Marilyn's Big Adventure - Part Two

BLOG TWELVE -- AND THE FINAL ONE FOR NOW

2009-06-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

Shadow Hill Rv Resort

Joshua Tree National Monument

Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center

Pam Bennett Wallberg, founder of Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center

Is this a happy dog or what?

Flowering Saguaro Cactus

BLOG TWELVE

I'm having trouble putting the photos in the text, so I'll leave them at the top of this blog.

Ripley on the Trail

June 20, 2009

There’s another long delay since Blog Eleven, but I will catch up now.

Goober
One of the interesting characters at Quail Ridge is a man who takes his overweight bulldog Goober for a ride in his golf cart twice a day. Goober seems to enjoy watching the world go by, but it seems to me that it would do him some good to get out and do some walking for a change!

Sprinkle of Rain
It’s a real event when there is any sign of moisture in southern Arizona and on May 19 we did actually get a few drops. And on May 21 it rained all day. I’m told that later on in July and August the monsoons come and it pours down, but I’ll be gone by then.

My New Camera
I had mentioned in Blog Eleven how I had damaged my digital camera, and the quandary I was in as to whether or not to spend the money to buy another one or do without. I do enjoy taking photos and sharing them on my blog, etc. so I decided to bite the bullet and get a new one. I did my research, comparing prices at Best Buy, local camera stores, etc. and then searching online. I finally settled on buying online a refurbished Fujifilm S1000 camera with 10 megapixels and 12 optics with image stabilization and other bells and whistles from Tri-State Camera located in Brooklyn, New York. It certainly was an improvement over the old one that I had damaged, but it turned out to be defective. Not every frame shot properly. I contacted Tri-State by email and tried to phone them, but there was a long waiting period on the phone, but I eventually got through to a live human. I explained the situation, and he assured me there was no problem. Just ship the defective one back, and they would replace it. I told him that I wanted the camera mailed to my home address in Canada, and repeated that request in the letter accompanying the package. However, the shipping confirmation email stated that it had been shipped to Arizona. I emailed them and received no response and eventually got through to another live human on the phone, told him the problem explaining that their shipper could not read. I was informed that I would have to pay the shipping costs to Canada, after they got the package back from Arizona. After some argument, he offered to split the shipping cost. Not entirely satisfactory, and I was very tempted just to tell them to forget it and refund my credit card. But I am now awaiting the shipment – and hope that this camera is not defective!!

On to California – But Not Without Incident
After having spent a pleasant six weeks at Quail Ridge RV Resort, I got on my way to California by way of Ajo which is located in an old copper mining town. The next morning I continued north to meet up with Highway 10 and shortly after leaving Tucson, the motorhome sputtered and died on the side of the road – and naturally this happened on the Memorial Day Long Weekend! And to add to my woes, I was almost out of minutes on my cell phone. It seems to be my lot to have a disaster happen on long weekends! I did try to contact two different RV mobile repair places, but both were shut down of course. After sitting for awhile, the motorhome started and I managed to get a little further down the road into the parking lot of the Family Dollar Store in a little town called Three Points where I was able to add more minutes to my cell phone.

By sheer chance I asked the cashier if she knew if there was a mechanic nearby and she responded that her boyfriend Jim was a mechanic. Chris called him and he quickly arrived, agreed with me that it was a dirty fuel filter, cleaned it for me, and drove me to a nearby Ace Hardware to buy a new one, which he installed. Just in case, he gave me his cell number and it’s a good thing he did because I only got a few miles down the road when it died again. He suggested that both fuel pumps needed replacing. We managed to get the motorhome back to the Family Dollar parking lot, where Jim began draining and dismantling the gas tank (one of the fuel pumps is located INSIDE the tank!!) Meanwhile, I took the Chevy off the tow dolly so that I could drive the 30 miles back to Tucson to Checkers Auto to buy the two fuel pumps needed. To make a long story short, I had to return to Tucson three times before we had the two right parts. Jim was simply wonderful and worked on the motorhome until 9:30 p.m. But it was dark by then, and Chris, his girlfriend and who is also the assistant manager of the Family Dollar, allowed me to stay in the parking lot overnight. Jim had also changed the oil in my generator and charged my auxiliary battery which was flat. I was visited by Border Patrol during the night, as they are on the lookout for suspicious vehicles carrying illegals.
Early the next morning I had to call Jim back because there was gas leaking from the re-installed tank. He tightened the clamp and he followed me to the Ace Hardware store to get a new clamp and hose. After all this and having paid Jim $265 for his labour and another $100 for parts, I had one more obstacle and had to call Jim yet again because I couldn’t fill the tank without it back splashing. He fixed this problem and I was finally underway, crossing my fingers that this would be the last of the problems.

Respite At Last
Thank goodness no more incidents happened on my way and I eventually made it to Indio, California where I stayed a total of five enjoyable nights at Shadow Hills RV Resort – a very beautiful campground complete with gated entrance, palm trees, saltwater pool, hot tub, pond with fountain and off-leash dog park. Ripley and I basked in the luxury, and enjoyed the pleasant hosts Bry and Salem, a young couple who are partners of the owners of the resort. The temperatures were reaching into three digits F., so the pool was very welcome.

Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center
My primary reason for going to California was to visit the meerkat sanctuary known as Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center, run by Pam Bennett Wallberg and located in Morongo Valley. Last year I had the opportunity to visit and made an appointment again for this year, for May 29. Pam has a policy of allowing only one group at a time, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, for two hours each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. I had a wonderful time sitting in the pen with the meerkats climbing on me as I fed them mealworms while chatting with Pam. We hit it off, chatting about all sorts of things, and my visit ended up being four hours instead of two. It was truly a highlight of my trip to be with the meerkats once again, and I hope to return again in the future. Because of the publicity generated by the TV show Meerkat Manor, the bookings are full a year in advance, and Pam has been visited by some of the narrators – Sean Astin, Whoopi Goldberg, Stockard Channing and other celebrities.

Joshua Tree National Monument
This national park is just a few miles away from Indio, so it was only natural to visit it while in the neighbourhood. Two deserts converge in this park – the Colorado Desert below 3,000’ where cacti abound, and the higher, moister and slightly cooler Mojave Desert where the famous Joshua tree predominates, along with interesting geologic rock formations. Wildlife abounds within the park’s 794,000 acres as well. Ripley and I visited an oasis of date palm trees, and walked a short way on the trail. But the heat was oppressive so we mostly just stayed in the air conditioned car, travelling along the roads through the park.

Homeward Bound – Sort Of
On June 1st we left the resort, getting as far as Parker, Arizona in the central western region where Phillippa overheated. We stopped to let the engine cool down and I noticed that the fridge was not operating on the propane setting. On checking I discovered that the auxiliary battery that powers the setting was dead. The woman at the local Chamber of Commerce gave me the name of a nearby garage where a new battery was installed, after an interminable wait while they located a marine battery and brought it back. Cost $212.

However, the fridge was still not functioning and I was worried that all my food would spoil. I got to Lake Havasu City where I located an RV repair place. Harley, the mechanic, determined that the problem was the control board in my fridge. This is the fridge that I bought only 1 1/2 years ago – but they didn’t have the correct part. Harley finally located one in Bullhead City, 50 miles away. It was getting late, so he and the manager allowed me to stay in their lot overnight, plugged into their power so that the fridge would operate. Harley also repaired the window screen that Ripley had damaged by putting her head through it when she saw another dog!
The next morning I headed to Bullhead City (which was out of my way home) stopping at the RV repair store that had the correct fridge part. Betty the receptionist was very sympathetic when I explained that my food was spoiling because of the fridge not operating and had a mechanic look at it right away. After a few phone calls, it was determined that the part and labour were covered under warranty, so thank goodness for small favours! BUT my “Check Engine” light came on, so Betty referred me to Advanced Auto in town where they checked the sensors and determined that it was the O2 sensor (something to do with the exhaust system) that was making the light come on and that I could ignore it as long as I checked my temperature and oil gauges frequently.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I cried.

Finally, finally, I started across Arizona, with the price ever increasing as I drove. In Sierra Vista I had paid $1.97/gallon. By the time I got to the Canadian border in Michigan, the price had risen to $2.95/gallon.

In the meantime, I stayed overnight at state rest areas and truck stops, hooking up to wi fi services at the latter, and enjoyed the cooler temperatures as I climbed in elevation to 7700 feet near Flagstaff. Every third or fourth day, I pulled into a campground in order to have a proper shower instead of a sponge bath. I continued on through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, through Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. I counted a total of ten dead deer plus numerous dead raccoons and one coyote on the highway.

The temperature gradually got lower and lower, and Ripley picked up some ticks which she brought into the motorhome with her. Fortunately I found them and got rid of them before they could burrow into either her skin or mine! So I stopped and got some flea and tick medication to apply on her skin. That, coupled with the black flies and mosquitoes certainly indicated that we weren’t in Arizona anymore!

More Trouble
You probably remember that I was towing my Chevy on a dolly behind the motorhome. When I stopped to fill up the gas tank in Fishers, Indiana I got too close to the post that protects the gas pump and managed to rip the wheel off the tow dolly and bend the frame as I was leaving. I stood there stunned by what had happened. Luckily for me Police Officer Josh Ahnert saw the accident and came over to help me, offering to guide me to a nearby church yard to park overnight. He kept his flashers on as I limped over there, then looked up the names of several repair shops in the neighbourhood on his inboard computer, gave me his card in case I needed him. He couldn’t have been more caring, and his demeanor helped me considerably.

The next morning, I met some of the church staff and explained what had happened, and they were very sympathetic. Janice, the receptionist helped me to call several businesses in town, including the local U-Haul store (they wanted $634 to rent a tow dolly) as well as several repair stores (they couldn’t help me). Sue Griffith sat and prayed with me, Mary Kay offered her help, as did Mark the custodian and Milt. I used the church’s wi fi to look up used tow dollies for sale on the internet, but couldn’t find anything reasonable in the neighbourhood. Finally I located a used one in a nearby town at a trailer dealership. The cost - $800!! I had no choice but to drive the motorhome over and buy it and then make my way back to the church parking lot to put the car on the new dolly. But what to do with the old one? I couldn’t just abandon it in the church parking lot. Milt came to the rescue and got one of his friends to take it off my hands.

My stress level by now was through the stratosphere, and I was very grateful for all the support from the staff at the Fishers United Methodist Church. I cried.

With an empty wallet and a feeling of despair, I continued on north in Indiana, up through Michigan, finally making the Canadian border on June 10th, three days later than planned because of the various breakdowns. Strangely enough, it was the American border people who pulled me over and inspected both the motorhome and the Chevy. The Canadian Customs officer checked my passport and waved me through without incident.

Canada Once Again
We crossed the border at Port Huron, entering Sarnia, Ontario where gas was listed at 97 cents/litre. I’m bad at metric conversion, but I believe that was more expensive than the gas in the U.S. As of June 20th, the price per litre has risen to $1.03.

I got as far as the Flying J Truck Stop in London Ontario on June 10th, staying there to contact people via email. These truck stops are quite convenient because there is a restaurant, store, booths to plug into wi fi, showers as well as gas and propane – and they allow RV’s as well as the big trucks to park overnight.

But I continued on to Maple, Ontario where I parked the RV overnight in the community centre parking lot behind my friend Donna’s apartment building. I had a nice visit and BB Q chicken dinner with her, and left the next morning to continue on the journey up Highway 400 to Parry Sound.

My Summer Home
Michelle and Don Berry own the KOA Kampground in Parry Sound located in the cottage country of Ontario, and they have offered me a position working 20 hours per week, in the office in exchange for my site. It is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and to take in the breathtaking scenery of the forests and lakes of northern Ontario.

Woofstock
Woofstock is an annual celebration of dogs held in downtown Toronto. On June 15 Ripley and I attended and participated in a walkathon to raise funds for the Jack Russell Terrier Rescue Organization. I received pledges of $190. It was a little overwhelming for Ripley as she is not used to wall to wall people and dogs, but we did have a good time.

Final Words
All in all, Ripley and I travelled a total of 4,500 miles from Ontario down to Arizona, then on to California and back to Ontario and Parry Sound, and I don’t believe that I would risk taking Phillippa on a long trip again. I think she will remain in a campground in Ontario from now on, and I will find an alternative means of transportation and accommodation in the southwest next time. But I do expect to remain in Ontario for this coming winter, out of necessity. All these mechanical breakdowns, etc. have put a huge dent in my credit card and it will be necessary to go back to work for awhile.

I will be remaining here until mid-August when I will head further south and east to Chalk Lake to housesit for the same two couples I housesat for last year. I will be there until the early part of September. After that, who knows? The advantage of being retired is that life is an open road and anything can happen.

BLOG ELEVEN - MAY 17, 2009

2009-05-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

BLOG ELEVEN - Photos Now Here
May 17, 2009

I don’t know where the time goes, but I never seem to have time to sit down and update my blog, so here goes.

I’m still staying at Quail Ridge RV Resort near the tiny town/village of Whetstone. It is very peaceful here because most travelers have headed back home, and I continue to enjoy watching birds come to the feeder in the tree outside my window. Whetstone is ten miles north of Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca, a huge military base where I am told troops are trained in intelligence. Sierra Vista is a small city with lots of big box stores, supermarkets, banks, two movie theatres and a huge recreation complex with a pool, a wave pool and a spa. I haven’t been to the pool complex because it is only open for public swimming on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and now that the temperatures are soaring, I tend to stay at home during that time in my air conditioned motorhome. Temperatures are in the 90’s now and even though there is no humidity, I find it a bit warm.

Radio Stations
I was glad to find that the National Public Radio (NPR) operates down here through the University of Arizona, so I do have an alternative to country music which every radio station in the neighbourhood seems to favour. It’s not my favourite genre, so I’m glad that I can listen to good classical music, and in particular the announcers who are very knowledgeable about the music they are playing.

Square Dancing
On most days here in the park, there are just a few RV’s, some of whom live here permanently, but on April 17th we were invaded by a large group of people who came to share square dancing for the weekend. They weren’t rowdy by any means, but it meant that the clubhouse was taken over by them, and I had been accustomed to going there to watch television and relax. But they left on Sunday and everything returned to normal.

The Sky
One of my favourite things to do at dusk is to sit outside the clubhouse in one of the comfortable chairs provided, with Ripley beside me, and just watch the sun go down over the Whetstone mountains to the west. On a good day, the sky is lit up with brilliant shades of red as the sun descends.

And then a little later, the sky sparkles with a multitude of stars, both bright and dim, one of the nice benefits of being in an area mostly clear of pollution. Right now dusk happens about 7:15 p.m. and dawn is around 5:30 a.m. Most people are up by 6:00 because they tend to chores while it is still cool, and I have fallen into the habit as well (at least on most days).

My Day
First on the agenda is to walk Ripley and let her relieve herself. She likes to strut at a good pace when we go for these morning walks around the park, stopping whenever she discovers an interesting smell to check out. I am told that javelinas come into the back section during the night and, judging from Ripley’s reaction, I would say that they do indeed. I feel it is more prudent not to walk around at night to test the theory!

After breakfast, I will check my email and that may take a bit of time, depending on how many jokes have been sent to me. After that, I may drive into Sierra Vista to do some errands, read a book, work on my computer, do some housecleaning or go off to see an attraction. If I’m going to do a hike, I usually start off by 7:00 a.m. and I try to find areas where I can take Ripley with me, as she loves to go to new areas with all sorts of wonderful smells to check out, lizards to chase, etc.
One of the dozens of Gambel's Quail that come to my feeder daily

And before I know it, the day has gone by and evening rolls around again, with another walk for Ripley (there’s one also during the afternoon if we haven’t gone out anywhere). Then depending upon what day it is, I may watch a little television in the clubhouse. I must confess that I have become addicted to American Idol just because of Adam Lambert. What a breath of fresh air he has been this year on an otherwise very dull show. Most of the contestants seem to have come from the same cookie cutter mold of whitebread America, and it is really refreshing to watch someone who comes up with new interpretations and dares to push the bar ever higher. As I write this the finale is coming up, and I am eagerly looking forward to yet another great performance by Adam. But alas, after this week I won’t have any more fixes until he releases his CD. Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m a Glambert!

Border Patrol
This entire area of southern Arizona is very close to the Mexican border and consequently is at risk for illegal immigrants and smugglers sneaking through. As a consequence, the Border Patrol people are ever on alert and whenever I travel north towards the Interstate I go through a checkpoint. It has become routine now for me to hand over my passport. Sometimes the officer waves me through while on another occasion one will check out my passport before letting me go. I understand that in June it will become mandatory to have the passport, but I don’t begrudge the slight inconvenience, as these personnel have an impossible job, in my opinion. There is just simply too much open land to cover and the powers that be have refused to increase their numbers. Illegal immigrants continue to make the dangerous trek across the desert and mountains and many die in the attempt. Bribery is a way of life in Mexico and many believe that there is no way that smugglers are going to be stopped completely. There may be the odd arrest that looks good, but the culprits are generally soon out of jail again after money has crossed palms.

West End Block Party
Since I still had a lot of jewelry left over, I decided to rent a booth in Sierra Vista at their West End Block Party on April 18th. Mary (the lady from Minnesota) very kindly made sure that Ripley was okay while I was gone, and I managed to borrow a table from the clubhouse in the park and set up shop on Fry Boulevard, along with many other vendors. There were quite a few booths selling jewelry, including the couple right next to me who specialized in expensive gems. They did quite well, but I managed as well by keeping my prices low. Despite the fact that I suffered from exposure to the sun all day (I did wear a hat), I was happy that I made the effort. Besides making a bit of money, I also met several of the local crafters who belong to the Huachuca Art Association, as well as a helicopter test pilot who lives in a mobile home in Sierra Vista.

Pig Roast
Because many of the people who own their lot in the back of the park are leaving to return to their homes, they organized a pig roast, to which I was invited. After spending all day out in the hot sun at the West End Block Party, I welcomed the opportunity to sit down to roast pork, potato salad, vegetables and a raspberry dessert. It was also an opportunity for me to get to know some of these people a little better. The square dancers were still here and, despite their mature ages, seemed to enjoy themselves a lot. They were in the north clubhouse while the pig roast took place in the south clubhouse. The only thing missing in this park is a pool.

Snow’s Little Bead Store
In conversations with Mary, I learned that she too is a beader, although she does bead weaving - a different technique from what I know. She told me about Fran Snow who runs a bead store from her garage in Benson and we agreed to drive over there, along with Mary’s husband Ed. Of course I had to buy some of the beads, but I also signed up for a class with Marcia to learn how to wire wrap a swirl around a pendant. Wire wrapping is something I have wanted to learn, and as it happened, I ended up taking three different classes with Marcia. The fee was very reasonable and I have now learned how to wire wrap a swirly pendant and a caged pendant, and also how to make a ring. So now I have expanded my knowledge and can offer some different items. The only problem is that this technique requires using gold or silver or copper wire, all of which material is quite expensive.

Ring Wire Wrapping

Caged Wire Wrapping

Spiral Wire Wrapping

Chiricahua National Monument
On April 21st Ripley and I set off on less-traveled roads through the historic town of Tombstone, then on to Gleeson on a primitive road, passing the White Gulch Experimental Watershed, the Rattlesnake Store (featuring lots of items made out of rattlesnakes – I didn’t stop), and on to the little town of Elfrida where I discovered a delightful shop featuring great coffee and a homemade apple/cinnamon muffin.

This little repast kept me going on to the Chiricahua National Monument where Cochise and Geronimo had made their home. The signs leading to the Monument warned there were no gas stations or restaurants in the area, so I was glad that I had stopped in Elfrida. The Chiricahua National Monument lies within the huge Coronado National Forest, and the road twists and winds to an elevation of 6870 feet, endng at Massai Point. Because the nature trail here is closed to dogs, we just walked around the parking lot area to see the beautiful view. The brochure mentions that four ecosystems meet in these mountains (Chihuahua Desert, Sonoran Desert, Rocky Mountain and Sierra Madre), making it a naturalist’s paradise for the number of species that can be found in the area of the park which encompasses 11,985 acres, most of which is wilderness.

This mountain is called the Face of Cochise

The brochure also mentions that the tourists in Chiricahua National Monument are climbing up a sky island – an isolated mountain range rising above the surrounding grassland area, and an area where the vegetation changes from cactus and mesquite to sycamore, juniper, oak and cypress, pine and fir. “The Chiricahua Apache called these pinnacles “standing up rocks”, and I remember seeing similar formations in other parts of the U.S. and Canada in my trip last year. They are referred to as hoodoos in other parts and are the result of rhyolite cooling and uplifting during volcanic action 27 million years ago. Very spectacular views everywhere.

On the way back down I took Ripley for a walk around Faraway Ranch in Bonita Canyon, an original settlement dating from 1888. The eldest daughters converted the ranch into a guest ranch where visitors came to watch birds and hike in the hills. After their deaths the ranch was incorporated into the national park as a historic district.

What I truly love about Arizona is that there is so much history everywhere you turn, from the original native inhabitants to the pioneers and cowboys who called it The Wild West. There are still many areas that have been preserved in the way of scenic drives and hiking trails, as well as ghost towns and archeological sites. Although I haven’t been on it, the Arizona Trail is an example. The brochure states that it “is a scenic, non-motorized trail that stretches for 800 miles through some of the state’s most renowned mountains, canyons, deserts and forests. The Trail begins at the U.S.-Mexico border in the South and ends at the Arizona-Utah border in the North.”

Housesitting in Arizona
I’ve mentioned previously that I have signed up on a website that puts together people willing to housesit with people who need a housesitter. I had answered one of these ads and Susan Scott contacted me. She has a wonderful adobe-style hacienda in a remote area outside the small town of Sonoita, right in the heart of cowboy country, and only about 30 miles down the road from the RV park where I am staying. The house has the typical red-tiled roof, with two courtyards, one with a fountain and several lovely eating nooks. The main part of the house is an open concept with a high ceilings and beams. The master suite is on one end and the guest suite on the other. Ripley and I enjoyed this wonderful luxury for six days while Susan went to San Diego. Zoe is an elderly border collie/Australian sheepdog mix (it seems to be a popular breed down here) and she and Ripley got along well. Zoe is used to getting up at 6:00 a.m. and made sure that we did too! Every morning after breakfast we would go for a leisurely mile-long stroll down the nearby gravel roads, and then we would head back for another luxurious day. I had brought along all my jewelry-making material and was able to lay everything out on the dining room table and consequently I managed to make several new pieces and re-work some old ones that I wasn’t happy with. Susan had given me permission to use her Jacuzzi bathtub and I indulged myself every day. It really does help my arthritis. Then, I had the option of sitting in one of the two courtyards enjoying the breezes, making meals in Susan’s modern kitchen, watching TV on one of the three sets, or just simply lounging around. It felt very decadent, and all too soon Susan was back, and I returned to my motorhome which seemed very tiny!.

Ripley’s Birthday
During our time at Susan’s, Ripley and I celebrated her eighth birthday on April 23rd with a New York strip grass-fed steak dinner (simply delicious), and of course Zoe participated too. This is real cattle country around Sonoita and the beef is very reasonable.

Gardner Canyon
On the way to Susan’s hacienda, I took a short detour to Gardner Canyon, a gravel washboard road that led to several ranches. I couldn’t help but stop at the sign that I came across on this road, shortly after having to wait for several cattle to cross the road.

Patagonia
April 25
While I was at Susan’s I wanted to investigate some of the nearby area and Patagonia sounded like a funky place to start. The town is home to many quaint shops and restaurants, as well as a historic hotel and I stopped at the Gathering Grounds café to order a delicious coffee. I sat outside at one of the little tables while Ripley investigated the nearby area.

We pressed on to the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy, and of course Ripley was not allowed to enter. This is one of several nature reserves totally 1.5 millions acres in Arizona that the Nature Conservancy has protected, and the birding is wonderful. I managed to park in the shade and left Ripley in the car while I joined a tour led by Elaine, a woman who knew almost every bird we encountered or heard. She knew their individual songs and would pull out her guidebook to show us a photo of the birds that we couldn’t actually see. We came across dung beetles and nasty red ants whose bite can be very painful. I didn’t write down all the birds that we encountered but there were dozens as well as beautiful butterflies. Even though it was still relatively early I was disappointed that we didn’t see any mammals (not even a squirrel). Two hours later I made my way back to the visitor centre while Elaine continued on the tour with the rest of the participants. The hummingbird feeders there attracted many birds for a close-up look.

As I was giving Ripley a drink of water, a couple noticed my Ontario licence and introduced themselves. Mary Beth and Bob Worthington are from Toronto and had a tent trailer in nearby Patagonia State Park. They are avid birders and as we chatted, Bob asked me if I knew Jim Fairchild who used to work at the Toronto Zoo. Of course I knew him but regretfully had to inform Bob that Jim had passed away the week previously. Jim was also an avid birder and he and Bob knew each other quite well, so it came as quite a shock for him to learn that Jim had died while out birding.

On my way back through Sonoita I had wanted to stop to see the quarter horse racing that was being held that day. Naturally I wasn’t going to leave Ripley in a hot car, and took her with me when I paid my admission fee. Nobody stopped me until I was actually by the grandstand, where a security guard informed me that dogs weren’t allowed, so I went back and asked for a refund. I was very disappointed as the Mexican caballeros in their colourful outfits were demonstrating their horseback skills, putting their horses through the beautiful paces of dressage.

April 26
My friend Mary (from Quail Ridge RV Resort) is a bead weaver and I asked her to teach me how to do this. As a result, I invited her to come over to Susan’s hacienda for lunch and we spent the morning weaving, another new technique for me. There are several different stitches, and Mary showed me the straight stictch and the peyote stitch, the two most common types. It takes a good deal of patience and decent eyesight, so I’m not sure how much I will get into it, but at least I know the method now, and it was enjoyable to get to know Mary better over a lunch of barbecued hamburgers (on Susan’s outdoor grill), red beans and rice, hot corn muffins and the pickles that Mary had brought. She is about 15 years younger than her husband Ed and back at Quail Ridge she works out every morning in front of a video in the clubhouse. Mary and Ed are from Bemidji, Minnesota and own one of the lots here where they park and live in their bus for the winter. They have a cocker spaniel named Daisy. I do meet some very nice people on my travels!

