Steep Rock

Having recovered from a hectic weekend of back-to-back tours, I was back on the road once again on Thursday bound for Steep Rock.

First of all, where is Steep Rock, you ask. I hadn’t heard of it before booking the tour either, but here’s the routes we took going there and back.

Yes, it’s a long way to go.

We left bright and early and headed north on PTH 7 past Stony Mountain to PTH 67 to pick up Lynn, our second tour guide, who lives in Clandeboye and had a lot of good information on the Interlake that she shared with us.

With all passengers and crew loaded, we went west through Stonewall and arrived at PTH 6 south of Warren.

This is the junction of PTH 67 and PTH 6, showing the CN railway crossing used by the Prairie Dog Central that runs on weekends during the summer months between Inkster Junction and Grosse Isle and Warren. I’ve never been on the Prairie Dog Central, but I’m hoping to make it this summer.

Turning north on PTH 6, we proceeded around Warren and then to Woodlands.

Actually, this isn’t Woodlands, it’s “WOODLANDS”. Most signs in Manitoba announcing names of towns and cities are in mixed case, but along this route, they were almost all in upper case. When I saw this and all the other town signs that were in upper case, I couldn’t help but think of a former colleague who achieved infamy by writing all her e-mails IN UPPER CASE. Part of PTH 6 is designated as part of the Northern Woods and Water Route, but it should have been given a commemorative designation in honor of my former colleague. I won’t name her publicly, but some of you reading this know who I’m talking about.

Our first break came just south of St. Laurent, or more correctly, ST. LAURENT, at the M.T.T. Service Station. It was on the itinerary, yet no one seemed to know where it was, and we didn’t spot it until it was in the bus’s rear view mirror, forcing Peter, our bus driver, to put on the brakes and back up. PTH 6 is a narrow, two-lane cow trail that doesn’t have any room for manoeuvre for a large bus.

After the break, we continued north and reached Eriksdale.

As the signs say, “ERIKSDALE” Welcomes You.

Continuing north, we turned west at the northern junction of PTH 68 and headed for the Narrows and the Narrows West Lodge for lunch.

The route to the Narrows was probably the most scenic part of the drive.

As we neared Lake Manitoba, signs of flooding were everywhere as stone dikes lined the highway in two different places.

Having reached the Narrows, we disembarked and headed inside the Narrows West Lodge.

Before and after the meal, I got a number of pictures around the area.

If you ever wondered about the origin of the name “Manitoba”, there is a plaque near the bridge that gives the explanation.

A member of the “Icelandic Air Force” in flight. On our way, Lynn told us the pelicans carried that unofficial moniker in the Interlake.

This is supposed to be a beach, unfortunately swallowed by the flood waters and an earth dike.

The bridge over the narrows.

The remains of the campground on the north side of the highway.

After the break, it was back on the road and we took PR 325 to Ashern, one of the few towns that didn’t have its sign in upper case. Heading north, the upper case sign trend continued as we passed MOOSEHORN.

Soon after passing Grahamdale, we turned west on PR 239 to head for Steep Rock. The highway, however, was in horrible condition and Peter spent the entire 20 km route artfully dodging a number of large holes. Fortunately, traffic was light and crews were working on the highway.

  

After one of the many craters we had gone through, I made the remark to Peter that I thought Steep Rock was by the water, not in the middle of the highway.

Having reached our destination with all passengers and the bus in working order, we disembarked for an hour at Steep Rock, a small community nestled along Lake Manitoba and another of the towns whose sign was ALL IN UPPER CASE. No homes appeared to be threatened by the high water level, but as soon as we got off the bus, we saw what was supposed to be a boat dock.

On the way in, I saw a little park with a train engine, so I made a side trip back to the park before rejoining the group along the cliffs.

There was also a nice mural alongside a building.

The community even has its own church.

Along the water’s edge, the town’s major attraction is the scenic cliffs along the shoreline, and I got a number of pictures.

The cliffs were nice, but I was a little disappointed as I headed back towards the bus. After spending all that time to get out there, I was expecting a little more. If you’re in the area and want to visit, it’s something I would recommend, but I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip from Winnipeg.

The refreshment/kayak rental stand opened for us, though no one from the tour rented a boat to explore the cliffs in more detail. At right were the primitive washrooms that I used. I was thankful that I brought hand sanitizer along.

Having seen all of STEEP ROCK, it was time to get back on the bus and head back down the highway that was as rocky as any of the cliffs we saw. Again, Peter got us and the bus through the minefield of cracks and craters and back to PTH 6. From there, it was south to ERIKSDALE and east along PTH 68 towards Poplarfield.

