Soo Locks and Museum

After the time change again, it was a little late getting started. Checked out the Soo Museum. It is in the old post office that was build in 1906. Awesome architecture. Made out of sandstone that was cut from the locks and the red bricks were formed and fired from the silt that was taken from the lock excavations. Lovely red brick architecture in this town. Expect to see a lot more red brick houses and buildings as we travel east.

Took pics of an old snowmobile because I couldn't at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame. Pretty cool!

1940s gas powered toboggan

Teachers have it so easy now..

Then we headed for the Canadian Soo Locks. Back in 1987, their was a dock wall failure and it was closed until 1998 when the modifications were finished. Originally the lock dimension were 60ft by  900ft until modified it to 51ft wide by 253 long. It is used for recreational use only. The large commercial boats use the American locks.

Then we walked across the lock gates to Whitefish Island and out to the rapids. The indians used to fish these rapids for whitefish, but with building of the locks, it killed off all of the Whitefish. Since the locks have been in operation, a salmon fishery has developed in the Whitefish's place.

Travel day to Sault Ste Marie

Got up and headed east. Stopped at the Snowmobile Hall of Fame but it was closed. Snowmobile/ATV trails intersected the parking lot but now one was there. Great driving day, roads were better than Minnesota's roads. Much smoother pavement.

Liked the rolling hills

Didn't think the pavement could get any better, but Michigan's roads did get better. 

Lake Superior, South Shore, very sandy

After picking up a little more duty free, we crossed a toll bridge into Canada.

Soo Locks @ Sault Ste Marie on the American side

Easiest ever border crossing.. Was asked 3 questions.

Frittatas By "Tim"

 Another slow morning getting up. These southern boys know how to do it right! While Tim was making another delicacy,  Kathy, Joel, Julie and I were packing up cause it is time to say our goodbyes. They filled our bellies with a fantastic frittata. After the clean up, goodbyes and hugs are in order. The odd pic also.

From Left to right: Jane, Tim, Kathy, Joel, Julie and Mark

Many thanks and Miss you already!

Down the road. Decided to head east out of Minnesota, through Wisconsin and The Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Sault St Marie, passing the south shore of Lake Superior.

Got as far as Minocqua, Wisconsin. Quite a few vegetation changes along the way. From the rolling wooded hills of Minnesota to flat farm lands and back to heavily forested rolling hills. By the time we got to Minocqua, we were noticing many small communities catering to the cottage industry. Beautiful small lakes and snowmobile trails everywhere, doubly used now for ATV trails. Very impressed with the area of Minocqua and Eagle River were very affluent.  

Smoken Again

Got up slowly and after another great breaky by Jane, the boys got busy prepping the meat. Today chicken legs and Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back Ribs....

Wow!! After 7 hours of smoken,  They were perfect, and so were we.

The girls with their glows on!

The Chef after his job was done..

The only thing left to do was eat our faces off. We all went to bed with full bellies, content from Joel and Tim's creations. Best I've ever had. 

"SMOKEN"

Joel and Tim had been planning a "Smoking Weekend" for some time. Joel brought down a pork leg, some pork tenderloin and chicken. They brined and I wined, but 12 hours of smoking meat turned into a pig out at 10:30 in the evening.  MMMMMnnnn good! Little whiskey was added to a great day!

Going South to see more friends

After a wet night in the parking lots headed south to the border. Stopped at the duty free to find the Crown Royal that we couldn't find in Gimli.

Road got much flatter and straighter near and after the border. as we progressed south, got into the land of"a thousand Lakes" (Minnesota) As we neared our destination, rolling landscapes and more corners. More trees too.

We arrived at Tim and Jane's house shortly after 6pm with them and Jack and Bunny waiting (AKA Joel and Kathy). Big hugs ensued. Been quite a while since we saw them last, but it felt like just yesterday. Big Dinner developed, drank lots of wine.... 

Royal Canadian Mint and "The Forks"

On the road from Lake Winnipeg to The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. Nice City. One thing that we noticed in Manitoba is that they appear t be very bilingual. French is first on signage and displays.  I never knew that there was a large french population here.

