Leaving Manitoba for Ontario ....

A few miles down the road from Winnipeg is Steinbach and my first stop.  On the way (within 15 miles!) my brand new, unblemished windshield took a rock and now I have a pit.  So sad. 

My stop here was for Mennonite Heritage Village, a turn-of-the-century Russian Mennonite street village circa 1880.   Spanning 40 acres, this museum features galleries and exhibits that educate you about the Mennonite people, who are a tight-knit, ultra-conservative group of Protestants. The Village Center houses the main gallery that displays artifacts including home decor, wedding accessories, and even a love letter from the late 18th century. Memorials include The Great Trek Memorial, which commemorates the lives of Mennonites in Russia and the Soviet Union who were persecuted under Joseph Stalin's rule during World War II.

I had the mistaken belief that Mennonites were a "sub-religion" of the Amish.  Not so. They are Anabaptists (meaning they believe in baptism as an adult) that were highly persecuted for their beliefs, fleeing country after country until Canada promised them a safe home. They started out in sod houses and eventually built a beautiful town.  This museum is worth a stop.  I loved these painted floors in the houses ...

I decided to go under the lake instead of over so as to stop in a couple of National Parks, so I dropped down into Minnesota and Wisconsin for a few days.   The good news is I have great internet service here so I can get caught up on all that .... the not so good news, this area is having "their one day of summer" and it is HOT AND HUMID!  I thought maybe it was just me being an old lady, but even the locals are complaining.

Minnesota is a beautiful state (except for the bugs and humidity) and Superior, Wisconsin is a nice town.  I'm staying at the Moose Lodge in Superior because they had electricity for me to run some A/C.  It was 94 in my coach; too hot to sleep!

I have learned:  Lake Superior is referred to as "the big lake"; soda is called "pop"; prices for gas/diesel are reasonable at $3.00/gal; only here can you stop at the gas station and have all the men stand around comparing fishing rods and boats while they fill their tanks (yes, actual fishing rods 😉).

As I was driving south on Hwy 53 through Cook, I was starved and thirsty and saw a billboard for McD that advertised truck/RV/bus parking.  Perfect!  Seldom does McDonald's surprise me, but this one did.  They had a drive-thru for large RVs and Semis.  Honest.  I have never seen one before, but what a great idea.  You drive up to the menu board and use the telephone to place your order.  Then, instead of driving up to a window, there is a cement stair you pull up to and the employee runs out with your order.  I didn't use it, but what a great idea.

Voyageurs National Park is named for the French Canadian canoemen who carried trade goods and furs between Montreal and the Northwest from 1673 to 1842. Its long and colorful history spans generations of explorers, including Ojibway Indians, French-Canadian voyageurs, gold miners and bootleggers. Today, its mostly fishermen and vacationers who spread out through the park's 84,000 acres of water (a third of its territory) and claim quiet sections of shoreline or the forested, scattered islands that straddle the border of Canada. The park comprises four large lakes, 26 smaller lakes, and over 500 beaver ponds. It was established to protect its outstanding lake country scenery, geology, and the historic waterways. The islands of Voyageurs National Park are characterized by pine and hardwood forests, as well as small bogs with lady's slipper and sphagnum moss. They play host to a variety of wildlife rarely seen in the lower 48 states, including bald eagles, wolf packs, ospreys, cormorants, great blue herons, black bears, loons, and beavers. Pileated woodpeckers and great gray owls are not uncommon, and occasionally mink, pine marten, and fishers are seen.  Unfortunately for me, not only was it a holiday weekend (so it was packed!), there are no roads that go through the park, so being without a boat .... I got my park stamp and moved on.


I took a drive down Bob Dylan Way (Michigan Avenue) along the harbor in Duluth to find Fitgers Brewery.  There were great old building and brick streets in this area.   Duluth's first brewery was founded in 1857 by Sidney Luce. It was then acquired in 1881 by Michael Fink, who named it Fink's Lake Superior Brewery. Ultimately, the brewery was named after August Fitger, a German brewmaster who greatly shaped the path of the company. Fitger's Brewery went on to survive Prohibition by producing candy and soft drinks. Today consists of the brewery, a hotel, a museum, and a restaurant.

The aquarium is in this area as well, and I considered stopping but it was a Saturday with everyone trying to get out of the heat, so I passed.

The stainless-steel sculpture of David von Schlegell (1920-1992) is a metaphor, “tying the horizontal lines of the land and Lake Superior, which are both very visible from this location, together at the point of intersection with the City of Duluth.” The gate then honors the historical importance of Duluth as the gateway to Minnesota’s north shore and to the world through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway.

Built over 50 years ago, this gas station stands as one of the many buildings in architect's Frank Lloyd Wright's vision of the utopian city he referred to as Broadacre. Unfortunately, this is the only building from that vision that was ever built. The station's broad, copper roof and impressive second-floor waiting room will appeal to all who appreciate great art and design.

This seemingly misplaced arrow is found stuck in front of Gronko's Grill & Bar. It towers above the building and can be easily seen from the road.

Unfortunately, I drove about 40 miles to see this ball of twine, but it wasn't there! James Frank Kotera started his ball of twine in 1979 after reading about another twine ball in the newspaper. Since then he has been working on his, which weighs over 19,000 pounds. It is so large it has sunk and taken the form of a football. Another ball, named Junior, is nearby.  I was so disappointed I almost walked up to the door to ask what happened to it.

A couple of things I forgot to mention in my last blog ... sorry about that ... Clearlake has purple sand.  It is formed from crushed garnets; vehicles sold in Canada must have block heaters and automatic daytime headlights; Manitoba is very green, with lots of lakes, similar to Minnesota; Smokie Bear is alive and well in Canada.

I asked a Mountie what the GRC stood for on his vehicle (the RCMP was obvious). He said it was Royal Canadian Mounted Police in French, but most people think it stands for "gravel road cops."  A Mountie with a sense of humor.