Travel day 365 +/-: Ted

Architecture of Chicago:We headed down the highway south out of Saskatoon (and Canada) on Tuesday July 20th. Our plan was to head south into Montana briefly, enroute to South Dakota and east through the midwest to Ontario. Things proceeded nicely in the beginning. Although we got a late start, our entry into the U.S. was smooth and uneventful, as all our cross-border ventures have been.

However, we didn’t book ahead for a room, thinking it unnecessary. As we soon discovered, the good people of North Dakota are drilling for oil. There are no rooms to be found as they are all taken up by long-term oil workers. Pushing on we were resigned to the possibility of spending some time – and possibly the night - in the car. The boys were cheering, “it ain’t a road trip till you spend a night in the car”. We headed through North Dakota in the dark in the direction of Mount Rushmore.

As the night wore on it was clear that we were not going to find a room. We stopped for a while to try and rest in the car and then in the middle of the night decided to carry on. An electrical storm could be seen off in the distance and to the west. However, we were heading right for it. Lightning soon was all around us and the rain picked up. The sky lit the surrounding flat land of South Dakota for miles. Finally, we found a small town with a couple of big rigs off to the side. We took the opportunity to wait it out. You know if the big rigs have pulled off then road, you better do the same.

By early morning we were off again, after a restless and uncomfortable night, for Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota where we spent a few hours in and around Mount Rushmore. We found a room for the night in Rapid City and decided to book ahead from that point on. Kathi was able to always book great deals through Hotwire and so Hotwire become our hotel website of choice for this leg of the journey.

Historic Mt. Rushmore (in case you're wondering, it's George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln):

Our next days were direction east toward home. We crossed the state and spent the night in near luxury in Sioux Falls, SD passing by the town of Mitchell. Cornfields filled the view to the endless sky. Our next day sent us by another town called Jackson, Minnesota enroute to Waterloo, Iowa.

However, along the way we stopped at what would be the first of three Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Mason City, Iowa is home to the Stockman house. This was an early modest Prairie style home designed and built by Wright in 1908 while working on a couple of commercial buildings in town. We spent a quiet night at a Super 8, dinner at Olive Garden, got the car oil changed and used a public coin laundry. The fun of life on the road.

An early example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style in Mason City, Iowa:

FLW often designed the built-ins and furniture for his homes also:

Our intent now was to visit Cedar Rock, another FLW house that I had the chance to visit 18 years ago. It is quite a bit off the beaten track in the rural Iowa countryside. The house is one of the most complete of his houses, which was built in 1950. He not only designed the house for Mr. & Mrs. Walter Lowell, who had no children, but designed the built-in plywood tables, chairs, couches, and selected the dinnerware and glasses. It bears his signature red tile, being his seal of approval. It’s located along the Wapsipinicon River, right near Quasqueton, Iowa. As it happens there has been lots of rain and the river was rising to near record levels. The boathouse was at the time flooded to above the boat garage and, unfortunately, off limits. Anything that was not fastened in was removed but a lot of furniture was built in. The house and property along with a small endowment was left to the State of Iowa in 1981 after Mr. Lowell passed away and remains so today with tours available to the public.

Cedar Rock in Iowa: example of Frank Lloyd Wright's organic architecture, inspired by the surrounding nature:

Next stop, the windy city. Chicago was even worthy of a two night stay at the airport Intercontinental Hotel. Another great Hotwire deal. Arriving on a Saturday and spending Sunday in the city worked for us. We used our own vehicle for getting around, starting with taking in the third FLW house in three days.

We visited the home and studio of FLW in the beautiful Chicago neighbourhood of Oak Park. This was his home and studio from 1889-1909. He initially lived here with his family. When he began to practice on his own he added a drafting studio where he ran his business. There are several homes in the surrounding area designed by Wright including the Cheney residence. The wife of this particular client later became his mistress and the ensuing publicity and controversy caused them to leave the U.S. for Europe for a while, later returning to take up residence in Wisconsin. In the gift shop, Kathi picked up a copy of the recent novel, Loving Frank, which tells their story from Mrs. Cheney’s point of view and she found it to be a fast and engrossing read.

FLW's Home & Studio in the Oak Park neighbourhood of Chicago:

The home that Edwin & Mamah Cheney commissioned FLW to design for them (also in Oak Park):

Our day in Chicago was sun filled. We spent the afternoon first looking up at the Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower), and touring the Magnificent Mile along Michigan Avenue window shopping and people watching.

