|
|
What we're doing...
Monday, 7/15/2019 – We’ve arrived safe and sound back in Winnipeg Beach after a week in the wilderness. The whole trip was even more enjoyable than we had hoped for. Sorry about no updates or posts during the week but we were without internet or cell service the entire time.
We arrived at the home of our friends Garry & Carolyn as planned and on schedule. Once there we relaxed for a couple of days as we prepared for our week on a houseboat. We enjoyed some down time together but also did some necessary shopping and packing. Bright and early on Saturday morning, with everything packed up in Garry and Carolyn’s truck and fishing boat we hit the road for the four hour drive to Sioux Falls, Ontario.
When we arrived at the dock we transferred all our stuff onto the houseboat and hitched up the fishing boat to the back. Garry and I then took a crash course on navigation. Lake of the Woods is over 70 miles long and wide, and contains more than 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline so it would be easy to get lost. With that said, we selected our destination off the map which indicated possible beaches to stay on. With some help from the owner of the houseboat we selected what he described as one of the best spots on the lake with good walleye fishing nearby. So off we went, hoping it wasn’t already occupied. With Garry at the helm and me at the map we headed off in our 40’ houseboat to areas unknown. It didn’t take long for us to get the hang of navigating the islands and inlets by paying attention to the map, the GPS and keeping a watchful eye out for buoys and rocks. After about 4 hours we arrived at our destination and were thrilled to see that it was unoccupied. So with me at the helm, I made my first beach landing since my Navy days over 45 years ago.
We arrived at the home of our friends Garry & Carolyn as planned and on schedule. Once there we relaxed for a couple of days as we prepared for our week on a houseboat. We enjoyed some down time together but also did some necessary shopping and packing. Bright and early on Saturday morning, with everything packed up in Garry and Carolyn’s truck and fishing boat we hit the road for the four hour drive to Sioux Falls, Ontario.
When we arrived at the dock we transferred all our stuff onto the houseboat and hitched up the fishing boat to the back. Garry and I then took a crash course on navigation. Lake of the Woods is over 70 miles long and wide, and contains more than 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline so it would be easy to get lost. With that said, we selected our destination off the map which indicated possible beaches to stay on. With some help from the owner of the houseboat we selected what he described as one of the best spots on the lake with good walleye fishing nearby. So off we went, hoping it wasn’t already occupied. With Garry at the helm and me at the map we headed off in our 40’ houseboat to areas unknown. It didn’t take long for us to get the hang of navigating the islands and inlets by paying attention to the map, the GPS and keeping a watchful eye out for buoys and rocks. After about 4 hours we arrived at our destination and were thrilled to see that it was unoccupied. So with me at the helm, I made my first beach landing since my Navy days over 45 years ago.
Once we were tied up we took a look around and discovered just how beautiful our spot was. We were in a secluded cove, surrounded by forest which kept the boat protected from the wind. We were on the backside of a spit of land that stuck out into the bay with the quiet cove behind us and a beautiful view of the bay in front of us. To top it off, we had our own personal gorgeous sand beach to swim at just a few feet away. We all decided right then that we wouldn’t be moving from this spot until it was time to leave.
For the next five days we enjoyed ourselves more than we ever expected. The weather was great most of the time although we did have a storm or two come by to add to our excitement. Our daily routine normally began with a great breakfast followed by three or four of us heading out for some fishing. It turns out the coves behind us were great places to fish. Claudia and I were the rookie fishermen on this trip but with help from Garry and Carolyn we both caught our first walleyes. All in all we enjoyed two dinners of fresh fish and we still have more in our freezer now. I’m sure we were funny to watch as both Claudia and I hooked our live minnows as bait for the first time. I also held my first fish and removed it from the hook, an accomplishment I am now quite proud of. Luckily, Garry did all the cleaning of the fish so we were spared that task.
Our afternoons were normally spent walking over to the beach for a swim or sunning on the upper deck. While up there we usually enjoyed a cocktail or two (ok, maybe more). As entertainment we were treated to views of all sorts of wildlife including a friendly snapping turtle who lived under our boat, a group of pelicans that enjoyed the treats we gave them after the fish cleanings, a few deer including a fawn, a couple of bald eagles, lots of seagulls and a variety of other birds and turtles. And as a grand finale each evening we enjoyed some delicious dinners and desserts.
Eventually our week came to an end and on Friday we packed the boat back up and backed off the beach. The weather was beautiful and the trip back to the boatyard was uneventful. We were after all, experienced seamen by now. The plan was to stay in the boat and eat at a local pub that evening but Stella ended up getting sick the night before and she was still quite sick when we arrived back at the dock. So we decided to pack everything up and head back to Winnipeg Beach.
That was three days ago and we’ve been keeping busy unpacking and reorganizing. Stella is finally beginning to feel back to her normal self and I’ve been busy working on some minor repairs to the motor home. Garry has the tools I needed (not to mention his expertise) in order to make some of the repairs. We also plan to give the motor home an overdue wash before we head out on Thursday.
When we leave on Thursday, we’ll be joined by Garry & Carolyn in their motor home as we head down to Morris, Manitoba for a four night stay to enjoy the Manitoba Stampede. The Manitoba Stampede is described as including bull riding, bronc-busting, tie down roping, bareback riding, steer wrestling and barrel racing. It also includes chariot and chuck wagon races as well as kids events including Muttin Bustin and Buckaroo Roping. And then of course there are the rides at the midway and lots of food to choose from. There will of course be shopping to keep Claudia busy and we can all enjoy our favorite beverages at the Scratching River Saloon while we take in some local talent on stage.
