Ahhhh. What a life, waking up inside an island cabin in the beautiful Lake of the Woods! I was sad to be leaving my dear friends Marlene and Marc, but today I am off to Winnipeg to visit some more friends and revisit some spots dear to my heart from my childhood.
But first, it's sammie time! 🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪
I prepped about 12 sandwiches for the drive to Winnipeg and even made an additional 2 for Marc for his lunch. I packed them up nicely and sent them off with Marc to work. Have a nice day at the office, Marc!
Sandwiches all ready to go, Marlene and I were off. We jumped back into her boat and then into the car to drive back to the city house where my car was waiting for me safely in the garage.
I was sad to leave and say goodbye to my childhood friend, Marlene, and her awesome husband Marc. I'm wishing and begging that they will come to visit me in Dallas as part of their winter migration south. If not, I will follow them to their final destination in Texas! Maybe join in the fun. Either way, we shall meet again soon, my friends! Thank you for showing me such a lovely time on your impressively gorgeous private island.
Welcome to Manitoba
I was back on the road, and today I was heading across borders, leaving Ontario and heading into Canada's province of Manitoba.
Not long into my journey, at around 9:30 AM, a young deer suddenly appeared out on the road! It was a very close call, but I managed to break safely just before impact, and the dear startled and turned back to the way it had come.
I'd finally made it to the border and stopped for a couple of photos of the sign. A family nearby asked me to take a photo of them and in return offered to take one of me as well. I happily accepted.
West Hawk Lake
I pulled off the highway at West Hawk Lake, to get some ice for my my coffee and for a quick bathroom break. At the rest stop, I learned that this whole lake was formed by a meteorite crashing into Earth millions of years ago.
Route 44
Now ready to hit the road again, I continued onto Route 44, a recommendation from Marc. He had told me that this used to be the main highway of the area many years ago. Now that larger highways have been created, its become more of a less-known scenic route. And since I'm all about hidden trails and scenic roads, I figured it was just the route for me!
Route 44 did not disappoint! It was an absolutely stunning road, with windy turns, up and over small hills. You never knew what was coming next around the bend in the road. Each turn led to new views and wonderful nature all around. It was a bit of a bumpy road, despite being paved, and you could tell it wasn't as well maintained as it probably had once been. But it just added to the charm of the route.
Lily Pond Lake
The next hidden trail was off Route 44, and to see a small lake (pond?). I pulled up at Lilly Pond Lake, which as the name would suggest does have lily pads!
Funny enough, Nola, my host in Winnipeg, had pinged me right when I arrived because she had been following my location on the live tracking link she found on the blog (Click here to see my live location anytime). She gave me a call and as soon as I answered she immediately asks "So...do you see lilies??"
Nola knows the spot well and she knew exactly where I was, and knowing this place very well – she knew to ask about the lilies. Which I did see!
Pup Stop
Now on Route 307, I was driving past Brereton Lake when I suddenly saw 3 of the cutest dogs! I immediately U-turned in the middle of the highway (there was no oncoming traffic don't worry!). I just had to get some photos of these little cuties! "Must stop for dogs" should probably be part of the Hidden Trails Expedition motto. 😆
The 3 King Charles Spaniels belonged to an elderly gentleman who was not too talkative. But he did tell me that the 3 were named Mitsy, Milo and Marley. M&M&M!!!🐶🐶🐶 They were super friendly and I got a big wet kiss and some super cute photos.
Jessica Lake
Back onto Route 44, I continued to be in awe of the beauty of this road. All the photos I took just couldn't do it justice.
I pulled over next at Jessica Lake Lodge, to stretch those legs and enjoy a nice lake view. It was another incredible view, and as I stood there watching the sun glimmer over the water, I kept thinking how hard it is going to be to come back home to the Dallas area after seeing so many of these incredible views.
Empty Lakes, Full Hotels
I continued in search of hidden trails and stopped to pull up to a few boat ramps leading into various beautiful lakes. While these boat ramps are probably very useful to unload boats during the busy season, it seems right now they aren't getting much use. Everywhere was empty, and I'm the only person around and the only car in sight.
This is very interesting when you think about it because all of the hotels and motels I've stayed at along the journey have been completely packed! But if it isn't the busy season yet, why is that?
So I discovered that since Canada has such long winters, and a very short spring and summer season, a lot of key outdoor work has to get done in a short amount of time. Anything from lumber as we saw during the Log-o-Land day, to power line maintenance, road work, forestry etc. So working Canadians who work in these industries are on the move during the summer months. They occupy all the small motels and lodges in the area to get their work done before winter comes once more.
Dragonfly Heaven
I made a couple more stops at Betula Lake Dam and WhiteShell River and managed to take some great photos of these water-abundant places. There is just so much water everywhere and everything is so green. Now all we need to do is introduce a population of bats that can eat all these bugs!