This highway, in sharp contrast to some of the roads we were on, was smooth about 99% of the time with the exception of the large bumps when we reached a culvert. The person seated to my left was snoring and the thrill ride we experienced at these culverts woke her up each time.

We turned south on PTH 17 and passed by the entrance to the Narcisse Snake Dens on the way to our next stop, the Inwood Golf and Country Club. On the way, I noticed that this highway had received some much-needed attention. The last time I had been up that way, it was almost as bad as PR 239 on the way to Steep Rock.

The highlight of this stop for me was seeing a goalie stick on the wall signed by Joe Daley, the greatest goaltender in Jets history. There was little else there besides the opportunity to get out and stretch my legs and wait in line for the washroom. Choices for stops around this area are obviously in short supply.

After the stop, it was time to return home. We dropped Lynn off at PTH 67 and the rest of us proceeded south into Winnipeg. I got off the bus downtown and had a miserable experience on the final leg of my journey with a busload of intoxicated adolescent punks headed for Manitoba Taxpayers Stadium, the province’s largest saloon, to watch semi-professional football players consume our tax dollars.

The rest of the trip, despite expecting more from Steep Rock, was enjoyable and, as always, I collected several hundred photos that will be ending up on CanHighways.com over the coming months.

My thanks to Peter, our bus driver, for getting us there and back safely, particularly with some of the bad highways we travelled on. It was my fourth trip with Peter and I was pleased to see him in a much sunnier disposition than the last time I had a trip with him. Thanks also to Lynn, who added value to the tour with her knowledge of the places we passed through and to Roswitha, our tour guide once again, whom I’ve travelled with for the sixth time and third time in less than a week.

Clear Lake

One day after my trek to Rat Portage, I was back on the same bus heading north west bound for Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park. I had been through the park last year on my way to Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin, but I had never stopped inside the park before, so this was to be a new adventure.

I had travelled this route before, but the trek on this day was not without its share of sights, scenery, mixed in with a little bit of humor.

I took note that the Esso station in Elie was temporarily closed for badly-needed renovations. Sadly, I didn’t have my camera ready to capture an image of the sign outside that read “Sorry for any inconveniance”. I was kicking myself for that faux pas all the way to Clear Lake.

As we neared Portage la Prairie, we passed a pickup truck hauling a load of firewood. The truck had a vanity license plate “GUD WUD”.

Once we got to Gladstone, our bus driver pulled over to allow us the chance to take pictures of the Happy Rock statue.

This time, I had my camera ready, as you would expect. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Farther down the Yellowhead, I spotted a pair of cyclists heading east and another heading west.

As you can see from the picture, there is a paved shoulder that can’t be more than couple of feet wide. That can hardly be any source of comfort for any cyclist, particularly on a high-traffic, two-line highway like the Yellowhead.

Having the legal right to be on this highway is a right that is dangerous to exercise and some better judgment needs to be used here. To borrow a quote from Rambo III, “you need to go home and think it over for a very, very long time”.

Moving on, we reached Minnedosa and turned north. This is one of the most scenic areas of the province and I’m glad I was in the front seat of the bus to capture some of the imagery.

Heading north along PTH 10 passing the northern junction of PTH 16/16A, I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this sign. Evidently, having good spelling and grammar skills are not prerequisites for a job putting the messages on these signs.

North of Road 91N, there are some more scenic rolling hills, and I got a couple of shots through the window of the bus.

Upon arrival in Wasagaming, we disembarked and headed out to the pier to board the Martese that was preparing to take us for a cruise around Clear Lake.

I got a number of good shots from the front of the ship while being swarmed by hordes of giant flies. It was very windy and the boat was rocking back and forth, but that didn’t stop me from taking pictures. Like yesterday’s cruise through Lake of the Woods, however, no camera can do justice to the surroundings.

This shot of a large building reminded me of the lodge in The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson. Even if Jack was running around with an axe and his son was writing “RED RUM” on the walls, I was far enough away that I need not have been concerned. We have enough of those problems with wannabe-Jacks roaming the streets of Winnipeg.

More shots from the Martese.

After getting off the boat, we had an hour and a half of free time and I used some of that time to check out the Ominnik Marsh Trail at the southern edge of Wasagaming.

