God Bless America!

Oh, it is good to be back in the good old USA! We spent our last four days in Canada outside Winnipeg…a very big city and completely different than anything else we had seen in Manitoba. The enclosed article was written for the caravan journal and tells the story of one of those days…

Friday, August 7, 2009
As the song says, “The days dwindle down to a precious few.” The caravan clock was ticking –faster and faster -- on this next to the last day. So quickly, here are some highlights:
-Gray and rainy…two Airstream groups – Caravan & Rally - in the parking lot trying to get organized. Go to channel 20!
-Wow, that Canadian mint building; spectacular. The tour was interesting and informative. We will add that to our other Caravan College Credit hours. The gift shop wasn’t bad either! Who knew a bar of gold was so heavy?
-Our memories of big city traffic come back quickly as we found our way to COSTCO through construction zones. Workers leaning on shovels just like at home.
-Still raining, but the Ohio gang came through with their special Cleveland Coney Dog lunch… with ice cream…to go. Yummy . Thanks guys.
-Free afternoon…still raining…nap, dog walking, trailer maintenance, and trip planning
-Alert! John Turner announces that our evening destination takes a 45 minute drive! Hurry…collect Pat and Bob Collins into the back. Race with Winnipeg rush hour traffic. Again we are reminded why we retired to a small rural community. CBs blaze directions. We make it to the Canad Inn bus stop with three other caravan cars just in time. Result: headaches and frazzled nerves. Once aboard the VIP World Tour bus #16 we count 13 fellow caravaners and we leave the driving to Albert, the bus driver, and the worrying to Mike, the Tour Guide. Folklorama here we come!
-First stop…Russia Pavilion…reserved seats…small plate of delicious appetizers…“wodka” or beer. The first sip of vodka reminds me of the alcohol we tasted at the ethanol plant! Several caravaners bought chocolate. Chocolate and vodka? Not too bad. On with the show…pretty costumes…lots of color…cute little girls…grand finale parade around the room. Back on the bus…
-Second stop…Korean Pavilion…greeted on the bus by costumed ambassadors…seated and served by eager young people…the meal included barbecued beef and chicken, Korean dumplings and kimshee, and of course rice…wine or saki …and the show was on. This production was much more polished and ethnically interesting…an intricate dance with fans (we should invite them to the final banquet!), an amazing drum dance which required great dexterity and flexibility, cute youngsters in a puppet dance, and a wonderful display of Taekwondo…skilled young people demonstrating all aspects of the ancient art. We were all impressed with the variety and quality of the entire show. Back on the bus…
-Third stop…Mexican Pavilion…again greeted by an young ambassador and ushered into a hockey rink where we were given stage side seats…much larger venue…colorfully decorated…yummy flan for desert…interesting displays and market with Mexican art and craft items for sale…on with the show. A troop of young dancers from Ontario provided a colorful and enthusiastic selection of Mexican dances…a songstress serenaded us with a love song, and, of course, enchanting little senoritas did their dance too. The finale was a rhythmic and lively rendition of a carnival celebration. Back on the bus… Is it possible our friends who went on tour #17 enjoyed the evening as much?
-Travel back to the campground much easier…midnight…not much traffic. Walk Ms Daisy. Campground dark. Good night friends. One more day!

The next day, Saturday, was a whole different story. We were headed downtown Winnipeg for some sightseeing when the Suburban suddenly lost power. The computer shut us down. Thanks to OnStar and a customer friendly local GM dealer we got it fixed by Monday noon. Our friends, Bob and Pat Collins offered their motor home as transportation on Sunday. So we all loaded up, went to a very friendly Presbyterian Church, picnicked for lunch, and visited a nearby reconstructed Hudson Bay Company community in the afternoon. The Lower Fort Garry community was very interesting with costumed interpreters and lots of hands on activities.
Monday we were relieved to get back our repaired vehicle and be on the road back home. We again had a problem free border crossing (Hooray!)and then drove south down the border of North Dakota and Minnesota. Phones are working again! We first camped in central Minnesota at Itasca State Park…the headwaters of the Mississippi River. After visiting Bemidji, the home of Paul Bunyan and Babe, his blue ox, we headed to Ely for a few days of camping on the lake and visiting with Steve and Steph Albers and Jolene and Don McGrogan who just happened to be at the Albers island cabin for the week-end.. We were delighted to be able to visit one of our favorite areas and some of favorite people at the same time. It is a beautiful place full of memories of past visits. In a couple of days we will continue our adventure at a nice leisurely pace as we wander across the northern Midwest eventually toward Virginia.

Daisy had an upset stomach (all over the back of the suburban) last night. We took her to the vet this morning where we got medication. She seems to be doing better this evening. Chuck and I, on the other hand are both fine and still having a great time. We would love to hear what you are doing this summer. Please let us hear from you.

Sorry…no roving report this week…he’s too busy preparing to fish tomorrow.