Ripley is limping quite a bit today, so we had only a short walk. I’m not sure what she did, but she seemed to have injured her left front leg. The next few days she was still sore, so I decided not to go for a hike in the adjacent 30,000 acres land grant, which was disappointing as I was hoping to see some reptiles and mammals.

Susan had left me a few books on the history of Arizona, and I enjoyed skimming through “Arizona in the 50’s” by Captain James H. Tevis in which he described frontier life battling Apaches including Cochise, as well as his friendship with Esconolea, an Apache who saved his life. Another book was entitled “Journey of the Heart by Annette Grey, a true story of Mamie Aguirre who lived from 1844 to 1906. She was a southern belle of the Wild West. Richard Shelton wrote a book entitled “Going Back to Bisbee” recounting his experiences of returning after many years. Betty Barr is an author who lives nearby and wrote a book entitled “Hidden Treasures of Santa Cruz County”. It was really fascinating to read of the accounts of people who had lived in this region and the history of the places, many of whom are now ghost towns.

And all too soon, my mini-vacation was over. Susan returned with a gift of assorted jams, and after a brief discussion about whether or not she should get one kitten or two (I was pushing for two) from a friend of hers, we parted. Later, she informed me that she was going to get two kittens.

Back at Quail Ridge
I returned to my routine of checking and answering emails, working on my computer and reading mystery books obtained from the Benson library, visiting nearby attractions and shopping in Sierra Vista, and sitting by the clubhouse at dusk. The entire environment here is so laid back and relaxing.

I took time out to go to see the movie “State of Play” starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. My friend Pat who lives in Calgary, Alberta, is absolutely nuts about Russell Crowe, so naturally I had to see his latest flick to discuss with her. I have to admit it was very good.

Every time I went back to Benson for another jewelry class, I took Ripley with me, and she charmed everyone in the store. She would sit in a chair and watch the class or visit with Fran, the owner and her husband, or else just stretch out flat on the carpet.

After one of these classes I took Ripley to the nearby Lion’s Park for a run and we encountered a group of adults who were under supervision. I’m not sure if they were mentally disabled, but they had a ball and Ripley soon joined them in a game that everyone enjoyed. One of these would throw the ball and Ripley would race over and bring the ball back to the person. Both she and these people had a great time, and after the ball became somewhat deflated, they gave it to her to keep.

Later, we went over to meet up with Doug Thompson, my friend from Indian Skies now staying in Benson, and we caught up on our news. He is still busily editing and revising his latest book “The Human Tribe”, a philosophical attempt at analyzing human behaviour, especially with regard to religion.

May 1
I still had some mail at Indian Skies up in Coolidge, so Ripley and I drove the three-hour trip there, and at the same time took the opportunity to make an appointment with Kathy Burchett, the wonderful massage therapist in nearby Casa Grande. She really knows how to put me back in shape!

While in Casa Grande I stopped at Pet Smart to get Ripley some low-protein natural dog food to replace the type that I have been feeding her, which is 42% protein. Hopefully the change will help to get some weight off her, as she is still about three pounds too heavy. I also ordered a product called Missing Link Plus through the online Pet Meds store. Susan Scott had been feeding her old Zoe with this and said that it really improved her comfort level. Since Ripley really hates the glucosamine tablet that I crush into her food (it’s very bitter), this should be a better alternative to ensure that she is getting all the supplement she needs to keep her active as an older dog.

May 2
For a change the sky is overcast, but there is no rain. However, the winds have picked up.

May 3
I was originally planning to leave Quail Ridge RV Resort on May 9th, but have decided to remain here for two additional weeks, as the rate is very reasonable, so I now will be leaving for California on May 23rd. That gives me seven days to reach the meerkat sanctuary near Palm Springs.

The Oasis Sanctuary
Mary had mentioned that there was a parrot sanctuary nearby. I called Sybil Erden to make an appointment to visit and on May 5th I drove out to The Oasis Sanctuary, located in a remote area about 40 minutes north of Benson. She is the founder and executive director and started taking in psittacine birds (parrot family) about twelve years ago at her home in Tucson. She realized that she needed to be in a more remote area with more land, and bought 72 acres beside the Rincon Mountain range southeast of Tucson. There are currently 650 birds at the sanctuary!!

Sybil has done an amazing job in providing excellent care for all the birds, many of whom are in very large flight cages. There are many that cannot adapt to these large cages and consequently they are kept in smaller cages. Some have mutilated themselves and plucked out much of their feathers. Many of these poor birds have gone through traumatic experiences in their lives and exhibit psychological problems as a result. The sad reality is that many of these birds outlive their caregivers, because they are very long-lived and they may then end up in a dark garage or worse. Others have been confiscated by authorities. The birds range all the way from the very common budgie and cockatiel all the way to rare parrots and macaws, and thanks to Sybil’s paid staff and volunteers, they are very well cared for. Every cage was very clean, contained lots of toys, fresh food and water. The bowls are disinfected daily.

One of the large aviaries

Besides the birds, Sybil has also taken in many dogs and cats that have been abandoned in the nearby desert by thoughtless people and at the sanctuary itself there were two Great Pyrenees, two deaf cattle dog mixes, an Akita mix named Koda plus several others (nine in total, four of whom act as guard dogs at night). She also currently has twelve cats in her house adjacent to the sanctuary.

The Oasis Sanctuary has charitable status and of course is always in need of money to continue their work and to build more cages. Many of the birds come in needing medical attention, and the annual veterinary bill alone is $30,000. You can check them out online at http://www.the-oasis.org/. She has just initiated Pennies for Parrots. There are approximately 10 million parrots in 5 to 6 million homes in the United States. Her thought is that if each of these owners donated a penny, it would add up to a great deal of money towards the future care of the birds.
Ground Squirrel enjoying a free lunch

Sybil very kindly spent three hours out of her very busy day to take me around and I have to say that I was very impressed with the sanctuary’s facilities, cleanliness and her dedication to giving these birds a second chance, including Gulliver who was abandoned by his owners on a South Pacific island when their boat sunk. It took a great deal of effort on Sybil’s part to wade through the paperwork to bring Gulliver to the sanctuary and he now acts as spokesparrot when she goes out to do talk. I took out a membership and if things work out in the future, I hope to return to volunteer. Gulliver

May 6
There are reports of wildfires breaking out, one of which is very near the area where Susan Scott’s hacienda is. She reassured me via email that the fire is further south from her, but I wonder if Whisper’s Sanctuary (the place where I tried to be a Workamper) might be in danger. The grassland is so very dry right now that it takes very little to start a fire. I have been told that many of these wildfires are started by illegal immigrants who light a fire to keep warm during the cool evenings.

Good Sam
Good Sam is a camping group for seniors who get together around the country, and the club also provides discounts at various parks. A group of them from Tucson arrived for the weekend, so the clubhouse was again filled with people. They enjoyed playing cards and chatting with each other, some of whom seemed quite elderly.

Spiders
I mentioned that I often took Ripley over to the chairs outside the clubhouse at dusk, and in the grassy area beside there she encountered a large white spider. She kept pawing at it and I went over to investigate, only to find a very large creature on its hindquarters, in an attack position, with its mouthparts open. Later on I checked on the web and determined it was a colour variation of the venomous brown spider. In a person its bite causes the skin to die around the wound, which may have to be surgically removed. After reading this, I felt it was prudent to stop Ripley from bothering these spiders, which climb out from under the clubhouse at dusk.

Fairbank and Lizards
I’ve returned to the ghost town of Fairbank beside the San Pedro River a few times whenever I’m in the neighbourhood because I can let Ripley off leash. She just loves to be able to check out the various scat and other smells encountered on these walks, and recently all the lizards are out. They are much too fast for her, but that doesn’t stop her from racing after them!
Fairbank cemetery

A little further on I parked the car beside the bridge and walked down to the San Pedro River so that Ripley and I could soak our feet in the cool refreshing water. While she explored the area I sat and watched the birdlife.

Scanning Photos
Before I left on this current trip I had ordered a photo/slide scanner that would allow me to scan my old slides and old albums, many of which are deteriorating. They are all from my travels around the world, and I wanted to preserve them. And who ever looks at slides on a projector anymore? In any event, I’ve finally started scanning an old album, and hopefully I will find time to do more before moving on.

GoingWildCreations
Of course, I am always optimistic about the amount of time I have. Another project that I am working on is creating a website to sell wildlife t-shirts. I’ve registered the domain name of goingwildcreations.com and am in the process of putting together the website. But it is much harder than I had thought, plus I have a huge learning curve to figure out how to do it. But with any luck I’ll complete the website and have it up and running in the near future. It is one of my attempts to earn extra money without having to actually commute to a 9 to 5 job again.

Philippa Needs Work
Speaking of extra money, what can I say? My motorhome would not pass an emissions test, which will be required when I return to Ontario to renew my licence, so I decided to take it in to Midas Muffler here in Sierra Vista on May 12. I was expecting to have to replace the piping and perhaps the muffler. However I was not aware that the previous owner had removed the catalytic converter. The price for this one item alone is $800!! The part had to be ordered so I started back to Quail Ridge, only to have Philippa cough and sputter and finally die just as I entered the driveway. My rear end was still sticking out on the highway and some kindly fellow Rotarian stopped and pushed me off the road.

So then I was faced with the dilemma of how to fix this problem. I had actually made a call to my insurance company back in Canada to arrange a tow to a garage, when the park night watchman came along and suggested that he go get John in the permanent area, who is a mechanic. Shortly afterwards John arrived, crawled under the motorhome and took off the fuel filter, shook it, replaced it and when I turned the key, it started. I was very grateful to avoid another bill, as John graciously waived a fee. I was very relieved and parked Philippa.

Two days later I returned to Midas Muffler (with Ripley of course, who sat in the chair beside me during our two-hour wait). I had brought my laptop along with the idea of bringing my blog up to date, but found that the keys would not tap out the correct letters. I usually use an external keyboard which was inside the motorhome and at this point in time, it was up in the air on the hoist. So I gave up in frustration. My computer is slowly dying. The fan is broken; the CD drive no longer copies and three of the five USB ports no longer work. I’m hoping it will last until I return to Toronto where my brother assures me I can get a better deal on a new laptop than I would get here in the U.S.

Eventually the mechanic finished the repairs, and the bill came to $1,100.

More Problems
I almost made it back to the RV park, but Philippa started to cough and sputter again and died on the highway. I had previously been told about a mobile RV repair service, so I gave them a call and about an hour later the driver showed up, took the fuel filter off again, cleaned it and Philippa started once again. He followed me back to Quail Ridge just to make sure I’d make it and promised to return the next day with a new fuel filter. It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that I had a new one put on when I broke down in Albequerque, but I should keep in mind that it is very dusty here. I have learned my lesson to be more attentive to Philippa’s needs!

My Tooth Still Hurts
I had mentioned in the previous blog that I had gone to Naco, Mexico to the dentist there and he couldn’t find any cavity. However, the pain has returned and I made an appointment with a different dentist in the same clinic (the one who had originally been recommended to me – Dra. Lorena Martinez).

On May 13 I arose early, said goodbye to Ripley and drove the 1 ½ hour trek down to Naco, Arizona, parked my car and walked across to Mexico. Dra. Martinez took another round of x-rays and determined that I had a cavity down the groove of a tooth that had a cap on it. After a great deal of effort she managed to get the cap off, drill out the cavity and have me fitted for a new porcelain cap. The old one was made of gold and she gave it to me to keep. I’m going to see about having it melted down into a ball so that I can make a pendant out of it.

I will need to return in a week to have the permanent cap put on. Total damage was $320.

On the return trip I stopped at the historic town of Bisbee, one of the old copper mining towns. The mine is no longer in operation, but the pit is still visible. Much of the town is now populated by creative artists, etc. and the buildings reflect their tastes.

The Military Life
While I was sitting in the waiting room at Midas Muffler, I overheard a conversation between the owner and a customer who was in the military from nearby Fort Huachuca. He appeared to be about 25, and has already had two stretches overseas – nine months in Afghanistan and a year in Iraq, and has been transferred now to another base in the U.S. He is married and his wife must find it difficult to be left alone for long periods, never knowing if she will see her husband again.

It’s Raining Men!
One thing that I am discovering is that there is no shortage of older men whom I have encountered in my travels. In the short period of time that I have been in southern Arizona, I have met Darold (a helicopter test pilot); Terry (retired pilot who flew 747’s and who is currently studying for a position with the unmanned aircraft program at Fort Huachuca) and Fred (traveling in an RV from Florida who is here to take soaring lessons from an expert). All interesting men, but I’ve given up on male humans.

Other Interesting Travelers
There are also many couples whom I have met along the way who are enjoying the RV lifestyle. One of these couples arrived recently in the park originally from Maryland, but now fulltiming. They remained for a couple of nights, and we watched American Idol together. After they had moved on Jim and Anna arrived, originally from Oregon and on their way to Chicago. Anna is an avid birder, so I was able to share some good locations with them while they were here. They are traveling in a VW van.

Amerind Foundation
Time is getting short now and there are still several places that I would like to visit. On May 16 I traveled out to Dragoon about 40 miles from Quail Ridge to the east to a privately operated foundation that features a large collection of archeological material from the region. The original person who set up the foundation was a Mr. Fulton, an amateur archeologist who had purchased a number of items from private individuals in the early 1900’s. They are now on display in the Foundation’s museum and are studied by researchers who visit. I was fascinated by the various katchinas, pottery, baskets and other early artifacts of southwestern cultures. There is also an art gallery featuring mostly native art. No photography is allowed inside the buildings, but I did take several photos outside of the surrounding countryside in the Dragoon mountains, including a pioneer cemetery.
Rock Formation in Dragoon Mountains

Millville – Disaster Strikes Again
Another place that I had wanted to visit before leaving features ancient petroglyphs on rocks in the vicinity of the ghost town of Millville.

Historic Trash

The town no longer exists but used to be a thriving mining town, and some of the trash left behind by the inhabitants is still there, protected by the Bureau of Land Management. The petroglyphs have suffered from vandals as well as the weather, but it was still possible to see the drawings on several of the rocks.

Ripley accompanied me on this walk and enjoyed chasing more lizards.

We were walking on a path very near the San Pedro River to get to the petroglyphs, and I noticed a path leading to the river itself. It’s easy to tell where the river runs because large cottonwood trees grow near the water source. We followed the path and encountered a low tunnel that I had to stoop to walk through and eventually we came to the very shallow but cool river. Ripley of course walked right in while I sat by the riverbank for awhile observing the birdlife. I decided to walk along the dry part of the riverbed to get closer to two geese and almost stepped on a gila monster. This was one of the many species that I cared for during my time at the Toronto Zoo, and I was very excited to see it, as I have never seen one in the wild before.

Found this shot of a gila monster on the web

It stopped to look at me, and then slowly wandered towards a bank leading up to grass cover. At this point Ripley noticed it too and started towards it. Gila monsters are venomous and don’t let go after they bite, so I was really distracted in stopping Ripley from getting too close and managed to bang my camera hard on a rock, destroying the optics. So, not only did I not get a photo of the gila monster, even though it was posed beautifully, but I wrecked the camera that has traveled with me for many years. Needless to say, I was very upset.

So, now what do I do? Spend more money to buy another camera? I don’t think I have a choice as photographing my adventures is one of my hobbies.

BLOG TEN - APRIL 15, 2009

2009-04-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

BLOG TEN - NOW WITH PHOTOS

April 15, 2009

Since writing Blog Nine, I have traveled south east of Tucson to the small town of Benson, to stay at Pardners RV Park on March 27. Pardners is where Doug Thompson had moved to and he had suggested that it would be a good and cheap place to stay for awhile.

On the day that I arrived, it happened that Hoppy and Georgia Hopfauf, from Minnesota were to leave Indian Skies as well and to meet up with Doug in Benson at Reb’s Café for lunch. I arrived just as they were finishing up.

Pardners Not for Me
Benson is at a higher elevation (3,500’) than Indian Skies and consequently is cooler. But I had not anticipated the noise level. Pardners RV Park is located on the main street into town and there is the usual street noise, but what really made it impossible for me to remain there was the railway that lay just beyond the rodeo grounds behind the rv park. The trains continually tooted their horns and I frequently woke up from a sound sleep as a result. Just to add the icing on the cake, the rodeo arena had a bar with live music that didn’t stop until 1:00 a.m. on Saturday nights. I had paid for one week and determined that I would move on after the week was up.

Scenic Arizona

Sightseeing in the Area
In the meantime, on the next morning Doug came knocking on my door at 8:30 to invite Ripley and me to go on an excursion to see some of the local area. Because I had been up half the night with the train noise, I had slept in. He’s an early riser and tells me he generally gets up about 3:00 a.m. to write. We took off in his truck southwesterly to Sierra Vista, which is a fair-sized town (complete with box stores like Wal Mart and Lowes). There is a large military base called Fort Huachuca just beside Sierra Vista, and that would explain the infrastructure.

We stopped at Denny’s for breakfast and then headed down to the local swap meet (in Canada we call them flea markets) where Ripley had to remain in the truck. Usually there is no problem with taking a dog in on a leash, but there were signs posted. Most of the stalls were featuring used items – clothing, machinery, electronics, etc. plus some fruits and vegetables. But my eye caught on to one booth where a man was selling some very beautiful gems. Naturally I had to get some to add to my collection to work on once I return to Canada. I simply cannot find these types of stones up there, or at least not at a reasonable price. I returned the next Saturday as well to purchase some beautiful coral and opalite.

After leaving the swap meet, we drove through part of the San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area, consisting of 56,000 acres in total of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. It turns out that this is one of the prime birding areas in North America because it is not only the home of many bird species, but is also a major migration stopping point for many other birds. In the time that I have been here I have hiked on several of the trails available and have greatly enjoyed the large trees that grow along the San Pedro River system and the wildlife that it attracts.

We continued back towards Benson, coming up Highway 80 into St. David’s, a pleasant-looking small village featuring several rv parks. One, in particular, had inviting lakes along the road. We drove in to enquire, but learned that it is a private park for members only, who of course have to pay for the privilege of staying there. The man operating the guard post would not provide information on fees, stating that we would have to listen to an hour-long pitch to obtain that information. So, we quickly backed out and continued on our way back to Benson.

Benson
I have found that when arriving in a new area, the best source of information is the local Visitor’s Center and Benson was no exception. The woman in the office was very helpful and provided me with lots of information about hiking trails, local history, etc.

Benson is a small town but does have a Safeway and a WalMart, Radio Shack and a very disappointing ice cream store. I thought it would have really good homemade ice cream, or at the very least locally made ice cream. But it was only the soft stuff that comes out of a machine. The library has wi fi and that is where Doug and I visited every day, since the rv park did not have such service.

Store in Benson

The local Lions Club Park was virtually deserted during the day and it was a good place to take Ripley for a run. She scared up several ground squirrels, and I saw a hawk (couldn’t ID it) take something on the ground as it swooped down.

The other place where I could take Ripley off leash was into the rodeo grounds behind Pardners. There were two friendly Australian shepherds, plus a mixed breed dog who greeted Ripley whenever we entered and invited her to play. The two shepherds rollicked around, jumping up and grabbing each other, but Ripley would have none of it. I doubt whether she ever had an opportunity to play with another dog, as she has never been interested, whereas she loves to play ball with me and to be chased by me. BUT, she did enjoy rolling in the horse manure and having a bit of lunch as well! Needless to say, she got a bath afterwards before I would allow her back into my bed!

The main street runs southerly off Highway 10, winding its way eventually down to Tombstone and the border towns next to Mexico – only about 60 miles away.

Teeth Problems Yet Again
I had been feeling twinges of pain in both my upper and lower teeth off and on for several weeks, and decided that I should have a dentist look at it. My choice was to head to Mexico once again because of the vast difference in the fee structure there from what I would have been charged if I had gone to a dentist here in Arizona.

Not knowing where I should go, I headed back to the Visitor’s Center where the woman at the desk very kindly gave me the name of her own dentist in the small border town of Naco. I had originally thought that I would need to go to Nogales, very notorious right now for gun battles with the various drug cartels there. In fact, Americans had been advised not to go there. So, it was with some relief that she advised that Naco was closer than Nogales and did not have the same problems. But to be on the safe side, I invited Doug to come along with me. He has lived in Mexico off and on for many years and speaks Spanish fluently, so was the ideal person to travel with me.

Of course, Ripley could not come with us, so I left here behind in my motorhome, Philippa. Doug does not like to be driven, so we took off in his truck for the 1 ½ hour drive to Naco. I arrived without an appointment, but was soon in the chair of Dr. Jacobo Barraza, one of several dentists who are all related. I explained my problem and he tested where the pains were coming from. He took x-rays and determined that I didn’t have any cavities, but suggested that I might have a gum infection. He prescribed an antibiotic (tetracycline) plus a painkiller (Naproxen) and had the prescription filled at one of the many local farmacias nearby. The dentist’s visit cost $30, and the prescriptions $20. Can you imagine what I would have had to pay in Canada for a similar dentist’s visit? Dr. Barraza did say that if the pain didn’t clear up, then I might need root canal. I hope not! So far, two weeks later, the pain has mostly gone and I hope it stays that way. I’m not up for root canal work. I’m very nervous about going to any dentist, in the first place, but would want a second opinion before being subjected to that kind of invasive surgery.

Main Street in Naco

The trip down to Naco and back was interesting, as we traveled through legendary Tombstone and the old mining town of Bisbee. We took another route home through the countryside here, where several mountain ranges meet. I couldn’t help but think that it was no wonder that many westerns have been filmed in this area. In fact just a few days ago I watched an old video of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly starring a very young Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach, and it could easily have been filmed right here.

Whisper’s Sanctuary
I have had subscriptions for two years to two separate services. One provides me with information on housesitting opportunities, and the other on opportunities to volunteer in exchange for full-hook up for my motorhome. From time to time I have responded to ads, and found one that I thought would be ideal. An animal sanctuary/bed and breakfast was looking for someone to help out in exchange for a hook-up in the countryside near Elgin, about 30 miles southwest of Benson. When I applied, Toni responded and we wrote back and forth explaining our individual needs. We then spoke on the phone and I offered to visit so that we could discuss the situation further in person.

Toni and her husband had set up a bed and breakfast and Whisper’s Sanctuary (named after their first rescue horse) beside it. They took in several ex-cavalry horses from the nearby Fort Huachuca, plus two wild burros, a flock of geese, a herd of goats and four dogs, and it was their dream to take in animals in need. Unfortunately Toni’s husband passed away very suddenly just a year ago, at the age of 49 and she has been left with the burden of doing all the chores herself. When we met, we discussed what I might do to help and I emphasized that I couldn’t do any heavy lifting after years of abusing my body as a zoo keeper. Everything seemed to be fine, but she emailed me a few days later to say that my physical limitations were too great. So, I have to admit I was quite disappointed, as I thought it would have been a great opportunity for me and Ripley to be amongst animals for awhile and to help Toni out. But, it was not meant to be.

An Oasis Found
While waiting for my appointment time with Toni, Ripley and I traveled further south on the same road to Parker Canyon Lake, a beautiful oasis of greenery and water very near the Mexican border. I was surprised to see that there was a campsite there on a hill overlooking the lake and may even consider staying there later on. We went for a lovely hike around part of the lake and I enjoyed the sight of ducks diving for fish, hummingbirds visiting flowers, other unidentified Little Brown Jobs (LBJ’s for short), and even a robin. The scenery in that area is spectacular, with grasslands and mountains. I was thrilled to pass some pronghorn antelope in a field, and later in the day a herd of mule deer.
Rodeo Grounds in Sonoita

Quail Ridge RV Resort
As mentioned earlier, I had found Pardners RV Park in Benson to be very noisy and unsuitable for me. Last year I had spent one night at another rv park about 20 miles southwest of Benson and decided to contact them for their fees. They had a special on of $350 for five weeks, so I booked a reservation and headed on down the road to Quail Ridge RV Resort, outside of the little village of Whetstone on April 3rd. I will remain here now until May 9th. The park is almost empty, as most people in the visitor section have already left for home.

The back park is a membership area where some people have permanent mobile homes. There are two clubhouses, one in the front and one in the back and both are open to everyone. And there is a “bark park” where I can let Ripley off leash. But it has small pebbles as a surface and they tend to get stuck in between her paws, so I don’t usually take her in there.

On our first walk, we encountered Tanner and his owner. Tanner is a very bouncy 1 ½ year old Jack Russell/poodle cross and wanted desperately to play with Ripley. She was not impressed and told him off! There are several dogs here in the park and I’ve had the opportunity to stop and chat with a few of the owners, one of whom is Mary who also makes jewelry. We’ve invited each other to come to see our own creations and I’m looking forward to that. She also told me about Fran, who operates a bead store out of her garage in Benson, and who teaches beading. I’ll have to investigate.

Quail Ridge has changed ownership since I was here last year and I’m told that things run much more efficiently now. It does have wi fi service, which I find very valuable so that I can get online whenever I want, but it does not have cable TV. I only have rabbit ears and cannot pick up a signal because of the surrounding mountains. But the clubhouse has a large-screen TV and so far I’ve been able to head over there to watch whatever I want. I don’t watch a great deal of TV anyway (I do have to see American Idol, though!) so it’s not much of a hardship.

Birds Galore
What I have truly enjoyed is being parked beside a tree where I have hung a bird feeder and a waterbowl on the ground. Every day I get a great deal of pleasure out of watching the birds come to the feeder. So far I have ID’d grey-headed junco, white crowned sparrow, cactus wren, house sparrow, mourning dove, curved bill thrasher, house finch and pyrrhuloxia. I particularly like the many Gambel’s quail who scurry around letting out a call that reminds me of a baby peacock. They have a bobbing plume on their heads that makes them look particularly charming. And in the evening the rabbits come out to forage for any dropped seed, as they make their way over to the patch of grass surrounding the office and clubhouse. They don’t seem afraid of dogs and will just stand motionless as we pass by.

Because the park is virtually empty, I have been able to get caught up on some outstanding projects rather than being distracted by activities and friendly people. Not that I don’t like friendly people, but at Indian Skies I was finding it difficult to get anything accomplished.

