Churchill - Polar Bears and Belugas

Yes, we finally saw polar bears. They were pretty far away, but definitely there! We also saw lots and lots of beluga whales and supposedly will see many more tomorrow. I will let you know. 

It has been pretty warm by Churchill standards, as it reached 70 degrees yesterday. I guess I should have brought lighter clothing. 

The birds here are pretty incredible! Artic terns, white swans, Sandhill cranes, snowy owls, and much more. We saw a snowy owl being dive bombed by the terns this morning. We were a little far away to get a good photo, but we caught the Sandhill cranes flying, so here is one crane cropped from the group. 

Mike and I started our tours here in Churchill by visiting a sled dog camp and even got a cart ride with the dogs. 

Right after this photo the dogs saw a red fox crossing the road and tried to chase it. But our musher, Gerald, the owner of the camp, got them back on track. Gerald is a Métis, a people originally "composed of the mixed-race descendants of First Nation people and colonial-era French or British settlers." The Métis people are now recognized by the Canadian government as one of the official Aboriginal peoples. Usually you will find Gerald dressed casually for work, but we managed to catch him one day in his formal wear - as he had just come from a photo shoot for a brochure advertising Churchill. 

Tomorrow we head out into the Hudson Bay proper where we will hopefully see many more whales - and possibly more bears. 

Thompson - The End of the Road

We are currently in Thompson, Manitoba, which is the end of the paved road north. Thompson has two claims to fame, a wolf habitat area that is encouraging the reintroduction and maintenance of an expanding wolf population and a nickel production mine that is one of the largest in Canada. The nickel mining is the reason for Thompson's existence. 

The first thing you see as you drive into town is their statue saluting the miner. 

Then you start seeing wolf statues everywhere. The local museum is the place to start your exploration of the wolf phenomenon. There is a GPS geocaching hunt that you are encouraged to follow. 

But the most interesting wolf is the one painted in the style of Robert Bateman on the side of an apartment house. It is visible from the road and very impressive from both far away and near. 

Thompson has an accommodating public library that has great wifi and a nice staff. So I am posting before we head to the train that will take us to Churchill. I have been told that I will definitely see belugas. Hopefully I will also see polar bears. 

Along the North Side of the Great Lakes

We are making our way across Ontario, traveling along the northern shorelines of the Great Lakes. The Canadian highways appear to be carved out of granite and limestone rock formations. Almost everywhere along the road people have built little "Inukchuk" monuments out of whatever rocks they find.

These rock sculptures were originally used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The traditional meaning of the Inukchuk is "Someone was here" or "You are on the right path."

We were driving so fast I had difficulty taking a photo of one, but eventually managed. 

We stopped at a tourist trap named Agawa Crafts in Pancake Bay, Ontario. It was an interesting place. 

Then we drove to Lake Superior Provincial Park. This is an absolutely beautiful place along the shoreline, with a great interpretive center. 

Mike had to get his hands in the water. 

We keep seeing warnings about moose, but the only ones we have seen so far are on the signs. 

Tonight we are staying in a campground near Nipigon, a small town with a surprisingly good restaurant ( I was reluctant to try it, but Mike talked me into it), where we ate dinner and enjoyed a peakaboo lake view. 

Tomorrow we drive through Thunder Bay and on to Manitoba. 

 

North to Canada Again

We will eventually end up in Churchill, Manitoba in a little over a week. But we are taking our time and stopping at quilt shops and other places along the way.

Our first major stop was the Corning Glass Museum. The glass sculpture in the foyer is a Chihuly, but this museum has much more than just modern glass. It contains a history of glass making that is incredible, with pieces from the beginning of the art to the present time. I could easily have spent the full day there. 

Their hot shop and other demonstrations were also terrific. I always thought the Tacoma Glass Museum in Washington state was the best until I visited here. And I loved the tower of Corning glass dishes to ceramic dishes. Impressive! 

 

We stopped in a town that we had never visited previously, East Aurora, NY- just "west" of Aurora, NY😜. It is a quaint town with lovely shops - including a quilt shop, naturally. We ate a late lunch there in a restaurant called Rick's on Main. If you find yourself in that area, do yourself a favor and stop! 

We camped along the shore of Lake Ontario last night, in 50 Point Conservation Area. It is both a marina and a campground, with a nice restaurant, too. Worth its high price - for a campground! 

Oh Canada. To Winnipeg

We promised Melody we would take her to Canada. After the reunion we drove to Winnipeg. We started our visit by going to The Forks Market, which is a neat shopping and eating area in Winnipeg. It is where the Red River and the Assiniboine River meet. 

It is also where the Canadian Human Rights Museum is located. This museum is absolutely a must see if you are in Winnipeg. It would take too long to describe it - so go see it! 

We went to the Exchange District for dinner. In fact, we were in the Exchange District at least four times in the two days we were in Winnipeg. We ate peasant cooking, poutine, sushi burritos, and gourmet donuts there! 

The second day we visited the Winnipeg Zoo, with its polar bears, bats, red pandas, and more. 

We loved Winnipeg! 

We stopped at the lake to see Jean and Ken, had a great meal and a lovely boat ride at sunset with Lexie! 

90th Birthday Party for Angie

The weather was hot and humid, but the party was great! Over 60 of us got together to celebrate Angie's birthday. Children, grandchildren, spouses and even some of the great grandchildren came. 

Angie and John had eight children, a good group. 

And 25 grandchildren, many of whom managed to make the trip for the party. 

A storm came through just about the time we ate, but they got the sides on the tent and we kept the party going. 

Melody decided testing the rain would be good. 

We even had train rides provided by Ray!  

Everyone wished Angie a great birthday and Tracy made her a lovely poster about the year of her birth. Happy birthday mom, grandma and great grandma Angie! 

To Minnesota to Celebrate A 90th Birthday

We are heading to Minnesota to celebrate Mike's Mom's 90th birthday - 6 months early - as she is a Christmas baby. We are taking our time, so I can visit quilt shops on the way. We can also just stop when we want. Yesterday we camped in Zanesville, Ohio. The photo is of the public library. We spent some time there trying to get away from the heat. We were going to stop at the museum too, but it isn't open on Mondays. 

We did manage to stop at a restaurant we have eaten at previously, as it has terrific pizza! 

I visited 4 quilt shops already. Probably a bit of overkill, but Mike doesn't mind as long as he gets plenty of coffee stops. 

The brand new Starbucks we stopped at this morning is right next to a cemetery that had to be preserved, thus the parking lot is an interesting one. The drive through is one-way with a sign to that effect and an exit only sign. I liked that and took a photo. 

Tonight we will stop in Illinois and then on to Iowa and Minnesota. The party will be great! Can't wait to see everyone!