For any of you familiar with the Fort Whyte Center, the Ominnik Marsh Trail is like Fort Whyte on steroids. The boardwalk didn’t fall apart, but I didn’t feel all that safe on it either. There was a crowd behind me and I wanted to keep moving to keep clear of them and, in retrospect, I was glad they kept me going a brisk pace until I reached firm ground once again. The boardwalk sank into the marsh in several places and only after looking at the pictures the next day did I realize how shaky the boardwalk was.

Nonetheless, covering the entire trail was well worth the sweat under the midday July sun and it was probably the highlight of my time in the park. I only wish I had been there in the morning with less heat and less crowds.

I didn’t stop to knock on the door to see if the beavers were home.

Using what little energy I had left, I walked back to “downtown” Wasagaming, as our bus driver called it, and took a few pictures around the resort town.

While strolling around, I wondered if there was anyone left in Winnipeg and Brandon. Wasagaming seems like a charming little place, but it would probably be best experienced on a cool Monday morning in early October instead of Saturday afternoon in the middle of July.

I walked past the beach and I couldn’t believe the crowds. If any of them had the idea of wanting to get away from it all, it might have been better to stay home.

In any event, it was another memorable experience to savor as we embarked on the long trip home. I picked up another few hundred shots for CanHighways.com, covering Manitoba a mile at a time, and I was particularly pleased that we took PR 357 from Erickson to PTH 5 for some new highway shots.

My thanks to Doug, our bus driver, for getting us there and back safely, and to Roswitha, our tour director, for a job well done two days in a row.

Rat Portage

This past Friday, I took a trip out to Kenora to tour Lake of the Woods aboard the M.S. Kenora. As anyone who knows me would expect, en route, I put my camera through a more strenuous workout than the engine of the bus that took us there and the entire route between Winnipeg and the former Rat Portage was photographically carpet bombed.

Those shots will make their way to CanHighways.com in good time, but there were three particularly noteworthy shots among the 400 I took on our eastbound trek.

This is the Greater Winnipeg Water District railway crossing that follows the Aqueduct from Shoal Lake, which delivers water to the taps of thirsty Winnipeggers. Even our bus driver, who has passed by this way countless times, wasn’t aware of the significance of this crossing. The crossing is located between PTH 11 (Hadashville) and Prawda if you’re heading out that way.

This next shot shows the end of the divided highway as we leave the Socialist People’s Republic of Manitoba and enter Dalton’s Land. Of note is that the “Welcome to Ontario” sign on the right is actually located in Manitoba.

This shot is right at the boundary and you can see the pavement color change. I wasn’t surprised, but I definitely took note that the white lines didn’t match up. I’m also curious as to why two separate King’s Highway 17 markers are needed in such close proximity.

The rumble strips on the Manitoba side are carried forward into Ontario later on, but Manitoba takes it a step further on the undivided portion of PTH 1 east of Falcon Lake. Just as is done through Headingley, rumble strips were added on either side of the yellow lines in the middle of the highway. It’s an excellent safety feature and I applaud the highway ministries of both Manitoba and Ontario for adding them.

I had heard that King’s Highway 17 was in the process of being twinned from the Manitoba border to Rat Portage, but, instead, several passing lanes were added on this busy and treacherous two-lane highway. It’s better than nothing and I know it’s not easy building highways through the Canadian Shield, but this is something that governments should be spending our money on, not what Manitoba is doing by footing the entire bill for a football stadium that doubles as a saloon. This is a vital transportation link that got some attention, but it needs more.

Our first stop upon reaching Rat Portage was the Blue Heron gift shop, but I instead took the opportunity to get some shots around the scenic city.

This shot shows the Lakeside Inn, and for the hockey historians out there, this is where the Winnipeg Jets stayed during their first training camp that was held in Kenora in 1972. Kenora, as the placemats on our tables aboard the M.S. Kenora proudly told us, is the home of the 1907 Stanley Cup champions.

Just like downtown Winnipeg, they have ratmobiles in Kenora as well.

There are many murals in Kenora and this is one of them. You know you’re not in Winnipeg anymore when you see a nice mural not covered in graffiti.

At last, it was time to board the boat and our group had the entire main level to ourselves. We were served a meal that was surprisingly decent while listening to various mumblings from the captain. I later learned that he was speaking clearly into a P.A. system that must have been taken from the since-demolished Winnipeg Arena, a building made notorious by its bad sound system. I would have liked to have heard what he had to say, but alas, it was all lost in the translation.

Someone at our table asked for a knife, and I made the remark that, in light of all the stabbings in Winnipeg, you have to be careful about any Winnipegger asking for a knife.

After finishing the meal, I headed to the top deck, where I enjoyed the rest of the cruise.