Somehow all the dragonflies in the area got the memo that this is the spot of Dragonfly heaven. They were everywhere!
Maybe we can speak to the Austin authorities to send some of their bats to come here for a while and live off all the bugs they have aplenty. For those who don’t know – Austin Texas has an enormous bat population – they are famous for it.
7 Sisters - Esso Gas Station
Next, I stopped at 7 sisters Esso gas station which is also the local convenience store. AND the local fishing store. AND the local liquor store. I guess that's why they call it a one-stop shop.
Inside the store was a charming young lady by the name of Krista. We had a nice little chat and she told me she is a local of the 7 Sisters area. As a young gal, I asked her if she would prefer to live in the big city. She said she wasn't too sure about being in the city, but thinks it would be nice to live in the suburbs of Toronto or at least closer to a big city. Despite the fact that she does love this place, she does tend to get bored since there isn't so much to do.
I asked Krista if she'd ever used a VR headset and when she said she hadn't, I gave her a quick 5-minute tour of the Oculus headset. I figured this could break her routine and give her something exciting to do. She gave it a spin and loved it! I told her she can get one on Amazon, and then said my goodbyes. I hope I've turned her into another VR enthusiast!
7 Sisters Dam
On my way out of the Esso Gas station, I bumped into AJ and Steve. Steve works at the 7 Sisters Dam and they both suggested I pass by to go and see it. Not only is the dam quite the spectacle, but not far down the road, there is also the 7 Sisters Waterfall.
So off I went based on their recommendation and stopped at the dam. It was a marvel!
They had opened half of the generators, and I could see the water gushing through the openings. Way out "over yonder" (as they say in Texas) I could see someone fishing.
I am so happy I met Steve and AJ, because I had not planned to visit the actual dam and was quite impressed by the experience. I even learned how they have 6 different generators, and depending on how much water is in the lake, they will open or close specific generators. I found it all really fascinating and was very happy with this detour before going to the 7 Sisters Waterfall. Take a look at the gallery for a video of the falls and many other amazing photos.
7 Sisters Waterfall
So the waterfall ended up being quite the hidden trail, as it was not easy to find. The signs all said "White Mouth Falls Provincial Park", but nowhere did it indicate towards the Seven Sisters Waterfall. I had to stop twice and ask people nearby to confirm that I was headed in the right direction. I was driving down a dirt and gravel road and didn't want to drive all this way to find out I'd headed the wrong way. Luckily, I was right on track.
I finally arrived at the falls and immediately met a couple from Winnipeg who had come down for a bit of fishing.
The man, Mike, and his wife were just packing up after a very successful catch, indeed! Mark showed me his bounty - an entire bucket full of freshly caught fish! They were quite big too. Obviously, Mike is an avid fisherman and has managed to catch the best of the best, all caught right here at the falls.
I walked further along to go see the waterfall for myself. It was turning into a very nice day, although it was a bit hot. But sitting alongside this amazing waterfall helped cool me down.
While I was enjoying the waterfall, I met Joanne and Robert, also from Winnipeg. They gave me some recommendations on where to camp near Banff, suggesting I try "Mosquito Creek". I'm not so sure about that, given the name, but she did tell me that the campsite is right on the shore of the lake with great views! Maybe I'll give it a shot...
Lockport Dam is for the Pelicans
My final stop before arriving in Winnipeg was Lockport Dam. I was already starting to retrace my childhood steps by arriving here. This was the location we used to go fishing as a family when we lived in Winnipeg.
At first, the access gate was locked so I thought I wouldn't be able to access the dam, but then I saw a couple down by the water so figured there must be another entrance. I drove another half a mile onwards and saw a trail leading all the way down to the water.
Getting to the shore was a bit of an expedition. I walked all the way down and this allowed me to get some magnificent views of the dam.
Then, suddenly, I noticed them...
Lots of them!! Hundreds!!! All huddled together in the water.
PELICANS!!!!
So this is where the Pelican baby delivery headquarters are! 👶 Now we know. I tried to get closer to get a good look and they started to move in large numbers. Half of the group swam across to the other side of the lake, while the rest stayed on my side of the shore. As I backed away again, they all started coming back.
I really tried to get a picture of them in flight, babies in cute diapers being carried from a sling in their beaks, but it was too hard to see. 😉
Revisiting My Roots
House 1: #110
I had finally returned to the city of my roots - Winnipeg. I lived here in Winnipeg as a child from 1967 until 1975. Before heading to my hosts for the evening, I decided to do a childhood tour of the city.
