trails and fishing almost on every corner. We stopped on the road by a little rocky bay. The stones were colours of pink, coral, light blue, grey and dark grey, and they were polished smooth. It was absolutely beautiful, and the only time I have seen this is in a picture my sister Rhonda painted of rocks and trees. Kudos to you Rhonda! We also stuck our hands in the lake (in this area, the temp was a balmy 10 degrees, so we decided to forgo the swim or skinny dip as the boys put it!), and carried on to our destination, Wawa, Ontario, for the night. Had a great day driving and we all enjoyed the views and the relaxing drive.

By the way, if you haven’t checked a globe lately, where we are in “northern” Ontario is actually at about the same latitude as Spokane. Until we hit Manitoba we will be south of the 49th parallel.

So until tomorrow…

Day 24 July 8, 2008 – Records, Awe, Comebacks and Pain

Day 24, July 8, 2008

Finishing off our next morning at the Great Wolf Lodge, one of the first things we did is have a great breakfast! After Super 8-ing continental breakfasts for I don’t know how long, it was a treat to have eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes, fruit sausages….I think we all ate 1 of everything in the buffet. Was soooooooo goooood!

Mini golf was our next stop. Today was 30 something degrees, so we were all looking for some shade. The added humidity made it seem a lot heavier than our heat at home. It didn’t slow us down though, Lucas got 5 holes in one (including 4 in a row), Phil got 4, (including 3 in a row) and I got 4.Was fun – must have been the extra boost from breakfast.

We had to end our time at the Lodge and went back to Toronto to see Casa Loma, Canada’s only castle home, and then a Blue Jays baseball game.

Casa Loma was built in the early 1900s, by a rich Toronto Financier who wanted his dream home! The castle took 3 years to build, and cost over 1.5Million Dollars in its day. This castle was beautiful, with round sunny rooms, Oak wood paneling everywhere, a conservatory, Italian marble floors and fire place surrounds, and hard wood flooring. Beautiful furniture and lighting. The Pellets only lived here for 10 years though, and then it cost them too much for upkeep the place so all was put on auction, and all contents and building sold for 1/10 of the cost of building and furnishing it. This castle had its own pipe organ as well, and palatial windows & ceilings of 70 feet tall. Beautiful. The gardens were also beautiful, a place that even we would love to live(minus the cost!).

The Jays against Baltimore. The game was a snoozer until the 7th inning. Bases were loaded, 2 out, full count, and Alex Rios hit a triple! That got us and the rest of the fans on our feet dancing and a hollering! And…. at the next at bat the Jays tied it up. In the 8th inning, someone fouled a line drive right at us! Phil got up, stopped the ball – a real stinger, knocked it down, however, some kids to it before Phil. He got the stinger, they got the ball. It all ended in the 9th inning with the Jays pulling out a 7-6 Victory. Was pretty exciting for us all.

We then left the big metropolis for Barrie, Ontario, to begin our 3 day trek across northern Ontario. Seriously, it will take almost 3 days of 10-12 hour driving to get to Winnipeg. It would be much quicker going through the states, however, this is our across Canada sojourn, so we won’t tour the states – that’s another trip, hopefully, for another time!

Cheers!

Day 23 – Soaking Wet in Niagara Falls

Day 23, July 7 2008

Another beautiful day! Its so nice to see the sun and feel the warmth. Niagara Falls is our stop today. We actually weren’t bothered too much by the trucks and airplanes, so that was good. We had our Super 8 continental breakfast and we are off to see the falls.

I am the only one who has been here before, however it was so long ago(June of 1981. Nothing looks the same at all… except the falls. I believe it is also one of the top 10 natural world wide sites to see. The falls are as beautiful as ever. We enjoyed the views from many vantage points and enjoyed being misted by them - felt good on a hot day. You can still go down to the tunnel, and they still have the Maid of the Mist which is a boat tour up to the bottom of the falls, which hasn’t changed either. We didn’t do either of these as we wanted to go to our next destination early. The place is jam packed with tourists and high rise hotels with great views. I don't remember seeing all this on my last visit.

