St Louis and the Great Mississippi

City Centre

Barges on the Mississippi


Paddle wheeler

Gateway Arch

Well we arrived in St Louis and got all set up just outside the city at Granite City. Had lots of day left so decided to take a trip into the city. Wanted to see if we could find the famous Gateway Arch. The city has many freeways in and out and over the river. Crossed the river and headed into the city and was close to the Arch when I took a wrong turn and ended up across the river in Illinois. Took some time to figure out how to get back again as the freeways weave all over the place. It was ok in the explorer, but would have been an adventure in the RV. Finally found the Arch. It is beautiful and is set in a nice park. It was nice to watch all the huge barges go up and down the river. The riverfront is beautiful, but was quite quiet this time of year.

Today we headed out to tour the city. Very easy to get around in using the GPS as a map. Got to see everyone going to the Cardinals game. It was sure busy there. Also passed by where the Blues hockey team play. The city core is very clean and there are sure alot of high rise buildings. Enjoyed a walk downtown. Took a tour on a couple of freeways to look around. Alot of the freeways have high ramps so the view is good. Will add photos. Off towards Kansas City in the morning.

On to St Louis

Amish Acres

Newmar Factory Tour

Well we are leaving Nappanee tomorrow for St Louis and the great Mississippi. We are are really looking forward to the drive as neither one of us have been there.

We really enjoyed Nappanee with the Newmar Factory Tour and all the Amish Heritage in the area. It was really different to see the modern machinery and the horses working on farms across from each other. The Amish have really nice buildings as they are excellent craftsmen. They also have very nice horses. Was amazed that they ride so many bicycles. While here we went for an authentic Amish supper. Everything was served in bowls just like the farm. It was very good and we couldn't eat it all. Also had a choice of about 12 deserts.

The Newmar Factory Tour was really something to see. It was very clean and very well run. They sure put alot of emphasis on good quality of work. We were very impressed with all aspects of their operation. We bought a few little parts from the parts store before leaving.

We also did some tours of Elkhart, Goshem and some other rural areas around here. Very nice area.

In RV Country

Well we left Sarnia for the US. Only about a 20 minute wait at the US Border. They had about 8 lanes open. Started the day with a brief rain then it became hot and humid for the rest of the day. We traveled on Highway 69 thru Flint and then south to Coldwater Michigan. Up early the next day to lots of fog so decided to leave a little later. Travelled down 69 and then headed west on Highway 6 to Nappanee Indiana. Highway 6 was 2 lanes but very good driving with spotty construction. Was really nice to see all the different scenery and farmland. Missed seeing all the water.

We are really impressed with the Nappanee and Elkhart area. It is known for the manufacturing of RV's, travel trailers and 5th wheels. We will take the Newmar Factory tour tomorrow. Should be a fun time. The following companies are located in the area Newmar, Jayco, Monaco, Wind River and gulf Stream. Also lots of manufactures of parts etc.

There is also a strong Amish heritage in the 40 miles around here according some brochures. It is really neat to see them driving around in their wagons or fancy buggies. They also ride alot of bicycles. We also plan on visiting the famous Amish Acres while we are here. It shows the history and ways of the Amish. The Amish are also excellent at carpentry work and are employed by many of the RV manufacturers.

In Sarnia heading for the US

Lots of Boats larger than this.

The Bridge to the US

Bridge and Park

Well we are in Sarnia enjoying the best weather we have had for awhile. Temperature was 30 today with a brisk breeze. Just enjoyed the day and did odd jobs in the park. We are at Paradise Valley RV Park. Very clean and family oriented. Have a little zoo farm with goats, deer, mules, ponies and donkeys. All very friendly, especially if you have snacks for them.

Yesterday we toured the waterfront in Sarnia under the bridge to the US. Great park with lots of benches to observe the bridge or water traffic. Lots of great boats here. Didn't get to the refinery section of Sarnia. Could be a long wait to cross as the bridge seems very busy. We have really enjoyed all the water scenery. Will come to an end when we head into Indiana.

Will post a couple of pictures from the area. We are having a great time.

Kincardine Ontario

Pictures are in the Old Collingwood Shipyards

Time to do catch up on the blog. Today we travelled from Collingwood to Kincardine. Started the day with bright sunshine but quickly deteriorated to overcast skies. Travelled along the shores of Georgian Bay on Highway 26 to Meaford. The town was decorated for fall with tall corn stalks, pumpkins and scare crows. Very impressive main street. Also travelled on our first section of gravel construction for 14 kms. It was hard packed but rough with no dust. Stopped at Southhampton for lunch and wait out a rain storm. Linda visited a 3 acre indoor market. It was enormous. Checked into Green Acres Campground. Excellent for big rigs and really good WIFI. May stay here for more days.

Sept 17th Collingwood

Arrived from Wasaga Beach area. Was a nice day for travelling. No good RV places for larger units so stayed at Wal Mart. Visited the Old Shipyard area that has been transformed into beautiful park, marina and condo area. Toured the famous Blue Mountain Ski Area and other sites. Took lots of pictures. Not like our Rocky Mountains.