These are nice shots, but no camera can do justice to the scenery in this part of the world. It just has to be experienced in person.

I took a lot of shots, but I had to put my camera away for a while and take it all in. If you’ve never been on this cruise, it’s well worth the time, money, and effort.

On Monday, there was an article in the Liberal Party of Canada’s daily publication that details the potential demise of the M.S. Kenora. It would be a shame to see this attraction disappear, so if you’re so inclined, you might want to take this cruise this summer.

On our way back to Rat Portage, we passed by Devil’s Island, where Aboriginal people drew an image of the devil on a rock. It looks like Charlie Chaplin if you ask me.

This shot shows Kenora from a distance as we near the end of the cruise.

This shot shows the town icon, Husky the Muskie, that’s located just off the highway as you pass the hospital on your way to downtown.

After the boat arrived safely back at Kenora Harbor, it was time for us to get back on the bus that would take us back to the degenerate capital of the Socialist People’s Republic of Manitoba.

Once again, I filled up the SD card in my camera with a few hundred more shots that will also be headed for CanHighways.com in time. It was an extremely long day, and the heat didn’t help, but it was a fantastic experience that I’m glad I had.

My thanks to Jack, our bus driver, for getting us there and back safely, and to Roswitha, our tour director, for another pleasurable experience.

Congratulations Not Required

As you might expect, on account of my popular Winnipeg Jets Memorial Site, my inbox has been humming lately. I’ve been making a number of media appearances, and as a result, my 15 minutes of fame has stretched into several hours. Fame is not all it’s cracked up to be and I’m happy it’s died down.

In more recent days, however, the prevalent theme in my inbox has been “Congratulations. You have a team back.”

Funny, but I don’t feel much like celebrating.

Against all odds, an NHL team is once again taking up temporary residence in the capital of the Socialist People’s Republic of Manitoba. Unfortunately, this team is the sole and exclusive property of its owner. Manitobans are welcome to join Mark Chipman for the ride, but the team belongs to him, not to us.

Chipman reluctantly listened to his customers and called the team the “Winnipeg Jets”, but I could care less what he calls his team. I choose instead to focus on the memories I have of the Winnipeg Jets. Chipman can go his own way with his team and I will be having no part of it.

Why, you ask.

I was one of the most dedicated fans of Chipman’s first team, the Manitoba Moose, for a number of years, not that I had a lot of competition. I got a lot of interesting stories to tell from it and more writing fodder than I can ever hope to use, but, spoken from a lot of hard-won experience, being a fan of a Mark Chipman team is excruciatingly difficult. I doubt there’s an owner anywhere in sports who casts more of a domineering influence over the course and direction of his team, on and off the ice, more than he does. It reached the point that I became unable to separate the entity of the team from its owner.

That’s when it was time to bow out as a fan.

And he’s doing the same thing with his new team. He’s running through that playbook, step by step.

And before you say it, yes, it’s his right to run his team in whatever way he sees fit.

It’s also my right as a prospective customer to reject it in its entirety, and especially now, since Greg Selinger has made me and every other Manitoba taxpayer an involuntary investor.

And that’s exactly what I choose to do now.

When the Jets left in 1996, I was heartbroken like many of you were. But, unlike the “return of the Jets” crowd, I wasn’t laying awake at night pining for an NHL team to magically appear underneath my pillow.

I moved on.

I don’t define my self-worth by the presence of an NHL team in the city in which I live.

Sure, I wouldn’t mind having a hometown team to cheer for again. I could get used to seeing the odd game here and there. But I’m not willing to sell my soul to Chipman for the privilege. It’s not that important.

I consider myself one of the lucky ones who didn’t sign up for a five-year commitment for season tickets that cost an arm and a leg expecting that a Stanley Cup parade will be going down Portage Avenue that won’t be happening.

Many of you are about to go down that same well-traveled path that I went down. It’s going to be a lot more expensive than the road I took, and if you think that NHL Winnipeg Jets version 1.0 gave you indigestion, you haven’t seen anything yet.

I sincerely thank all those well-wishers for their kind thoughts, but this is a “gift” that I’ll be passing on.

Name That Team

WINNIPEG (CP) - True North Sports and Entertainment, owners of Winnipeg’s new National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, has finally ended weeks of speculation regarding the name of the team.

Ladies and gentlemen, here come your Manitoba Civil Servants.