Writing as a New Hobby
One project that I have been working on for the past few months was to write articles on the various wildlife habitats of the world for a friend’s website. I have finally finished the remaining two, which were freshwater and marine habitats. I have to admit that I learned quite a bit in doing the research to write these articles and have enjoyed the work – my first paid job as a writer!! Hopefully, there will be more opportunities in the future. You can check out these articles on the website of http://www.thewildcarnivore.com/

Food Poisoning Yet Again
You would think that, after my experience last year, I would be more careful about the food I eat. But I had bought a carton of eggs from free-range chickens, thinking that I would be getting some good wholesome food. As it turned out I ended up with a mild dose of food poisoning after eating two eggs and spent most of April 5th in the bathroom as a result.

Bird Walk
The local Sierra Vista Herald had mentioned that there would be a guided bird walk at San Pedro House, located just southeast of the town, on April 8th, starting at 7:00 a.m. I dutifully got up at 5:00 in order to be there on time and met up with the leader Alan and several local birders. San Pedro House is the former ranch manager’s house when the area was owned by the Boquillas Ranch. It is now part of the Bureau of Land Management acreage. The San Pedro River runs through this area as well as further north by Benson, and Alan led us on a walk through the grasslands, along a wash and then along the river, where we saw many many birds. It was great to have along the local experts who easily ID’d the birds for me. For those who might be interested, here is the list from that walk: Sayre’s Phoebe; black chinned hummingbirds, straw headed woodpecker, hooded oriole, calliope hummingbird (migrant), white winged dove, Eberts towhee, pine siskin, pyrrhuloxia, lark sparrow (migrant), Brewer’s sparrow, a large whirling flock of yellow headed and red wing blackbirds (migrants), kestrel, loggerhead shrike, Vesper sparrow, tree swallows, vermillion flycatcher, mallards and Bullock’s oriole.
Evidence of Beaver

After two hours of walking, I had had enough and left the group to return to San Pedro House, passing three white tailed deer on the way. Because of my arthritis, I am no longer able to walk as far as I once did, and the next day I ached from the exertion. Perhaps if I did this more often, I might be able to build up some more stamina. In any event, it was a very enjoyable morning, and when I returned to the car park, I took Ripley on a walk so that she could get exercise too.

Calendar Girl
Speaking of Ripley, I should mention that her photograph is the featured dog for April on the Jack Russell Rescue Group’s calendar. The photo is one I took of her looking into the shallows at Shad Bay, Nova Scotia last year, and is one of my favourites.

Her birthday is coming up on April 23rd, when she will turn eight, so I think we’ll have steak that day!

Benson Library
Since I was at the Benson library daily while I stayed there, I asked the librarian if it would be possible for me to take books out. Because I am not a U.S. citizen, unfortunately I was denied the privilege, but she did point out that there was a large section in the back of the library where I could take out paperbacks on the honour system. In this way I have been able to continue to feed my insatiable appetite for mystery books, and have even discovered a new author (new to me). Lee Child writes some of the best mysteries that I have encountered.

Fairbanks and Other Hikes
As mentioned previously, there are many hiking trails in the neighbourhood and I have taken Ripley with me to several. Fairbanks is a ghost town with some restored buildings, plus a cemetery marking where many of the previous occupants ended up. The path from Fairbanks can eventually take you up to St. David’s Monastery if one has the stamina to walk that far – a distance of about 20 miles. I got as far as the cemetery ¼ mile up a hill from the town itself and enjoyed sitting on a rock contemplating the fate of the people buried around me. It seemed like a fitting thing to do on Good Friday. I was startled by an English couple who came up the hill behind me and we chatted briefly before they headed back.

On our way back to Quail Ridge, I stopped and parked beside the San Pedro River itself and took a path leading down to the river. I sat on a rock and watched a vermillion flycatcher on the other bank (the river here is only about 5’ across at this time of year),

Vermillion Flycatcher

who seemed just as curious to watch Ripley and me. Usually Ripley doesn’t like going into water, but she seemed to enjoy walking in the shallows and cooling off on this hot day. We remained there for awhile, much to the consternation of a flock of sandpipers who loudly protested our presence.

Another hike we have taken is on the Little Boquilllas Ranch area, also along the San Pedro River, where I saw my first two lizards this year. They were just little guys and scurried away before I could identify them. I thought by now that I might have seen a snake or two, as the temperature has risen enough to bring them out of their hibernation. But I don’t venture off the pathways anyway, because there are a number of venomous species in the region. I have had Ripley vaccinated for rattlesnake bites but hopefully she’ll manage not to anger a snake, as she makes her way poking her nose down various holes that she encounters. But she also does not venture off the pathway – perhaps an innate knowledge of what might lie in wait in the grassland area.

We’ve also gone back to San Pedro House, and I’ve bought a hiker’s guide to the area for future walks to enjoy.

Nuts Anyone?
I hadn’t realized that this region grows pecans, but stopped at a roadside stand outside one of the orchards near St. David, to sample them. I have been accustomed to pecans that were old and hard to crack from my childhood memories at Christmastime; however, the pecans that I found here were easily cracked open and were very tasty. I bought a pound for $3.00 and as they were also selling pistachios (my favourite nut), I bought them, despite the bad publicity lately about e coli. Just because one particular grower had a problem doesn’t mean that all pistachios are tainted and I can attest to the fact that the ones I bought were just plain delicious with no side effects – other than wanting more.

Rain???
It rains very seldomly in Arizona, so I was very surprised to hear a heavy rainstorm during the night of April 11, which continued on into the day. I had unwittingly left my folding chairs outside and of course they were soaked. At least I had closed the car windows!. The rain brought on cool temperatures of 53ºF.

Saturday was also the swap meet in Sierra Vista, so I headed back down there hoping to meet up with the man who sells gems again, but he didn’t show up. And because business was slow I bargained for a whole bunch of vegetables (zucchini, peppers, tomatoes) for $3.

I don’t usually eat out, but after going to the swap meet and then on for a hike at San Pedro House, I decided to look for a fast food place in Sierra Vista to get lunch for me to share with Ripley. I decided to try Carl’s Jr. burger because of the ads on TV. Mistake. The beef was mostly filler, but at least Ripley enjoyed it.

As I was returning to Quail Ridge, I ran into hailstones!

Migraine Again
I really thought that I would suffer fewer migraines here in Arizona because of the low humidity, but after the rainstorm I had another serious attack. Having run out of my regular prescription medication, I decided to try one of the samples that my doctor had given me. Maltex must be very powerful as it made me sleepy for the rest of the day, and gave me an upset stomach to boot. Since I have no more Amerge left, I will just have to get by until I return home (or else get some in Mexico, where you can get just about anything without a prescription).

Tax Time Again
April 30th is the deadline for filing income tax forms in Canada, so I spent some time gathering up my documents, only to find that the government had not furnished me with statements for my pension. A lengthy phone call to their office in Ottawa soon got me the required information, and I was able to mail all the details to Scott, who will take care of filing it for me. I am still awaiting a response to my revised submission for 2007, in the hope that I will recover at least part of the $4,000 extra that I was forced to pay last year. That would be very helpful.

Exchange Rate
Speaking of money, a Canadian dollar is worth approximately 33% less than an American dollar, making it extremely costly for me to exchange money to use here in Arizona. This has put a real damper on my disposable income, and for this reason I have had to re-consider visiting several attractions that have admission fees, as well as any excess purchases. I try to buy only what I need in groceries and not to do any impulse shopping. I would really like to buy some expensive, supportive running shoes, but don’t want to spend the $100 needed to get such a shoe. Instead I have bought a $20 pair that are okay but don’t make it easier for me to walk long distances – one of the reasons that I can’t walk too far.

Border Patrol
As most people will have heard, the U.S. has a serious problem with drug smugglers along the Mexican border as well as illegals being smuggled into the country. Consequently, there are a lot of highway stops along the main arteries coming out of Mexico. Because Quail Ridge is near two of these, I often get stopped. I have no problem with this, but it was interesting that the last time I was stopped, the officer asked for my passport, which I am not in the habit of carrying with me when I drive locally. He did let me go after consulting with a more senior officer, but I was told that after July I will have to show my passport every time. I am glad to oblige them, as they have a very difficult (I would say almost impossible) task.

Music
Although I don’t have television, I have been fortunate enough to have a radio strong enough to bring in National Public Radio (NPR) which features glorious classical music 24 hours a day, along with knowledgeable announcers who recount interesting facts about the music, the composers and the performers. Otherwise, I would have a choice only of rock or country on the local stations. I do enjoy small doses of these genres, but my preference, especially when working on my computer, etc. is to listen to classical music.

Meeting People
One thing that I truly enjoy traveling around like this is meeting very interesting people, and yesterday, April 14, I ran into Kitzie in the laundry room. She is a former school teacher (algebra and English literature) who had lived on military bases most of her life, first as an army brat and then as an army wife. She lost her husband eight years ago and since then has been traveling around the U.S. and Canada in an RV with her two dogs, a Rottweiler named Boo Bear and a dachshund named Ferd. While waiting for our clothes to complete their cycles, we exchanged tales about experiences on the road. She left today to head to New Mexico and then north to visit her children.

Maybe Housesitting
As I mentioned earlier, I subscribe to a website that features housesitting opportunities and I had contacted one about a possibility very near Quail Ridge, in the nearby town of Sonoita. Susan is looking for somebody to housesit for a week and is interested in me, but is a bit concerned about her dog Zoe getting along with my Ripley. She said that she would contact me about setting up a time to meet to see if it might work, and I’m looking forward to hearing from her. It would be very pleasant to stay in a house for a few days (and even have a bath as opposed to a shower). We shall see if she gets in touch.

Today, April 15th the winds are gusting up to 50 mph and it is too unpleasant to sit outside. The motorhome is rocking back and forth. I do hope that these winds die, as I’m told this is most unusual for this time of year. Apparently they get monsoons during the summer, so I’m glad I won’t be here then!

BLOG NINE - MARCH, 2009

2009-03-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

BLOG NINE -NOW WITH PHOTOS!

March 20, 2009
I can’t believe it is almost the end of March already. Today is the first day of spring, but here in Arizona there is no winter as such. The temperature today is 87 º F and I would hardly call that spring-like weather! The climate is so gentle and generally unchanging that one day folds into the next. I know I am way behind in my blog, so here goes an attempt to give you an update.

Typical Arizona Sunset

Craft Show
On March 1st, we were invited to exhibit our crafts and handiwork so that all the residents here could come and appreciate the talented people who stay here. There were gorgeous quilts and other sewing work; some spectacular woodcarving including two beautiful Egyptian pieces in colourful reds and turquoise; acrylic and oil paintings; gourds made to look like birds and a Disney hot air balloon, drums made out of goatskin and other southwest artifacts and of course, jewelry mine own included. Several people admired my new collection of bracelets and I took orders for four over the course of the next few days.

Happy Hour
That evening Stephen and Anna (from Collingwood, Ontario) invited everyone over for margaritas at sunset. Anna and Betty set up a bar and Stephen dispensed the drinks. It is the custom for the invitees to bring food and there was much to choose from.

Off to Mexico
Dentists in the United States and Canada charge a considerable amount of money and it is the tradition here to slip down to Mexico to the highly qualified dentists who charge much less there. I was feeling a twinge in one of my lower teeth and also was overdue for a cleaning, so made an appointment with Mr. Nogame for Monday, March 2nd.

Georgia very generously offered to accompany me on the 175 mile (one way) trip and we set off around 8:00 a.m., stopping at Gila Bend for breakfast at a restaurant that resembles a spaceship. It was great to have Georgia along for company and she also shared the driving. We arrived at the border around 11:30, parked the car and walked across to Los Algodones, Mexico. I know that Americans have been warned to stay away from Mexico, particularly Nogales, but many, many tourists cross here and return safely and I didn’t feel endangered at all. As Dr. Nogame was behind schedule, Georgia and I wandered around the streets where vendors eagerly try to persuade you that they have a good deal for you. We did stop at the farmacia where I bought a large bottle of authentic vanilla for $1.00.

Finally it was my turn to sit in the dentist’s chair – something that I really hate doing. However, Dr. Nogame was very skilled and in no time he had replaced my cracked filling and cleaned my teeth. I wish I could say the same for his assistant, who was obviously just learning. She did not seem to know what she was doing and kept pressing the instruments down pinching my lip. The new filling and cleaning came to only $100.

We then headed home via Yuma, arriving back in Coolidge around 5:30. The local pub, the Galloping Goose, features $5 hamburgers on Mondays, so we joined Georgia’s husband Hoppy plus four others from the RV park for a very good hamburger, french fries and a beer.

Observations on Life at Indian Skies
The RV park reminds me of a small village where everyone knows everybody and will unhesitatingly help a neighbour. Anna and Stephen, Penny and Doug, Georgia and Hoppy have been particularly helpful, fixing things, offering advice, providing materials when needed, etc. Their help has really made my life easier, and even though people take an interest in your life, you are also given the space to do whatever you like.

But in a park where the population is 55 plus, there are bound to be casualties. Two people had the misfortune to pass away while here, and memorial services were held for each in the clubhouse.

Munchkin on one of her many walks

At dusk rabbits hop around my campsite and during the day the various birds are busy vocalizing (mourning doves, starlings, etc.) and building nests in the palm trees. The butterflies are beginning to appear, along with insects of various types including pesky flies. I am told there is a giant skunk who wanders around the park at night, but I have yet to see it.

St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery
Many people had told me about the monastery nearby and I decided it was time that I visited it. I must say that the architecture is quite spectacular and the paintings within the various chapels quite beautiful. I decided to head on down on Thursday, March 5, taking Ripley along. But of course I left her in the car, in the shade, while I went into the monastery grounds. I was greeted by women who provided me with the requisite long-sleeved, blouse, long skirt and headscarf. These particular monks have chosen to be celibate, although I do believe that the Greek Orthodox faith does allow the priests to marry.

I caught up with the tour group being guided by one of the younger monks who said he was originally from Alaska. He was in his mid-20’s and it always interests me to know what draws a young man to the priesthood. He took us into the main church and pointed out the beautiful ceiling and chandelier, as well as the altar and high-sided chairs in which the priests sit during services. They have one service at 2:00 a.m. and another at 3:30 p.m., so I am assuming that they retire early.

The gardens are immaculate and restful, with fountains and gazebos and fruit trees here and there, and as I wound my way around the path I came across small chapels dedicated to St. Nicholas and St. George, each with its own style of architecture.

There is a new church being built on a small hill and it reminded me so much of the snow-white buildings with blue accent that one sees in Greece.

There is no admission fee, but a donation is welcome in the gift shop where one can buy homemade breads and preserves, as well as religious items. After returning the borrowed clothing, I left the grounds, stopping to pick up three lemons which were offered to each visitor.

Ripley and I then headed out to a part of the unfenced area of the desert so that she could get a good run in. I often take her to an alfalfa field directly behind the Indian Skies RV Resort where she loves to poke her nose down the gopher holes. She can smell them down there, but just can’t reach them – but that doesn’t stop her from trying!

Ouch!
On March 6th I was making my way over to the office when I stepped in an invisible hole in the grass and went down hard, hurting my knee, hand, elbow and neck. I must say that Rosemary, the office manager, was quite unsympathetic when I hobbled in to report the accident. She was only concerned about getting the hole filled in after I showed her how difficult it was to see with the grass growing in it.

As the day progressed, my hand swelled up and I was sore in various parts of my body. I resorted to ice and a product called BioFreeze.

Fun Day
Once every year the resident committee hosts Fun Day. There are various fun games, like bean bag tossing, miniature golf, ball toss, metal washer toss, and plastic egg passing to music. When the music stops, each participant opens their plastic egg, one of which has a stone inside. I was the lucky one and won a loaf of homemade bread. I also managed to win six cans of soda and beer at the other booths. The day progressed with a free lunch, followed by a horse race in which the human “horses” had to answer questions before progressing towards the finish line.

Dick and Lorraine

Later in the day, I headed to the VFW for a Mexican dinner of beef fajitas, refried beans, rice, salad and beer while listening to a very good Mariachi band. This was part of the festivities for Cotton Days in Coolidge, an annual fair and festival.

There are so many attractions and activities in this region that you could literally keep occupied in just these things. Not to mention that I take Ripley out three or four times daily, and also try to squeeze in water aerobics. Consequently, I find there is little time left for some of the writing that I should be doing.

Curtains for my RV
Besides continuing to make jewelry, especially bracelets that are very popular here, I have begun to make new drapes for my motorhome. I have endured looking at very unsightly and broken dirty pink venetian blinds, and have long wanted to replace them with curtains. Penny very generously gave me some lovely ivory-coloured material and I have slowly been turning it into five sets of drapes, all lined. She also loaned me her sewing machine, and I have taken advantage of the long tables in the craft room to cut and sew. As I didn’t really know what I was doing I have made many mistakes, having to start over again and ripping out stitches, etc. However, as of today, March 20th I have only one pair of drapes left to go. I then have a southwest pattern for the valences and pillows. It really is making a difference to the interior appearance of good old Philippa.

I did, however, have to make a special trip in to Phoenix just to buy pleater tape, as there is no store near here that sells fabric and supplies.

More Ouch
By March 11 my neck and back were really paining me as a result of the fall I had earlier, and I called Kathy to see if she could fit me in for a massage. Unfortunately, she had no openings, but recommended Vivian. She did a wonderful job in easing the pain, particularly in my neck which is an area that gives me a lot of trouble even when I don’t fall down.

Happy Birthday, Georgia
Hoppy invited many people to a birthday party for Georgia at their campsite on March 11, including myself. The tradition is that you bring your own chair and contribute a dish to the food. But there was so much food, that it really wasn’t necessary. As I mentioned earlier, the park is like a small village and the party was another reason to have fun and share experiences.

Sick
I did stay for about two hours, but was beginning to feel very tired so left early. The next morning I realized that I had caught an intestinal virus that has hit several people here in the park. I spent the next two days evacuating everything in my stomach and sleeping.

When Brenda found out I was ill, she offered to take Ripley out for a walk and I was very grateful for her offer. And then Anna learned that I was sick and also offered. She came by early on Saturday morning and took Ripley out to do her business. This is the type of kindness that is so predominant here.

By the afternoon March 14th I began to feel better and hungry. Just in time for the evening’s planned corned beef and cabbage dinner, in honour of St. Patrick’s Day. Most people dressed in green for the occasion and we were treated to Stephen’s idea of funny limericks as we ate, in between listening to Irish music.

Harriet (in pink) from Chatham, Ontario and Bob (in white t) from Ottawa, Ontario

TV Converter Coupon
Here in the United States, all the television signals were supposed to switch to digital by now, but the date has been extended to June. However, the government will provide a $40 coupon towards the cost of a converter box, but you must apply. I did that as soon as I arrived, and finally received coupons for two boxes. I took advantage of this coupon to purchase one box at a cost to me of $19.95. I’ll hold on to the other coupon just in case. But in the meantime, I have really good reception and get about ten channels (including three in Spanish) with just my rabbit ears.

Ice Cream Social
On Sunday March 15th at the evening’s ice cream social, we were treated to a concert by the resident gadget band. The “musicians’ played every kind of strange-looking contraptions that you can imagine – everything from a kitchen mop to a kazoo to tambourine. We sang Irish songs to their accompaniment.

My Brother in Japan
My brother Carl and his late wife Jennie had planned to visit their son Brad and his family Brad who live in Japan, during early March. After losing his wife, Carl wisely decided to go anyway. I have been getting photos of him visiting various places and he is truly enjoying himself. I’m glad for him.

How to Get My Car Home?
In a previous blog I had mentioned that my friends Blue and June Enright had driven my Chevy Malibu down here, so I was left with the problem of what to do with it once I leave here. Should I just store it here? Should I buy a towbar? Should I buy a tow dolly?

After checking out the various options and consulting with a knowledgeable mechanic here, I decided that I would advertise that I was looking for a used tow dolly, as the most economical alternative. And low and behold, a resident right here in the park had one for sale at a reasonable price. So, I now have the dolly attached to my motorhome in preparation for leaving. I did take it into the mechanic along with my motorhome, for servicing, and Loren repacked the bearings in the wheels of the dolly. This will enable me to tow the car behind the motorhome wherever I go – a great thing since I’m heading further south to Benson for awhile and I want to explore the area there.

My Cousins
Jerry and Diane Ziolkoski, my cousins from Winnipeg, Manitoba have been renting an apartment in Mesa. I wanted to see them one more time before I leave the park, and invited them over for a barbecue. The beef here is really good and very reasonable, so we had some wonderful hamburgers, and one last visit. They did invite me to visit them at their cottage in Kenora, Ontario this summer, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get up there. It is quite a distance from southern Ontario.

A New Printer
Like all things that eventually wear out, my printer has stopped printing. I went searching in the two thrift stores in Coolidge, and came across an HP printer/scanner/copier/fax machine for $5. What a bargain!

Spring in the Desert
The desert plants are all beginning to bloom, showing a remarkable variation in colour and design – from bright reds, to yellows, mauve, pink and blue. The orange blossoms are out, wafting a wonderful fragrance over the entire park, and the many oleanders here are starting to open their white or red flowers as well. It truly is remarkable how the desert comes alive at this time of year.

Another Barbecue
There are three couples here in the park who have been extremely helpful in one way or another, and I decided to repay their kindness with a steak barbecue. In Canada there is no way that I could afford sirloin steaks, but here the prices is so much cheaper that I was able to buy six very huge steaks for $12. I added Cajun style black beans and rice, red potatoes. Georgia and Hoppy provided a salad; Anna and Stephen provided wine, and Penny and Doug brought two wonderful banana cream pies. All in all, a wonderful meal enjoyed by all.

Amish Dinner
Because I am still working on finishing my curtains and valences for the motorhome, I decided to remain for awhile yet, past my original departure date. On Saturday, March 21, a group of the residents hosted an Amish pork dinner – deliciously cooked pork, potatoes, sauerkraut, with ice cream for dessert. Stephen acted as narrator, and provided us with interesting historical tidbits about the Amish lifestyle.

Owls
I am sorry to report that something has happened to the pair of burrowing owls that I reported in an earlier blog. One of the pair has disappeared and the remaining individual is spooked now whenever I drive by. Instead of standing quietly as it used to, it flies away, over to another owl’s neighbourhood. It looks a though one of them may have been the victim of a predator, perhaps a hawk or perhaps a coyote or bobcat from the nearby mountains. What a shame. I was really crossing my fingers that they might have had a nest.

Observing Water Aerobics
Whenever I can spare the time, I have been joining a water aerobics class. I find it is very beneficial, especially for my back and neck and it is nice to do the exercises with other women my age. What I find very amusing is that there is one particular mourning dove (at least I’m assuming it’s the same bird every time) who flies down to the pool deck and watches us while we go through the various exercises. I imagine that we must look very strange to this bird, as we wave our arms in the air, jog across the pool and perform all sorts of contortions, but I’ve never seen a bird take an interest in human activity like this one.

A Lucky Cat
Early in the year a very skinny black cat began to hang around one particular trailer at the end of one of the rows near the back of the park. The people there felt sorry for it and started to feed it, and eventually it lost its fear and allowed herself to be stroked. I don’t remember the name of the husband and wife, but the wife took the cat into the veterinary office and had her spayed and vaccinated, and named her Ebony. Well, the cat is now looking sleek and healthy, and the wife mentioned to me a few weeks ago that she is concerned about leaving it behind. She had asked the staff in the park to feed it until they return next year, but she was concerned that they would not do so and the cat would deteriorate once again.

Thank goodness there are still kind-hearted people in this world. Lucky Ebony is going home with them on the plane – all the way to the Yukon!

Today is March 26. I was planning to head down to Benson today, but there is a wind advisory, with winds gusting up to 40 mph. I decided that it would be prudent to wait another day until the winds die down, especially since I will be towing my car for the first time.

BLOG EIGHT

2009-02-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

BLOG EIGHT

February 28, 2009

It doesn’t seem possible that it is the end of February already! The time just seems to fly by here in Arizona. There are so many activities and events, both inside and outside the park, that one could be busy all day long, every day.

My site at Indian Skies RV Resort

Canadian Dinner
However, I have been picking and choosing and still have enjoyed some interesting events. On February 14 the Canadian contingency put on a delicious roast beef dinner for the crowd. 252 people showed up, each paying $6 for a complete meal of salads, roll, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, roast beef and gravy, plus a Jello dessert with a small Canadian flag inserted into the whipped cream on top. This is a popular annual affair.

Stephen and Anna

Our table - Sandra, Penny, Doug

Native Indian Music Festival
The local national monument Casa Grande Ruins held its first ever Native Indian Music Festival from February 13 through 15. Penny, Doug, Sandra and I went on the Friday evening, stopping to view the various stalls where native Indians were demonstrating their crafts of jewelry making, pottery, basket weaving and flute making. I have always been fascinated by the haunting music of the flute and ended up buying one from Odell Borg, who gave me my first lesson as well. He showed me how to hold the instrument and how to attain the various notes. He suggested that I not look down while playing, but rather look in the mirror, and I have to admit that it made it easier to close the holes to make the appropriate note. I look forward to practising so that I might even be able eventually to play this ancient instrument. It’s a bit difficult with my arthritic fingers, but not impossible, and gives me pleasure.

Some of the more expensive flutes

On the Friday evening we sat in the seats set up at the music tent right beside the sacred ruins. We were just in time to watch Brian Hammill, a skilled hoop dancer.

Afterwards, an elder from the nearby tribe did a blessing acknowledging that we were in the presence of a structure sacred to his people. The evening program continued featuring Loren Russell, flutist and Randy Granger, playing the Hang – a type of kettle drum.

They played separately and together and as the sun set, the music added something very special to the setting. Unfortunately, Penny, Doug and Sandra had not brought jackets and retreated to the Visitor Center to keep warm. I stayed on to watch the Akimel O’odham Basket Dancers from a nearby village. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for them as they danced in their bare feet. When the sun goes down, the temperature turns cold very rapidly.

My cousin Jerry and his wife Diane have again rented an apartment in Mesa, about an hour away. They live in Winnipeg, Manitoba so I don’t see them very often. They came down to my park on Sunday February 15, and after lunch we headed over to the Casa Grande American Indian Music Fest for the afternoon where we saw performances by classical guitarist Gabriel Ayala.

Loren Russell and Randy Granger performed once more as well.

Gabriel Ayala

This was the first attempt the rangers in the park had made in putting on the Music Festival. I have to compliment them on the excellent job of organizing the entire event, including the shuttle buses back and forth to the shopping malls nearby where we parked our cars, the food stalls and vendors, but most especially the performances by the talented American Indians. I’m sure it will only get bigger in future years.