Next stop, Great Wolf Lodge, which is a newer complex here in Niagara. The complex has mini-golf, large arcade, and a huge in-door water park, complete with wave pool, giant tube slides, water slides, water park, and hot tubs. The complex also has 5 restaurants, spas for adults and children, happy hour for the kids with an evening story reading by mechanized puppet Moose, Bear, & Raccoon. We got an early check in time, so we quickly grabbed something to eat, and hit the waterslides for a couple of hours, ate supper and hit the arcade. Most of the complex closes at 9:00 so we return for an early night so we can do it all again tomorrow morning, and then head off to Toronto, and then north to begin our 3 days of driving through northern Ontario.

Busy fun filled day, where we could just relax, have fun and be together as a family on summer vacation. Was a great day!

Day 21 and 22- All Things Toronto...

Day 21 and 22 - July 5& 6, 2008

A whirlwind 2 days in the heart of Toronto. Sunny and warm both days, great for walking and seeing the sights! We bought city passes, which save a bundle on admissions for some of the highlight attractions this city has to offer. Included was CN tower, a must see for Lucas, not so much for Phil and I but as Lucas put it – “it’s a once in a lifetime experience”, and he was right. Both Phil & I have seen the tower upon other visits, however we never went up to the top. The elevator has glass on the sides and the floor! Great for those who aren’t squeamish, not so great for the rest of us! Did you know there is also a glass floor at the top observation deck! I couldn’t go near it, but Lucas did . (I decided right then and there that I plan on living my bravery through him! ) What I didn’t mention was the line ups – long long long! An hour or more wait once you pass through security.

Hockey Hall of Fame was our next stop to see all things hockey. And for the true hockey fan, this is the place to be. Lucas and Phil played the intereactive games, toured, and got a picture with the Stanley Cup and some others, so that was pretty cool. Halfway, I proceeded out to the mall to get a magazine to pass the time while they got their fill of hockey.

Next day was the Ontario Science Centre and the Toronto Zoo. We head out early so we could take in both. Fortunately the Zoo was open until 7:30 p.m. so that worked in our favour. The traffic in Toronto moves quite well. For a city of over 2.5 million, we were not in one traffic jam the whole time here! Hmmm, maybe these people can come to Kelowna and design our traffic routes!

Anyway, Ontario Science Centre is huge, and once again we did not get to see it all, however did spend 3+ hours testing and trying every gizmo we could find. I found out that I have slow reflexes, my reaction time is below average, and I do not land as lightly as a cat, however, I do know how long 15 seconds is! Phil found out his driving reflexes are average, is lighter on his feet than I , and we all do what we are told (in an experiment) Lucas is the lightest on his feet, has better reflexes and is better at hockey trivia just by guessing! We will have to get him to drive the rest of the trip and enter game shows!

The zoo was quite nice, however, once you see San Diego, all others pale in comparison. Having said that, we got to witness a grizzly bear playing like a kid in a pool which was really something to see! He would bat the ball into the water and dribble like in basket ball. He tried to puncture the ball while balancing his hind quarters over a log, but always managed to fall in, then he would grab the ball, throw it up or bat it down into the water. Was something none of us had ever seen before! Quite cool to watch. This zoo had a water play area, so being that it was hot, and we have all our belongings with us, Lucas got to cool off in the water park. Phil got to witness Siberian tigers frolick with each other, growl, and play, and one even climbed a tree. Made everyone wonder how high he would go, and if he could jump off it.

It was a really busy 2 days, and we were glad to get to our hotel……until we got here. Everything you could imagine that would ruin one’s sleep is here! Unbeknownst to us, our hotel is a truck stop mecca. That’s right, about 30-50 18 wheelers greeted us as we drove up. While we were getting our things out of the car, about 5 jets flew over head, and to top it off, there is a huge power line that crackles, and is almost as high as our 4 story hotel, and our room was next to the elevator, and the ice machine! I dare anyone to top that off! Anyway, we got our room changed and cranked up the ac to drown out the noise. Hope it works, we are off to get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s
Night!.

Day 20 – Museum of Civilization.

