DRYDEN ONTARIO TO WINKLER MANITOBA WITH SOME TOUGH DRIVING CONDITIONS IN BETWEEN

WE HAD QUITE A CHALLENGING TIME ON THE ROADS TODAY

This is Friday’s post.  Due to a very slow internet connection I wasn’t able to publish this post until Saturday morning.

Don’t know when in the night the cattle truck rolled in but in a semi-doze state I thought I had fallen asleep in a cow pasture.  “The Mooooo-Moooooing” went on forever.  Felt so sorry for the cattle in the truck beside us somewhere.  Thanks to our Bovine friends my day began at 3 a.m.  In hindsight we should have stayed at the Walmart parking lot & toughed it out with the Walmartians.  Our outside temperature was 37F.  I think our inside living room temperature must have been about 38.  Well at least it felt that way to me:((

 

I’M SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE A CERTAIN LITTLE DOGGY WARM UP MY BED FOR ME EVERY NIGHT

Had to un-hook the Jeep so I could back out of where we were at the Petro Canada.  A trucker, showing his obvious displeasure at us being here pulled in nose to nose preventing us from driving ahead.  There was room for him to park alongside the other trucks but this fella had to make his point I guess.  It’s just the way it is with some people.

Moved the rig away from the truck area & shut things down again.  Hauled out our reading material & waited for the sun to burn off the morning fog.  Yes I did just use the word…..SUN:))  But alas it didn’t last long.  Less than an hour after leaving Dryden we were into heavy cloud, rainy drizzle, & more fog.  By the time we reached Kenora Ontario around noon it was a full blown rain hinging on the verge of snow.  It was 34F.  Pulled into a Walmart parking lot & shut er down for a bit.  Needless to say the past 5 days of crappy weather has us in the dumps a bit.  Despite the obvious beautiful scenery all around us I just didn’t feel much like even picking up my camera today. (but did anyway)

About 10 miles west of Dryden is a place called Oxdrift.  Well actually it can hardly be thought of as a place.  One General Store on the highway pretty much sums it up.  If it weren’t for the sign saying Oxdrift you would never know you had actually been there.  But for me this morning I did have a reason for being there.  Kelly had followed Pheebs & I in the rig from Dryden & we parked the rig in an old abandoned school yard.  School closed down 10 years ago but the basket ball nets are still up.  I have blogged about Oxdrift several times before over the years.  In my post titled WHEN I GET GROWED UP I WANT TO DRIVE A BIG YELLOW BULLDOZER you can catch a few of my paragraphs on Oxdrift about half way down.  Also another Oxdrift paragraph near the bottom in this post entitled, IF IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FOR DOING NOTHING.  It’s been about 60 years since I had my feet on the ground in Oxdrift & this morning it was a trip down memory lane for me.  Showed Kelly the railroad crossing where my Mother & I were nearly killed.  She was just learning to drive back in 1954 when she lurched my step Dad Irvin’s 53 Ford onto & barely over the train tracks when a West bound freight train narrowly missed the rear end of the car.  Just yards away there once stood Oxdrift’s general store called Fotheringhams.  We kids all went to a one room school house & ?? Fotheringham would sometimes take his Shetland Pony to school & give me a ride.  Down the highway a stretch I showed Kelly the old Stewart farm where we lived in a long trailer for awhile.  Pulled in the driveway & sat in the barnyard for a few minutes.  It was all as I pretty well remembered it except the the old farm house is now abandoned.  Barn looked the same.  I still have many memories as a small boy playing in & around that yard, barn, & house.  The farm was known as ‘Granny Stewarts’ & in the above links I talked about some of my memories there.  Back out onto the Trans-Canada highway & up a short distance to the first crossroad.  I remembered the little one room school house not far down this road but alas, it was gone.  A newer house now stands in it’s place.  Yes, many many fond memories in this area from the mid fifties.  I have thought for many years of one day stopping here again & today was that day.  Not likely I will ever be there again.  It seemed fitting as clouds descended wrapping us once again in a drizzly mist.  Back to the rig & hooked up the Jeep.  It was time to say a final farewell to my old childhood chum.  Thanks for the wonderful memories Oxdrift.  I will always remember you for as long as I can………………..