Alterations to the Motorhome
My neighbours Stephen and Anna (also from Ontario) had shown me how they had removed a seat in their bus and replaced it with a computer table which they had bought in Coolidge here. So I thought that it work well for me too. Stephen and Gorm removed my seat and installed the 24” wide computer table that has a shelf on the bottom for my printer, a slide-out for the keyboard, a desktop for the laptop and two shelves above that for paper, pens, etc. It’s perfect! I was then able to pick up a steno chair for $13 from a thrift shop here. It makes all the difference for working on the computer. Now, if only I could get a signal on my wi fi whenever I wanted it, instead of intermittently, things would be perfect!

My Attempt at Line Dancing
On Monday February 16 I joined the beginner’s line dancing class in the clubhouse. I had no idea it would be such a workout! By the end of the hour my leg muscles were telling me they needed a rest – but it was lots of fun. Now, if I can only remember the steps. I had hoped to continue the next week, but I came down with the flu and was too weak to attend the next class.

Local Wildlife
Even though we live in the park here, there have been lots of wildlife sightings. There are lots of mourning doves and magpies hovering around first thing in the morning, greeting us as the sun rises. However, I didn’t expect to see a roadrunner or small rabbits running between the trailers. I also identified a Scott’s Oriole perched on my neighbour’s antenna.

I didn’t see it myself, but I am told there is a giant skunk that makes the rounds after dark.

In the abandoned subdivision I still see the five burrowing owls, and am crossing my fingers that one day I will see chicks beside the pair. I would love to photograph the family!

As I drove along the street that takes me to the abandoned subdivision, I spied several gophers in the raised ditch that runs very near the road. They don’t seem too perturbed by cars driving by, but are equally prepared to scoot down their burrow hole if necessary. Sometimes all you see is a head peeking out of the hole. I know they are considered a nuisance by farmers, but I enjoy seeing them.

Sunset Barbecue
On February 19 a group of us took advantage of the new gazebo that has been built at the rear of the park for a sunset barbecue. Everyone contributed to the meal – hamburgers, salads, cheese and fruit plates – and plenty of homemade desserts. We christened the new firepit, and I was called upon to rescue a small lizard that had made its way into the woodpile used to start the fire. It wasn’t able to climb the wall of the concrete firepit, so while several people became alarmed but didn’t react, Zoo Keeper Marilyn took care of this little creature, carrying it safely away from the fire. Once in a while my old training comes in handy.

The new gazebo also sports the flags of the home provinces of the residents, representing British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Yukon Territories, Ontario and Quebec. We’ll have to persuade some Maritimers that it’s worth the trip too.

Craft Class
Every Friday Penny teaches a different craft and February 20 we made a lovely decoration from a gourd grown locally. I painted a scene of three stylized horses on mine, and decorated the stand it sits on. I have no idea where I’ll put it, but it was lots of fun to make it. Penny has such a wonderful way of encouraging everyone to try. I am not much of a painter, but she really helps.

Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show
This is the 54th year for this annual event! I recall that when I was a teenager, it was my sincerest wish to be able to attend this show – and now this is the second year in a row that I finally have.

On Sunday, February 22 I drove to Jerry and Diane’s apartment in Mesa and the three of us drove to Scottsdale to the Westworld show grounds, spending the afternoon watching several exciting events including English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, Park Horse, cow wrangling and Costume class. The latter class was quite spectacular with both rider and horse bedecked in Arabian costumes. It was just wonderful to watch these magnificent Arabian and Half Arabian horses as they went through their paces.

We stopped at the booth for Casino Arizona on the way out and spun the wheel there. I won a stuffed horse!

However, I was fighting off a sore throat and aching muscles that day and the next morning I knew that I had the flu. Penny very thoughtfully made me some homemade chicken soup, the old standby, and it must have worked. By Wednesday I was feeling fine.

My First Teaching Gig Here
It’s just as well that I was better by Wednesday, February 25, for that was the day that I had scheduled a class to teach beginners how to make a necklace.

There were nine women who attended and I am very proud to say that they all made a lovely necklace with guidance from myself, Penny and Lorraine. And it provided me with a little extra cash, some of which I used to schedule an appointment with Kathy Burchett, a wonderful massage therapist in nearby Casa Grande. I enjoyed meeting her last year, and we’ve kept in touch via email, so I truly looked forward to undergoing her tender ministrations on the Thursday. She has a natural ability to understand the body and what needs working on. I came out of there feeling euphoric.

Fresh Fruit – and Plants
This is the season for oranges and grapefruits locally grown here. I picked up a bag of about 2 dozen oranges for $4.00 from a roadside stand, and a lady neighbour of the park dropped off bags and bags of free grapefruit for the residents. So my fridge compartment is loaded with these delicious citrus fruits. They are so much better than what can be bought in Canada at this time of year.

As for the plants, well, I just couldn’t resist visiting a nursery called Distinctive Landscapes, which is located on the road into Casa Grande. I actually stopped by to see if I could buy some eggs from their free-range chickens, but alas, there were 32 orders ahead of me! But I added my name to the list and hopefully I’ll be able to get some before I leave.

As I was wandering around the gorgeous rows of cacti, citrus plants and geraniums, I spied some flats of lithops (stone flower) and euphorbia obesum, both of which I used to have back in Pickering when there was a greenhouse. These are succulents that are hard to find. I couldn’t resist buying one of each, especially since the prices were so reasonable – only $1.98 each. Then of course I had to find a nice pot to put them in. I headed off to the nearby thrift store where there are all sorts of bargains available and found a suitable small pot for only $4.

A Published Author
Doug Thompson is a free spirited man who travels wherever he wishes in his trailer, writing. He has several books that he has published and so far I have finished one called Trapper Lake (the story of a woman who lives in the Minnesota wilderness), and am about to start on another one called The Human Tribe. It is refreshing to meet and chat with someone who can challenge you intellectually. He seems to have lived quite an interesting life, and is leaving here in early March to head south to Benson, Arizona. Since I will be heading that way myself, we will probably meet up and explore some of the area together.

Jane Webster
One of the ladies who took my jewelry class is Jane Webster. She and her husband Charlie live in one of the double wides here during the winter (Wyoming is their permanent home), and she had offered her place to do some beading together. I took her up on her offer on Saturday, February 28, and we spent several pleasant hours together helping each other with suggestions. I managed to make a few necklaces and a bracelet and plan to exhibit mine at the craft show that is planned here in the park for tomorrow. Jane, in turn, repaired a couple of gorgeous necklaces that she already had, including one spectacular turquoise and silver necklace, so we each probably accomplished more together than we would have separately. I don’t really have room in my motorhome to spread out my materials and that hampers me from starting, so going to Jane’s gave me the incentive to work on this craft that I really enjoy.

Ripley
I realized after reading this blog that I hadn’t mentioned Ripley, so thought I should add a few lines about my wonderful companion. She still charms everyone and has made many friends in the park. As we walk around she greets them all and has to growl at some of the resident dogs too. There are plans to build a dog park in the back area, so it will be nice to let them run loose.

Penny with Ripley

I do make a point of taking Ripley out of the park every day to let her off leash to chase her ball – still her favourite activity.

BLOG SEVEN

2009-02-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

February 12, 2009

I am now back at Indian Skies RV Resort here in Coolidge, Arizona. What a contrast to the weather in Ontario! The sun is shining; the temperature is 65ºF. I’ve just taken Ripley for a walk around the park, and stopped to visit with three different couples, all of whom happen to be from Ontario too.

Sad Days
The trip home was very sad, of course. But I was pleased to see that about 100 people came to Jennie’s funeral, and many more to the visitations. Jennie was a very kind and generous person and touched many people, including myself. Her oldest son Chris, read a very touching tribute to Jennie at the funeral, and her daughter Sheri read a letter from a dear friend of Jennie’s who could not attend because she was presiding at someone else’s funeral in the little town of Kearney where Jennie grew up. There wasn’t a dry eye in the chapel. I still have trouble taking in the reality that Jennie is gone. I will miss her dearly.

The six grandchildren had an opportunity to say goodbye, something they might remember as they get older. The youngest, little Dima who is only two years old, and possibly Tyler who is three, may not remember much, but the four older ones will, I’m sure. They all loved visiting Grandma.

My great-nieces Cassandra and Daria

Brad, Carl and Jennie’s middle son, flew over from Japan and had an opportunity to say goodbye to Jennie before she passed away (although she was unconscious); his wife Kazuko and two children Taiyou and Mizuki, flew over for the funeral. I had not seen them since they left three years ago, and so it was with mixed emotions that I greeted them again.

Brad's wife Kazuko, Brad, Gerald husband of my niece Sheri,

Sheri and their son Tyler

My brother Carl is handling his grief; he and Jennie were married for 42 years and it will not be an easy transition for him. Before Jennie became ill, the two of them had planned to visit Brad’s family in Japan. I’m pleased that Carl has decided to go anyway, and he leaves on February 28th for three weeks. Brad will see that he has a good time there.

Carl and I had an opportunity to chat about our futures, and it looks as though he will follow in my path – winters in the south (although he favours Florida) and summers at an RV park in Ontario. If he is fortunate enough to find and make friends as I have here in Arizona, he will enjoy himself.

Because Brad and his family were staying at Carl’s house, I opted to stay in a motel nearby and found an excellent package deal for the airfare and motel. It only cost me $8 U.S. extra for the five nights in the motel over the cost of the airfare. The Comfort Inn in Mississauga was quite comfortable and even had a fridge and microwave in the room, so I didn’t have to put out money for restaurant meals all the time. Of course, I shared meals with my family too.

On Sunday evening, Feb. 10 Chris invited all of us to his house for dinner. His wife Natalya makes wonderful cakes for a living and supplied two for the reception after the funeral, plus she made my favourite dessert – tiramisu – for the Sunday dinner. It was an opportunity for Carl, his three children and six grandchildren and me to sit around and relax after a very stressful couple of days.

Chris's wife Natalya, their son Dimitri, their daughter Daria

and my brother Carl

Back to Arizona
On Monday I was up at 3:00 a.m. in order to be at the airport by 4:00. The first leg of the flight was Toronto to Cincinnati, and then after an hour’s wait I flew on to Phoenix. Stephen collected me at the Phoenix airport and we drove back to Indian Skies, about an hour away. Many of the park residents offered me their condolences and most importantly of all, many people ensured that Ripley was kept occupied in my absence. They took her for walks, played ball with her, allowed her to lie on their couches. Penny and Doug Poyntz allowed her to sleep in their bed with them. I did worry about her while I was gone, and of course she was pleased to see me, but also was quite happy with the people who generously gave their time to her so that she wouldn’t feel abandoned. I had left my sweatshirt with Penny and Doug and I’m told that she did sleep on it. I am blessed to have such good friends.

Since returning I haven’t done too much. I feel tired and listless, but I did go to a potluck dinner in the rec hall last night, and met some more people. There are about 250 people here in the park, with more arriving all the time, so it is impossible to know everyone. I sat beside Noella and Tom, who live on a farm near Exeter, Ontario. On my other side was a couple from Oregon whose names I now forget. The hot tub has also been very soothing.

Penny’s Purchases
Penny had gone back to the Tucson Gem Show and bought three kachina dolls for me. These are hand-made and signed and are just wonderful. I have a hoop dancer, a lizard and a badger, all of which symbolize something to the Navajo. They will make great gifts, and I will be donating one to the annual COTERC fundraising dinner next fall.

Last Saturday, Feb. 9 there was a craft sale here at Indian Skies. Penny, Sandra and Linda set up a table on my behalf, and sold some of my necklaces and earrings.

Ontario Flag
When I left to return to Canada, I noticed that there were many state flags flying here in the park but nothing from Canada’s provinces. While I was home, Carl drove me over to the local Member of the Provincial Parliament, who gave me an Ontario flag to bring back. He was very considerate and pleased to provide a flag when I explained to him that it would be flying at an RV park in Arizona where many Ontario residents spent the winter.

However, when I returned here I discovered a whole new set of flags of all the provinces of the people staying here had been erected at the back of the park beside the new gazebo, so the one I obtained was redundant. Doug Poyntz is a great scrounger and he found an IV pole in the junkpile at the back of the park. So, together we fashioned a flagpole and hung the flag in front of my RV. It needs to be a bit higher, so I will go to the local hardware store to get a dowel to add to the height.

I also had scrounged a lovely round clay pot and went over to nearby Earthscape Design where they sell a wonderful variety of cacti and other plants. I bought an ice plant, which now resides in the pot in front of my RV. Many of the seasonal residents here have decorated their little yard with plants and other assorted southwestern artifacts, and I would do the same if I were here for the entire six months.

Another Melancholy Day
February 11 was another memorable day for me. It was three years ago today that I lost my precious meerkat Timon to liver cancer. My female meerkat Timona lived another five months before succumbing to insulinoma on August 1, 2006. All my pets have been wonderful and each has left an indelible mark on me, but the two meerkats were like my children, and I still mourn them.

Munchkin
There is a calico cat down the road in the park who thinks she’s a dog. Her name is Munchkin and she saunters along on a leash as she is taken for walks a few times a day. She’s quite comical to see and her owners (also from Ontario) enjoy the comments that passersby make.

Munchkin on one of her strolls

What Lies Ahead
There is a busy weekend coming up. The nearby Casa Grande Ruins is having a 3-day event featuring native musicians, dancers and artisans, and I’ll be going there at least once, if not more.
Tomorrow morning Penny is teaching yet another craft class to make a spirit doll. I will go to help, but since I made one last year, I won’t be participating in the actual class. Penny has asked me to teach an introductory class on making jewelry, and I’m flattered to be asked, considering that I only began doing this a year ago under her tutelage.

On Saturday evening, St. Valentine’s Day, there will be a Canadian dinner featuring roast beef with all the trimmings, for only $6 each. I was lucky that Penny and Doug had reserved a ticket for me, as it is sold out. Last year it was a wonderful meal and there was entertainment as well. There will be a dance with local musicians later, but I probably won’t go to that, since I don’t have a dancing partner.

February and March are very busy months here in the park, and there are many events coming up in addition to the regular card games, water exercises, craft classes, etc. Besides these, the Arabian Horse Show in Scottsdale is fast approaching, and later in March is the Indian Fair and Market at the Heard Museum. I went to both of these events last year and enjoyed them tremendously, so will definitely add them to the calendar.

This morning, on my walk with Ripley, I stopped to watch bees feeding from the nectar on a flowering bush at the back of the park. There are rabbits that hop about my site in the park. And Yesterday, I photographed a cactus wren perched on my neighbour’s satellite dish.

Cactus Wren

I often go over to visit the burrowing owls in the abandoned subdivision behind the park, and hope to see some chicks on one of these visits. Ripley loves to go there because I can let her off the leash and play ball with her. Later today we went over there and discovered a fifth burrowing owl! It has its burrow amongst some tumbleweed and is completely hidden from the road, but Ripley went in to retrieve her ball and flushed the bird out. It flew off a little way, so I’ll know now to keep Ripley away from that area.

Tonight I’m indulging in perogies and cabbage rolls, courtesy of Penny. She is of Polish descent and made up a huge bunch to share – a typically generous gesture of hers. They were delicious.

BLOG SIX

2009-02-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

BLOG SIX

February 3, 2009

Jennie, my sister in law, passed away last Friday. I will be flying home tomorrow, Wednesday, February 4. Visitation is on Thursday and the funeral is on Friday. I’ll be staying in Brampton until Monday and then will fly back down to Arizona.

The people here in the park have been extremely supportive. Stephen and Anna offered to drive me to the airport; Linda and Wayne (also from Ontario) are flying home tomorrow and also offered to take me to the airport, so I will go with them. Stephen will pick me up when I return on Monday.

Penny and Doug unhesitatingly offered to take care of Ripley while I’m away. They’ve got it worked out so that when one of them is busy, the other one will stay with Ripley. It is very reassuring to know that Ripley will be in good hands, and she really likes Penny and Doug. And, as a back-up, Anna has offered to look after Ripley if Penny and Doug are busy. Anna lives on the no-pet side of the park so she can only do it for short periods of time.

Those people who know about my bereavement here have been very kind, offering sympathy and encouragement. It really is like having an extended family.

Since life goes on, I have still been getting involved in activities here. Penny taught another craft class last Friday (that was before I learned of Jennie’s passing) and I made a skin drum noisemaker under her guidance. I did skip the potato bake that evening, having just learned about Jennie.

On Monday, February 2 eight of us drove down to Tucson to the huge Tucson Gem and Mineral show. Lorraine, Penny, Doug, Sandra, Karen and I went shopping while Denny and his 86 year old father sauntered around. I found some wonderful beads for future projects – things that I probably couldn’t have found in Canada, at excellent prices. The highlight for me was finding a booth where I bought six hand-carved wooden animals suitable for pendants. My animal friends will love these. All in all, we had a really fun day.

So today, February 3 I have pulled out my winter snowboots, sweaters, etc. and packed up ready to head north to the land of ice and snow tomorrow.

During my absence this coming Saturday is the craft sale here at Indian Skies. Penny, Sandra and Linda have very kindly offered to man my booth for me and hopefully sell some of my jewelry. I can’t thank them enough for all their kindnesses.

EPISODE FIVE - JANUARY 2009

2009-01-28T17:34:00.000-08:00

BLOG FIVE

January 24, 2009

Blue and June Enright arrived on the afternoon of Saturday, January 24, with my car after journeying cross country from South Carolina. They had a good time, stopping in New Orleans, but mostly just driving. It’s a long way.

I’ve arranged for them to rent one of the park’s trailers for the two nights that they are here. We got together for awhile for a beer, but they were tired, so we retired early.

This has been a very difficult day for me. Last night I received an email from my brother Carl back in Brampton, Ontario to tell me that his wife Jennie has been in the ICU at the hospital since January 16th, suffering from pneumonia. She is now heavily sedated and is breathing through a tube down her throat. The doctors don’t seem to hold out much hope for her recovery. I am devastated and am preparing to fly home; however I called Carl today and he suggested that I wait until Monday. His middle son Brad lives in Japan and is flying home.

January 25, 2009

Blue treated us to breakfast at Tags Restaurant here in Coolidge, but first I took them by an empty subdivision where I had seen a burrowing owl last year. They were as excited as I was to see that there were a pair together in that spot,

PLUS we saw two other individual owls in the same subdivision. There are no houses built there; only the underground stuff and cement sidewalks have been built and hopefully, it will stay that way. It was great to be with two people who get as pumped as I do when sighting animals in their own habitat.

After this exciting start, we drove up to the Apache Trail around the Superstition Mountains, stopping first at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, featuring a wide variety of cacti and succulents from North America as well as Africa, plus Australian trees. Blue and June were snapping photos like crazy. Blue was born in Australia, and was particularly interested in seeing the gum trees, but he also is fascinated by cacti. I once had quite a collection of succulents so it was fascinating for me also to see them growing here. And of course, Ripley was with us and enjoyed the walk around the vast grounds.

We then pressed on to Tonto National Monument to climb up to the cliff dwellings there. The Salado people lived here, going up and down the steep hills to get their water from the rivers below, which have now been dammed to form Lake Roosevelt. I had visited here last year, but I enjoyed visiting a second time and the Enrights found it quite fascinating.

It was then time to turn around, and I was pleased to be a passenger today while Blue did all the driving.

We arrived back at Indian Skies just in time for June and me to go to the ice cream social where we sat with Penny and Doug and many others whose names I can’t remember. Blue and June are quite taken with the place and are seriously considering renting a trailer next year.

It was a wonderful day and being with Blue and June really kept me occupied and my mind off my sister in law. However, the news is not good back home.

January 26, 2009

I drove Blue and June to the airport in Phoenix for them to catch their plane back home. It’s a shame that they really only had one day to see Arizona, but I’m sure they will be back.

Afterwards, I headed over to Mesa to visit with Jerry and Diane Ziolkoski. Jerry is my father’s brother’s son (cousin) whom I have had the pleasure of seeing last year both here in Arizona as well as at their cottage in Kenora, Ontario on my way through. My phone has not been working well here, so Diane took me over to Wal Mart so that I could purchase a new phone that will provide better service in this area. My new phone number is (520) 709-0708.

When we returned, Diane invited me for lunch but when she checked with the park manager, she was told that Ripley could not even remain in the car. I knew it was a No Pets park, but I thought that she would be alright staying in the car. So, Diane wrapped up a sandwich to go. A quick visit, but I’m sure we’ll get together again.

January 28, 2009

I’ve been gradually sorting out everything in the motorhome, and today I went over to painting class, just to check it out. There is no teacher, but Peggy and Jan offered to help me. I’m not sure that I would be any good at it, but I will try first by tracing a pattern, and then go from there.

I have been in daily contact with my brother and the news is not good. Jennie has now developed pancreatitis. We discussed whether I should fly back, but Carl said there would be nothing for me to do. Jennie is unconscious and doesn’t recognize anybody; he has his three children and two close friends for support, but we’ll just play it day by day.

EPISODE FOUR - JANUARY, 2009

2009-01-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

BLOG FOUR

Since my arrival at Indian Skies RV Resort, I’ve been busy organizing the interior of the motorhome, as I never did get a chance after my return last summer. Almost immediately I had taken it over to Owasco RV to do the necessary repairs after the damage I did last summer in Revelstoke, B.C. I pulled out too tightly from the curb where I was parked and hit an ornamental iron lamppost with roundels on it, and managed to slice three holes in the side of the RV. It took some time for Owasco to work up an estimate for the insurance company ($8,000!!!), and then some time for the insurance company to approve the work. Thank goodness for insurance companies that play fair—I was very concerned that they would say that the RV was too old and refuse to pay, so I was greatly relieved when I finally heard that the work was going ahead. However, it took Owasco RV until December to do the extensive work involved.

And after that I took it over to Blue Enright for him to look at the generator (which wasn’t working). Blue and his neighbour Winston spent many, many hours on it, replacing parts (one of which had been installed upside down), but they persevered and it is now operational again, and I will now be able to do some boondocking in the desert when I leave Indian Skies in early April.

But I digress. As a consequence of all the time spent getting repairs done, I never did get a chance to take out the stuff from last year’s trip and only threw in boxes of new stuff (including all my beading materials). And now I am slowly sifting through everything to make some semblance of order inside.

Social Stuff

If I were so inclined, I could be busy with one activity or another every minute of the day here at Indian Skies. So far I went to a bingo (didn’t win); donuts and coffee morning (won some delicious cinnamon buns made by Betty here); visited the lending library in the park; attended a craft class to help Penny and Doug; visited with various people here; spent time at Happy Hour hosted by Stephen and Anna; gone shopping with Anna (in her car); spent time in the hot tub etc. etc. That leaves precious little time to re-organize everything, but I’ve managed to tackle the kitchen area and the bedroom area, stow away my winter clothes and get started on unpacking boxes. But there is still quite a bit to do. And of course, I want to complete the writing I have been doing for the Wild Carnivore website. I still have two more habitats to research and compose. And after that I want to try my hand at writing a book based on my blog of last year. And I have a few other projects also in mind to tackle, as well as participating in the activities here and getting around Arizona more to see things I missed last year.

Billiards Room, Indian Skies

Craft Class

On Saturday, January 24 I am going to a pancake breakfast, and then going with Penny and Linda to a craft sale at a neighbouring RV park. And so it goes every day.

Pool Area, Indian Skies

Blue and June Enright are driving my car down here after first going to a friend’s birthday party in South Carolina. As of Friday, January 23 they had made it to El Paso and expect to arrive Saturday evening. I’ve arranged for them to rent a trailer here in the park, but unfortunately they are flying home on Monday, so they will really only have one day to sample Arizona.

It will be nice to have a car to travel around in.

And so, I will update my blog from time to time, but it won’t be detailed like last time.

EPISODE THREE - JANUARY, 2009

2009-01-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

January 19, 2009

Mileage 125,100

Just in case the camping really wasn’t free and fearing that someone might come over to charge me, I got up early and headed westward once again. Listening to the radio, I concluded that they really like the group Nickleback out here. They play them often. Carrie Underwood is another favourite.

Just past Holbrook I detoured to see the Meteor Crater that is a National Natural Landmark. 50,000 years ago a meteorite estimated to be 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, struck the earth at this spot. The resulting shock waves would have devastated the surrounding area and the iron-nickel meteorite vapourized and melted. It left behind a crater 700 feet deep and over 4000 feet across. At the same time over 175 million tons of limestone and sandstone were thrown out to form a continuous blanket of debris for over a mile.

Don’t get the idea that I am well-learned. I’m taking this information from the brochure at the site. Since the crater resembles that of the craters on the moon, NASA astronauts trained in this area from 1964 to 1972, in preparation for the moon landing.

After taking in this site (Ripley had to stay in the motorhome), we continued on our way to Flagstaff and then south through snowy mountains. We slowly dropped in elevation until the snow disappeared and stopped for the night at Fordes Junction RV and Motel. The site cost $11 with my Passport America membership, but they wanted an extra $5 to use the showers!! I’ve never encountered that before, and needless to say, I passed.

Ripley at Fordes Junction, Arizona

Mileage at the end of day – 125,417 – Total for day 317 km.

January 20, 2009

We were only two hours away from our destination, so I got up leisurely and watched the historic inauguration of Barack Obama before moving on. It was an event that I wanted to watch because of its place in history. Ripley noticed three quail scooting past – a great sight after not seeing any wildlife for days, except for the odd crow/raven.

We then were on our way once again, stopping at Love’s Truck Stop for gas and some snacks. But I am now wearing a t-shirt, having discarded several layers of sweaters, etc. along the way. What a glorious feeling to be back in the warmth and sunshine of Arizona! And to see that the vegetation is starting to flower.

After having driven through slush, salt roads and snow, Philippa was looking pretty filthy, not to mention my bike attached to the back. I treated them both to a truck wash, where four people with heavy pressure sprayers worked them over, and they came out sparkling clean – for $27. Worth every penny.

On the way through Casa Grande I stopped at Petsmart to stock up on Ripley’s kibble, but they didn’t have the brand that I have been using (Solid Gold), so I am trying out Wilderness brand, which is also supposed to be a natural dog food containing little or no grains. Hope Ripley likes it when I switch (adding some of the old with the new of course).