Day 20 – July 4, 2008

Woke up to a wonderfully warm and sunny day. After a bit of late start we made our way to Gatineau – just across the river from the Parliament buildings to the Museum of Civilization, the most popular museum in Canada. Lucas headed immediately to the Children’s museum which is really a big and interesting playground. Kids are given passport books to get stamps at every different station, which were from all different countries and working places. The children could go from dressing up in costume and putting on a play, to using a crane to load blocks onto a boat, to a post office, contractor building a house, café and restaurant. Then if that was not enough, they could go to other countries of the world and try out their stuff – origami in Japan & put on Kimonos, to learning and spelling their name in hieroglyphics from Egypt, to playing bongo drums in Nigeria. They had building stations – a kitchen where they could form anything in playdough, to the Bob the builder area where they could build anything they wanted. Beading and dress up area in India… and well, the list just goes on and on. Just an awesome kids place. I’m not sure he learned anything but boy he had fun.

We then went to an awesome IMAX show called the Wild Ocean. Scenes of flying over the south and east Cape of South Africa, waterfalls, rock formations and underwater shots made us feel like we were flying and scuba diving. It was pretty loud though – had to match the surround sound with the huger than big , big tv screen. It was still cool to listen to Lucas shreek and squeal when we had the sensation of flying or diving. It was his first IMAX experience.

After that, Lucas headed back to the children’s Museum while Phil and I went to the special Greek exhibit. Wow!! There were some great artifacts there, especially the gold and precious stone jewelry made mostly around 500 BC. Very beautiful urns and later embroideries were also spectacular. There was a clay tray dating back to 3 or 4 AD that among other pictographs biblically related, had a picture of Jonah and the whale. It was pretty awesome to look at these things that were so old. Phil liked best a couple of swords from the 18th century that were intricately detailed. I bought a small replica urn patterned after an ancient one of the exhibited pieces made in Athens. We were in the Museum for 3 hours already when we decided we needed to move onto Toronto so will have to save the rest of the museum for a future trip. Along with Quebec city, we would like to come back to Ottawa for a longer vacation because there is still so much more to see.

So we hit the road and headed for Toronto four and half hours down the road. A quick stop for dinner in Belleville and we settled into a motel in Ajax, just east of Toronto. Back to the big city and a switch from interesting days to exciting ones, at least as Lucas sees it.

Some cool facts we learned: The IMAX system was invented in Canada and was showcased in the Montreal world’s fair in 1967.

Lucas’ statement: Did you know…the ocean around the cape of South Africa is called the wild ocean because it is one of the few coastal areas that man has not changed any. This area is now preserved and protected in its natural state.

Day 19 – Government and War

Day 19 - July 3, 2008

Yesterday sunny and hot – today torrential rainfall approx 18 degrees with highs of 22. We start off really early today as there is a lot to pack in. Off to the Parliament Buildings! The tour of the centre block is where we see the parliamentary library, House of Commons and Senate. The building is absolutely beautiful. Stained glass on the roofs, archways, friezes, tall and majestic hallways, and grand hallways. The House of Commons is as green as seen on TV and the Senate is done in all red. Beautiful rooms and quite an inspiring place to be, especially around our country’s birthday.

Our tour guide was awesome – she is a history student, so her eyes would get big, and she would talk fast when we got to the special rooms and places! It was really cute! As we said before, the library was the only building that survived the parliament building fire. This was an absolutely beautiful place, very quiet, lots of wood paneling, and carving and archways, alcoves of books all over the place. Wonderful place to flip through a magazine with a chai tea! Except they don’t let commoners into this library, just members of parliamentary and their staff.

We then went on to the East Block – this is another building on the grounds, which was not destroyed by the parliament fire. This is where John A. MacDonald worked and sat, and in a different office, where most of the other Prime Ministers up to and including Trudeau were located. This is also where the Privy Council chamber was, which is where cabinet meetings were held since confederation until 1976. Just think about all the important discussions and decisions made in that room and around that table! It was amazing to look inside the offices of the men who helped form our country.

The War museum was our next stop, and believe me if you don’t know about Canada’s history in the time of war, this is the place. It begins with the first wars, with the first nations peoples and the French back in the early days of 1605 to the present and even has a place where you could play out a simulation of what WW 3 might look like in the future. I realized how much I did not know, and how much Lucas and Phil do know. This was a highlight for them both. This is where both of them were wide eyed and talking fast!! The one exhibit that moved me the most was WW 2, and the whole Hitler thing. They actually have a car that Hitler used in parades. The Americans took the car after the defeat, and then later gave it to Canada. It was quite disturbing looking at it realizing that Hitler had sat there. It was a real heavy moment. You could almost feel the hate and the horror that came from that seat! They also have an exhibit of tanks, cannons, and all vehicles of war from little war jeeps to the big transport trucks. We spent hours at this museum – time well spent. To finish off our day we took a drive to 24 Sussex drive to see the Prime Ministers house, and Rideau Hall, to see where the governor general lives. Beautiful area. Beautiful buildings. We also saw the embassy of Saudi Arabia, and US. These were unexpected, but cool to see.

