Crowsnest to Ruby

Baked oatmeal layered with peaches. Now that's the way I like to start my day. Best oatmeal I've ever had and our B&B host shared the recipe so beware those of you who are thinking ahead to an overnight with us.

Back on the road we took the Crowsnest Pass through the Rockies. I didn't include photos because you can find far more beautiful ones than I can take. However, we did stop in the little town of Sparwood. (Wouldn't you if the biggest truck in the world was there?!) It's a Titan and was used for coal mining. Pretty scary thing to look at! Can you imagine what a new tire costs?

Driving on we made our way to the other side of the mountains, British Columbia, the Pacific time zone, decent coffee, and crossed back into the U.S. north of Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Don't you love the looks of the U.S. Duty Free store in the photo below? Sightings of wildlife along the way included eagles, deer & bighorn sheep. (Moose & bears were not cooperating.) Crossing into Idaho we added elk and, strange but true, a zebra. We also passed the Happy Turnip Cafe in the middle of nowhere but it was closed.

Our final destination today - the Hotel Ruby in downtown Spokane. A very artsy hotel with ruby colored walls in the rooms. We'll be here two nights so you just may read more about it.

Trivia from yesterday... The Prince of Wales Hotel, unlike the other grand railroad hotels in Canada was built by the Great Northern Railroad and was and still is, U.S. owned. It's only open in the summer. This year it opened June 7th and will close September 18th to the general public. The entire hotel is booked for a wedding on the 19th & another on the 21st. Then all the windows and doors get boarded up. One man lives there all winter. Brrrr!

Trivia for today... We saw this sign this morning... "Sheds, garages & sea cans moved". What's a sea can?

The Rockies at last...

But first... Mac the Moose (the most photographed roadside attraction in Canada so I'm just adding one more).

And then there was Medicine Hat with the world's largest teepee...

Finally the Rockies! We're staying just outside Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park that's joined at the border to Glacier National Park. In fact, if you take a boat trip across the lake behind the Prince of Wales Hotel to hike back, you need to take your passport. We decided since it was almost dark, windy and 12C/53F, the better plan was simply to eat and drink, modestly, at the hotel. 

Trivia... How many months is the hotel open each year and who owns it?

From yesterday, it was Al Capone and his bootlegging buddies who used to hide out in Moose Jaw.

Into the prairie...

You may think that because we were in International Falls and only a half mile from the border, that we would go directly into Canada. But... We weren't quite done with what northern Minnesota had to offer. First stop, Baudette, Walleye Capital of the world and home to Willie, the largest, I suspect, fake walleye in the world. (Joe - you might want to give up on Montana & Wyoming and come a bit further east to fish instead.)

If that isn't enough to excite you, the next stop was Warroad. Home construction or reconstruction folks take note. This is where Marvin windows and doors are made especially for you. We did take time to go through their beautiful new museum but not their huge home store. The prairie was calling and even JG couldn't justify spending more time here.

On the road again. And on. And on. And on. Long naps were possible without missing a change in scenery. A bit more interesting than the lower plains but not much. More canola & wheat fields but otherwise... The big event in the back seat was, after only a year and a half of owning the vehicle, Judy discovered a nifty little clip built in that keeps you from being strangled by the seat belt. Judy & I had thought our necks would be permanently marked by the time we got back. She kindly agreed to "model" the new feature before she resumed napping.

And finally Moose Jaw! We read it has the world's largest fake moose but we have yet to find it. Tomorrow is another day.

Trivia... What province and time zone is Moose Jaw in? Extra points if you discover who used to hang out here.

A 3 state day...

Bright & early we left Marquette heading west towards Wisconsin. It's fairly undeveloped in this part of Michigan (could the winters be the reason?). To pass the time we decided to count wildlife. Our tally was one crow on our short jog north (Miss GPS forgot to wake up resulting in a missed turn); one crow, probably the same one, on the way back; one deer; two dead opossum; and one fish, unidentifiable, leaping in a stream. We were happy to see Wisconsin! We were happy to say goodbye to Wisconsin! We were happy to see Minnesota! Guess we're just a happy lot.

Anyway we did stop at The Duluth Trading Company where John G. acquired his own pair of Duluthflex Fire Hose work pants (John K. already has a pair) that are "the world's most flexible, have tougher belt loops, tuckable pocket flaps, and crouch without the ouch"! Grace's house (John has been helping make it liveable again) may never be the same. Certainly John's work outfit has taken a definite upgrade.

Tonight we're in International Falls, home of the country's largest Smokey Bear statue. It's 26 feet tall. We're not.

Trivia of the evening... Answers are limited to Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota.

What state is the Hockey Hall of Fame in?

What state is home of the Bronko Nagurski Museum? (Unlike me, you'll recognize the name if you're a football fan.)

What state has a Three Way Continental Divide?

So you won't go fretting about it, the answer to all three is the last state. Didn't we see anything interesting in Wisconsin? Guess not...

Up to U.P.

Waving goodbye to friends of John K. & Judy (small world Michael - they're from Tiffen) we headed north to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The first "obstacle" (at least in John G.'s eyes whose fear of heights has increased with each passing year) was the Mackinaw Straits bridge. It's the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The photo shows it and John who has just decided that, as good a swimmer as he is, he probably couldn't make it to the far shore...

After a picnic lunch on the southern shore of the U.P. (Lake Michigan) featuring such fine local delicacies as smoked whitefish, curds, and pasties, we made our way to Munising. The one place we had been advised not to miss (thank you Tess) was the Pictured Rocks along part of the southern shore of Lake Superior. Both the afternoon and the rocks were beautiful. (You can look up more photos on the Internet.) The tree in this one was as unique as the rocks. It's connected to shore by one root going down the back side.

Trivia question... What is the largest fresh water body of water in the world when measured by surface area? If you guessed or knew Lake Superior you score! For you who are really clever, what is it when measured by volume?

Frankenmuth

"Ist dad nicht ein schnitzelbank?" And you reply... "Ja das ist ein schnitzelbank".

The tourist info for the Bavarian Inn in the very touristy town of Frankenmuth, Michigan, said "Join us for the singing of the Schnitzelbank song every night." With two Johns of German heritage in the car, was there any question as to where we'd go for the evening? Especially after John G had tried (with questionable results) last summer to teach the song to a gathering of family and friends. Let's just say the group last summer could have used a lot more practice, a lot more beer for the audience and maybe a touch less for the conductor. With that experience behind us, we were very much looking forward to tonight's sing along. Unfortunately it was not to be as the lounge was closed for a wedding reception (of all the nerve!) John G. tried to be consoled with a Frankenmuth beer and a stack of "Schnitzelbank" napkins to take home. A warning to the Thanksgiving crowd - don't be surprised if Schnitzelbank resurfaces once again.

We huffed and...

Hold onto your seats folks. Two Johns plus Judy & I are about to hit the road for points west. Since John & Judy live in NJ they've already started. First stop... John & Patty's, on to the Huff Brau, home of the best Friday night fish fry in NY State. As you may know from past blogs, eating well is part of the adventure (in spite of the radishes and celery sticks Judy has brought along hoping they will help her resist temptation on the trip... Wishful thinking!)

PS - the photo for today, still somewhere in transit but soon to be posted, purportedly shows at least Judy doing a pole dance outside the Huff Brau. Some folks just know how to party!