First, I visited one of the homes we lived in. The current inhabitant came out and introduced himself as Jason. I told him how I had lived in the home years ago, and he said that they had been there for about 7 years now. It was just as I remembered it, the color of the house was the same as it had been when I was a child. We even discussed the "haunted basement". He said that they also joke that it is haunted since it creaks really badly and makes all sorts of weird noises as the heat and AC come on.
Jason told me that he loves the neighbourhood and the house, that there are great schools in the area and the neighbours are all lovely. He explained that the synagogue across the street was just purchased, and I mentioned that I used to go to the synagogue there when we lived in this house.
Jason asked where else I was headed on my road trip and I told him Banff and Jasper via Moose Jaw were next on the agenda. Funny enough, his sister runs a hotel in Banff and Jasper so he promised he'd have them call me later (I left my business card with him) and help me get the "friends and family" rate for a night stay when I get there. Yay, thanks, Jason!
House 2: #497
The next stop was house 2, which was in fact the first house I lived in when we moved to Winnipeg.
I knocked on the door, but no one was home. So I took a quick photo to reminisce and moved on. Then suddenly, out of the blue, huge rain clouds came in and opened up. It was suddenly raining and thundering, just like in Texas. If you don't like the weather - wait a minute - the weather will change!
House 3 - #10
On my way to the final house I lived in during my time in Winnipeg, I stopped to see the Elementary School I went to, which has now been converted into a Catholic school.
The third and last house we grew up in looked different than I remembered. The color had changed. When I lived here the house was red, and now has been painted grey blue and white.
At first, the owner did not answer the door, so I was going to leave a postcard of the Hidden Trail Expedition and head off. Just as I was walking away the owner opened the door. He was not a very inviting fellow, so I just asked permission to take a photo for the blog and he said sure.
Nola and Matthew's Home
My last stop of the day! Nola and Matthew's house. After visiting three of my childhood homes, I arrived at my dear childhood friend, Matthew's, house.
His lovely wife, Nola, was there to greet me. I made a fresh Nespresso coffee and settled in to catch up with Nola while we waited for Matthew to come home.
I then went to unpack and do a bit of laundry. Just in time too, because basically all my clothes were dirty at this point. Now I have a fresh start for the next 10 days. I also became acquainted with the resident parrots.
Meet The Admiral and Seebird! These 2 cuties are also big fans of the blog. 😉
Matthew, one of Winnipeg's top Pediatricians, called from the office and said he would be home ASAP! I was so excited to see him. I have not seen Matthew for way too long. The two of us had grown up together in Winnipeg when I was a kid, and even when I moved away, Matthew and I managed to stay in close contact all these years. This means Matthew and I have been close friends now for over half a century! As my brother Milton puts it, Matthew and I are brothers from different mothers.
What can I say, whenever I visit Nola and Matthew I always feel such a warm and strong loving feeling. This feels like home.
Soon enough, the rest of the Lazar clan had arrived home for dinner, and it was certainly a dinner to remember. We had 2 types of salmon (which were so delicious I forgot to take pictures of it until it was almost entirely eaten), 2 types of melt-in-your-mouth homemade challah, and much more delicious food.
It was great to spend a Friday night with family, and that's really how I felt seated around the table with everyone. Like I was with my family.
After dinner, Jack, who is Matthew's nephew (and who is having his Bar-Mitzvah in a few weeks) and Matthew played with the Oculus VR headset and loved it.
It was also great seeing Ezra, Matthew and Nola's eldest son, who used to work for my company "IN-COM" in Richardson Texas several years back. He came out wearing a sweatshirt to show me that he has kept the “IN-COM” spirit all these years. It was very nostalgic to see Ezra wear his IN-COM sweater. 😉
After some fun and games, we sat down to talk some more. And we discovered something fascinating!
I was showing Matthew some photos I had found from 50 years ago. It was an array of photos of our classrooms, and other photos from our Boy Scout days. Then, I came across a picture of an old man and started to explain to Matthew that this man had lived in the alley behind the school. I told him how I would go visit this man after school and he would teach me all about photography and how to develop film. You'll never believe what happened next!
Matthew's eyes widened in shock. "WOW!" he exclaimed. "Do you know who that is?". I wasn't sure what he meant. "That man is my Uncle!" he revealed. He then went on about how he remembered how much of a photography enthusiast his uncle had been and that he had his very own dark room.
What a crazy coincidence. And all these years we never put two and two together. It took us 50 years to figure this out. We spent hours into the night talking and talking. In fact, I went to bed so late it was almost the time of morning I'm usually waking up! It was such an incredible evening with such great company.
But now I am off to get some shut-eye. Goodnight.
-Shlomo
For more incredible pictures of today's adventures, check out the photo gallery!
Such an incredible journey with so much nostalgia! Love a good Friday night dinner