Arrived early at the Mint (had 1pm reservation) Wasn't busy so got an earlier tour. No pics of the machinery allowed because of trade secrets we are told. They showed and explained how our coins are made and that they have or have had many countries as customers over the years. An average coin  stays in circulation for about 30 years, Who Knew? Then they come back to the mint to be crushed before the mutilated coins can be recycled. 2 mints in Canada, the other in Ottawa.

Flags of all of the Mints customers (almost 1/2 the countries of the world)

Julie holding $750,000 gold bar

Me Too!  Yes it is chained down..

Went into the centre of the city to "The Forks" where the Red River and the Assiniboine Rivers meet. Major meeting place over the centuries for people to trade. Before the European Settlers, the natives also met here to trade with one another, as the rivers in this part of the country flow slowly and are still used for moving freight and travel. The city has done a wonderful job of developing parks and trials and markets around this area. Much like Granville Island or Westminster Key...

Selfie of us on an old train bridge at "The Forks"

Walked to St. Boniface Mission Museum as Julie wanted to go there because through historical records that she has been searching, her grandfather may have been adopted from here. Part of the museum went into detail about Louis Riel as his family homesteaded nearby and was quite a supporter of the human rights movement of the day. Was hung for treason by the government. This information expanded our knowledge of the Batoche uprising and why he went to Saskaatchewan. Was quite interesting about Louis Riel. 

St Boniface Cathedral

St Boniface Mission

Cathedral in The mission for the nuns

St Julie

The St Boniface Mission (Canada's first Hospital) housed the Catholic Church Nuns who cared for the ill and for orphans.  Albert Gladu Senior may have been adopted from here.

Man on the left is William Gladu, potential relative of people who adopted Albert Sr.

After leaving the museum, walked back to the Forks for early dinner, when it started to rain. Drove out of town to Steinebach and bunked down in a Walmart parking lot.

Winnipeg Beach and Gimli

Nice area! Who knew? Winnipeg Beach was a summer playground for the city folk back in the early1900s. CNR built a hotel and resort here and a railway. 40,000 people would arrive on weekends until about 1960 when the tourists dwindled, the railway sold the property and suspended service, due to the automobile. Since that time, people have made this their cottage country.

Water tower serviced the community and train

Built in 1902

Checked out the Icelandic Museum today in Gimli. Little historic for Julie as her family has Icelandic roots. Drove back out to the Distillery for a pic.

Crown Royal Distillery & a few of the more than 50 storage buildings

1970s Bombardier commercial fishing snowmobile,

Note the high tech heating system (bucket over the wood stove chimney)

Ice auger and net winch for pulling nets under the ice

Onto Gimli, location of the Crown Royal Distillery

Waited for the mall and Walmart to open this morning. In the mall was a dog store that has a u-bath doggy shower. Only $10. Kyle was not too impressed, but it was well worth the money. We wanted to wait around for the local museum to open but couldn't wait another week so we headed east to Lake Manitoba and to Ginli as the Crown Royal Distillery is here, but they stopped doing tours, even though was reported on the net that tours were available.

on the shore of Lake Winnipeg, near the Distillery

Into Manitoba

Packed up and headed East. Roads pretty good and went from rolling farmland with lots of sloughs to  dryer fields and much flatter, straighter roads. Near the border turned hilly and forested, with lots of frost heaves and rougher roads. Expected and hope the roads would get better, but as soon as we crossed into Manitoba, the roads worsened and had to slow down as we were being bounced all over the road. Once we got to the corner of the road to The Pas, going south they were better.  Arrived in Dauphin at the local Walmart.

Batoche

Took a walk about and met a few locals who remembered our family. Then went into town to find the family farm house. Just rubble remains now.

Then we headed west to view more of the landscape, rode to Rostherm and got gas. On the way back, Julie suggested we check out "Batoche" as we had kept on seeing signs for it. Got there but it was closed. Walked around the site and got a real sense for it. Turns out this is the location of Louis Riels's last battle and where he was taken prisoner. He ended up getting tried in a Regina court and being executed for treason.

Water levels in the area were quite high with all the spring rains.