Sept 14th Wasaga Beach

Left Sudbury for Wasaga Beach. Excellent highway. Passed by Parry Sound the home of Bobby Orr. Wasaga Beach is a summer playground with 14 kms of sand beach like South Padre Island in Texas. Pretty quiet this time of year. The second day it was raining so we decided to drive to Barrie for a tour. I had lived there for 2 years after getting out of school. Pretty countryside with lush green lawns and yards and lots of corn crops.

The Wedding

Had a great time at my nieces wedding. Ceremony was outside and luckily the weather was perfect. We had a chance to visit with my brother Ken and his wife Chris and sister Shirley and husband John. Also took a day trip to North Bay to visit my brother Don in the Nippissing Manor. He is doing quite well and was glad to see us.

Sudbury

Arrived in Sudbury yesterday afternoon and checked into Carols RV Park just outside of the city on highway 69. Park has lots of green space and we have a good lake view. Very nice. Took a tour around the city last night and visited Tim Hortons of course. My turn to buy. We had a great time in the Sault and Blind River visiting with my cousins. Very busy time. May have gained a little as they like to go to buffets. Weather has been dull with quite a bit of rain. Didn't affect our plans. Of course my cousins like Casino's so we went to the Michigan side to try our luck. A good time was had and couldn't believe how fast we cleared the border on both sides. Will be nice to have a couple of quiet days before Lyndsay's wedding. Plan to tour more of the city today. Lots of lakes and different trees here. White Pine, Maple and Oak are plentiful. Some trees are starting to change colour. More updates later. Having a good time.

Sault Ste Marie

Arrived in Sault Ste Marie yesterday afternoon. Checked into the KOA which has excellent WIFI but the trees did stop us from getting satellite TV. I have some first cousins here so the TV will not be missed. Did some touring around to familiarize ourselves with the city and show Linda around. Met my cousin Floyd and his wife Ellen for an enjoyable evening. Last night it rained most of the night unlike Alberta the temperature stayed very warm. Will be moving to my cousin Terry's yard for the next few days as he has lots of room and will be close for visiting etc.. Tomorrow we plan on taking in some festivities on the US side in Michigan. Should be a fun time for us.

Wawa Town of the Canada Goose

Park View

Linda at Neys Provincial Park

Grain Elevators at Old Port Arthur side of Thunder Bay


Canada Goose at Entry to Wawa

We arrived in Wawa about 1 pm today. Had a short hop from Marathon. It was an easy day with very little traffic except for westbound trucks. We got set up in Wawa RV Resort. Very nice with free wifi and good for satellite tv. Spent the afternoon taking in the local sites, an old rock drill downtown in a nice park with clear water and sandy beaches. Also visited their two falls, Magpie High falls and Silver Falls. Also visited the local marina, not many boats there this time of year. Naturally couldn't get by the Tim Hortons. Linda bought us coffee and muffins. Tonight Linda is doing the dreaded laundry and my job was dishes. We plan on having a rest day tomorrow. Then on to the Sault.


MARATHON

We had a short drive from Neys Provincial Park to Marathon today. Lots of hills and curves. Good driving though. No construction. Stayed in the Municipal Campground (Penn Lake) was well layed out and kept very nice. It said don't feed the bears. But we didn't see any. Town is nice but the pulp mill is shut down so things are not really good there. Two gold mines still open for the time being.

NEYS PROVINCIAL PARK

Made reservations to stay in Neys Provincial Park. It is a beautiful place on the shores of Lake Superior. Our campsite faced the lake and we could see the waves out the windshield. It was quite windy there so there was lots of waves. The beach was nice sand for about a mile and then turned into large rocks and beach. Really nice for photos and walks. Took lots of pictures. Met some nice folks from Thunder Bay. Couldn't stay two nights as it was too busy.

THUNDER BAY

Toured Thunder bay from Kakabeka Falls. Went to town to see the large grain elevators and the waterfront. Visited the Terry Fox Memorial. It was done really nice and well kept. It is also a rest area. The rest of the time took many pictures of Lake Superior and The Sleeping Giant. Also visited a couple of local waterfront parks in old Fort William and Port Arthur. I had worked here for a few months. Was nice to see the changes etc.

Arriving in Kakabeka Falls

Well here we are in Kakabeka Falls about 2 pm, lost another hour today. We left Fort Frances this am after fueling up at the Husky. Diesel was 1.09 per litre. The road today was fairly quiet with the major traffic being gravel trucks and pulp wood trucks. The highway was good with lots of lakes and beautiful scenery to enjoy. Enjoyed the causeway at Fort Frances. Not many places to stop and take pictures as there is very few pullouts. Naturally had to stop at the Arctic Water Shed where all water flows north to the Arctic Ocean. Highway speeds are only 90 so it takes awhile to get anywhere. After getting set up at Happy Land Rv Park we went to view the falls. Linda got some great shots from all angles. Lots of water going over them. This was today's highlight.