Next we headed for the fantastic Millennium Park. It has a great outdoor amphitheatre called The Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Great Lawn designed by another Frank – this time Gehry. The site has a bridge over the adjoining street (BP Bridge), also designed by him, and a great water park/feature/fountain (Crown Fountain). Check out the link because our pictures don’t do it justice.

Chicago's downtown skyline:

The Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower):

Architecture of the Jay Pritzker Pavillion in Chicago's Millennium Park:

Crown Fountain:

The park is a great place to run and blow off steam after being well-behaved in several Frank Lloyd Wright homes :)

Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate sculpture, made of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above :

The boys check out their reflection in the cloud:

The city of Ottawa could take some lessons here for the new Landsdowne Park redevelopment. The fountain has all the great features of being something interesting and striking to look at but is very interactive. Crowds of people of all ages were running in the water, soaking under the main fountain, and sitting at the edge taking it all in. At the theatre we got to take in the beginnings of a free Chopin concert as the sun began to set.

So ends our trip across America.

TE

Interactive Crown Fountain:

Runnin' Back to Saskatoon

One of several bridges in Saskatoon:View of the same South Saskatchewan River from my parents' former farm (about 1 hour north of Saskatoon):Church at Historic Batoche, just a few miles from the old family farm:

Five years since our last visit, we finally made a return trip to my hometown of Saskatoon. The last time was the occasion of my Mom's 80th birthday in 2005. I have seen my family since then (lest you think I am a really bad daughter/sister), but at other family celebrations, just not in Saskatoon. I enjoyed seeing the old haunts and I think my kids got a kick out of seeing where I grew up. Ted kept busy kibitzing with my family and, of course, washing any and all cars around especially our own :)

At one time, all nine members of our family lived in a big house on a leafy street near the university. At this point there is only my Mom, now in a retirement residence, my brother Jim's two adult children (Laura and Jim Jr.), and another one of my brothers (Bob) and his family still residing in Saskatoon. Brother Bob and his wife Mary-Jane are now empty-nesters with daughter Portia at McGill and son JP on his own but still in town. JP has lost the fabulous dreadlocks he sported throughout high school and looks so handsome and grown-up I would not have recognized him.

A couple of times I snuck away from all the family action to see a few old high school and university friends. We all congratulated ourselves on how little we have changed and how great we all still look, ha, ha. Well what are friends for, if not to prop up your ego?

Saskatoon itself just keeps looking better and better. The crown jewel of this city of about 200,000 is the mighty Saskatchewan River that runs through it, the parkland and trails alongside the river, as well as the many bridges that span it. We shopped at the expanded Farmer's Market, went for scenic bike rides along the river (an even better ride, I will admit, than Ottawa's canal bike paths), and saw all the new shops and restaurants in the growing downtown and Broadway areas. But mostly we hung out at Bob & MJ's place, the kids swimming in their backyard pool and visiting with their Nana, aunts, uncles and cousins.

My Mom's new seniors' home is quite lovely and it was reassuring to see that she has made several good friends. We all felt Grandpa George's absence, though, and can hardly comprehend that is already five months since he passed away.

Homeschooling, believe it or not, has continued - aren't we the cruel parents? We took a trip to historic Batoche to learn all about the North-West Rebellion of 1885 - or should I say, the North-West Resistance of 1885. Very interesting that people in Saskatchewan refer to the incidents associated with Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont as an armed "resistance" whereas in Ontario it is still called a "rebellion". A matter of perspective. Louis Riel is regarded as a hero of the Metis people for standing up to the indifferent government in Ottawa; he was hanged for treason, though. That sentiment of westerners disliking Ottawa still exists to some degree. Chatting with staff at Batoche, they would always ask, where are you visiting from? Ottawa, I would say apologetically, but I'm actually from Saskatoon.

A big highlight for me was travelling just a few more miles to the north-west of Batoche to once more see the farm my parents owned until the mid-1990s. This was a beautiful chunk of land that my Dad loved and spent every spare minute at, even though we never lived there. We ran into the man who now owns it with his brothers. This man, Raymond, was kind enough to spend a couple of hours with us, showing all the things I remembered - such as the huge buffalo pit we used to climb down - and all the things that have changed and developed with the new owners. A lake my Dad created (long story involving dynamite to blow up beaver dams plus many earth-movers) now has many homes and cottages on its shores. Just before he died in 1989, my Dad had carved up a section of land around the lake into cottage lots. Seeing actual homes and cottages surrounding this lake was amazing to me. As kids we swam in it. We skated on it. And now a small community lives by it. Weird.