Ottawa has been Lucas’ favourite spot so far.

Cool Facts we learned:
1) A portrait of a fairly young Queen Victoria has hung in the centre block of the parliament buildings since 1858. (The Queen chose Ottawa as the capital of the colony of Canada around that time. The Queen hated the picture and suggested it be burned. Parliament refused. Ironically the picture has survived 4 fires, one of which burned virtually all of the original parliament building.
2) In World War 2 the Japanese made over 6,000 balloon bombs which were released from Japan with the hope that they would float to North America and cause panic or forest fires. Three hundred are know to have landed/detonated in North America, including several around Vancouver and a few within maybe 100 miles of Kelowna.
3) Even kids helped with the war effort of WWII doing bake sales and recycling drives.
4) Vimy Ridge was the key area that needed to be taken from the Germans before the Allies could invade Germany. Over many months the French had tried twice to take it and Britain tried once. They then turned it over completely to the Canadians to plan and execute and assault. The Canadians took it 3 days.

Lucas statement: Did you know… at the battle of Ypres the French and Canadians were jointly holding the important and strategic area when the Germans first used chorine gas. The French ran away but the Canadians single handedly held the position until reinforcements could be sent.

Day 18 – Capital Lost

Day 18, July 2, 2008

Beautiful City! Warm and sunny morning as we head out to downtown Ottawa to see what we can see. Find out that the tour tickets for the Parliament buildings (tours are free, but you need a ticket\pass) are all gone – apparently (this info is not on the web site) you have to get your tickets at an information tent, and be there really early in the morning ( 8:30) to get the tickets for the tours as they go fast. We decide to get there early tomorrow to get our tour tickets. We toured the grounds of the Parliament Buildings, looked at the views and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

We had lunch in a mall/office complex and then promptly got ourselves mixed up as to which parkade we parked the car in. After touring the same block for about a half an hour, we found our building and then the car. Thank goodness I wrote the building name and parking level and street down – all the tall buildings start to look the same. Its easy to get turned around in these big cities! (Fill in your own country bumpkin joke here.) However we were able to find a Starbucks while lost which, ironically, was the one we couldn’t find earlier when we knew where we were.

We were then off to the National Gallery of Canada – (Art Gallery). Took a wrong turn and ended up in Gatineau, but accidently found the Museum of Civilization so at least we might be able to find it again tomorrow. Its a beautiful building, great to tour the art on display. Our favorites were the Group of Seven section, and the European section. Cool to see some paintings dating back to 500 years ago and a gorgeous table that is 450 years old! (Not sure our dining room table will make it that long.) There were Renoirs, Monets, Cezannes and Van Goghs. Some of the other art – well I guess you have to develop a taste for it, or at least convince yourself it is art. There was one piece I could not believe. It was a bunch of white letters stuffed like pillows with a saying and a Canadian Flag underneath - it said something about the moon. The only thing I thought about was “ I should have entered my grade 9 pillow, or patchwork blanket – maybe it would be hanging in the National Gallery of Canada too!!!! There was also one Picasso there which looked exactly like something Phil would draw if he got a Pictionary card that said “Draw a Face.”

Laundry night tonight, and an early start tomorrow……...

Cool Facts we learned:
1) Most abstract art is as mystifying and lost on us in real life, as it is when we see it in books, magazines and TV.
2)William Van Horn, who was instrumental in building the Canadian Pacific Railway that connected eastern and western Canada in the 1870’s was also an accomplished painter with several impressive pictures in the gallery.

Lucas’ Statement: Did you know that… the library at the parliament buildings is the only original building as the others all burnt down in 1916.

Day 17- Silent Screams in Montreal

Day 17, July 1, 2008

Late start today. Beautiful warm and sunny morning. Phil went to check out the old city of Montreal, and Lucas and I went to Six Flags La Ronde which is an Six Flags amusement park. Lucas went on the roller coaster Goliath, the biggest one in the park. I walked with him to where you get on, and I exited quickly. I just couldn’t do it. Lucas loved it and loved the thrill but was so scared he couldn't scream. We went on to further rides, and go carts. Really hot day, and crowded park, but great views from the Ferris wheel.

