Our View From The Road

Sharing where we've been and what we've seen

Tag: MB

Manitoba

  • Day 07: Saint Claude,MB to Thunder Bay, ON

    Day 07: Saint Claude,MB to Thunder Bay, ON

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    A damp start to the day. After the rain las evening everything was pretty wet outside. The van had lots of poplar leaves on it from the trees at the back of our campsite. We were driving off of the site at about 8:10am, an early start as today we are planning on driving to Thunder Bay, ON which we anticipate will take about 9hrs.

    Good morning Saint Claude, MB

    A short 1 hr drive and we’re on the Winnipeg bypass and then on the TCH heading toward Ontario. Traffic is fairly light and we make good headway. We stop in Kenora for fuel rather than push our luck and hope we had enough to get to Dryden. The Husky gas station in Kenora has amazing staff who pumped the gas and cleaned both the windshield and the rear windows of the van! Nicely done.

    We swung into the Tim Hortons parking lot for a coffee and TimBits and found that the parking lot was not designed for 22’ vans. I managed to find a space long enough but backing out meant that someone waiting for the drive thru had to let me out. Luckily there are nice people in Kenora and we were back on the road in just a few minutes.

    We stopped to eat a picnic lunch at a rest area on Dixie Lake next to the highway. A beautiful spot for a short rest. The remainder of the drive to Dryden and then onto Thunder Bay was uneventful and we filled with fuel once arriving in Thunder Bay so that we are ready for the morning.

    We are staying at the Thunder Bay KOA Holiday tonight with many other travelers. Barb was hoping to do some laundry but was told that the laundry was closed as of our arrival (due to lack of overnight travel insurance???) and would reopen tomorrow morning at 9:00am. Not useful for us as we will likely be gone by that time. Hmmmm, not impressed.

    Tomorrow we will round the ‘lakehead’ and drive almost to Sault Ste-Marie.

  • Day 06: Grasslands National Park to Saint Claude, MB

    Day 06: Grasslands National Park to Saint Claude, MB

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    Wow, what a night! The stars were amazing out here and the air was so still and quiet. Barb did hear some coyotes early in the morning, but otherwise it was completely silent. A light fog hung in the valley when we awoke awaiting the sun to rise over the hills to burn it away.

    We completed our more rituals and prepared to leave, but not before exploring the drive along ‘The Parkway’ a 11km single lane paved road (with passing lanes) within the park that takes you to some very nice lookouts.

    At about 8:45am we drove out of the park with the intent to drive East along the southern border of Saskatchewan towards Manitoba. Our plans changed when we realized that finding fuel in this remote part of the country is a challenge. Most small towns have fuel stations that are useful only for those Cardlock members. We found a small gas station in Willow Bunch, SK that was open this Sunday morning so we stopped. It was the first station that I had been to in many years where you were allowed to pump without prepaying. It’s nice to know that towns still exist where everyone is expected to be an honest customer.

    Having fueled the van for 600km we reevaluated our route and choose to take the Red Coat Trail eastward towards Weyburn, SK. The route started nicely amongst the rolling grassland hills but soon the landscape changes and we found ourselves on the flat agricultural plain that most people equate with the prairies. The road was straight, and I mean straight, for miles and miles. The landscape was flat, and I mean flat, for miles and miles! Time goes by much more slowly when the landscape around you seems not to change.

    We stopped for a picnic lunch and changed drivers in Weyburn before continuing. Neither the road or the landscape changed and after some time we arrived in Manitoba where we stopped for fuel in Souris. The skies had darkened throughout the day and we were now driving through some light rain showers.

    We stopped to pickup dinner at The Happy Plate in Rathwell and drove a few more miles to Saint Claude, MB where we stopped for the night. The town has a wonderful municipal campground with grassy full-service sites. We settled in and enjoyed our dinner at a picnic table as the rain had not reached here. This changed at 10:00pm when a thunderstorm passed through.

    All for now. Our friends Mr & Mrs Milddogs (Dave & Liz) have just started their Fall van adventure to Nova Scotia. Follow their adventures here if you’re interested.

    Tomorrow, Ontario here we come!

  • Day 41: Let’s go into the woods today

    Day 41: Let’s go into the woods today

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    Sleeping at a truck stop next to a busy highway and intersection was probably not the best idea we’ve ever had, but we made it through the night albeit with less deep sleep than we probably needed.

    We start by having an egg breakfast with coffee at the Denny’s on-site. This is a healthy (hmm?) dose of protein that will ensure we don’t feel hungry in an hour or so.

    Barb drives us out of the Flying-J shortly before 8:00am and we take the bypass around Winnipeg, MB heading towards Ontario. Soon the trees return and we’re no longer on the prairie. We stop at Falcon Lake, MB for fuel which we get at 20 cents / liter cheaper than we pay later in the day in Ontario. I take over driving duty for the next hour or so.

    After passing Kenora, ON we turn South onto Hwy-71 towards Fort Frances, ON where we stop to have a picnic lunch by the river looking across toward Minnesota, USA.