Jackson is enjoying Uncle Bob & Auntie MJ's pool and perfecting his dive:

Uncle Bob instructing Jackson in the ways of chopping kindling for an outdoor fire we had one night:

Sharing brunch with my Mom at her new place (Mary-Jane's Mom joined us as well):

Playing ping pong with Nana at the retirement residence:

The kids loved it when Uncle Bob took each of them for a spin in this little convertible that was his gift to Auntie MJ:

Nephew JP with his girlfriend Ashley:

My niece Laura & her partner Rob, expecting this December:

The church at the historic village of Batoche:

Hard to see but Jackson is holding Flat Stanley here. He's getting a little embarrassed about the whole Flat Stanley thing now and is trying to hold him inconspicuously- alas, we may have to put FS to rest soon :)

Bullet holes in the rectory (from General Middleton's gatling gun):

Cemetary at Batoche (Louis Riel was buried in Regina, however, where he was hanged):

Jackson in front of Gabriel Dumont's memorial stone at Batoche:

Sign at one of the entrances to my parents' former farm:

My Mom and Raymond sharing a beer at the old family farm (now his property):

Chante Lake - I had to agree when Raymond said to me "your dad was 20 years ahead of his time". It was rewarding to see the lake so high and fresh and even stocked with fish:

Homes and cottages dotting Chante Lake:

Ted talking to Raymond. This is the spot on the farm where my parents dreamed of building a retirement house - amazing views of the South Saskatchewan River and on the edge of an historic buffalo pit:

Our trusty Saturn Vue has good high clearance to drive the farm fields:

Time to keep driving. Maybe next time I won't wait so long to run back to Saskatoon.

Icefields Parkway: Banff to Jasper and Edmonton

The drive from Vernon, BC to Banff, Alberta is a pretty one but when you hit the Icefields Parkway that winds from Lake Louise to Jasper, you have encountered possibly the most scenic drive in all the world. It's not just the sight of the rugged Canadian Rockies but the contrast of the towering green trees and the rich blue glacially-fed lakes, as well as regular spottings of wildlife, that make it so spectacular. And it's right here in our own backyard!

I have always thought it would be cool to do a cycling trip (someday) and after driving the Icefields Parkway, I think I may have found the perfect beginner route. At about 230 km. long, it's an easy three to five day cycle and there are many hostels, B&B's, and hotels along the way when you want to call it a day. There are also many tour companies that will follow you and take good care of you along the way if one were reluctant to do it on his or her own.

The touristy main shopping street of Banff Village on this cool, rainy day:

Stunning scenery along the route of the Columbia Icefields Parkway. No wonder Japanese tourists flock here - the singular Mt. Fuji, although majestic, pales in comparison to all of this:

We're getting ready to walk about 800 metres to the bottom or "toe" of the Athabasca Glacier. When I was a kid, you used to be able to park your car and step right onto the Glacier but it has steadily receded every year - seems like more evidence for the climate change theory:

Stepping gingerly on the toe of the Athabasca Glacier. Even harmless looking crevasses can be deadly:

Close-up of the receding Athabasca Glacier. The Athabasca Glacier is one of many tongues of ice that flow from the massive Columbia Icefield. Meltwater from the Columbia Icefield drains to three oceans - the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic - via three river systems: the Saskatchewan, the Columbia, and the Athabasca.

More Icefields Parkway scenery:

A black bear we spotted on the side of the Icefields Parkway just before Jasper - we also saw many mountain goats as well as a moose run across the highway:

When we got to Edmonton, we had two priorities: see Auntie Jeanne-Ann and visit the West Edmonton Mall (in that order). Jackson's Gr. 2 teacher had a book about the West Edmonton Mall in her classroom and Jackson used to read it over and over. He was beyond thrilled to be able to visit it. The rest of were like, hey a mall is a mall is a mall. But it is a biggie, that's for sure. We got to meet all four of Jeanne-Ann 's long-hair cats and hear all about her life in Edmonchuk.

Jeanne-Ann & Flat Stanley:

The boys used some allowance $ to try the mega-trampoline at the Mall. Auntie Jeanne-Ann is watching from the second-storey balcony:

Jackson gets a wet kiss from the sea lion at West Edmonton Mall. The Mall has the usual generic stores and fast food joints but also an aquarium, skating rink, amusement park with rides, casino, and mini-golf course:

Mitch gets a smooch as well:

Guess who got picked out of the crowd to be a sea lion volunteer??

Next stop is Saskatoon, my hometown. Just realized that yesterday was July 20th, exactly one year from the day we took our first flight of this trip (Toronto to New York). Where did the year go?