Winnipeg

We board the train for Winnipeg around 9:30pm, it is a long one estimated at about 500m. We have booked 2 lower berths and we are near the end of the train. Lucy is in car # 121 and I am in the next one. Two cars over is the end of the train with the combination dome car, bar and entertainment room. At the end of that car you look straight at the tracks, really neat. Via rail is serving complementary Canadian champagne and we have a few glasses. The beds are made already and close to midnight we move into our individual berth. I really like sleeping on the train, it rocks you to sleep and Lucy is happy to report that the train does not make her seasick. She takes a shower and tells me that it is great so the next morning I try it myself. We are 2 nights on this train and have 2 breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner. Also coffee, tea, fresh fruit and snacks are available all day long. All included in the price.

By the next morning we are in Northern Ontario, nothing but trees streams and lakes and no cellphone reception. Lucy has sent a text message to the family in Winnipeg to get the phone number of a massage therapy clinic, I want to try to get a few more treatments for that shoulder. The train stops for 30 minutes in Hornpayne and there is reception there. I manage to get through to the clinic and get an appointment for Thursday, the day we arrive in Winnipeg.

We arrive in Winnipeg one hour ahead of schedule and have to stay on the train until the station is manned. We deboard around 7:45 and the luggage is there in no time. Lucy had already contacted Leanne and she is on her way, with the 3 kids,  to pick up Nana. Grandpa has to assemble his bike and hook up the trailer before hitting the road. It is only 4.5km from the train station to get to their home. Leanne and Leif have been building their dream home on Wellington Crescent for the last 2 years and very recently moved in. When Grandpa arrives the whole family is waiting and there are lots of hugs and kisses and I meet our latest grandchild Jack for the first time and what a good baby boy he is. He smiles a lot and only cries when hungry.

We play a lot with the kids and take Jack for walks. On Sunday Wellington Crescent is closed for traffic and we take Eric and Kate for a bike ride. 

Leanne and Leif are still in the process of finding a spot for everything in their new home and are very busy. I was not able to get the whole family together to pose for a picture in front of their house. Will try again in early August. Things should have settled down by then and besides, Suzanne, Matt and Julia will be there too and we'll get them all together.  

I managed to get two sessions massage therapy for that shoulder, the last on on Sunday. Can't say that it is helping me very much. The real biking does not start until June 10. Until then I can take it easy and hopefully things will have settled down by then.

Those few days in Winnipeg flew by and on Monday May 30 Grandpa has to head for the station again to continue his trip. The sun is poking through dark clouds when I get up and by the time the bike is ready and packed it is raining again. Amazing how fast puddles form on the streets in Winnipeg. To avoid those I stay on the sidewalks and move very slowly so as not to mess up my bike and trailer. I have plenty of time to dry the bike. I have a heck of a time to fit the bike in the box though, the handlebars are too high whatever way I adjust them, I end up taking them off all together and tie them onto the frame.

The train leaves on schedule at 12:00.   I have a great night's sleep on the train and meet lots of nice people. There is a guy in the booth across from me who just finished university and is a geologist. He is on his way to the North West Territories to look for diamonds.

It is now May 31 and I am in Jasper at the public library to write the update to this blog. The train arrived 45 minutes late. I have to stay here overnight and the train for Prince Rupert will depart 12:45pm. My bike and Bob were checked through to Prince Rupert in Winnipeg, they are here, I have seen them on the platform. The train for Prince Rupert stops for the night in Prince George, everybody has to get off the train and overnight in a hotel of his own choice and expense. This makes it a 2 day trip but the advantage is that the whole trip is during daylight.



Unionville

It is raining when we leave home on Monday May 16 at 8:00am. I hope this is not setting the stage for the rest of this adventure. Lucy is getting a lift from our next door neighbour and I meet her at the station.

There are 2 options for packing up the bike, a cardboard box or a plastic bag. Since it is still raining a cardboard box will be soaked before it gets loaded onto the train so I opt for the plastic bag. This is faster since the pedals can stay on but it does not provide much protection, let's hope for the best. We have a reservation for our own sleeper cabin on the train including a private bathroom. The bench converts into 2 comfortable bunk beds for the night. We have a nice meal of panfried haddock in the dining car before retiring for the night.

The Ocean arrives on schedule in Montreal and we have a 45 minute wait before boarding the Toronto bound train. When we arrive at Union Station in Toronto at 4:00pm it is cloudy but not raining. The bike and trailer are returned undamaged and while hooking up the trailer I notice folks walking in with wet umbrellas. It must have started raining. Can't seem to get away from it. Once again we put on the rain gear.  Lucy takes the GO-train for Unionville. Once outside, it is indeed raining and it does not look like it is going to stop any time soon. Just like last year I mostly follow the Don Valley bike trail but find that a part of the trail is closed due to construction. Being not familiar with the area I have to use my GPS to find a way around the closed trail. Leslie street seems to be my best bet but it means that I will be in the middle of Toronto traffic in the rain. I forgot to install my rearview mirror before I left the station. That was OK on the bike trail but I am really going to need it now. I have to open up the Bobby bag to retrieve the mirror and forget to tie up the strap that holds the bag onto the trailer. Shortly after taking off again the strap winds itself around the axle of the trailer and things come to a screeching halt. Not too pleased with myself at this point. It takes some doing to unwind the strap and I am getting away without any damage. It takes over 3 hours to cover the 41km to Unionville and I make it just before dark. Julia is still awake and is waiting at the door to greet grandpa. What a nice welcome!
We have a great week at the Frost residence. They moved recently to another part of Unionville. They now live in a very nice home in a great neighbourhood just a few minutes walk from Mainstreet. Matt is taking off for a few days for his annual fishing derby at the family cottage in Nova Scotia and we can give Suzanne a hand looking after Julia and Jet.  Julia is taking a vacation from daycare while we are in Unionville so we have more time to enjoy each other's company. We have lots of time to play together, go for many walks and even visit the Toronto Zoo. She is a little trooper, we spent a good 3 1/2 hours there.

While stretching after a run I get a shooting pain near my right shoulder blade. This is not the time to end up with an injury. With the Victoria long weekend there is not much I can do about it but I manage to arrange for a one hour massage therapy for Tuesday morning, a few hours before I have to bike to the station. The therapist tells me that the muscles in my back end neck are very tight and advises me to get more massage while in Winnipeg. Bob and myself leave for the station at 3:00pm, this time the weather is great and I can take my time. Suzanne is driving Lucy to the station and we meet there around 8:00pm. We board the train around 9:30pm and the Canadian leaves on schedule at 10:00pm.
Here is a picture of the Frost family in front of their new home at Berkeley Court in Unionville.