We finally pulled into Indian Skies RV Resort around 3:00, checked in with RoseMarry at the office and pulled into our old site between Hoppy and Georgia (from Montana) and their dog Shaggy (a shitzu) and Lorne and Eileen from Whitby, Ontario on the other side. The only problem is that there are two large holes near the water taps and electric hook up, so I’ll have to see what can be done about that.

Indian Skies RV Resort Office and Rec Areas

Ripley and I went around renewing old friendships with Penny and Doug (from Bayfield, Ontario), Klara and Mick (Perth, Ontario) and Stephen and Anna (Collingwood, Ontario), as well as several others whose names I can’t remember. Everyone here is friendly, whether you know them or not. They’ll say hi as they pass, and people like Hoppy and Stephen are there to help you if you have a problem. For instance, Hoppy came over to get my hot water going.

It’s good to be back.

Mileage 125,648 km. Total from home – 4,025 km. or 2,501 miles.

From now on I will not be providing information on a daily basis. I simply have too many projects to work on (writing for money; doing crafts; traveling around Arizona; joining in the many activities here at Indian Skies. But I will give you highlights and hope you won’t mind. Thanks to all of you who did request that I continue writing a blog on this trip. It’s really nice to know that people are interested in what I am doing.

EPISODE TWO - REVISED WITH PHOTOS - JANUARY, 2009

2009-01-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

January 12, 2009

I had forgotten to write in the previous blog that I met a fellow at the East Mount Motel who was also travelling to Arizona (Magic Junction) and had travelled across country from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He said it was a 3,400 mile trip and he and his wife made it annually. And I thought that I had a journey!

The windshield washer fluid in Phillippa was summer type and was frozen and no use to me when driving along the sloppy highways. Not much I could do about it except wait until I'm further south.

I did see quite a few hawks as I drove along the 401 back in Canada. It had been a relatively mild day and I suppose they were out hunting.

I might as well keep this up to date as I travel. There isn't much exciting happening as I'm driving on highways. I started out from Lansing Michigan this morning, feeling much better after resting. Mileage 122,243 kms on odometer. Other than stopping for gas and a few pit stops, I continued on through Indiana, finally leaving the snow behind at Indianapolis. The countryside looks much like rural Ontario -- farms, with some trees along the fencelines. Part of the day was sunny, but it clouded over later.

I wanted to make up some time for stopping early yesterday so continued until dark, stopping in Terre Haute, Indiana. I probably could have parked at the local Wal Mart, as had been suggested by Anna & Stephen Wismer, who had suggested the route I should take. They live in Collingwood in the summer and are already at Indian Skies in Arizona. However, I decided to indulge myself in one more motel night. The Days Inn, featuring wi fi and continental breakfast. However, they did charge me an extra $5 because of Ripley.

I was pleased to see that my American cell phone is still operating (352) 568-5307, so I added some money to my pay as you go account. If I recall, though, it was very difficult to call Canada on that phone. My Canadian cell phone doesn't operate down here.

I've just taken Ripley for her nightly walk, so I'm off to relax in front of the TV.

Total kms. today - 522

JANUARY 13, 2009

Start mileage 122,765 km. at Terre Haute, Indiana

Spent the night at Days Inn. Needs work. But at least the price included continental breakfast . Charged $5 extra for Ripley.

It is bitterly cold, starting out with snow flurries and very strong winds as I head west.
At a rest stop, I noticed that a clamp holding up a long tubular “thing” had broken off. I don’t want to stop somewhere to get it fixed, so I used some bungee cords to tie it up, and hopefully this will work until I get to Arizona.

Gas costs $1.64 in Illinois.

The “Check Engine” light came on again, but when I unscrewed the gas cap and screwed it back in again, the light stayed off. This is very disconcerting.

As I headed into Missouri, I gained an hour as I hit another time zone, and this inspired me to keep on driving until the sun was so bright in my eyes as it was setting. It made driving on precarious, and I chose to stop at St. Roberts, Missouri. The weather is predicted to go down to 17ºF tonight, so again I opted to stay at a motel – this time Motel 6 – very basic, but at least they gave me a seniors discount and didn’t charge extra for Ripley.

Stop mileage 123,240 km. Total 475 km.

January 14, 2009

Mileage 123,240 km

I was sneezing quite a big yesterday and it seems that I’ve picked up a cold. Hopefully, downing large doses of Echinacea will keep it in check.

I forgot to mention that, while driving through Michigan I passed the scene of a bad accident. It looked to me like the driver of a tractor transport may have fallen asleep, crossed the median to the other side of the interstate and went into the ditch on the far side. The transport was still in the ditch but the truck part had been brought back up to the road. It had a huge hole in the windshield and I wonder whether the driver went through it and if he survived.

After a comfortable night at the Motel 6, I played ball with Ripley for awhile. The weather seems milder this morning. Treated myself to a waffle with strawberries and whipped cream at the Waffle House.

The terrain is getting hilly as I passed through the northern part of the Ozarks across Missouri. The winds were very heavy and pushed the motorhome around the road. I’ve noticed lots of horse trailers on the road and saw some gorgeous paints in the fields.

I got a call on my US cell phone from Margaret. Hi there. Of course I remember you and it was great to hear from you. I’m sorry I missed your call but I didn’t realize the phone was ringing in my purse and it stopped by the time I fished it out! Thanks for the good wishes. I still miss the ACC and hope to be able to return there in the future.

Gas costs $1.68 gallon in Missouri.

There is a curious apparatus in the restrooms in the rest areas in Missouri. It is a combination soap dispenser, tap and dryer, all in one! Never seen this before.

The day was mostly sunny and mild, but turned bitterly cold late in the afternoon. I got as far as Miami, Oklahoma and opted to stay in another motel because of the temperature. Deluxe Motel.

I discovered a Rotary park right behind the motel and Ripley enjoyed a romp, but it had to be short because of the bitter cold.

Mileage 123,527 – Total today 287 km.

JANUARY 15, 2009

Mileage 123,527

We got on the road early, starting out in blowing snow. I thought it was supposed to be warmer down here in Oklahoma, but so far it has been below freezing and pretty unpleasant.

Passed a sign declaring “Girls and Beer”.

Most of the radio stations play country and I found one that played only the old style country “hurting” music. Plus some gospel stations.

I decided to make a run for it across Oklahoma today and managed to get to Exit 1 at the Texas state line by 4:00 p.m. Decided to stop at the Double D RV Park. Price was $11 with my Passport America membership (half price). There are two other RV’s staying the night here as well. It was warm enough to play ball with Ripley for a brief period before retiring into the relatively warm inside of Phillippa. Hopefully the furnace will work sufficiently well to make it fairly comfortable here, as the temperature outside is still below freezing. My RV has been winterized which means there is no water, and therefore no toilet, but the restrooms are only about 100 feet away inside the restaurant.

Mileage 124,073 – Total today 542 km.

JANUARY 16, 2009

June and Blue Enright should be leaving for Carolina this morning. Hope all goes well with the car.

Meanwhile, I made my way across the Texas panhandle, passing by some small buttes near Dooley. The headwinds were very strong. I saw my first wind turbines on this trip.

Came across a sign advertising an RV park with “Texas sized spaces”.

There is a county called Deaf Smith.

Passed into New Mexico and entered Mountain Time Zone, so am now two hours behind Toronto time.

As I headed to a rest area 25 miles west of Santa Rosa, the RV broke down. It started to chug, and I just made it into the rest area before she gave up for good. This reminded me of the episode I had last year in the middle area of Texas and I’ll bet that once again it is a plugged fuel filter causing the problem. To make matters worse, my cell phone did not have a signal, so I was forced to ask a trucker if I could borrow his phone to call the Emergency Roadside Assistance Insurance hotline in Montreal. The idiot who responded told me in no uncertain terms that he could do nothing until Monday morning because all the garages in New Mexico are closed on Saturday. I found this unacceptable and insisted that he search around to find a towing service, and with the help of the trucker who had loaned me his cell phone, he eventually did find Ortega’s Towing back in Santa Rosa. But this happened only after I called him back three times. Needless to say, I will be looking for another insurance carrier when my policy expires!

The two fellows from Ortega’s Towing eventually did come and spent a lot of time hooking up the RV because they could not disconnect the drive shaft. Apparently, this is necessary in order not to wreck the transmission (although I know for sure that the person who towed me in Texas last year did not disconnect the line). It took them forever and finally they had to break the plugs holding the drive shaft. Lorenzo took me back to the station in Santa Rosa, plugged me into the power outlet there and assured me that the mechanic would be on duty in the morning. However, the tow cost $323!! Here we go again.

JANUARY 17, 2009

I didn’t sleep very well, worrying about the breakdown. However, the temperature is much milder here and, with the furnace operating, it was quite comfortable inside the RV.

Eventually Jimmy the mechanic came in about 9:30. He was slow and methodical, but did a diagnostic exam first and didn’t find any warnings. He was concerned that the fuel pump might be the cause, but he went ahead and replaced both fuel filters (I didn’t know there were two). He also replaced the pieces that Lorenzo had to break on the drive shaft. While he was at it, I asked him to fix the broken clamp on the generator muffler that had broken a couple of days ago.

It was very nice to hear birds singing – the first I’ve heard so far.

While waiting for Jimmy to finish, I took Ripley for a walk around the area, but we didn’t get away until 2:00 p.m. That cost me another $287, for a total of $611. It is my own fault. I should have had the fuel filters replaced before I started out. But just the same, I wasn’t happy.

Since it was already afternoon by the time we got started, I only made it to Hidden Valley RV Resort 20 miles east of Albuquerque. There are quite a number of RV’s here, many of whom live here permanently. I am assuming that many of them probably commute to work in Albuquerque and the children probably attend the local school.

Hidden Valley RV Resort, New Mexico

JANUARY 18, 2009

Mileage 124,542
I’ve decided to deviate from the directions given to me by Anna and Stephen, and continue west along Highway 40 instead of going south on Highway 25. I’m not quite sure why they suggested that detour as it is a longer route, but Highway 40 takes me through some lovely mesas and buttes and Phillippa should be able to handle the gentle inclines. I’ve decided it’s time to start playing tourist.

Got up early and hit the road, stopping at a roadside rest area in the Pueblo Indian region. There were two booths there selling jewelry and pottery. I had a look at the jewelry and now that I make some myself, I looked at everything with a critical eye and decided that I could do just as well. However, my eye did catch on a small pot and I managed to get it for $15. I was told that it is a Laguna traditional design.

Later on, I stopped at a truck stop near Gallup and saw three of the most obese people I think that I have ever seen. An older man weighed probably 300 lbs.; a young man (maybe his son) who weighed around 400 lbs. and a young woman (maybe a daughter) who weighed around 250. Don’t they realize they are shortening their lives and contributing to all kinds of health problems with their obesity?

I finally crossed into Arizona! Yea!!

Painted Desert - yes that's snow

The Petrified Forest/Painted Desert was my destination and I got there later than I had hoped at 4:00. The park closed at 5:00, so I had to rush through, but I still got quite a few photo – and I saw a herd of pronghorn antelope!

Petrified Forest -- Prehistoric wood that has turned to stone

I stopped at the historic Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark, and couldn’t resist buying a Tony Hillerman audio CD, plus a CD entitled “Ancient Voices”. The park guide gave me a great teacher’s discount and the two cost only $24. He was very nice and we chatted about American politics and his love of Canada. He wants to go to the Edmonton Mall!!

Wall painting inside Historic Painted Desert Inn

Painted Desert

Anyway, I did stop at various lookout spots including Tiponi Point, Newspaper Rock (there are petroglyphs there) and the Crystal Forest where there was large petrified logs lying around. It is there that the park ranger stopped me and told me that as it was now 5:27 I had to leave and not stop anymore. He was very pedantic, so I decided to humour him and just get going. It was getting dark anyway.

I had thought of stopping at the Flying J Truck Stop for the night, but just outside the park gates, I saw a sign saying free camping beside one of these tourist stores. As there was no one around, I hooked up to electricity and made myself comfortable for the night.

Mileage 125,100 km – Total mileage today 558 km. Total for the trip so far 3,477 km.

NEW ADVENTURE

2009-01-12T04:11:00.000-08:00

January, 2009

Winter is here yet again in Ontario and it is time for me to head off to sunnier climes. After a very lengthy time at Owasco RV, Phillippa is now repaired. Last year I damaged the motorhome when pulling out from a curb, scraping three holes in the side. Little did I realize that the damage was quite extensive because the entire side had to be re-covered in order to prevent water damage, and a new compartment door, shower door and bumper had to be replaced -- $8,000 damage in all! Thank goodness for insurance.

However, the generator still was not working. I asked my friend Blue Enright to take a look and great friend that he is, he and his buddy Winston spent hours and hours solving the problem. They weren't about to let it go until the generator was fixed. They replaced the fuel pump, condensor and some other assorted parts and finally, after many days -- success! So I now have the option of electricity and heat when parked.

Starting Off - January 10, 2009 JANUARY 12, 2009
Start mileage from Pickering - 121,623 km

There have already been a few snowfalls in Ontario and ideally I would have left just after Christmas. Nevertheless, Ripley and I started out around 9:00 a.m. from the Enrights' house. I dropped my car off there because June and Blue will be driving it down to Arizona for me. It's going to be great to have a car to drive around in once I arrive, instead of having to unhook Phillippa when I want to go somewhere.

After a stop at my brother's house in Brampton to pick up my mail, we headed down the 401 and managed to get as far as Sarnia. I didn't expect to get that far, but the roads were clear most of the way. Because the weather is bitterly cold, I chose to stay at the East Mount Motel in Sarnia ($50 with seniors discount). The furnace in the motorhome is not really equipped for such an extreme temperature.

I'm concerned about the pain in my arthritic neck caused from the posture of driving. I'm trying a neck pillow and it helps somewhat, and I have an Obusform for my back, but I'm still having trouble.

January 11, 2009

We got off to an early start, crossed the border at Port Huron without any problems, and took Highway 69 in Michigan. Unfortunately I have a migraine today and feel quite nauseous, so I didn't drive as far as I had hoped. I got as far as Lansing and decided to stop at Motel 6 to recover. There's lots of snow here. I went to Denny's to try to eat something, but ate only a few bites of my BLT sandwich. Ripley will be the beneficiary.

Odometer reads 122,243 km.

Mileage at Lansing, Michigan - 122,243

Total today – 522 km.

EPISODE NUMBER FORTY-EIGHT - ONTARIO MAY 31 - JUNE, 2008 - MY FINAL ENTRY

2008-06-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

EPISODE NUMBER FORTY-EIGHT - ONTARIO - MAY 31 - JUNE, 2008 – MY FINAL ENTRY

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008

SPANISH, ONTARIO

Before leaving Mitchell’s, I took Ripley for another walk along the shore towards the mouth of the river. A cormorant flew over and the black flies were terrible. I suppose I will be encountering these little pests for the next couple of weeks until the weather gets warmer.

I have really enjoyed my short stay here because everyone has been so friendly and helpful, but it’s time to move on.

At Massey I stopped to treat myself to a butterscotch ice cream. Everyone seems to be towing a boat behind them in this region.

MANITOULIN ISLAND

At the turnoff to Espanola and Manitoulin Island, I stopped in at Goodman’s Hotel to make a reservation on the ferry that goes from the tip of the island over to Tobermory and southern Ontario for Monday, June 2. I have decided to go this way instead of traveling around Georgian Bay, partly because I have never been on the island and partly to save on gas. The people at Goodman’s very kindly allowed me to hook into their wi fi so that I could update my blog. It has been really difficult to find wi fi connections in northern Ontario, so I was grateful for the opportunity.

The island itself is home to several First Nations tribes. The peninsula leading to the island is still very rugged – trees and rocks. There are no farms visible until you get to the island itself. I don’t know for sure how large it is, but it is a gigantic island that lies between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, and is considered a sacred site where the god Manitou lives.

IDYLL GLEN RESORT

Instead of heading south to the ferry terminal, I decided to go west along Highway 540 on the North Shore, to search for a nice, scenic campground to settle in for the next two days, and I found what I was seeking at Idyll Glen Resort on the shore of Lake Mindemoya. This is another one that is not listed in the Camping in Ontario directory, but I happened to come across their sign on the road. It led down to a beach area and the entrance where Linda greeted me and set me up with a site with electricity and water for $25. She and her husband Dan just bought the campground in March after having stayed here as campers for the past twenty years. They are in the midst of upgrading the playground, bathrooms and other parts and are looking at this enterprise as their retirement career.

I set up on a shady site at one end of the park but away from the beach because many seasonals have claimed those spots. The shore today was choppy from the strong winds and chilly, overcast sky. One advantage is that there were no black flies or mosquitoes.

Ripley and I took a walk up the road, passing For Sale signs on either side. One appeared to be a bed and breakfast place, judging from the size and the other was a very nice summer house on a large lot on which lilacs were blooming. As the house was vacant, I couldn’t resist taking some of these beautiful fragrant flowers back to my RV.

SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2008

Well, here we are on the first of June, the start of summer more or less – but only 20 days away from the Summer Solstice.

Today began with a light breeze, sunny and warm and the birds were joyfully singing their individual songs as I sat at my picnic table working on writing the next part of my blog.

I am too far away to pick up the wi fi at my site, but Linda invited me into the office/store/rec area. As the store offers a variety of coffees, I couldn’t resist ordering a latte. It also features jams and jellies made on Manitoulin Island – a nice gift to bring along with me.

Linda is an enthusiastic woman, who is a teacher assistant in a town near Sudbury and is fluently bilingual. She was very proud of herself in mastering the intricacies of working the cash register since yesterday – her first day on the job, and we chatted about herself and her husband who is a part-time actor/comedian as well as having a full-time job, and also working around the campground. I suspect that they are both going to find that running it will take more time than they had anticipated.

I would like to have stayed longer in this hospitable, pretty place and would consider returning here in the future.

As Ripley and I walked along the beach in the evening, we encountered a family of Canada geese – Mom, Dad and three goslings swimming just offshore.

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008

I was up early in order to get to the ferry, some 45 minutes away, passing through the town of Mindemoya, a typical small town in rural Ontario that caters to tourists with a grocery store, gift shops and restaurants.

The wind is helping pollination as I encountered many seedpods blowing across the road as I drove along the twisting, winding road to South Baymouth. I arrived in plenty of time and got into the lane directed about two hours prior to departure time. With that much time to kill, I joined the other waiting passengers in cars and trailers to visit the various gift shops and restaurants. Because of Ripley I went to a take-out window to order a BLT for breakfast.

The ferry was scheduled to leave at 11:15 but didn’t arrive until around noon. It seems that the ship had to return to Tobermory because of a passenger who became ill and had to be taken away in an ambulance.

The crew quickly got us all boarded, cars, trucks and RV’s and I guided Ripley up to the area designated for dogs on deck. It was very cold despite my having a sweater and jacket on, so I sneaked Ripley into the closed-in area, just inside the doors. A crewman came along and kindly showed me an area where I could sit out of the weather and out of the way, and I gratefully accepted. It would have been a very long two hours outside, otherwise!

CYPRUS LAKE CAMPGROUND

When I departed from the ferry, I sought out the entrance to Bruce Peninsula National Park, just south of Tobermory. The Cyprus Lake Campground is about 7 km inside from the main road, nestled around scenic Cyprus Lake. As is usual in national parks, there were no hook-ups but the site was large and shaded by tall trees.

I was warned at the gate that a bear had been sighted in the area, so I kept Ripley on a leash any time she was out of the RV. I armed myself with bear spray and took her for a walk on the hiking trail around the lake. The environment was simply beautiful, with the myriad trees, bushes and wildflowers as we walked around about one-third of Cyprus Lake and a bit of nearby Horse Lake on the well-maintained trails. On the way back we sat on a bench by the water dedicated to a volunteer who apparently passed away at the age of 18. So young.

Sunset at Cyprus Lake Campground

The brochure mentioned that the Bruce Peninsula is designated as a World Biosphere Reserve (so is the Grand Canyon, amongst others) and that 44 of the 66 species of orchids in Ontario can be found in this region. It’s too bad that the black flies made it almost impossible to sit outside to enjoy the beauty.

TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2008

I heard a loon calling on the lake early this morning before pulling out.

I passed through several small towns on my way south down the peninsula, and since I hadn’t had access to TV or radio asked the gas station attendant who had won the hockey game last night. I was happy to hear that it was Pittsburgh, forcing a Game Six and hopefully a Game Seven.

At Wiarton, I couldn’t resist making a stop to visit the home of Wiarton Willie, the albino groundhog who supposedly comes out on Groundhog Day every year to predict whether winter will continue for awhile or not. I’m sorry to say that his home is not very large, and that he was confined to the indoor area which seemed very barren.

CATHY AND GARY CHAMBERS

Cathy Chambers volunteers as the placement person for the Jack Russell Terrier Rescue Ontario and was responsible for putting me in touch with Ripley. She has been following my adventures on my blog and graciously invited me to stop in to visit on my way through.

Cathy is retired from retail sales and Gary was a police officer in Toronto before his retirement. They have a gorgeous country home near Owen Sound and own a Schnauzer (Roxy) and two Jack Russells (Buddy and Rica). When I arrived, Gary brought out each dog individually to check out Ripley before we attempted bringing her into the house, and I’m happy to say that it was a peaceful encounter.

Their home is a tranquil haven on a country road, with a view of woods and ponds in the back. Cathy told me that they had done quite a big of renovating when they first moved in here and it features a deck with hot tub, yard for the dogs, an open kitchen/dining area, a living room and three bedrooms (one is an office) plus a finished basement. Gary is an avid gardener and the grounds are filled with plantings of flowers, bushes and vegetables.

I suggested sleeping in my RV rather than in their lovely guest bedroom, just to make things easier all around.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008

A lot of different species of birds are attracted to the many feeders around the property, and just today I saw bobolinks, phoebe, red wing blackbirds, Baltimore orioles and ruby throated hummingbirds. A mother robin hatched her brood of four babies in a hanging flower pot right beside the side door, at eye level, so it is possible to witness the development of these precocious youngsters.

I contacted a local garage to see about getting the RV serviced, which it needs badly, but couldn’t get an appointment until Monday. Cathy and Gary have kindly allowed me to stay until then.

The local newspaper has been featuring the plight of a woman who worked as a server at a restaurant called Nathaniel’s. She had shaved her head as a fundraiser for cancer, and her employers told her to stay home for the summer because she was inappropriately attired, according to their standards. Well, this pseudo “leave of absence” has caused quite a furor, both locally and abroad, as the feature was picked up by other press as well. There have been many furious letters to the editor, mostly supporting the woman. She has received several offers of employment, and many are suggesting that they boycott Nathaniel’s. The owners have refused to apologize, making matters worse.

The day was rather cool, so it seemed like a good time to hop into the hot tub—not that I need an excuse!

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008

Cathy arranged for both of us to have our hair cut by her favourite stylist in Owen Sound, and I have to say that he did an excellent job. Ever since I had the butchered job back in California, I have been waiting for my hair to grow long enough to be styled, and now it is. It is easy to look after and that’s what I like. No fuss. No muss.

Cathy, Gary, Roxy and Buddy

Later on Cathy and Gary took me to a popular restaurant called Rocky Raccoon, owned by a Nepalese and his wife. Although we had a long wait for our food (they seemed to be short of wait staff), the meal was excellent. Cathy and I had barbecued ribs and Gary had vindaloo chicken. As usual, we were given too large a portion, so we had a doggy bag or ribs to take home and enjoy for lunch the next day.

FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2008

There was a terrible thunderstorm overnight and poor Ripley just shook all night. Her eyes were bugged out of her head in terror, and nothing I did would soothe her. The lightning was crashing very close to the RV with loud booms that frightened even me.

I offered to provide the food for dinner tonight, and we drove into Owen Sound where I bought some rainbow trout and a lemon meringue pie for dessert. As it happens, the person serving us at the fish counter suggested that we boycott Nathaniel’s! I doubt very much if the owners had anticipated such a backlash. But you don’t mess around with cancer fundraisers! I wouldn’t be surprised if this incident puts them out of business. They have already been closed for the past couple of days since the word got out.

It is extremely hot today, and consequently I have moved into the house, which is geothermally cooled. One of the baby robins has left the nest and I suggested to Gary that it would be a good idea to spritz the three remaining ones because the sun is shining on them. They seemed to appreciate the cooling down.

Cathy spends a great deal of time on her Jack Russell rescue work, interviewing potential new owners, learning about new dogs needing foster homes, talking to foster parents and discussing matters with the president of the group. She is a very dedicated woman, and thank goodness for people like her! I will always be grateful that she found Ripley for me – a perfect companion. Not all the dogs are as easy to place, however, as some come with problems. Jack Russells do not necessarily make good pets for inexperienced people, as they are extremely intelligent, with minds of their own.

Rica and Ripley had a little spat over a ball. Jack Russell terriers are known for their feistiness; neither would back down and Ripley ended up with a small cut. After that, she avoided Rica and there were no further incidents.

SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008

There was another severe storm last night. Cathy had mentioned that some people give their dogs Gravol, so I tried this approach with Ripley, but she still cowered. I woke up with a migraine, thanks to the bouncing barometer and spent much of the day in bed as a result. It gave me an opportunity to start reading a book that Gary loaned me -- The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. He is an avid read of fantasy and science fiction, a genre that I used to enjoy a great deal. I greatly enjoyed the character development, and have added the author’s name to my list of ones to seek out in future.

Later Ian Parker, a neighbour, came over to have a look at my RV to see if he could do the servicing on it, at Cathy and Gary’s suggestion. They felt that I would not be cheated by Ian. However, he didn’t feel that he could tackle the job in a timely manner and made a call to Johnny B’s garage in nearby Meaford, on my behalf, and arranged an appointment for Monday. So now I have two appointments for Monday; I’ll cancel the first one. Ian is an interesting outgoing character; he is a mechanic as well as a part-time musician who plays at some of the local pubs

There are now only two robins left in the nest. Since it is still very hot, I got out one of my syringes from my animal first aid kit and gave them each a drink. They greedily opened their beaks to sip the water.

SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2008

This morning there was just one robin left in the nest. We all hope that the other three are safe and enjoying their newly-found flight. I did give the remaining chick more water by syringe, which it readily accepted.

Although the sky is overcast, the temperature is still very hot, and I am grateful to be able to remain inside the cool house rather than to roast in my RV.