 

FOTHERINGHAM’S GENERAL STORE (NOW A HOUSE) IS WHERE MY SCHOOL MATE LIVED WHO HAD THE SHETLAND PONY & SOMETIMES GAVE ME A RIDE TO SCHOOL ON THE BACK…RAILWAY CROSSING JUST YARDS FROM FOTHERINGHAM’S STORE WHERE MY MOTHER & I NEARLY WERE HIT BY A SPEEDING FREIGHT TRAIN

‘GRANNY STEWARTS’ FARM WHERE WE LIVED IN A TRAILER FOR AWHILE IN THE MID 50’S

BOTH HOUSE & BARN ARE JUST AS I REMEMBER THEM

 

OUR HOUSE TRAILER STOOD WHERE THAT METAL SHED NOW STANDS & A HOUSE NOW SITS ON THE SPOT OF THE LITTLE ONE ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE I WENT TO ON THIS THEN GRAVEL ROAD

I WAS ABOUT 11 YEARS OLD WHEN I WOULD OFTEN SIT ON A ROCK JUST OVER THE LIP OF THIS HILL & DREAM OF THINGS 11 YEAR OLD BOYS DREAMT OF BACK THEN

The further west we traveled the worse the day’s weather seemed to get.  Temperatures dropped & the rain was steady.  Neither of us had slept well Thursday night so we decided to pull off the Trans-Canada into Kenora & take a brake.  We was whupped……but not as whupped as we was about to get later.  Stayed in the parking lot for couple of hours & considered staying for the night.  Another check of the weather & the fact we were just less than 200 miles from Winkler Manitoba with the promise of electric & water at that the other end was the deciding factor so off we went.  Snow showers had just begun but the heck with it…..we were heading for Winkler.

 

A DETOUR LED US RIGHT DOWN THROUGH THE HEART OF KENORA…LOTS OF CROWDED NARROW STREETS WITH  SHARP LEFT & RIGHT TURNS FOR THE BIG EEE & LITTLE JEEPERS

Weather continued to deteriorate & about 10 miles west of Kenora we were suddenly ambushed by high wind gusts rocking the coach.  Wet snow became heavier & it was all hands on deck as we plunged forward into the buffeting wind & snow driven rain.  As long as the slushy snow didn’t turn to sleet I knew the road was not icy.  The landscape had also flattened out considerably so at least we didn’t have grades & curves to deal with on the now straighter highway.  We fought those miserable conditions all the way to the Manitoba border before we began seeing a lightning of the sky on the Western horizon.

 

A SELFIE GAS FILL-UP & KELLY SNAPS SOME SNOW PICS WITH HER BLACKBERRY FOR HER FACEBOOK PAGE

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

 

AT LAST WE REACHED THE MANITOBA BORDER & THE WEATHER BEGAN TO SLOWLY CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

The slushy snow turned to rain which finally began easing up & by the time we were out of the Northern Ontario forests & onto the Prairies it was obvious we had driven out of the storm.  Cloud cover continued to break up & we began seeing patches of Sun.  But now we had a new problem……Prairie winds!!

YEP WE’RE OUT ONTO THE FLAT LAND PRAIRIES NOW

 

MANITOBA HAS WIND TURBINES TOO & WOW…..SUNSHINE:))

AND OH NOW NICE TO FINALLY SEE THIS SIGN

Turned south off the Trans Canada highway & began a zig-zag pattern heading South West towards Winkler.  The brutal winds whipping across the flat land from the North West hit us on the front passenger corner down along the whole side of the coach & we feared for our awning being torn out.  Happened to us before in 08 with the Damon & we knew how fast it could happen.  When traveling in a westerly direction I had to hold our speed down to 45 mph because we could see the awning arms waffling.

Oh how nice it was to see a sign pointing in the direction of our destination in Winkler Manitoba.  Nice sunset ahead of us as we steadily closed in on the manufacturer of our big Triple E Commander.  What a great feeling to finally enter the east end of town.  Little bit of a problem finding Triple E but finally there it was.  Big buildings on both sides of a short street.  Pulled into a parking lot & unhooked the Jeep.  Drove around with the Jeep until we found the customer service area where folks park their rigs for service.  Minutes later we were backed in, plugged in & watered up.  And everything worked.  It was 7:15 p.m.  What a day, what a day & boy was we whupped………….

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Everyone should be aware that there is a possibility of another outbreak of swine flu during the next few months. Please be conscious of the indications that you or members of your family may have contracted the Swine Flu Virus. The symptoms associated with this disease are:
1.) Sore throat.
2.) Slight headache.
3.) Moderate to high temperature.
4.) Nausea or upset stomach.
5.) Uncontrollable urge to roll around in the mud.

SAULT SAINT MARIE TO DRYDEN ONTARIO & I REMEMBER THE SMELL WELL

Just as we ended Wednesday in a pea souper of a fog we started Thursday morning the same way.  Because we were parked in the employee parking lot of the Ministry of Natural Resources we knew workers would be showing up for work early so we had no choice but to vacate the premises & hit the road even earlier.  When Kelly checked the weather Wednesday it was showing possible snow for this area later today.  Figured we had better make fast tracks out of there despite it still being dark.

THIS IS WHAT OUR EARLY MORNING DRIVE LOOKED LIKE:((

HAD TO STOP IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE WHILE A HOUSE WENT BY

THESE PHOTOS KIND OF SUM UP OUR MORNING A BIT

Always scary to watch drivers plunging headlong into heavy fog at normal highway speeds.  With all the ‘Moose’ warning signs posted I wonder how many people die each year up here in these parts.