Phil explored the Jean Drapeua Parc and then went on to the old town Montreal, which was crazy with people as the Canada Day celebrations and events were going on. He especially like the Notre Dame Basilica which he described as literally breathtaking. Easily the most beautiful and intricate cathedral seen so far.

We were done with Montreal by 4:00, so Phil picked us up and off we were to Ottawa, Ontario. This is quite funny. Halfway through our drive, I thought I would phone the hotel again to get clarifications of the address. She had told me Exit 184 off of I 35. Now the first time I heard that I thought I 35 was an interesting name for a road, however here in Quebec, Rd. is printed as Ch. (chemin) West is Ouest and to turn right is O, so I didn’t think anything about it at first. When I called to confirm the location, it seems we had reserved a hotel room in Ottawa, Kansas! Glad we cleared that up. We then scrambled to get accommodations for tonight in Ottawa, and lucked out with an out of the way Inn and Resort on the Rideau River. We have a view of the river from our sliding glass window, and it’s a really beautiful spot. We will be here 2 nights so we have time to check out the Parliament buildings, museum and other things Ottawa. Until tomorrow……. Its good to be in an English speaking and writing province!!

Day 16 – Quebec City

Day 16 – June 30, 2008

Its sunny today! Horraaay!!!!! Well, I must say this was an eventful day for all of us. Phil has always wanted to see Quebec City because of the history, but thought he would never get to see it. Lucas did not know about old Quebec City – he thought we were seeing another old fort, but didn’t know about old city walls, or the old city downtown core. I thought it would be old, dirty, and the people would be unfriendly and not speak English.

We were all pleasantly surprised! We visited old Quebec city with the citadel, the Plains of Abraham, old beautiful buildings and streets, restaurants, the Parliament Buildings, Chateau du Frontenac, Notre Dame Basilica. It was really beautiful! We started out the day at the citadel, which is a working fort, which means there are army personnel living there today, some just came back from Afghanistan, and some are getting ready to go. They live here, practice and gear up to go. The 1 hour tour was guided throughout the complex. We were fortunate enough to be up on the ramparts when a navy ship went by (a Corvette we think) and when a navy ship passes Quebec Citadel it gives a 21 gun (artillery) salute.
We then had lunch outside at an Italian restaurant, which was among a whole long street of restaurants, shops, and galleries. We enjoyed watching the people come and go, the horse drawn carriages tours, and the busyness. It was very busy, but in a calm way. We actually have experienced our best customer service of our trip right here in Quebec. They are really friendly, helpful, and all the people we have encountered so far speak English, and appreciate our feeble attempts to speak French. Once they hear us stumbling, they go right into English. I was impressed. It was just a great sunny day in the heart of Old Quebec City. We all would like to come here again and spend week just walking around and seeing all there is to see.

We then left for the city of Montréal. Speed limits posted on the freeway are suggestions as best. Everyone speeds here, and not just a little, a lot! We got terribly lost in Montreal as the address in our Super 8 book and our GPS did not agree. We found the address in a run down residential area, completely on the opposite side of the city where we were supposed to be! After about an hour, we found our hotel exhausted.

Lucas’ statement: Did you know… within the Citadel there is another ”mini fort” where soldiers could make a last stand.

Day 15, June 29 2008 – New Brunswick to Quebec and all things Francais…

Day 15, June 29 2008

Monsoon Rain would best describe what we woke up to in Fredericton N. B. which lasted from about 7:30 a.m. to well after 12:00pm, however nothing like a little Starbucks to bring sunshine to the day! After our continental breakfast in the hotel (hopefully won’t be staying at too many hotels where the Breakfast room is actually in a hotel room, where they kept the food in the bathroom. Muffins, bread and other things were piled up in there, and some on the toilet. Hmmmm wonder what Health Canada would say….. but anyway, sometimes that’s life on the road!

As I said, nothing a little Starbucks can’t cure. Most stores and museums, attractions do not open in this city until 12:00 p.m. we find out, so are in limbo until then.