Gary drove Cathy and me into Owen Sound so that I could do a few errands and also to go to some garden centres where Gary bought even more plants. I remember that when I had a garden, I couldn’t resist getting more plants whenever I was near a garden centre, so I fully related to Gary’s enthusiasm.

When we returned, we found that the last remaining robin baby had left, much to Gary’s relief. The flowerpot in which they had been living was very soiled, and he could now remove it. I thought that it had been very thoughtful of Gary and Cathy to allow the nesting process to be completed, even though it had been inconvenient and slightly messy on their porch, but then they are both animal lovers.

Even without air conditioning, the house remains nice and cool, thanks to their foresight in installing a geothermal unit when they moved into the house.

The evening brought a lot more rain, extending overnight, making the walking trail around the property very soggy and impassable. So, we had to change the route for walking the dogs.

MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2008

I was up early to take the RV in for 8:00 a.m. and Gary followed me in so that I wouldn’t have to sit and wait. Later in the day, Johnny B’s receptionist called to say that all the work had been completed except for the generator and that it might be quite late this evening before he could finish that. He thinks I need a new fuel pump. Despite all the money that I spent to have the generator repaired while I was in Tucson, Arizona, it still doesn’t work properly, so I agreed to let him go ahead. I expect to be boondocking next week, and it would really be handy if the generator worked.

Later, he called to say that he needed to keep the RV overnight to finish the work on the generator in the morning.

TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2008

It is pouring again this morning. Both Gary and Cathy mentioned that they haven’t had this much rain in a long, long time.

More bad news about the RV. It won’t be ready until tomorrow morning because Johnny B is very busy and hasn’t yet had time to work on the generator. Thank goodness Cathy and Gary are tolerating Ripley and me, and don’t seem to mind the delay in my departure.

Ripley is going to be a celebrity! We spent some time taking photographs of her because she is going to be one of the featured animals on the 2009 Jack Russell calendar. The person who is in charge of putting the calendar together asked for an action shot – not an easy thing to do, but Gary has a good digital camera and he managed to get a couple of good ones, including this one.

Later on the receptionist at Johnny B’s called to say that my generator needed some new parts for the carburetor as well as a new fuel pump so he took out the new fuel pump, thinking that I probably would not want to go to the added expense. He was probably right. The total bill for everything came to $784, quite a bit more than I had anticipated. And I still don’t have a working generator.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2008

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

It was time once again to move on. I can’t thank Cathy and Gary enough for putting up with Ripley and me for over a week.

My holding tanks were full, and I found nearby Roebuck Campground where I could dump for a fee of $5.

The Meaford area is known for its apples, with several roadside stands selling delicious apples. I chose to stop at Almond’s market where I got some crispy Empire apples and fresh asparagus from their garden.

STEVE AND ANNA WISMER

Steve and Anna were the first people whom I met after registering at Indian Skies RV back in Arizona. Like many of the campers there, they are from Ontario, close to where Cathy and Gary live, and had invited me to stop in on my way through.

Steve and Anna now live in what used to be their cottage in Craigleith, Ontario but really don’t spend a great deal of time there. They were packing to leave for a two-month trip to Alaska in their large motorhome, and from there they will slowly make their way back down to Arizona for the winter. So, if all goes well, I’ll meet up with them yet again down south. In the meantime, Anna prepared lunch of bacon and eggs while we caught up on what had happened to each of us since we last saw each other. What I really appreciate is the genuine friendships that have been made on this trip, and the open hospitality that I have received as I have moved around the country.

MONIKA AND PETER HARMATHY

After saying goodbye to Anna and Steve, I continued onward to Barrie to visit my old friend Monika, her husband Peter and their son Phillip. Monika and I first met at York University where we were each pursuing our Master’s degrees in Environmental Studies as mature students in the early 1990’s, and we have stayed in touch since then. She and Peter have had many adventures before and after the birth of Phillip (including a lengthy canoe trip through the Northwest Territories) and will be leaving for Hawaii shortly for yet another trip.

They very kindly invited me to park the RV in their driveway, but it was too big! So we settled for parking it on the street. However, Monika had checked with the local authorities and found that my living in the RV is not allowed in Barrie. Because a by-laws representative lived just up the street, we could not leave the water and electricity hook-ups on it during the day. We just waited until dusk and plugged me in. Their house is small, and they do not have a spare bedroom, but it worked out just fine.

Ripley and Friends

THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2008

Peter left for his teaching job at a nearby high school and Phillip went to school, so that left Monika and me to go for a walk in the park with Ripley along Lake Simcoe.

Monika and her family are very nutrition-conscious and she spends a good deal of time in the kitchen preparing healthy food, as compared to the ready-made preservative-loaded foods that many of us, including myself, indulge in. She was very sweet to make a special cake for me!.

There was yet another storm tonight.

FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2008

I had mentioned to Monika that my parents are buried here in Barrie in St. Mary’s Cemetery, and that I hadn’t been to visit their grave for many years. She very kindly offered to take me there, and we spent some time trying to find it.

From there we headed to an off-leash park where Ripley and several other dogs enjoyed their freedom to romp around. I was surprised at just how many Jack Russells we encountered, one of whom had enjoyed rolling in a muddy bog, and then into a small stream. It was a hot day so Monika and I took off our shoes to wade in the stream, and I managed to persuade Ripley to join us to cool off.

That night I was reminded why I hate subdivisions. The weekend is the time for Party Central and as a result I got very little sleep. The last “guests” didn’t arrive until 2:30 a.m. and of course I heard it all since I was in the RV. I was still awake at 4:00

SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2008

Phillip wasn’t feeling well this morning, having probably picked up one of the many bugs that children at school seem to be susceptible to. Monika was just completing her seven-day detox diet, and they had plans for today. We sat for a group photo after Peter set up the timer on my camera and then I was on my way once again, this time heading north to my own property in Muskoka.

WYE MARSH

On the way I stopped at the Wye Marsh where Ripley and I went out on the trails, despite the ubiquitous black flies. We came across some Trumpeter swans who are being rehabilitated from injuries, etc.,

and I was pleased to hear several different species of frogs in the marshes.

On the way back, we stopped to see two barn owls that are used as part of the raptor program.

BELLS FALLS

It was getting late by the time we finished our walk and I looked in my campground directory for something nearby. Bells Falls sounded good and we headed there where we found a very friendly manager who directed us to a large, shady site. The park seems to have mostly seasonal trailers parked there. Despite the hot temperature, their outdoor pool unfortunately was closed because it had not yet passed inspection by the Health Department. Down a path at the back Ripley and I came across Bells Falls with its inviting waters.

As there were many children in the park, I had anticipated a nice quiet evening. Imagine my surprise, then, to find that here too a party was going on until 1:30 a.m. But what I really objected to was the amount of profanity used by the mostly male group who were sitting around a campfire about 100 yards from my site. I was beginning to seethe when the noise continued after the 11:00 rule for quiet was broken, and probably should have gone down to waken the manager. Instead, I just covered my head, closed my windows and tried to ignore these louts.

JUNE 15 – 19, 2008

MUSKOKA

After another sleepless evening, I headed north to Rosseau where I have ten acres of vacant land with a small trailer parked on it. I do have a driveway and managed to get the RV in, despite the overgrown nature of the road. It would have been nice to have a working generator so that I could boondock more comfortably, but that’s life.

I hadn’t been parked for long when my neighbour Mary Wood came over to say hello. Mary and her husband Barry have been diligent in keeping an eye on my property and Barry brings his mower over to cut the weeds on the driveway every once in awhile. They moved from their house in Markham, just north of Toronto, a few years ago and have settled in nicely to country living, as there are very few houses along our road. As a small thank you gift for their care of my property, I gave them a bottle of California wine and a jar of preserves from Manitoulin Island. They have invited me to bring my empty water jugs over to fill when needed.

I couldn’t believe how bad the black flies are. Normally at this time of year, they are bad, but this year they are horrific! It was virtually impossible for me to spend any time at all outside of my RV, so Ripley’s walks were very quick.

I did take Ripley down to the Rosseau waterfront park where the black flies are much less and she enjoyed playing with a soccer ball and two young men from the nearby college.

Rosseau is the home of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, founded by Audrey Tournay on her farm of 300 acres, when she first arrived many years ago to teach there. Little by little, people began to bring orphaned and injured animals to her for care, and she has written many stories about the animals that have come through there.

The sanctuary has grown steadily over the years and now cares for hundreds of raccoons, deer, bears, skunks, beavers, porcupines, wolves, foxes, coyotes and any other native animal. Tony Grant is the manager of the staff which numbers about five plus many volunteers. I have always been very impressed with the work they do, and their refusal to give up on any animal needing help. Their mission is to release back into the wild all animals that can be rehabilitated and to give a permanent home to any that cannot.

I am privileged to call Audrey and Tony my friends, and I spent time with both during my visit. Audrey drove Ripley and me into Huntsville where we ate fish and chips in a park by the water while Ripley roamed around.

I invited Audrey back to my RV on another evening to share a dinner of pork chops, asparagus and baby carrots. She is now 78 years old and doesn’t bother too much with making meals, and it was nice to spend time with her sharing stories. She is a very talented illustrator and showed me her latest project – a children’s book of animal folklore, illustrated by her and written in conjunction with her Ojibway friends.

Audrey invited me to her secluded cabin to visit with her latest orphans – two baby skunks

and a baby porcupine named Blackberry. She had a great time sitting on my head and rooting through it. What a unique and delightful experience for me!

I visited the sanctuary as well, and chatted with Tony in between his many different jobs. He and Ben had returned from dropping off some bear cubs to the officials at the Ministry of Natural Resources in North Bay, as they were ready to be released. At another point he left to pick up some orphan raccoons to bring back for nurturing – just another typical day. While I was at the sanctuary, I walked around to the area behind the buildings and encountered some wild bears who were wandering through. Bernie, a volunteer, was sitting on a pile of logs watching them, and Ripley and I joined him. The bears apparently are quite accustomed to seeing humans as they visit often to see what they can scrounge, and I was able to get fairly close to photograph one. He kept standing up in the tall grass to get a better look at the humans and Ripley, but showed no aggression whatever.

Meanwhile, back at my land I discovered that during my absence, the mice had moved into my little trailer and had used the insulation to make cozy beds over the winter. On top of that, the roof leaks, so at the moment it is uninhabitable and I am considering removing it entirely now that I have my RV to stay in.

Rosseau is a small sleepy town until the tourist season begins after school break begins. It hasn’t changed very much since I first began coming here about ten years ago, and I hope it never grows to be like some of the other cottage country towns that have been developed with numerous restaurants, gift shops, clothing shops, etc. etc. to cater to the very wealthy cottagers who flock to this region. Lake Muskoka, Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau have attracted movie and hockey stars, as well as executives from Toronto, all of whom have multi-million dollar “cottages” on these lakes. The town of Port Carling has been ruined, in my opinion, by the demands of these seasonal visitors, but Rosseau still retains a great deal of charm, with only a few gift stores, one general store, one restaurant, one antique store, several quaint churches and houses that have been there for many years. The community centre was built in the early 1900’s and now houses a small library in the basement, that can do double duty as a banquet hall for some of the dinners that are put on there. One improvement that I was pleased to enjoy is the advent of wi fi and internet service there. The library raises funds by having an annual book sale, and I was able to pick up six new music cassettes.

On June 19, I said goodbye to Barry Wood, my neighbour who had come over to cut the grass in the driveway, and then to Audrey’s for one last visit with Blackberry before going on to the sanctuary where Tony was giving a tour to some Toronto media people who will be doing a feature on the sanctuary for W-5, a popular local program.

JUNE 19-21, 2008

As I headed south on Highway 400 towards Toronto, I encountered many trucks and cars whizzing by, reminding me that I was about to enter a huge metropolitan area where I have spent the majority of my life.

My next stop was to stay with my brother Carl and sister in law Jennie at their house in Brampton, just west of Toronto.

Jennie kindly loaned me her car so that Ripley and I could visit my old workmates at the Canadian Kennel Club where I worked on contract for six months in 2006-2007. Diane, Lita and Tara had kept in touch via email during my travels, and Diane had invited me to come to see their new office space. Dogs are allowed and I brought Ripley along so that they could meet my traveling companion. Of course, she was an instant hit as we toured the huge office space, which has expanded considerably since I worked in the old place where the toilets didn’t flush properly and the carpet was torn. In comparison the new digs are quite opulent.

I enjoyed a lunch at the Swiss Chalet with four of my CKC friends Diane, Lita, Leila and Rachel, all of whom are managers. While I worked at the CKC, I encountered so many nice people, all women, and I am pleased that even after an absence of over a year, our friendships still hold. I look forward to more visits in the future.

BACK TO REALITY

Up to this point I have still been on my extended vacation, but the journey is almost over, and hence this will be my final blog entry. From time to time I may add a bit of news but the reality of ordinary life will soon take over. I haven’t yet decided what comes next, but have a few things on the go.

My brother Carl had been looking after my mail while I was gone, and handed over a bagful of correspondence, magazines and bills. My insurance company has still not paid my medical bills from my encounter in the US and this will be a priority to follow up on as soon as possible. There are other things that I need to look after and many people to visit as well in the coming weeks.

Tonight (June 21), my family is treating me at Montana’s to celebrate my 66th birthday. My niece Natalya made a special cake (this is what she does for a business). It is also the birthday of my great-niece Cassandra and she will have a special cake as well.

Tomorrow Carl is coming with me to the place where my car is up on blocks, so that we can get it on the road again. From there I will be taking my RV to my friend Sue’s farm where I will park it, hooked into their electricity and water for the time being.

I do know that I will be house sitting for my friend Vanessa while she is in Africa from October to December. Other than that, nothing else is definite yet.

At this time I want to acknowledge and thank all of you who helped me in one way or another as I made this journey. I especially appreciated hearing from you via email or letter. Despite the various setbacks with mechanical problems, I would not have missed this for the world. It is definitely not the end of adventure for me, but for now I will be staying put in Ontario. It is my fervent wish to return to Arizona early in 2009 to spend more time with my new friends at Indian Skies. We shall see what unfolds for me and Ripley in the future.

EPISODE NUMBER FORTY-SEVEN - NORTHERN ONTARIO - MAY 16-30, 2008

2008-06-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

EPISODE NUMBER FORTY-SEVEN - NORTHERN ONTARIO - MAY 16 - 30, 2008

FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008

STILL IN MANITOBA

Rather than going along the boring Trans Canada Highway, I chose to drive the more scenic route along Highway 44. Rugged Whiteshell Provincial Forest lies through this route passing lots of creeks and trees, giant rocks and very little traffic, at least today. It didn’t help that the winds were gusting up to 70 km/hour. We passed deer casually crossing the highway, and I was intrigued by a sign announcing the Alfred Hole Goose Sanctuary near Rennie. I wondered whether this was actually a sanctuary for Canada geese, considered a scourge and nuisance in most parts of Canada, and sure enough, it was!

The sanctuary was created by Alfred Hole to protect the geese, and the sign announced that there were 105 in residence. Much of the area was fenced off, but there was a trail around the lake for visitors, crossing over man-made rapids. I followed it for part of the trail, before heading back to have lunch in the parking lot.

Highway 44 was in no better shape than 101 had been; in fact, we were jounced around so much that the smoke alarm was set off! I had to listen to its annoying ringing for some time until I could find a safe spot to pull off. I was heartened to see that a couple stopped when they saw me on the side of the road, to check to see if I was okay. It’s nice to know that people care.

ONTARIO

Close to the junction of Highways 44 and 1 is the end of Manitoba and the beginning of Ontario. After a short drive I pulled into the Visitor Centre to pick up some information on local attractions. Even though I grew up in Ontario, it’s a huge province and I haven’t been in the northwestern end very often.

KENORA

Onward to Kenora, where I pulled into the parking lot of McDiarmid Lumber, as suggested by Diane and Jerry, my cousin. We had previously agreed that I would call them when I arrived, so that they could come to guide me to their cottage. It’s just as well that they did. Not only is the road twisty with several turns, it is also badly damaged after the winter, with giant potholes and parts of boulders exposed. Jerry sat with me to guide me through the obstacle course until we arrived. The land in this area of Lake of the Woods is owned by an aboriginal tribe so the cottage lots are on a 79-year lease. Diane and Jerry have two acres and have built a beautiful cottage with a panoramic view of the bay. There are decks front and back, with a glassed-in porch, leading into the dining room, kitchen and high-ceilinged Great Room. And to top it off, there’s a hot tub on the back deck! There are three bedrooms, which is just as well, as they have a lot of visitors. And no wonder. It is a beautiful, serene location.

With Jerry’s help, I pulled into an area close to the cottage where I could plug into electricity and get comfortable, as I will be sleeping in my rig. They are still in the process of opening up the cottage for the season, and the water has not yet been turned on.

Despite the strong winds, Diane and I took Ripley for a walk up to the road and around the neighbourhood of adjacent cottages. We had a quick, convenient meal of chicken nuggets while we awaited the arrival of Jerry and Diane’s daughter Lisa and Lisa’s daughter, Mikayla, as well as Jerry’s brother (my cousin too) Peter who all arrived late together, along with Kenny (Mikayla’s Pomeranian) and Oliver (Pete’s Shih Tzu). All three dogs went through the ritual of making acquaintance dog-style by sniffing bums and, thankfully they all agreed to be friendly. At least they are all about the same size!

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2008

Poor Ripley was terribly sick overnight, vomiting several times and having awful diahrrea. She had obviously got into something around the property, but I don’t know what. I was very concerned about her and debated about whether I should wake my cousin to drive into an emergency veterinary clinic. Between puking on the comforter and the rug in the RV, she just lay panting and shivering. By dawn, she was sleeping soundly and was much improved. Jerry thought that she might have eaten either some mushrooms that grow wild here or else a crayfish. The gulls on the lake dive and grab the crayfish, eat only the body and leave the claws. Perhaps Ripley helped herself to one or two of the leftovers. I do hope that she’s learned her lesson!

Jerry and Pete worked on hooking up the water again, so we can shower – and fill up the hot tub.

It is extremely windy today and overcast. Because I had very little sleep last night, I slept in. I did hear loons on the lake early on, and I’m looking forward to seeing them.

COTTAGE LIFE

It took some getting used to the slow-paced style of cottage living, but eventually I got into the groove of simply relaxing. Unfortunately, it was too cold and windy to stay outside for very long, but the glassed-in windows on the porch afforded a good view. There are two bird feeders and a hummingbird feeder on the front deck; I sat inside and watched a parade of red squirrels,

blue jays and starlings displacing each other at the feeders. A little TV, an afternoon nap and it was soon time for a supper of barbecued pork steak, salad and peaches & cream corn. Afterwards, we played Scattergory, a word game that I brought along, and then dominoes. A typical cottage-style day.

SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2008

The wind has finally died down, and it’s a nice sunny day – a perfect day at the cottage. I walked down to the dock with my binoculars and was rewarded with two loons swimming by. Diane had mentioned that there is an eagle’s nest across the bay on the island, but I couldn’t find any sign that it is occupied at the moment.

Lisa’s boyfriend Bob arrived this morning and went off with Pete to buy some minnows. We’re going fishing! Jerry’s boat was launched and Bob, Diane and I went along with Captain Jerry to a quiet cove nearby where some good fish have been caught previously. But, even with Jerry’s fancy fishfinder, none of us got a bite.

We returned to the dock where Bob and Pete traded places and Captain Jerry steered the boat to a nearby area to troll. Pete got a strike but it got away (isn’t that the traditional fish story? –“you should have seen the size of the one that got away”). Even though we didn’t catch any fish, it still was fun to see the surrounding area.

I’m not sure if it’s because the weather is better, but I saw a pair of common mergansers, some mallards and Canada geese.

A nice session in the hot tub took out the aches, and after dinner we played dominoes and watched Extreme Makeover, Home Edition.

MONDAY, MAY 19, 2008

Ripley vomited twice during the night and did not eat her dinner. However, I suspect that she has been begging food from Mikayla and just isn’t very hungry. All three dogs hover around her during mealtimes.

Jerry has bought a boat lifter from his next-door neighbour and the men spent the majority of the day dismantling it and attempting to float it over. However, they were not terribly successful, as the pipes that hold it in place merely sank into the river bottom, and after several hours, they gave up for now.

Mikayla and Diane each played my Scrabble game, playing against the computer and soon became as addicted as I am in trying to beat the computer. I’m happy to report that they agree with me that the computer cheats!!

Bob, Lisa and Mikayla left for home to return to Winnipeg later in the day. Tomorrow is a work and school day for them. Jerry and Pete, along with their neighbour, made another effort to float the boat lifter but again were unsuccessful.

Today is a holiday in Canada, so I am remaining to avoid the crowded holidays. I am enjoying the leisurely lifestyle here and it is a pleasure not to have to drive!

The sunset was magnificent as I sat on the dock, and had the experience of watching a beaver swim across from our side of the lake to the island just across.

And just at dusk I saw three pelicans fly over as well as the same pair of common mergansers.

Diane got into the Scrabble game again and seems to be enjoying it a lot.

TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2008

Ripley was again sick overnight and I got little sleep as a result. She vomited on the rugs in the RV, so I spent some of the morning shampooing them. From now on she will have to be on a leash when outside, so as to avoid any further problems.

I had intended to leave today, but Diane and Jerry have graciously invited me to stay longer and will drive me to town to take care of some of the important business I need to do. And besides, today is a beautiful sunny day.

I have found a few ticks on Ripley, and this morning I found one on Oliver, Pete’s dog. He has long hair and is black and white, so it is very hard to find them. I let Pete know so that he can check his dog more thoroughly. He’s a very sweet dog, but Ripley gets jealous when I pet him!

I asked Pete and Jerry if they would look at my generator to see if they can figure out why it doesn’t start. Pete pulled off the spark plugs and checked the wires and concluded that they should be replaced.

KEEWATIN/KENORA

First, we stopped by a dock and boat lifter company so that Jerry could arrange to have someone come out to move the boat lifter and to build the supports needed at his own dock, but the owner was away for lunch. While I waited for Jerry and Diane, I was visited by a friendly Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and a black lab puppy, the owner’s dogs. We will come back later.

We headed into the little town of Keewatin to the Motor Vehicle Licence department so that I could report a change of address on the ownership papers of both my car and RV. I should have taken care of this before I left, but simply ran out of time. So it was a great relief to get this chore accomplished, just in case I should get stopped by the police.

Keewatin and Kenora have amalgamated under one township now instead of being two separate towns, and we headed into the downtown area of Kenora to Safeway to get groceries, and then to go on to the Provincial offices so that I could report to OHIP, the Ontario Hospital Insurance Plan. Ordinarily, Ontarians may not be out of the province for more than six months in a year, in order to continue to qualify for medical insurance here; but I had obtained permission to be away for a year, and I needed to report in that I had returned. I had to fill out some forms, have my photograph taken, and also sign an organ donor card.

Something that I was unaware of was that my previous signed card donating my entire body for medical research is no longer valid. For liability reasons, only organs can now be donated unless I contact the particular hospital to whom I wish to leave everything and get their approval first. So, that is another thing that I will have to take care of. I feel strongly that, once we are dead, we should contribute what we no longer need, either organs or the entire body, to assist others. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of organ donors in Ontario and many people die while waiting for a transplant. And medical students can only learn their profession by practising on the dead. I don’t want to take up some space in a cemetery and would hope that fledgling doctors might learn something through my donation.

It took longer than I had anticipated finishing my business at OHIP, and we hurried over to Cummins Generator in order to get the spark plug wires. They had the wires but not the spark plugs, and directed us to Piston Rings down the road, which did have the plugs.

It was getting close to closing time at the dock and boat lifter company, so we hurried back to the west side where the owner agreed to come out tomorrow to assess the situation. We backtracked to McDiarmid Lumber where I checked out generators while Jerry and Diane looked for paint. They had an 1800 watt generator for only $500, and maybe I’ll just get a new generator if it still doesn’t work properly.

When we returned Pete spent some time installing the new spark plug wires and plugs. He got it started, but it quit shortly afterwards. So we are back to square one. I did appreciate the effort that Pete and Jerry put in and it’s a shame that it still doesn’t work properly.

For supper we had the frozen lasagna and garlic bread that I had bought at Safeway and then watched American Idol Finals and Dancing With the Stars Finals. Kristi Yamaguchi won. Tomorrow the winner of American idol will be announced. I expect that it will be David Archuleta.

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2008

Ripley was fine last night. So, I conclude that she has been eating something on the cottage property that has been making her ill, and now that she is not allowed to wander loose, she can’t get at it, whatever it is.

Pete called to me to come quickly, and through binoculars I saw that the bald eagles have returned to their nest. One of the birds sat on a branch beside the nest for some time. Diane mentioned that they cause a great deal of excitement during the nesting season, as the eggs hatch and as they raise their young. It’s like having a front row seat, as the tree is directly across from the dock, and I wish I could remain to see the whole sequence.

Jerry, Diane and Pete

As lovely as it has been for me to stay at the cottage, I felt that it was time to move on and not overstay my welcome. Jerry and Diane have been very gracious, but I imagine that they would enjoy some time to themselves before they return to Winnipeg on the weekend, although they assured me that I was no trouble. Pete, of course, is here often and pitches in to help Jerry with the various chores that need doing.

With the help of Pete and Jerry, I back up my RV and turned it around, ready to go. After taking some last-minute photographs, I said my goodbyes and headed back along the very bumpy road through the native community. Diane told me that they have to pay for the 79-year lease upfront in one go, but then pay a yearly road maintenance fee. They have been informed that there is no money left this year to maintain the roads, so something is wrong. The money from all sources, including the provincial government, goes to the chief and he alone determines what to do with the funds, so this could lay the groundwork for some uneven distribution of funds to the other members of the tribe. I’m not in a position to criticize. However, I could certainly see that some houses were quite modern, even with satellite TV, while others were in disrepair.

I passed several deer nonchalantly nibbling on grass at the side of the road during the 10 km drive back to Highway 17.

As I continued eastward, I passed through the town of Kenora once again, passing the statue of Husky the Muskie.

Many of these northern towns have a statue of one animal or another. The highway winds through the downtown area, passing several historic buildings that have been renovated into shops, hotels and the town hall, overlooking the harbour of Lake of the Woods. Jerry and Diane can actually bring their boat across right into the marina, if they wish.