 

THESE PHOTOS KIND OF SUM UP OUR AFTERNOON A BIT:))

We navigated our way around fog shrouded curves for about half an hour before finding a scenic look-out area to pull in & wait for daylight.  Out came my Kindle & Kelly’s book as we read for awhile before hitting the road again when we could see better.  Intermittent fog patches & a rainy drizzle followed us most of the way to Thunder Bay.  We didn’t see much scenery.  Kelly was finally able to pick up an internet signal about 30 miles north of Thunder Bay & published my blog for me. 

A fuel stop & we greased ourselves at McDonalds.  Took a break, checked our computers & Kelly called the service tech at Triple E in Winkler Manitoba again to see if we could get in for an appointment.  Yes, Monday morning.  That was good news because we didn’t have to try & make it to Winkler by Friday afternoon.  Fellow said they have RV sites with water & electric so we’re just to pull in whenever we get there, hook up & make ourselves at home.  He did say he didn’t think our water problem was serious.  Sometimes reading manufacturer manuals can scare the holy ba-jeebers out of RV’ers with all their do’s, don’ts & ya better not’s.

Heading West out of Thunder Bay we both noticed right off how the topography changed.  The land flattened out a bit, less curves & grades on the highway with longer stretches of straightaways.  Biggest change was in the trees.  Gone were the brilliant reds & oranges we were seeing in abundance atop Lake Superior.  Most trees we saw today were Poplar & Birch with yellow & pale green leaves.  And multitudes of evergreens like Tamarac, Pines & Cedars.  Traffic again was lite & the driving was easier than our previous couple days.

 

OUT FOR A NICE WALK IN A REST AREA SOMEWHERE NEAR  IGNACE ONTARIO

Our days weather was a mixture of rainy drizzle, fog, & cloudy skies.  Just west of Thunder Bay we were so encouraged by a patch of blue sky ahead.  Momentarily bathed in a passing sun splash it nearly brought tears of joy to our eyes.  However it was short lived & I was back to switching the rigs intermittent windshield wipers on & off again.  We checked the weather forecast ahead of us & it looks like a lot of rain but as I sit here typing this tonight in Dryden we are in sunshine at about 40F.  Computer weather map says it should be raining right now.  This time of year as the Seasons change weather is so totally unpredictable from one day to the next.  No idea where we will be tomorrow night but I’m sure the weather will have a hand in choosing a destination for us……………….

AW COME ON PHEEBS, SUNNY DAYS AHEAD………..

We haven’t been keeping the travel map at the end of each post updated as we had hoped.  We find it just too hard to figure out & neither one of us wants to wrestle with it at the end of each tiring travel day.  It was a nice idea but we are not going to continue it.  Thanks to ED & GEORGE for their noble efforts in trying to help us set it all up…………….. 

THIS WAS VERY BRIEFLY OUR WEE PATCH OF BLUE TODAY

 

We rolled into Dryden Ontario around 5 p.m. realizing we had passed through a time zone along the way so had to wind our clocks back to 4 p.m.  Checked out the local Walmart but found the parking lot small & angled.  While looking for the Fairgrounds we spotted a big Petro Canada lot with acres of parking.  Pulled in & Kelly asked if we could overnight here & the answer was yes.  Upside is lots of room.  Downside is all the trucks coming & going.  Ooops, the Upside just lost all it’s room as the lot is quickly filling up with big trucks.  It’s gonna be a kleenix in the ears night for sure.

AM I OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FRIDAY’S WEATHER AFTER OUR NICE BLUE SKY SUNSET TONIGHT?  LET’S JUST CALL IT GUARDED OPTIMISM…DON’T WANT TO GET TOO HOPEFUL & BE DISAPPOINTED BY THE PITTER PATTER OF RAIN ON OUR ROOF AGAIN

Been about 60 years since I was a small boy briefly living in a little nothing of a place called Oxdrift Ontario just west of Dryden.  Been a lot of changes in that time but one thing about Dryden has not changed.  It still smells bad here & I recognized the pungent odor of the Pulp & Paper mill immediately when we rolled into town.  It was always a smelly day in Oxdrift if an East wind was blowing.

DRYDEN ONTARIO’S PULP & PAPER MILL…I REMEMBER IT’S SMELL WELL FROM THE MID 50’S

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man with a swollen foot goes to the doctor. After a careful examination, the doctor hands the man a pill big enough to choke a horse.  "I'll be right back with some water," the doctor tells him.  The doctor has been gone a while and the man loses patience. He hobbles out to the drinking fountain, forces the pill down his throat and gobbles down water until the pill clears his throat. He hobbles back into the examining room.  Just then the doctor comes back with a bucket of warm water. "Ok, after that tablet dissolves in the bucket, soak that foot for about 20 minutes."