    Continuing East from Fort Frances on Hwy-11/17 Barb drives for a couple of hours toward Thunder Bay, ON. I take over driving again and pass back into the Eastern time zone.

    We stop for the night at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park just North of Thunder Bay. We shower and have Buttered Chicken for dinner. A little TV and it’s time for bed.

  • Day 40: Getting the miles in

    Day 40: Getting the miles in

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    Well, no aurora viewing last night, oh well. We slept really well and got off to a great start for the day before 8:00am.

    The drive starts with what we thought was an early morning haze. Later in the day we’d discover that it is actually smoke from a wild fire in Northern BC.

    Early morning view
    Lonely road
    Hazy(?) day
    Google wildfire smoke map

    Barb started driving the day until we got to Moosejaw where we changed drivers and had a bite to eat & fueled up.

    Modern grain elevator
    CP train heading West
    ‘Mac the moose, Moosejaw, SK
    Snowbird, Moosejaw, SK

    Later in the afternoon we crossed into Manitoba and made our way to Brandon, MB where we again fueled up before driving our last leg into Winnipeg, MB.

    Tonight we are parked at a Flying-J. Tomorrow we head into Ontario.

  • Day 38: June 26 – Portage la Prairie, MB to Dryden, ON

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    After a great nights sleep at the Walmart, we headed to Tim Horton’s for breakfast. Disappointment awaited. Barb’s breakfast sandwich had eggshells in it and my Bagel BELT arrived without L or T. 😒

    We made a quick stop at the White Horse monument just West of Winnipeg as we had stopped there on our last trip West in 2003 with the kids.

    We also stopped in Winnipeg for fuel and to look for a specific alcoholic beverage sold at the Manitoba Liquor Marts but not back home at the LCBO.

    Accessing the liquor mart required us to handover photo ID. The staff then checked the image on the card against each of us (I had to remove my glasses which were slightly tinted because of the sun). They then scanned the cards and returned them before unlocking the door to allow us to enter. Tighter security than any airport it would seem is required before you can buy your bottle here. Wow.

    The drive out of Manitoba saw us leave the prairie and enter the boreal forest. We then crossed back into Ontario 32 days after we left. We stopped to enjoy lunch at the ‘Welcome to Ontario’ information center and then continued toward our destination just past Dryden, ON.

    Our stop for the night would be Aaron Provincial Park. We have no reservation but they had some sites and ours was close to the brand new shower block. Shower first, then dinner.

    White Horse monument
    White Horse monument
    Story of White Horse
    …& into Ontario
    Typical Ontario view through the windshield
    ‘Max’ the moose, Dryden, ON

  • Day 37: June 25 – Lloydminster, AB to Portage la Prairie, MB

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    Early start to the day as we head East out of Lloydminster and immediately into Saskatchewan. The border actually splits the town into two and as we depart we both commented on our observation that most of the recent commercial development had occurred on the Alberta side of town leaving the Saskatchewan side feeling less loved.

    Saskatchewan is what you expect, arable farm land as far as you can see. On our journey we are accompanied by a railway line and a never ending string of electricity poles. The yellow brick road Yellowhead highway is occasionally crossed by secondary roads that if you turn to look along as you pass, appear to go over the horizon. Maybe Oz is out there somewhere.

    Contrary to rumor, not all of the old grain elevators have been torn down and replaced with new shiny silver bins. Below you will see a few that we passed.

    We stopped in Saskatoon primarily to visit the PleasureWay Industries plant where our van was made. Unfortunately it being a Saturday there was no one there. We still took the obligatory photo in front of the factory.

    The afternoon was supposed to go like this; drive into Manitoba, find the town of Russell, and end the day by parking up for the night in their “Peace park” where they have free camping and electrical hookups. I say ‘supposed’ because that’s not quite what happened.

    We started the afternoon well and finished driving across Saskatchewan and into Manitoba. We even found the town of Russell and the ‘Peace park’. It was barricaded and a sign indicated that the site was soon to be the home of a new Co-Op. Hmmm. Now what? Where do we stop & park up for the night?

    After filling up with fuel, we travel a short distance and look at a couple of campgrounds neither of which we felt comfortable stopping in (one was particularly sketchy although the online reviews made it sound fairly nice but basic). Looking at the map we realize that we were only 2 hours from Portage la Prairie and a Walmart. Decision made! Onwards we drove, we can re-provision in the morning.

    The Walmart parking lot was freshly paved and there was lots of room. It was 10:02pm CDT and we had just driven for about 12 hours and covered just over 1000km. Sleep will come easily tonight.

    Alberta / Saskatchewan border in Lloydminster
    Grain elevator 1
    Cargill potash terminal
    PleaseWay plant, Saskatoon
    Grain elevator 2
    Old Borden Bridge across North Saskatchewan River
    still… Our view from the road
    Crossing into Manitoba
    Rainbow
    Cargill grain elevator