NORTHERN ONTARIO

Northern Ontario is sparsely populated, with long stretches of trees and lakes between the towns, and I was concerned to see that many of the trees lining the highway were dead. I don’t know if they had been affected by the pine beetle or some other insect, or if there is another factor of which I’m not aware. Nevertheless, it was disturbing to see.

I passed several construction zones where the road is being worked on. It looks as though much of it will be converted to four lanes. That would be helpful for the many transport trucks that use this route to cross Canada. I drive only at 80 km/hour and held up many of these trucks who wanted to go faster, until a spot opened up where they could pass me on the winding highway.

I had a salmon sandwich for lunch.

VERMILLION BAY

I didn’t get too far today, after leaving late, and stopped for the night at the Crystal Lake Campground. The sign on the highway said they were closed, but I took a chance anyway, and sure enough, they were open. They had just opened for the season over the long weekend, and I was the only camper there today. It cost $29.25 for a full hook-up, but they do have wi fi included. The campground is located on Crystal Lake and is quite attractive. I was told that the owners bought the property thirteen years ago, and it was in quite a run-down state. They are slowly putting in improvements, and apparently have the only campground with wi fi in the entire area. They are in the process of digging a trench to erect a strong transponder. However, I couldn’t get a strong enough signal where I was camped and moved to the picnic bench just outside the office. Fortunately, it was a nice warm day, so it was comfortable being there for a couple of hours, while I checked my email and put up two more installments of my blog. I don’t know when I will have another opportunity to add the photographs, but at least the blogs are up to date. One of the emails I received was from Suzanne Chacon, my friend in Seattle, letting me know that her boyfriend Dan was at the 8,000 foot level of Mount Denali and that there were few other climbers there. I sincerely hope that he makes it to the top with his team, and that they descend safely. It was very courageous of him to undertake this climb, his first and I hope that all his preparations paid off.

I then discovered that I had left behind my sewer hose at the cottage! I remembered that I had taken it out of the generator compartment in order for Pete to work, and then I completely forgot to put it back! This was serious as my tanks were full. Fortunately, the owner of the campground had a spare sewer connection, so that I was able to dump, but I will have to get another one as soon as possible.

When I took Ripley out for a walk, we encountered several rabbits with white feet. That’s unusual and different from the rabbits that I have seen in southern Ontario. I’ll have to check to see if they are a different sub-species or just a colour variation.

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2008

It is overcast and cool today. The weather is so unpredictable and switches from spring-like weather to fall-like weather in just 24 hours.

I was very itchy overnight and discovered that Ripley had picked up fleas during our walk in the grass yesterday. I had to get up and spray the bedding and carpets, and treat my hair and Ripley in order to get rid of them. This is really unpleasant, and I’m glad that I’ve treated Ripley with her monthly dose of Flea and Tick remedy, although that didn’t help in repelling the fleas. I’ll have to be more diligent when I take her out walking in future.

I tried to call Diane on her cell phone to tell her that I had left my sewer connection there, and found that my carrier doesn’t have coverage in this part of Ontario! Darn. That means that I can’t use my cell phone at all.

DRYDEN

As we drove along the empty highway, I saw more deer by the roadside and at least one red-tailed hawk. When I arrived in the relatively large town of Dryden, I stopped at the Canadian Tire store to buy a new 20’ sewer connection. They had the hose but not the fitting that attaches it to my drain, so I still need to find that part. I tried the Wal Mart store, but all they were selling was the complete kit with a 10’ hose. It’s too short for some of the connections I’ve encountered.

IGNACE

At Ignace I gassed up, at the price of $1.34.9/litre. Across the road from the gas station I spied a chip truck selling fish and chips, a comfort food for me that my family indulged in every Friday. So naturally I had to order one. The haddock was a little sparse, but the fries were freshly made and both tasted just great with malt vinegar on them. This is yet another difference between Americans and Canadians. Americans do not put vinegar on their fries, and look at you very oddly if you ask for vinegar. And you won’t find malt vinegar anywhere there.

The skies remained clear with a few clouds as I continued, passing a number of signs for fishing and hunting lodges, some of them being fly-ins. There are lots of wetlands and lakes, but I continue to see dead trees that look like birch. There are lots of transport trucks heading westward, and I’m glad to report that the highway is in good condition so that I am not bouncing along for a change. There are many signs warning of the danger of moose crossing the highway at night, so I suppose that the incidents of accidents are quite high. The railway line follows the highway more or less, winding its way from coast to coast and I noticed a lot of freight being moved. I’ve noticed that there are many cargo boxes doubled up and it appears as though some of the boxes are just perched on top of the one below quite precariously. But I imagine that they are secured somehow – at least I hope so!

If I were working in an office, by now I know that I would have had at least a few bouts of flu and cold over the past few months because of working in an enclosed air environment where the germs just migrate around from one person to the next. I am so thankful to be away from that and out in the open fresh air, where I have had only the one incident back in Florida when a sick child coughed on me repeatedly.

As I continued along the highway where there is no radio coverage, I listened to more of the tapes that I bought in Calgary – Riverdance, Folkways (renditions of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly tunes) and Vacation in the Sun (everything from Greek to Caribbean music).

TIME CHANGE

At 4:30 it began to get more cloudy, and I pulled off at a picnic site where there was a sign proclaiming a crossing into the Eastern Time Zone, along with an explanation of Sir Sanford Fleming, who created the concept of time zones. That means I lose an hour.

As I was walking Ripley around the picnic site, I came across a man who was busily picking up bits of garbage, and he seemed quite strange until he went back to his car and put on his orange vest and helmet. I thought it was a big odd that he was just beginning his clean-up at this hour, and he actually worked until 9:00 p.m. Perhaps this is a second job for him. The Savanne River flows by the picnic site, but I didn’t see any waterfowl, maybe because the current is quite strong.

BOONDOCKING TONIGHT

The weather is mild and I decided to remain at the picnic site for the night, as I didn’t see any signs prohibiting overnight parking. Very soon I was joined by two other rigs and a conversion van. One of the rigs was a home-made job on a Mercedes chassis. I spoke to the owner, who was German, briefly, and he informed me that it was a four-wheel drive heavy duty machine that could go off-road and that he had done all the work himself. I think it may have been imported, as the licence plate was not Canadian, but I didn’t think to ask him that.

I also chatted briefly with a woman who stopped briefly in a U-Haul van. She lives in Ottawa where her parents were both elderly and ill, whereas her husband is working in Winnipeg. Her mother has now passed on, and her father is now in a nursing home. She was hauling some of their furniture to him to fill the house that he is in, and will wind up the sale of her father’s house, etc. before joining her husband.

I decided to make a beef casserole for supper, using the pound of hamburger adding pasta, garlic, onions, tomatoes, peas and corn, a dash of Montreal steak spice and some leftover tomato sauce. This will be a meal for a couple of days – my favourite as I can then quickly have a decent meal in days to come.

I’ve traveled 293 kms. today.

During the night a transport truck also pulled in, so I had plenty of company.

FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008

I awoke late to find that all the other rigs had departed. I got underway around 11:45 a.m., after walking Ripley and having breakfast.

I soon passed a sign announcing that I was crossing the Continental Divide. From here on eastwards, all streams flow into the Atlantic Ocean – a long way from here.

Aside from the trees and lakes, I am also passing boulders, some of which have been blasted in order to lay out the highway. Northern Ontario is renowned for these landmarks and there are no visible houses along the highway for miles and miles. It really is a vast wilderness.

The weather continues to be warm and sunny.

KAKABEKA FALLS

Kakabeka Falls is a well-known tourist attraction and is known as the Niagara Falls of the North. The falls are not quite as impressive as the more famous southern Ontario falls, but still worth a visit. The Kaministiquia River was a trade route for early explorers, fur traders and the native tribes, but the portage around the falls was onerous and eventually another route was used, as well as a wagon trail and eventually the Canadian Pacific Railway. I took Ripley with me as I followed the trail to the falls and further. Ripley ate some grass and then vomited. I’m not sure if this is still the after-effects of whatever she got into at my cousin’s cottage or something else.

Kakabeka Falls is now a provincial park and campground. Despite the fact that I had only traveled 79 kms. today, I decided that this would be a good spot to stay and after paying the fee of $22.00 I made my way to a nicely treed pull-through site that had electricity but no water.

It was actually warm enough to sit outside at the picnic table and enjoy the afternoon sun, while Ripley found a sunny spot in which to lie. I had leftover beef casserole for supper.

As it is Friday night, many more campers began to arrive, many with small children and the air was soon filled with their voices as they rode bicycles around the trails.

I tried to use my cell phone, but there is still no Telus coverage, which is unfortunate. I thought that I would try to contact another cousin, Bernie Golibowski, who lives in Thunder Bay nearby, but I seem to have lost the information that Pat had given me back in Winnipeg. And I can’t phone him either!

I took Ripley for a walk around the park, but saw few birds other than the odd robin or sparrow. The trees are finally starting to bud, but there are still no flowers in this area.

For the evening’s entertainment I began to read another of my bargain books – Adrian Mole The Cappuccino Years by Sue Townsend. She has a very amusing style of writing.

My hair is now beginning to look very untidy, as it slowly grows out from the style I received back at 29 Palms in California. You will recall that I went to a hairdresser who specialized in military haircuts, but whom I was assured also did women’s hair. I’ll just have to put up with it until it is long enough to be styled properly.

SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2008

I really enjoyed watching the stars in the night sky as I lay in bed last night. The sky was very clear and there were myriads of stars. In the early morning the park was quiet and peaceful, but as the various children awoke, their shouts soon broke the peace.

I wandered over to the shower building for a lukewarm shower – all that was provided. I’m glad that the outside temperature is fairly warm.

I continued through the town of Kakabeka Falls, stopping for gas ($1.30.9/litre) and propane (89.9 cents/litre), and bypassed a shop selling local amethyst. It was tempting, but I kept on going to Thunder Bay.

As I have been driving along, I have also been pondering what I should do when I get into southern Ontario. I can’t decide whether I should head down to the Toronto area or go north a bit to my own property in Muskoka. The disadvantage of my land is that there is no electricity or water on the property, but it is free. If I head south as soon as I arrive, then I would probably have to see if I could find an available spot in one of the campgrounds in the area. In the summer, sites are scarce and very expensive. In August, I will be house sitting for a friend through to the end of December, but in the meantime I would like to find a spot where I can park for awhile and work on my various projects, including jewelry making and self-publishing this blog (as I have been encouraged by several friends to turn my adventure into a book). I still have time to make up my mind, and as with most things, I’m sure the solution will become obvious as I move along.

THUNDER BAY

I detoured off the highway to follow my GPS Maude to an RV dealer. It was further north than I had anticipated, but at least I was able to get the sewer fittings that I need to get a workable sewer connection. While there I enquired about the cost of the small portable generators they were selling. The salesman told me that a 2000 watt unit sold for $1250, while a 3000 watt, capable of running an air conditioner, cost $1750. He assured me that these were a far superior unit to the ones selling in Wal Mart at a much cheaper price, ran more efficiently and quietly. It is still a lot of money, but something to think about.

The local newspaper is advertising a Senior Star Competition on June 17th, an opportunity for seniors to demonstrate their singing talent. I suppose it is based on the “Idol” competitions.

FORT WILLIAM HISTORICAL PARK

After leaving the RV store, Maude got me lost. For some reason, she took me in a very wide arc out of my way, but eventually I made it to my destination – Fort William Historical Park. This is another site where costumed people greet you and tell you of their lives as they are in the 19th century. After paying my admission (senior’s price is $10.79), I watched a video describing the history of the fort, an important trading post of the Northwest Company, rivals of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The Northwest Company had a different strategy in that they set up outposts near the villages of the aboriginals, enabling them to travel much shorter distances in order to trade their furs for the European goods they coveted. In fact, the NWC established trading routes all the way to the Pacific coast, and then reached an agreement with the American traders in order to obtain goods from China.

The next tour had just started, so I hurriedly caught up with Francois and Registe at the site of wigwams (different from teepees in that they were permanent structures, made out of birch bark instead of portable teepees using animal skins).

Both have the central hearth around which the family would eat and sleep on fur. Francois and Registe (both university students working as a summer job) are voyageurs and told us about their hard life where they would paddle miles each day in large canoes, and at portages they were each responsible to carry six packs each weighing 45 lbs. around rapids or other obstructions, and then carry the canoe to the next launch spot.

At the fort they lived in tents outside the palisades and did not really mingle with the bourgeois.

They have a rendezvous early in June whereby the voyageurs who have traveled from Quebec will meet up with those who live at the fort for a large festival. The men from Quebec will then return home with the packed furs and other goods, leaving behind the European goods they brought, such as guns, cooking utensils, cloth, sugar and other luxury items.

Francois with beaver pelt

Francois and Registe accompanied us to different buildings within the fort, describing the apothecary’s house and demonstrating some of the harsh tools used by the local doctor to treat such ailments as toothaches and headaches.

Registe in apothecar's house

Voyageurs were not given alcohol to deaden the pain before surgery because they prided themselves on being tough, but just imagine having a tooth pulled out with pliers, and then having the root scraped out with a tool that resembled a small pick, without benefit of anesthetic. The headache remedy was equally as painful and it was a small contraption fitted with a spring that literally cut slices into the scalp in order to allow bleeding to occur. Is it any wonder that the voyageurs preferred to use the herbal remedies of the local natives?

Demonstrating stitching the birchbark together to make a canoe

There were many buildings within the stockade (erected to protect the inhabitants from wildlife rather than enemies), and because it is early in the season there are only a few costumed people rather than the full contingency in the summer.

Likewise, the demonstrations of local manufacturing of tin, sewing, etc. are not available at this time. However, we did make our way to the trading post where I was astonished at the number of animal pelts to be found here – everything from beaver pelts (the most coveted) to ermine, lynx, bobcat, rabbit and every other furred creature found in Ontario. These were all genuine furs and I wanted to ask how they were obtained.

The trading post is also the store where the natives came to exchange their pelts for goods such as blankets, shot, cloth, salt, sugar, etc.

We went on to the central dining room where the aristocrats and clerks took their meals, with tables laid out with china, Wedgewood glassware and silverware. Paintings on the walls of this vast central room depicted some of the more prominent residents, many of whom were present only for the summer, and returning to England before winter set in. There were four bedrooms attached to this building set aside for these gentlemen. The clerks had their own building.

Francois and Registe left us on our own at this point, as they had another tour coming in, and I continued on my own to the area where the blacksmith and others would be demonstrating their crafts during the summer, but which were unoccupied presently. From there I wandered over to the farm where all the vegetables and meat are grown for the occupants of the fort.

By this time I had been walking for 2 ½ hours and it was almost closing time, so I made my way to the greeting area, where a costumed staff member spoke into a box to call for a golf cart – a clash of centuries, but something that I was quite grateful for.

I considered just remaining in the parking lot overnight, but found that the gates were locked and no one was allowed to stay there. Consequently, I continued on my way back to Highway 17 eastwards.

TERRY FOX

The majority of Canadians have heard the story of Terry Fox, a courageous young man who had lost his leg to cancer at the age of eighteen. During his recuperation in hospital, he realized that there were many people suffering from this terrible disease and decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He began by dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean, and then headed across Canada, averaging 26 miles per day running on his good and artificial leg. He had traveled some 5,000 miles before being forced to stop in Thunder Bay because his cancer had recurred. He died shortly after that, at the young age of 21 in 1981.

By the time that Terry had reached Thunder Bay, he had raised several million dollars as he became an inspiration to all who saw him. I can recall seeing him on TV as he made his way through Toronto.

There is a monument to Terry just on the outskirts of Thunder Bay. I had a particular interest in seeing this as my last contract job before taking off on this trip was assistant to the International Director of The Terry Fox Foundation. I worked with Breeda to oversee the Terry Fox Runs that were held around the world, so I had an insider’s look at just how inspirational this young man has been. Twenty-seven years later there are Runs held not only across Canada, but also around the world in Terry’s name and to date approximately $90 million has been raised for cancer research.

The monument is life-size and a very accurate portrayal of him, as it looks out over Lake Superior. I had read that earlier this year someone had defaced the statue, but it must have been repaired.

LAKE SUPERIOR

Lake Superior is one of the Great Lakes, and is huge. I will be crossing the northern end of it for many miles yet. Gordon Lightfoot wrote a very famous song called “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” about a freighter that went down in Lake Superior on one windy day. The lake looks quite foreboding on an overcast day like today and it wasn’t difficult to imagine that many a ship has been lost in this body of water.

The Camping Directory that I picked up at the Visitor Centre when I first entered Ontario indicates that there are very few campgrounds along this stretch, and when I saw a sign for Eagle Adventure Campground, I decided to stop there even though it was some 15 kms on a side road. However, when I arrived I was told that the fee was $45, including the admission fee to some suspension bridges and that was the fee whether or not you wanted to see these bridges. There was no way that I was going to pay that fee, so I retraced my steps over the gravelly bumpy road back on to Highway 17 and eventually came across the Wolf River Park where I managed to get the last site available (electric only) for $22.

Most of the sites are seasonal and people have erected porches and fences and put out decorations around their sites.

The Wolf River circles around the park, and I took Ripley down to the beach to collect some river stones.

After more beef casserole, I settled down to see if I could pick up any TV and managed to watch a snowy version of the Stanley Cup Finals first game. Although there was a double image of the players, I could at least listen to the play by play. Detroit won 4-0. I’m rooting for Pittsburgh.

SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2008

It rained overnight, and the river beside the park had risen overnight, with a strong current.

CBC RADIO

As checkout time wasn’t until 2:00 p.m., I slowly got ready to leave and listened to the CBC , with Stuart McLean. He contacted a young boy who had named his cow after him, and others who had written to him with their stories.

After it ended another show came on featuring two characters doing a take-off on a Dr. Seuss story, in which a man had turned into a cockroach and was writing to a prominent doctor in Europe to help him. The doctor would respond in a typical Seuss rhyme, and it ended with the man’s sister writing to the doctor to say that her brother had passed on, but not before starting to show wings so that he was in fact a beetle and not a cockroach after all. You had to hear it.

As I drove along, I listened to interviews with three Olympic athletes talking about their preparation for the upcoming games, followed by an interview with Dr. Gabor Matte who has written his fourth book “In the Realm of the Hungry Ghost”. He explained that this was one of the Buddhist concepts of life. The Hungry Ghost realm is one in which people are confronted with their demons that make one dissatisfied with life and make them want to escape from reality. He works with drug addicts in Vancouver and uses this concept to treat his patients. He describes one who is highly intelligent and who can spout Goethe and Proust but who is in and out of jail frequently as he pursues his need for drugs. Dr. Matte also spoke of his own addiction to classical music; he said that he has been known to spend thousands of dollars on different versions of a Mahler symphony in a 48 hour period. The book sounds quite fascinating, and I will have to seek it out in the library when I get home.

I have noticed that many of these towns have service clubs, and as a Rotarian I am pleased to see the Rotary wheel prominent on the signs as I travel through.

The highway follows the shore of Lake Superior, so I was able to stop at a few picnic sites for views of the lake. There was one site in particular where I was tempted to spend the night, as it was well away from the noise of the highway amongst the trees that overlooked the lake. But I had only driven 60 km so far, and the weather is forecast to be very cold tonight, so I continued on, listening to Donna Summer as I lost radio contact.

The lake has whitecaps now and the overcast skies make it look very dangerous.

The highway travels through rolling hills and wilderness, and there are a number of moose warnings in the area.

I thought to stop in Terrace Bay to fill up with gas, only to find that there was a power outage throughout the area, and consequently the pumps were not operating. A sign on the pumps stated that the outage would be over at 4:30, a half hour from the present time. As my tank was very low, I opted to park and wait and had supper while I was waiting. This time I had pot roast with gravy and mushrooms (a refrigerated package) and mashed potatoes.

Just as I was finishing my meal, the power came back on and I was able to fill up. When I started out on this adventure, I paid $80 to fill the tank. Today it cost $128. However, on a lighter note, I won $4 on a lottery ticket!

I thought that I might see some interesting birds in this region, but so far I have only seen sparrows, robins, gulls, Canada geese and the odd hawk and turkey vulture.

NEYS LUNCH AND CAMPGROUND

After consulting my Passport America book, I found that one of the few member campgrounds in Ontario is located just outside Marathon, so I pulled into Neys Lunch and Campground, paying $12.50 a site with electricity, water and sewer connection. Tammy and John Gillespie bought the run-down campground four years ago and are slowly renovating it. They are setting up wi fi, but for now they have a computer with internet connection in the café area, but they charge $5 for just an hour’s use. Since I haven’t been able to check my email for some days, I forked over the money. The connection was very slow and I wasted ten minutes of the sixty allotted just in connecting to my email.

The campground is across the road from Neys Provincial Park, which was a German POW camp during World War Two. After the war was over, it was used for awhile as a work camp, but then the government decided to erase any traces of its former use. It was then discovered that there were many sensitive indigenous plants growing there and it was then converted to a park and campground. I suppose that I could have stayed there, but it would have cost me more and, like most provincial parks there is probably only electricity available and no water or sewer.

I checked to see if I could get any TV reception with my rabbit ears, and found that I could again get the CBC. I watched a new show called “Test the Nation” with Wendy Mesley and Ron McLean. The subject of this first show was sports. There were representatives from Olympic medalists, armchair sportspeople, umpires and referees, cheerleaders and mascots, and extreme sports people, each of whom had a voting terminal. There were also terminals available at a sports bar in Toronto for the occupants there, all of whom had to choose the correct answer to fifty multiple choice questions. It was quite entertaining.

MONDAY, MAY 26, 2008

During the night the weather turned nasty, with loud thunderclaps and lightning, which frighten the hell out of Ripley. She just quaked most of the night and was very restless regardless of my efforts to reassure her. Consequently, neither of us got much sleep and I awoke this morning to freezing rain and strong winds. Not a good day for traveling, so I opted to remain here for another day.

The café offered a full breakfast of two eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and coffee for $5.99, so I decided to splurge, and use up the rest of my hour on the internet. The store is also the local liquor outlet, so I bought a bottle of strawberry wine too. Since arriving back in Canada, I have not bought any beer or wine because the prices are so much higher here, but I made an exception today.

When I arrived yesterday, I was surprised to learn that there was only one site available, but I was told that the mill in Marathon has shut down for maintenance and consequently many of the workers have their rigs here. Apparently there are three gold mines in the vicinity, one of which is the largest open pit mine in Canada. I thought that gold was further north, but I guess I was wrong.

I took Ripley out to the field behind the campsites a couple of times, despite the nasty weather and she enjoyed racing around off leash, particularly when I brought her soccer ball along. She has fully recovered from her frightening night! On one of these walks I saw a bird that I have identified as an American Redstart. It had a wonderful flash of brilliant orange on its wings and tail. It is described as having a butterfly-like flight, and I have to say that I thought at first that I was looking at a butterfly and not a bird, until it landed and I could get a better look at it.

In the afternoon it began to snow, but it does seem that it isn’t going to stay on the ground.

I spent part of the day cleaning house, vacuuming and scrubbing. It’s amazing how much dust gets into the rig.

Besides catching up with my blog, I also indulged myself in reading another novel, this one by James Lee Burke, called “A Morning For Flamingos”. I have read one other novel of his and enjoyed his main character Dave Robicheaux, an ex-cop from Louisiana.

By evening, the sun had come out and the wind had died down, so tomorrow will be a good day for traveling.

The radio is saying there is a frost warning tonight, with a low of -3 degrees C. What happened to spring??

For a change, I watched a DVD featuring Robin Williams in one of his stand-up comedies. As usual, he was totally irreverent but very funny.

The second Stanley Cup Finals game is on tonight, so I tuned in during the second period. Detroit is leading 2-0. Not good.

TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008

The weather is really variable at this time of year in the north. Overnight the temperature dropped to near freezing and the forecast is for freezing rain or snow.

After checking my oil and making a sewer dump, I headed eastwards to the town of Marathon to the library to use the free Internet service. That is one consistent service that I have found throughout my travels, and it has been a real boon to me. I checked the American Idol site, and was really surprised to see that it was David Cook who won. In my opinion, he was better ready to get on stage an entertain an audience than the 17-year old David Archuleta, but I was sure that the tweeners would have voted the latter in as winner.

On my way out of the library, I passed a table selling remaindered books and picked up Rick Mercer’s book of rants. (Canadians will know who I mean; Rick Mercer is a Canadian comedian who is known for his very humorous commentaries on various political and newsworthy subjects, known as rants.

My friend June Barringham will be 80 years old on June 3rd and unfortunately I won’t be back yet; but I did send her a card to wish her well. That is quite a milestone that not all of us will see, and I wish her well.

I’ve been passing a lot of construction on the road – certainly something that is needed and an event which heralds the coming of better weather. Many of the people holding the “Stop” and “Slow” sign are women – probably university students working for the summer. Not a bad gig, so long as the weather is good, but today there are ice pellets and a strong wind. I, for one, would not want to be standing outside today!

I passed the three gold mines, the name of one being Barrick Gold Mines – an infamous name.

DEAD AND DYING TREES

I’m really concerned about the numbers of dead trees that I’ve passed along the highway, and wonder if these are the victims of the deadly pine beetle. They look like giant toothpicks sticking up for miles and miles and are a shocking reminder of what can happen when a non-native species is introduced.

WHITE RIVER

White River has a huge sign showing a drawing of Winnie the Pooh, stating “Where It All Began”. I don’t understand this, as I’m quite certain that the fictitious bear was based on a bear found at the Winnipeg Zoo. I didn’t stop to enquire, but probably should have.

But I did stop at a picnic site (they are few and far between on this road) between White River and Wawa, for cheese and crackers (President’s Choice crackers and locally made cheddar cheese).

Today’s choice of music is the soundtrack from Tequila Sunrise. There is no radio service along this stretch of road. The weather has changed again from this morning and is now sunny, with a high of 11 degrees C.

There are quite a number of provincial parks, and I’m glad to see that the habitat is being protected, although I believe that mining is allowed within the park boundaries. There is a lot of rock that has been blasted to make way for the highway, and many travelers have left their own mark in the form of Inukshuks, a popular thing to do now and certainly less damaging than graffiti.

At Wawa I stopped for gas ($1.29.9/litre) and of course had to take a photo of their famous goose statue, one of many around town.