Before I go, I wanted to let you know that I’ve done something a bit different than usual. Although we still have pictures we haven’t posted from a few places like Calgary, Drumheller and Saskatoon, I’ve gone ahead and posted a photo album from our week on the houseboat. I thought you might like to see those now. I’ll include the other photos in my next album. We hope you enjoy them and I’ll post again before too long.
For the next five days we enjoyed ourselves more than we ever expected. The weather was great most of the time although we did have a storm or two come by to add to our excitement. Our daily routine normally began with a great breakfast followed by three or four of us heading out for some fishing. It turns out the coves behind us were great places to fish. Claudia and I were the rookie fishermen on this trip but with help from Garry and Carolyn we both caught our first walleyes. All in all we enjoyed two dinners of fresh fish and we still have more in our freezer now. I’m sure we were funny to watch as both Claudia and I hooked our live minnows as bait for the first time. I also held my first fish and removed it from the hook, an accomplishment I am now quite proud of. Luckily, Garry did all the cleaning of the fish so we were spared that task.
Our afternoons were normally spent walking over to the beach for a swim or sunning on the upper deck. While up there we usually enjoyed a cocktail or two (ok, maybe more). As entertainment we were treated to views of all sorts of wildlife including a friendly snapping turtle who lived under our boat, a group of pelicans that enjoyed the treats we gave them after the fish cleanings, a few deer including a fawn, a couple of bald eagles, lots of seagulls and a variety of other birds and turtles. And as a grand finale each evening we enjoyed some delicious dinners and desserts.
Eventually our week came to an end and on Friday we packed the boat back up and backed off the beach. The weather was beautiful and the trip back to the boatyard was uneventful. We were after all, experienced seamen by now. The plan was to stay in the boat and eat at a local pub that evening but Stella ended up getting sick the night before and she was still quite sick when we arrived back at the dock. So we decided to pack everything up and head back to Winnipeg Beach.
That was three days ago and we’ve been keeping busy unpacking and reorganizing. Stella is finally beginning to feel back to her normal self and I’ve been busy working on some minor repairs to the motor home. Garry has the tools I needed (not to mention his expertise) in order to make some of the repairs. We also plan to give the motor home an overdue wash before we head out on Thursday.
When we leave on Thursday, we’ll be joined by Garry & Carolyn in their motor home as we head down to Morris, Manitoba for a four night stay to enjoy the Manitoba Stampede. The Manitoba Stampede is described as including bull riding, bronc-busting, tie down roping, bareback riding, steer wrestling and barrel racing. It also includes chariot and chuck wagon races as well as kids events including Muttin Bustin and Buckaroo Roping. And then of course there are the rides at the midway and lots of food to choose from. There will of course be shopping to keep Claudia busy and we can all enjoy our favorite beverages at the Scratching River Saloon while we take in some local talent on stage.
Before I go, I wanted to let you know that I’ve done something a bit different than usual. Although we still have pictures we haven’t posted from a few places like Calgary, Drumheller and Saskatoon, I’ve gone ahead and posted a photo album from our week on the houseboat. I thought you might like to see those now. I’ll include the other photos in my next album. We hope you enjoy them and I’ll post again before too long.
Recent Updates:
07/15/2019 We've posted a new photo album containing pictures taken during our houseboat trip on Lake of the Woods in Ontario. We hope you enjoy them!!
06/24/2019 We've posted a new photo album and a new blog entry that describe and display pictures of our travels through the five National Parks in Montana, British Columbia & Alberta. We've also added new pictures to our "Just Us" photo album.
6/12/2019 If you're one of those that pays close attention you'll notice that I've moved the weather forecasts from the Current Events page to the Where R We page. I thought it fit better there.
6/07/2019 A new photo album and a new blog entry have been added describing our trek since leaving Texas. We've also added new pictures to our "Just Us" photo album. Hope you enjoy them!!
07/15/2019 We've posted a new photo album containing pictures taken during our houseboat trip on Lake of the Woods in Ontario. We hope you enjoy them!!
06/24/2019 We've posted a new photo album and a new blog entry that describe and display pictures of our travels through the five National Parks in Montana, British Columbia & Alberta. We've also added new pictures to our "Just Us" photo album.
6/12/2019 If you're one of those that pays close attention you'll notice that I've moved the weather forecasts from the Current Events page to the Where R We page. I thought it fit better there.
6/07/2019 A new photo album and a new blog entry have been added describing our trek since leaving Texas. We've also added new pictures to our "Just Us" photo album. Hope you enjoy them!!
Next destinations...
Next destinations...
Our next stop takes us to Morris, Manitoba to enjoy the Manitoba Stampede. Following that we'll be taking a week long break at a resort in Minnesota with more of our Texas friends before heading back into and across Canada as we work our way over to New England to be with family. We'll be making many more interesting stops along the way as we cross over the Great Lakes including a return trip to St. Ignace, Michigan to visit Mackinac Island. Then it's back into Canada, and over Lake Ontario before we cross back into the United States. Once we're back in the states we'll be camping in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including a few days on Cape Cod to spend time with family. Next it'll be time to head south. This year it'll include a trip to North Carolina to visit our daughter and her family who are currently making a permanent move there from Massachusetts. At that point we'll begin heading back to Texas for the winter with stops in Florida and possibly New Orleans and Galveston Island. We haven't finalized those plans yet but we'll let you know when we know. Stay tuned!!