The news comes as a disappointment to many across the province. The overwhelming majority of Manitobans wanted the team, who had played in Atlanta since 1999 where they were known as the Thrashers, to be called the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets, who had been founded in 1972 as members of the rival World Hockey Association, joined the NHL in 1979 and played at the since-demolished Winnipeg Arena until the franchise relocated to Phoenix for the 1996-1997 hockey season.

“Since the Premier has been falling over himself trying to find more ways to throw public money at our feet, we thought it was only appropriate to call the team the Manitoba Civil Servants. We wanted a name that our players could warmly embrace,” said a spokesman for True North.

A spokesman for the Premier’s office said that the government was pleased with the choice.

“Of course, we would rather they were called the Jets, but since we’ve been funding True North with all sorts of freebies and handouts, we think that Civil Servants is a fine name. We’re sure the fans will warm up to it in time.”

The choice of name didn’t come without its share of controversy. The Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, also wards of the state, said that they had been considering using the moniker before True North purchased the Thrashers last month and that there could be confusion between the two teams.

True North, however, dismissed the Bombers’ claims.

“We considered that the name might create ambiguity with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but since they elected not to use the name, we thought it would make sense for us. We don’t think there will be any issues with our use of the name,” said the spokesman for True North.

The team’s new uniforms will be unveiled at a later date, but the spokesman for True North said that the logo of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU) will be featured prominently.

“When the players come to Winnipeg for the start of training camp, we understand that they’ll be issued MGEU membership cards and be given the same orientation that other new hires into the civil service receive.”

The spokesman for the Premier’s office said that the Premier will be taking more time away from dealing with the worst flooding the province has experienced in decades to make sure True North has enough money for the design work for the new logo and uniforms.

“Absolutely,” said the spokesman. “We understand where our priorities lay. Flooded farms, cottages, and homes across the province can wait. True North will get their money. Go Civil Servants!”

Goat Pictures

I want to see those pictures that Mark Chipman has of Greg Selinger kissing of a goat. Or, on second thought, maybe I don’t.

In any event, I was horrified to read in this morning’s edition of the Liberal Party of Canada’s tabloid more commonly known as the Winnipeg Free Press that Chipman is running back to his favorite candy store on Broadway seeking even more of your money and my money to fund what is still being laughably called a “private sector deal”.

After the government has so generously funded his personal arena and a practice facility for his worthless hockey team for reasons only the government can explain, Chipman now wants the government to give him a loan to cover the costs of funding the purchase of an NHL team for himself. Preferably interest-free, if you please.

I seem to recall that David Thompson, one of the richest Canadians, is backing Chipman in his quest for the Holy Grail. If it’s true, why is Chipman running to the government?

If Thompson is unable or unwilling to finance the purchase of the team, what’s going to happen not if, but when the team starts losing money hand over fist? If he has little appetite for the financing at this stage, you’ve got to wonder about his appetite to keep writing eight-figure checks to cover the losses Chipman’s team is almost assured to incur every year, particularly when you consider that Thompson won’t have any more control of the team than I will.

Which leads us back to the government, as it seemingly always does in the Socialist People’s Republic of Manitoba.

I keep hoping that the well is going to run dry on Broadway. There’s a limit to which any government can continue to justify an endless succession of bailouts unless Chipman is prepared to call his team the Blue Bombers, in which case he’d get all he wanted for eternity.

For the time being, however, knowing what spendthrifts the NDP are, they’ll probably give Chipman what he wants. Evidently, the NDP feels that we’re not drowning in enough public debt, so they have to sell us down the river even farther in order to finance the personal fiefdom of Mark Chipman.

So, while the small, but vocal “Return of the Jets” crowd salivates over the possibility of acquiring a team that has missed the playoffs 10 of the last 11 years that will be run by an owner with a sharp contempt and disdain for his customers, the rest of us can only sit back and hope that Chipman’s short-term venture, in the unlikely event he is successful, doesn’t cost us too much during the brief time he has a team.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

Ode to an Election

The Three Musketeers forced an election
In Parliament they wanted a coalition

Ignatieff, Layton, and Duceppe all joined hands
And sent the politicians canvassing across the lands

While Manitobans battle flood waters rising high
'Up yours' each of them said while putting on their tie

Ignatieff expected control of the nation
While Layton dreamed of increased taxation

It all blew up in their faces
The people spoke loudly in each of the races

Ignatieff and Duceppe are each out of a job
Layton has more seats but no power, leaving him to sob

The Conservative majority government the leftists feared
Was something that they ultimately engineered

In the end, it proved worthwhile and calmed our fears
The socialist nuisance has been thrown out of power for at least four years