There is a great deal of creativity in naming the bodies of water; my favourites today are Fungus Creek and Desolation Lake. I overnighted at Rabbit Blanket Lake inside Lake Superior Provincial Park. There was nobody on duty, so I picked a spot and took Ripley for a walk along the shore of the lake. It is really too bad that it is still too cold. This would have been a perfect place to launch a kayak. I do wish that I had brought mine along instead of lending it to Shana.

The computer cheated again at Scrabble. But at least I had strawberry wine to console myself.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2008

I woke up with a headache. Even one glass of wine seems to do me in now. I took Ripley out for a walk on the Peat Mountain Trail to clear my head and to enjoy the beautiful sunny morning. I saw a sharp-tailed sparrow in my binoculars, which I identified from my Eastern Birds book. I am finding this book a bit confusing, and would prefer to find one on just the Birds of Ontario. Ripley desperately wanted to get to a chipmunk she spied through the screen door, and the little mammal seemed to realize that Ripley couldn’t reach her, as it calmly went about foraging for food in the underbrush just outside. That, of course, made Ripley all the more frantic to get out there, but that was not in the cards.

When I was ready to leave, there was still nobody manning the booth, so I guess I had a free night!

Although I am truly enjoying the scenery, I am finding it quite wearying to drive on day after day. It would be good to set down some roots and stay for awhile.

My favourite names for lakes today are Dad Lake, Mom Lake and Baby Lake.

KATHERINE COVE

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world and goes on for miles and miles. I’ve mentioned previously how ominous it looked, but today the lake is relatively benign, the sun is shining and it has taken on a very different demeanour, especially at Katherine Cove, a lovely sandy beach protected by an outer island. I have no doubt that it is a favourite spot for swimmers and canoeists in the warmer weather. As it is still within the provincial park boundaries, I bought a two-hour permit in order to walk along the shore with Ripley and to sit on the rocks overlooking the lake.

I watched a solitary loon diving for fish just offshore. There is such a feeling of serenity in places like this, but I do wish that smokers would not drop their cigarette butts to mar the beauty of the natural surroundings.

AGAWA CANYON

At 3:30 I continued towards Agawa Canyon, a sacred Ojibwe site where there are pictographs left by members of the tribe in an earlier time. I recall visiting here many years ago and that it was a difficult climb to get to the pictographs.

But I hadn’t quite remembered it as being so hazardous. This sign is not an exaggeration!

The trail from the parking lot takes one down through a rocky trail between giant cliffs, and then over some boulders to the stairs leading down to the ledge where the pictographs are. Any visitor who isn’t steady on his or her feet would have a very difficult time climbing down or up. Quite honestly, I am really amazed that the provincial authorities allow visitors to climb out on to the ledge which drops sharply into Lake Superior.

There are a few hand grips, but it would be so easy to fall in. The authorities have very kindly provided a lifebuoy and a grappling bar for those who do fall in, but considering all the safeguards that are generally in place in a tourist area, I just don’t understand why visitors are allowed here at all. And what I found so disappointing is that the pictographs have not been protected and have been allowed to fade, and for moss to grow around them.

I ventured out to the first two closest to the stairs, but was too nervous to go out any further to view the rest. After Ripley slipped on a rock and hurt her paw, I tied her up and left her behind on the trail; she would not have wanted to go any further anyway, as she was quite scared afterwards.

To make matters worse, the black flies were out in hordes, viciously attacking any unprotected skin. That’s the price you pay for hot and sunny weather! The sun glistened off the rocks along the shore, but I did not hang around to admire the beauty for very long!

There is still not cell phone service in this area.

I thought that I might see some shorebirds or waterfowl, but there has been quite a scarcity of these birds in any of the areas where I have stopped.

ANOTHER TOURIST MECCA

The Agawa Indian and Wildlife Fine Arts is a group of buildings together where one can buy gas, chain saw carvings, paintings, groceries, fishing and hunting licenses, export permits for deer, moose and bear, liquor and souvenirs and have a free coffee while browsing. I try not to get too engrossed in places like this, but I did find a compact guide to the Birds of Ontario, with large drawings, and I think it will be a big help in identifying the common birds found here.

The Ontario Campground Directory does not list all the campgrounds that I have come across along this stretch of highway since I left Manitoba, so I don’t know how they get listed. Perhaps it is only those who pay who are in the directory. At Goulais River I stopped at Blueberry Hill Motel and RV to take advantage of my Explorer’s membership discount, the first I’ve been able to use. Explorers is a Canadian RV club that I joined before leaving, so it cost me $26 for the night with electricity and water. The campground boasts a huge variety of playground toys, plus an arcade building, an indoor pool (the water was too cold), sauna, volleyball, basketball, nature trails and internet access. There are many permanent sites here and it must be quite noisy on the weekends when the children are out of school!

After catching up on my laundry, I took Ripley for a walk and came cross a single sandhill crane feeding in the front field.

My new book mentioned that these cranes can be found around the Sault Ste. Marie area as they migrate from the south, so I was quite excited to see and hear this large bird. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes and black flies are also quite prevalent!

I am close enough to Sault Ste Marie to pick up a TV signal and watched Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Pittsburgh won!

THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2008

I don’t believe this. I’ve lost my new sewer hose! The generator compartment where it was stored was not secured the last time I used it, and the hose has dropped out somewhere enroute. Boy, does that make me annoyed with myself for being so careless! It also meant spending $33 for yet another one.

SAULT STE. MARIE

Some years ago, I had the privilege of attending a function at which Dr. Roberta Bondar was the keynote speaker. She is the first Canadian woman to be in space and her talk and slide show was completely fascinating. I had a chance to speak to her after her talk and admired her greatly for her intelligence and sense of adventure. Sault Ste. Marie is her hometown, and they are justly proud of her, naming a community centre and school after her.

LAKE HURON

Lake Superior is now behind me, and I am now traveling along the shore of Lake Huron, an indication that my journey is coming to a close, as I get closer to my destination

CHANGING SCENERY

Today the temperature is 19 degrees C and sunny. But it is also very buggy and I’ve had to dig out my insect spray. However, it is thrilling to see pussy willows and other bushes in bloom, after so many days of nothing but bare bushes and evergreens. There are lots of deciduous trees, with green leaves now instead of only fir trees.

The terrain has changed as well, and there are farms alongside the road now, with hayfields and cattle. There are warning signs for motorists to beware of horse-drawn buggies, so I guess this must be an Amish or Mennonite community.

It would have been interesting to take a mine tour at Bruce Mines, but the sign said it was closed. I suppose it’s too early in the tourist season yet.

I had lunch beside a fast-flowing river about 100 yards wide near some very old abandoned houses near Blind River. I suppose that, once the mines closed and farming was not productive, some people decided to move on. I am only conjecturing and the reason for abandoning the houses may be quite different. I noticed that there is a sign announcing the territory of the Mississauga Indian tribe, and perhaps the property around these abandoned houses was ceded to the tribe.

I’ve seen quite a few seaplanes in the neighbourhood. It is obviously the only way to travel in this land of few roads and many lakes.

BLOCKADE

I was blithely driving along thinking about where I might stop for the night, when all of a sudden the traffic in front of me came to a halt. I had quite forgotten that today had been proclaimed as a day of protest by various native tribes across Ontario, to indicate their displeasure with the government regarding treaties. Not all tribes were participating, but I realized right away that I had come across a blockade that might last for hours. There was a rented RV in front of me, and a German fellow came back to ask me about where to camp for the night. I explained to him about the blockade and suggested that he might have to wait for several hours before moving on. After standing still for about half an hour, I decided to turn around and head back to a picnic site that I had noticed just a mile or two back along the road, beside the Serpent River.

The picnic site was very attractive, shady and led down to the rocks along the Serpent River, where I had lunch. I noticed a sign for the Kennebec Trail, so Ripley and I headed off for a hike for about a kilometer, through blossoming trees along a gravel trail.

I was happy to see the gravel because it meant that I could make a crunching noise to alert any bears in the vicinity. Black bears generally do not attack people unless they are startled or are protecting young, but I was concerned about Ripley. In any event, we didn’t meet any bears but I did enjoy listening to the various birdsongs in the trees around us and looking at the wildflowers. And I did hear the call of a crane nearby but didn’t see it.

It was a very pleasant spot and I would have enjoyed boondocking there that night, but there were several signs forbidding overnight camping. I suppose I could have risked staying, but didn’t feel like being rousted in the middle of the night by an OPP official telling me to move on.

MITCHELL’S CAMP

Instead, I headed back down the road, past where the blockade had taken place, and noticed a sign for Mitchell’s Camp in nearby Spanish. This seemed as likely as spot as any to stop and I’m glad I did. This is another campground not in the Ontario Directory and is on the shore of the mouth of the river leading into Lake Huron. It is used as a boat launch and because of the breeze, there were no black flies or mosquitoes in the grassy campsites. In the office, Mary Mitchell greeted me and for $25 I had water and electricity and shade. I noticed that there were two Norval Morrisseau paintings on the wall. He is a native from Manitoulin Island who has become quite famous locally, whereas at one time he couldn’t even give his paintings away. It seems that her husband used to work on Manitoulin Island and bought these two paintings from Morrisseau himself.

Don Mitchell noticed that my bike was not secured properly and offered to fix it for me. He and his neighbour shortly came around with tools, straightened out my bike carrier and re-positioned my bike more securely on to the frame.

The camp has wi fi but the signal is too weak for me to pick it up at my site. Tomorrow I will ask if I can sit in the office to get a stronger signal.

In the meantime, Ripley and I walked along the shore where I could hear cranes calling on the island just offshore.

FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008

This is a very pleasant spot and I’ve decided to spend one more day here, after sleeping in and having a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, English crumpets and coffee.

Mary had mentioned that there was a trail winding along the shore past some of the houses and that it was okay for me to walk along there, so Ripley and I headed out there, in the hopes of seeing some waterfowl or even cranes offshore. There were none there, but I enjoyed looking at the flowering wildflowers amongst the rocks.

As we headed back along the docks, I came across a single blue-winged teal swimming in the shallows and much to my surprise, Ripley headed into the water towards it. She generally has shied away from getting wet, but she was quite prepared to swim out to the bird when I stopped her. The bird simply moved a little further away.

We continued on to the pier where I encountered three fishermen who had just returned from a successful fishing expedition, and just before the rain started. They were happily cleaning their catch of pickerel (limit of four each) when I stopped by to watch and admire. I mentioned that my father had been an avid fisherman, and wondered if they were retired so that they could be out on a Friday. One fellow explained that they worked shift work and got 3-4 days off at a time. After chatting for a few minutes, he generously gave me a filleted and cleaned fish and that made my day! I am looking forward to fresh baked fish tonight for supper.

I headed back to my RV before the rain came down too heavily, and read for awhile. Today I am reading The Fifth Angel by Tim Green, about a vigilante who is killing sexual predators, after obtaining their name and address from the Sex Offenders List.

Mary allowed me to set up my laptop in the office, but my wi fi is incompatible with Sympatico, it seems. So she very kindly invited me into her house to hook up directly to their satellite connection, and I happily caught up on my blog and emails for a couple of hours.

Since they were getting ready for supper, I headed back to my RV, and Don offered to let me use their barbecue when he was finished. I wrapped up my prize pickerel in tinfoil, along with some onions but take advantage of this offer, and enjoyed a wonderful repast of barbecued fish, onions, rice and corn for supper.

The people in the North really are friendly and generous, and Don and Mary are good examples of this generosity. Their brochure has a poem on it by an unknown author, and I would like to share it with you.

WHERE THE NORTH BEGINS

You tell me you’re a stranger
From lands that lie afar,
You ask me where the North begins
And what its boundaries are.

The North is not an area
It’s not a piece of land
The North’s a spirit and a life
Which you must understand.

Up where the handclasp’s stronger,
Far from the city dins,
Up where the smile lasts longer,
That’s where the North begins.

Up where the sun shines brighter,
Where worries easily end,
Up where the snow lies whiter,
You’re in the North, my friend.

Where every man’s a fighter,
And no one quits the game,
Where the bond of friendship’s tighter
And honor’s more than fame.

Where you feel the fresh wind blowing
From pine woods clean and pure,
Where you find the trout-streams flowing,
You’re in the North, for sure.

Where fewer hearts are aching,
And fewer men walk broke,
Where the world’s still in the making
And all hearts carry hope.

Where fellows don’t mind giving,
And we ask no creed or name,
Where the fun of life is living,
For life is worth the game.

Have you left the camp at daylight,
As dawn was breaking forth,
Carried back your deer at twilight?
Then you’ve really known the North.

Have you smelled the bacon frying,
By streams where the big trout swims,
Made friends without half trying?
That’s where the North beings.

For the North is not a country,
Measured by terms of land,
The real North is a spirit,
Which you must understand.

EPISODE NUMBER FORTY-SIX - MANITOBA

2008-05-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

EPISODE NUMBER FORTY-SIX – MANITOBA - MAY 10 - 16 , 2008

PHOTOS NOW HERE

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008

Manitoba runs on Central Standard Time. It was time once again to change my watch and lose an hour.

As I continued along Highway 13 (now Highway 2 in Manitoba), I couldn’t help but notice more oil rigs in this southwestern region. It makes me wonder why Canadians are paying so much for gas (even more than Americans) when Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba produce a great deal of oil. I know, it is mostly exported, and the provinces impose a gas tax on top of all the other taxes, but I truly feel that we deserve a break. I really don’t understand the commodities system and why the gas at the pump today costs more than the same gas at the station yesterday.

Today the sky is clear of clouds and the weather is mild. Now this is more like it!

There are many more trees here than in Saskatchewan and the fields of grain are much smaller.

LUNCH

There don’t appear to be any rest stops on this highway, but eventually I found a sign leading me to a picturesque picnic area near the town of Deleau. As with most of the places I’ve stopped at, there was no one parked in the mowed field surrounded by trees with a baseball diamond, playground, picnic tables and a cairn commemorating this as the site of an old school. Off to one side was a small cabin with benches and a guest register inside, an interesting document to read who had been there previously and their comments. I noticed addresses from Alaska to Florida.

I indulged in another salmon sandwich, enjoying every mouthful. Ripley and I walked around afterwards and encountered flies – the first I’ve seen this year.

It was tempting to stay here overnight, but it was still quite early and I hadn’t traveled very far today, so in the end I moved on. And besides, the temperature tonight is predicted to be -8 degrees C – a little on the cold side with no electricity to provide heat.

SOURIS

Souris is a medium-sized town that has some tourist attractions, including the longest suspension bridge in Canada. Built in 1904 by Squire Sowden, the bridge measures 582’ across the Souris River. Ripley and I bravely walked across the swaying bridge (I should say that Ripley bravely walked across while I clung to the sides).

I noticed a rock shop on the way in and couldn’t resist having a look. There is an agate pit nearby where for the fee of $10 people can go and collect up to 20 kg. daily. I decided instead to buy some of the polished stones in the shop, all with the idea of turning them into jewelry once I have settled in Ontario again.

As I drove down the main street, I spied a bakery and naturally stopped to buy a yummy homemade cinnamon bun and some butterscotch chip cookies, as well as a loaf of all-grain bread – perfect for sandwiches and toast.

Like many of these smaller municipalities, there is a campground here and I was pleased to see that the water was operational, although the pipeline to the washroom and showers was still frozen. The campground is located on the banks of the Souris River in Victoria Park and is a haven for Canada geese. Ripley kept them at bay around our site.

The bases of all the trees had wire around them, presumably to prevent beavers from cutting them down, although personally I did not see any of these interesting mammals.

After checking out the campground, I returned to the main street to fill up with gas and to use the laundromat located behind the gas station. The gas price here was $1.29.9/litre. Ripley and I whiled away the time waiting for the laundry to be done, before returning to the campground and setting up.

There are trails around the park, one leading to a fenced-in bird sanctuary which seemed to house mostly Canada geese, but also a pair of mute swans who gracefully swam over to where Ripley and I were standing on the bridge. She was quite fascinated to see these two very large white birds, and I suppose the swans were hoping for a hand-out as they stretched their necks towards us. Peacocks wandered around here as well, and apparently are a great tourist attraction, freely making their way along the town’s streets.

We continued on the 2 km. long trail, leading us up the other bank of the Souris River to a 500-year old elm tree, and a lookout point. After being on the open prairie for several days, it was pleasant to wander around through tall trees once again.

By this time I was pooped, as well as Ripley (who slept for several hours afterwards), but I had enough energy to prepare a slow cooker casserole, my dinner for tomorrow. This little appliance is a great way to make a meal that cooks itself. This time I used pork, potatoes, green beans, onions, carrots, stewed tomatoes, adding a dash of barbecue sauce for flavour.

SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2008 – MOTHER’S DAY

Since I’m not a mother (other than to animals and they can’t send me flowers) and my own mother is deceased, today is just like any other day for me. But I think it is a nice gesture to acknowledge the contribution and sacrifice that mothers make.

Yesterday afternoon I ran into an elderly woman who brings her fifth wheel to the campground, but lives in town the rest of the year. She said that she enjoyed the change and that she was off to watch her grandson play baseball. There are a few rigs parked in the campground but no people around, and I assume that these two are people who are preparing for the nicer weather. Next weekend is the big long weekend which is traditionally the start of the camping season for most people.

But for the time being there are just this elderly woman, another family and myself sharing the campground.

I have decided that today will be a rest day. The constant driving is very exhausting for me, and I despair that I no longer have the energy I once had. It is something that I have had to come to terms with on this trip and try not to expect too much from myself.

Later, Ripley and I took a walk up to the main street. Since it is Sunday, most of the stores were closed, but the restaurants were open, featuring a Mother’s Day special.

Souris boasts its own newspaper called the Souris Plaindealer, and here are some excerpts:

Kirkup Agencies are celebrating fifty years of being in business
High school students get back in saddle and compete at the Triple H Rodeo weekend
A Hunter Safety participant is watched by Jack Barrows during target practice at the Hartney Hunting Range
A conservation agreement with The Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation will protect the many sloughs and potholes on the 340 acre farm of Greg and Judy Esplin
Sabres’ rugby season begins

And just with my rabbit ears I was able to pick up two TV stations and caught Game 2 of the Pittsburgh/Philadelphia game. Pittsburgh won. Sidney Crosby truly is wonderful to watch.

MONDAY, MAY 12, 2008

I had been told that someone would show up to collect the camping fees, but I never did see anyone, so I have had two free nights!

Today it is grey, raining and cold, with a high of 6 degrees C, as I headed up Highway 250 north towards Brandon listening to new cassette Operetta Highlights, Part Two. I passed two dead deer on the side of the road, casualties of collisions with automobiles, I assume.

At Portage la Prairie I detoured into the two to find a CIBC bank branch to get cash, and weakened to buy a three-piece combo at the KFC. Of course I shared it with Ripley! Taking her out in the pouring rain for a pit stop afterwards, however, was not very pleasant.

As we passed through Carman, I was reminded that goalie Ed Belfour was born there, and I believe still runs a custom car operation there.

The Trans Canada Highway is a major road that spans the entire country of Canada from west to east, and yet there are still stop lights on it! The wind has picked up considerably in this area where I found the only Flying J Truck Stop in Manitoba, in Headingly, just west of Winnipeg. Instead of heading into the city, I turned north to Warren, to the Rubber Ducky Resort and Campground. It is fairly new and is situated on what was the farm of owner’s parents. He and his wife have done a nice job of turning it into an attractive destination, including a duck pond (hence, the name), mini-golf, outdoor pool, hot tub, rain shelter, indoor children’s play area, wi fi, satellite TV, walking trails and beach volleyball court. The rec hall/office/shower area used to be a barn, as was the owner’s house and they have done a nice job of converting them. One feature that I have not seen anywhere else is that you can rent a hot tub to be installed at your site. Some rigs were parked, but I believe that I was the only camper there at that time.

I watched Dancing With the Stars on the rec room’s TV.

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008

Since Rubber Ducky offers a breakfast, I decided to take advantage of this perk and ordered bacon and egger sandwich with coffee. It has stopped raining, but is still overcast, cold and windy.

OAK HAMMOCK MARSH

The reason that I came to this area was to visit Oak Hammock Marsh, an award-winning interpretive centre that boasts 30 kilometers of walking trails in and around several wetlands where as many as 299 bird species, hundreds of species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects can be found, depending on the time of year. Originally a much larger bog that had been dredged over, Ducks Unlimited and the Province of Manitoba set out to create a 3600 hectare restored wetland comprising man-made lakes, dikes and lure crop areas.

I started out by visiting the Interpretive Centre gift shop where I bought a very lightweight pair of binoculars with a stronger field of vision than my old ones, which had been giving me some trouble. I think that the lenses are a big fogged, after all the abuse I’ve given them, and it certainly is a lot easier to focus in on birds with my new pair, which only cost $20!).

I wandered around the building which has exhibits on various aspects of wetlands and the animals found there, with nice views over the marshlands, and made my way upstairs to the outdoor viewing area where crocuses were blooming – a welcome sight. Then I headed down one flight to the cafeteria to have soup and a huge salad at a table overlooking the marsh. Binoculars are thoughtfully provided for each table, but I used my own new ones.

Before heading outside, I decided to take in the slide show which features the various birds to be seen in the marsh. As it happened, I was an audience of one; the presenter was a young man named Tagger. He was working at Oak Hammock as part of the Katimavik program for young people, which provides employment for short terms in various provinces. He had already worked in Quebec and Ontario under this program, and was finishing up his assignment in Manitoba before heading home to a small town two hours north of Edmonton. When I explained my trip, he was fascinated to hear more, so instead of seeing the slide show (which was full of identification errors anyway), we chatted about his future plans. The half hour was quickly up, and he had to move on to another presentation. From what he said, I think that he would do well aiming towards a career with Parks Canada, and I wish him well.

Ripley was allowed to accompany me as we set off on one of the shorter trails around the marsh (if I read the map correctly, it actually was a total of 9 km). We came across lots of Canada geese, of course, but in addition I was able to identify Mallards, Blue-Winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Canvasback, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, Ruddy Duck, American White Pelican, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Tree Swallow and Red-winged Blackbird. Not bad for one day! Of course, there were other birds that I wasn’t able to identify too.

BACK TO RUBBER DUCKY

My legs were a bit rubbery after the walk and I expect that Ripley might have been feeling the effort as well. We both had a brief rest, but by then it was closing time. Rather than trying to find a new campground to travel to, I simply headed back to the Rubber Ducky, about 20 km. away.

I have begun sneezing and my eyes are itchy. I wonder if there is a tree pollen to which I’m allergic.

I enjoyed a relaxing evening in front of the large TV in the rec hall and caught Dancing With the Stars and American Idol. I think it’s Syesha’s turn to go, although she’s very talented.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2008

I have many relatives in the Winnipeg area, something that I discovered only a few short years ago. I knew that my father was one of twelve and that many of his nephews lived in Manitoba where he was born, but I had not actually met any of them until contacted my cousin Tom a few years ago. He had arranged for me to meet many of my cousins, their children and even some grandchildren, and we have kept in touch since then.

I had mentioned meeting my cousin Jerry and his wife Diane in Arizona, and I was happy to once again make contact with Tom and his wife Pat. Jerry is the oldest of the twelve children born to my father’s brother Pete (now deceased), and Tom is somewhere in the middle. Tom and Pat live on a farm east of Winnipeg and had invited me to visit.

The weather is much more promising today and the ground is drying up nicely, as I drove towards the town of Stonewall. I stopped there to get groceries, use the internet at the library and mail some postcards. But I’m still sneezing.

In order to skirt around Winnipeg itself, I caught the bypass Highway 101 but was surprised at how poor the road condition was. It certainly needs work and my rig took a beating on the bumpy surface.

Dugald was further out than I had anticipated, but eventually I arrived at the farm where Tom, who is retired, greeted me. He has 37 acres on which there are two geese (known as the Terrorists), chickens, a pony, two calves and two dogs. Sky, the female, is very aggressive towards other dogs, so it was necessary to keep Ripley separated either in the RV or carried into the house.

SKY

While we waited for Pat to come home from work, we caught up on our lives. Tom retired early because of a on the job injury and now passes time by making furniture (he showed me a beautifully crafted cradle for his newest grandson), and tends the farm. Tom showed me his greenhouse where he has lots of seeds started, and then the new addition to their house. It has been in the works for a few years now and unfortunately, the roof gave way last winter. It has taken all this time to sort out the insurance and get contractors out to re-build, so it is still very much a work in progress. Meanwhile, Tom and Pat have started to accumulated things to go into the new addition (which includes a huge two-storey Great Room and a master bedroom suite upstairs, and there are boxes stored everywhere.

Pat soon arrived home from her job at Revenue Canada along with her friend Nadine, and we sat down for supper. Tom had prepared a pork roast with potatoes and carrots, in my honour.

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2008

After Tom returned from driving Pat to work, I asked him if he would help fix a few minor things on my RV. He kindly replaced the latch handle on the screen door, as well as the latch on one of the side compartments. He had a look at my generator but wasn’t really able to figure out the problem.

Tom left for a dental appointment, and then to pick up his grandson Blair from school and take him to karate. So I had the house to myself.

The problem was luring Sky away so that I could take Ripley outside, and finally I noticed that she was sleeping in her straw-filled den. So I sneaked Ripley out and we went into the back field for a walk. It is mostly tall grass and bush and when we returned, I discovered that we had brought back some ticks with us. I hate these loathsome creatures and was disturbed to find three crawling on my neck, as well as some on Ripley. Fortunately she has been getting treatment for fleas and ticks through Sergeant’s monthly treatment, but I quickly ran into the shower in order to get over the feeling that they were still on me.

I had some leftover roast pork with vegetables for supper and settled down to watch some TV.

Eventually Tom and Pat returned with Blair, who is leaving with them tomorrow to visit Pat’s mother for the Long Weekend.

Ripley, Blair, Tom, Pat

FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008

This being the first long weekend of the spring, it is traditional for most people to travel, either to relatives or to go camping, even if the weather doesn’t cooperate. As it happens, Tom and Pat have plans, so I will be on my way this morning. Nadine and Wayne had a large trailer parked on the farm, and they are traveling together to Pat’s mother. Once they had packed up, we said our farewells and went our separate ways.

It was great to spend some time once again with my Winnipeg relatives, and I am now heading towards the cottage of Jerry and Diane, in Kenora, Ontario, to spend the long weekend with them.