Kenora to Fort Frances

Left Kenora for the trip down Hwy 71 to Sioux Narrows and Nestor Falls. More great scenery and windy roads. Good driving with very light traffic. No construction, but a fair amount of west wind and some light rain, but not enough to get the RV dirty. This was my old stomping grounds when I was a much younger guy.

Winnipeg to Kenora

Spent a whole day in the Grand Beach area of Lake Winnipeg. Lots of great open beaches with the whitest sand. Linda took some awesome shots. Farm land in the area is really lush and a deep green. Lots of farm yards are very large with lots gardens and lawn. Probably great this year because of the rain. Doug Neal was right, it is a beautiful place. The next day we did the Winnipeg city thing, toured their beautiful Legislative Building and grounds. Went to The Forks which is a special shopping and meeting place, it is also located where the Red River and Assiniboine Rivers meet. Lots of people and boats there. Very hot also at 33. Hottest day for us yet.

On to Winnipeg

We arrived in Winnipeg today about noon. We are staying at Travellers RV Resort for the next three nights. Very nice campground but no wifi. Lucky the stick works good here. Had a hard days drive today as we stayed in Portage La Prairie last night at the Wal Mart campground. That made a tough one hour drive today to Winnipeg. Fuel is about 91 cents a litre. Have had good driving weather, with a little breeze yesterday. Today was the hottest day so far at 31 degrees. Both Air conditioners on to keep us cool at the campground. Getting lots of practice cleaning the bugs off the windshield and the front of the coach. Every day so far.

We decided to take in the tour at the Royal Canadian Mint today. That was a one hour tour that was very interesting. What a beautiful building. Much nicer than the RCMP Museum in Regina. After the tour we ventured to downtown Winnipeg with a trip along the river. Very nice scenery. Planning a tour up to Lake Winnipeg for tomorrow.

August 18th in Regina and Area

Well we are in Regina doing the tourist things. Went to the Provincial Legislature grounds to take some pictures. They are very well kept with lots of colourful flowers. Also had to find the famous Taylor Field (Home of the Saskatewan Rough Riders). Went to the RCMP Museum but missed the english tour and didn't bother with the french one. So just browsed in the well stocked gift shop. Regina is easy to get around so had a good look around the city. Toured out to Qu Appelle Valley for site seeing tour. Lots of rolling farm land along the way. Wet just like Alberta. The valley is well populated with summer cottages on the lake. Lake was calm and would have been great for skiing. Spending the evening relaxing and doing the blog and emails

August 16th Heading East for Lyndsay's Wedding

Well here it is August 16th and we are heading east to attend Lyndsay's wedding in Sudbury, Ontario. Our first stop was a short hop to Bow Island where we stopped for coffee with our friends Gerry and Carol. The weather was beautiful and had coffee outside on their deck. Was a nice break. From there we headed to Moose Jaw, naturally had to take some pictures of the moose and then visit Casino Moose Jaw. Had a little luck there. Nice place but I don't spend much. Very nice campground at Moose Jaw called Prairie Oasis.



August 17th. Headed out early to do some sightseeing around the area. Visited the Wakamow Valley, nice scenery and great place for birding. Also took in the Tunnels of Moose Jaw. Was really interesting and very descriptive of the way of life at the time especially the Chinese Laundry. Could spend more time in Moose Jaw and will another trip. Headed to Regina, a short day only 45 minutes. Staying at Kings Acres Campground just east of Regina on Highway 1. Very nice campground with great WIFI. Will stay here another night. We went to visit Linda's Aunt Anne at the Seniors Citizens Home. We had a good visit and we were glad we stopped. Will try to put pictures in when I have time to figure it out.

Spirit River

Having a relaxing time in Spirit River at Linda's moms. The weather has been very hot. Today is 29 C. It has been a very dry year here and walking on the grass is like walking on corn flakes. Having a good time working and trying to figure out the blog. Went to Grande Prairie yesterday to do a little shopping. That is 60 miles from here. Linda's sister Janet and brother-inlaw Ernie stopped for a visit. Nice to see them and had a good visit.

First Post for the Summer of 2010

Well here it is time to hit the road again. We travelled from Warner to Granum Alta to a music festival with some Warner friends, then off to Lacombe to visit with Linda's family. Had a good time and the weather was great. Travelled to Spirit River yesterday to visit with Linda's mom. That was a 400 mile day, weather was great except for a small shower in the Whitcourt area. Saw a nice black wolf in the median. That is the only wildlife this trip. Had a leisurely day today and did some reading. Will try to update better this trip.

First Post from Benson Arizona

Well here we are in Benson for a few days. After readings Dennis and Denice's Blog I decided I should attempt to start one also. Sure can consume alot of time doing this. Only took about 2 hours to put in the picture and then change the colour of the Font. Lookong forward to adding pictures etc of our trip.