Our first stop is the Old Government House, downtown Fredericton, which is beautiful and old. This house was completed in 1829 (the first on at this location burned down in the great New Brunswick forest fire, which burned 1\4 of New Brunswick) to help bring the community together and to re-build after the horrible fires. The house was then sold in the late 1800’s as it was too expensive to keep. Everything in the house was auctioned off for a total price of $2,000. Amazing! When the building was resotred they were able to get some of the orignals back and used paintings and documents to find furniture from the era that matches the originals. During our tour, we were allowed to sit on the furniture, and touch things as they call this “the peoples house.” It was and, since its full restoration, still is a place were people are invited to attend functions, parties and social functions.

We sat on couches which ranged in price from $20,000 to $100,000! We saw a few chandeliers which were original to the house, which now would fetch a sum of $500,000. They still sit around a Peacock Mahogany wood table (looks like mahogany, with specks on it like Peacock feathers) to dine, during big receptions, and this table’s worth is at over a million dollar value. (As with most of the furniture in the house, it was designed and made by Alexander Nesbitt whose furniture now fetches top dollar on the antiques market.) It was originally in 4 sections, but they only have 3 so there is another section out there somewhere worth a lot of money. Maybe it will show up on the Antiques Road Show! Anyway, on this tour, the lady with all the info says that they had a number of pieces appraised, so that is where they got the values from.

The house has been used as everything from a school for the hearing impaired, a hospital, an army residence, and also the RCMP regional headquarters for about 30 years, until they moved to a new building. What is amazing is that a lot of the plaster, floors and crown mouldings, and even a solid wood sliding door were preserved because they (RCMP) put in false \ floating ceilings, and temporary walls, so when all this was taken away, a lot was still there. There was one buffet that survived the fire as the lady of the house at the time asked the servants to carry it out before the fire, as it was her favorite piece. This buffet is still in the house today. Was well worth touring! Nicely well done. They lived in Opulence back in dem der days!

We then took the scenic route north along the St. John river and area to see some of the famous covered Bridges. This was really cool, because we found an old wooden covered bridge built in 1913, on Morehouse Cross Road, which crossed the Keswick River. We had to check it out, and it did not disappoint! Beautiful old structure, lots of graffiti, but really nice, followed this road around back to the highway along Morehouse Branch road and Morehouse Corner road! Something to research when we get back home. We also drove over the world’s longest covered bridge in Hartland, some1282 feet long. Again, really nice, a lot more pomp and circumstance with hanging flower baskets, and flags. Beautiful old covered bridges from a day long gone by.

We then surprisingly came across the Chutes & Gorge at Grand Falls, There is a hydro-electric station there. This was pretty amazing to see as well. In the spring freshet the volume of water going over the falls is equal to 905 of that of Niagra Falls!

Then on to Quebec and Quebec City, which is about a 3.5 hour drive, but with all the potty stops more like 4 hours! However, gave us time to listen to our Learn French CD’s. We were also drilling Lucas for any French he knew from Grade 5 French. I think we will be able to order 11 cheese hamburgers with chocolate milk! Any more than that, and were lost.

Must sign off, big day tomorrow in huge Quebec City.

Lucas' Statement: In the spring the volume of water going over the Grand Falls is 9 million litres per second - equal to 90% of that of Niagara Falls!

Day 14 – Hopewell Rocks and Magnetic Hill

Day 14, June 28 2008

Magnetic Hill started off our day today. This is a park area where you drive your car down a hill, put it in neutral, take your foot off the gas, and the magnetism pulls you back up the hill! Really cool! They explained the magic to us, but if you want to know about it, you have to come yourselves. From there we went on to Hopewell Rocks on Hopewell Cape on the Bay of Fundy. This area also sees the highest tides in the world (up to 50 feet). Here we walked on the ocean floor during low tide. The rock formations were beautiful – the trail we took was called Flowerpot rocks – hence the trees growing out the tops of the rocks. Beautiful place!

To end out our day we did a little mini-golfing at Magic Mountain and go carts. We are hoping that Lucas will get so experienced in driving he will be able to assist later in our trip ( just kidding)
For now……….

Lucas' Statement: Spoiler Alert!!! If you don't want to know the magic of Magnetic Hill don't read any further..................................... Its an optical illusion. You are actually coasting downhill not uphill, but it sure looks like you are going uphill.