It was 3 o’clock in the morning at our camp site somewhere in the middle of the prairies when I awoke to Ladybug trembling. Things were falling off the counters and the covers on my bed just bounced right off of me. “Bernadette,” I shrieked. “Does Saskatchewan get a lot of earthquakes?”
“Go back to bed,” she whispered. “It’s just the trains.” Trains? Now, we all know Bernadette’s family has strong ties to trains. In fact, my father-in-law and his nine siblings grew up in a cozy home in North Bay, Ontario with train tracks just outside their back yard. Bernadette, and her kin, have no problem sleeping through nearby rumbling trains. In fact, they just love that rumbling sound. So does Gordie.
Not me. I found it deeply unsettling and pulled up the galley blind to see what was happening. There, about a short chip shot away, was a giant freight train pulling miles of cars through the little town of Maple Creek.
I was memorized watching the cars chug by. It took about 15 minutes before the last of the cars finally passed, slowly chug-chugging forward, disappearing into the night. I went back to bed and nodded off enjoying the quiet peace of a prairie sleep. That peace ended abruptly at precisely 4 o’clock when another freight train three-tooted its arrival into town. And then another at 5 o’clock and another at 6 o’clock. The trains seemed to get longer each time and the toot-tooting louder. Bernadette just kept sleeping. So did Gordie.
Throughout our journey across Saskatchewan, trains were always present following us along the Trans Canada Highway. It sure gives you a greater appreciation of the importance trains and those working the trains, have on our daily lives as they tirelessly transport food, energy, and other essential goods, including people across our vast land. Throughout our long drive across the beautiful prairies, we shared a lot of fun stories and special memories of many of Bernadette’s family members – her grandfather, father, beloved uncles, brother and sister, and cousins who all worked on the trains.
Celebrating With Friends in Winnipeg
Arriving in Winnipeg was one of the highlights of our trip as we were able to meet up with old friends, Tom McGouran and his lovely partner, Tammy Shabaga. In fact, thanks to Tammy’s initiative, we met at our KOA campsite just west of the city.
Tom and I grew up on the same street and were long term members of the “Caracas Bombers” a collection of family and friends who played football, street and ice hockey, baseball and just about any other game we could think of. Ahead of our time, we even allowed those sweet “Rogers gals” to join the boys and play on our teams. Admittedly, the main reason for our enlightenment was the fact that the Rogers gals were among the best athletes on the street. They were natural bombers then and still are.
Tom has been a popular radio voice in Winnipeg for several years where he has earned a reputation for excellence in his craft, but also in the many charitable causes he supports. Today, he is the morning host at NOW 104.7 FM, a very cool country station specializing in up and coming and contemporary country artists. This was right up our alley as country music has been our guiding force throughout our Ladybug road adventures. So we cranked up 104.7 on Ladybug’s sound system.
We enjoyed a special “Manitoban” dinner prepared by the talented Tammy which featured local walleye. It was easily one of our best meals on the trip . But what made it even better was the chance to catch up and share many fun stories from our past. (Lots of laughter at the expense of our old Caracas Bombers teammates.)
Tom and Tammy have also caught the RV bug and are in the midst of finalizing a customized travelling Mercedes Sprint van named “Gloria.” It is a beautiful travel van that will take them to many incredible places. We look forward to other opportunities to meet up with our special friends at future locations to come.
Overcoming Bumps in the Road
The following day, we left for our next destination taking in the sun and blue skies as we crossed the eastern part of Manitoba. All was rosy, until suddenly, it wasn’t as something had gone incredibly wrong. We had a tire blow out and the pressure was quickly dropping. It’s not a good feeling to have a tire blow out, especially when pulling a trailer, but because the Armada’s tires sensor worked so well, it gave me ample time to slowly steer off the highway to safety. Within seconds of stopping on the shoulder, the air pressure in the affected tire plunged to zero. We were sure happy to be stopped, safe and sound.
Bernadette sprung into action and called CAA. Between Bernadette and the kind voice on the other end, they eventually worked out exactly where we were located and help was dispatched. We knew it would be a long wait because the CAA associate had to come from Steinbach, Manitoba at least an hour and a half away.
Eventually, a very pleasant guy named, James, arrived. I have to say, we were fortunate to have the assistance of James. (If any of you are planning a road trip like this, the first thing you should do is join CAA/AAA. Not only will you get helpful information for your trip, but invaluable assistance is available if you are ever in a challenging situation like the one we found ourselves in.) Thank you James and CAA!
With our temporary tire installed, we cautiously drove off to our next camp site outside of Kenora, Ontario and planned to get a new tire installed the next day. Unfortunately, not many tire repair shops keep large quantities of tires on hand nowadays, so we had to stay an extra night in Kenora while a new tire was shipped from…. you guessed it….Winnipeg!
Bernadette’s sunny ways never wavered during this time. She kept telling me that we were lucky and now with added time on our hands, we had the chance to explore beautiful Kenora located on the shores of Lake of the Woods. Walking along the waterfront we came across the “Loonie Bear”. This twelve thousand pound bear was gifted to Kenora in 2006 by a gent named, Andrew Paterson. People are encouraged to give a gift of a loonie or toonie that slides into the side of the bear with all proceeds used to support Community Charitable Programs. Each year, Loonie Bear generates tens of thousands of dollars to support people most in need in Kenora and the Lake of the Woods region. A pretty special bear and we were more than happy to empty our coins.
Another interesting sign on the waterfront celebrates the great Kenora Thistles. In 1907, this eight man hockey team took on the Montreal Wanderers in a historic two game challenge series. Despite the many advantages for the hometown team Wanderers, the Thistles pulled off a stunning victory and enshrined themselves in hockey lore by winning both games and the coveted trophy that has evolved into what all hockey fans know today as the Stanley Cup. Kenora is rightfully proud of their Thistles hockey legacy and the fact that it is the smallest town to ever win the Stanley Cup.
I thought about those many poor suffering Toronto Maple Leafs fans back home. They should take heart knowing that if eight players from Kenora can win a Stanley Cup, there is still hope for their Leafs. That is, if they can ever learn how to play like Thistles.
Last, but certainly not least. Everywhere you walk around Kenora there are posters and signs celebrating a young athlete named Abby Dent. Abby is a member of Canada’s eight person women’s rowing team at the Paris Olympics. She is also the daughter of the owners of our campsite and they are currently with her, cheering her on across the pond, just as all of Kenora is back home. Pride in their athletes and community members underscores the true spirit of Kenora. We are happy to join them to celebrate and support Abby and the other women on our Canadian Eights.
This part of our trip has been a blend of trains, friends and automobiles. Special memories. And now, with our tire safely replaced, we are happy to be on the road again. Time to turn up those country tunes.
