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DennisCTB
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2006-06-23          131293

That's Manitoba, was working with some nice folks up there. Funny thing was the first day I was wondering why I had to jump over these high guard rails made of wood to get to the restaurant across the street.

Then I noticed a couple of outlets, Hmmmmm Xmas lights how convenient.

Nope, It gets 40 below zero there for long periods of time so everyone at their job needs a oil warmer.

Also kinda cool to see the sun still up after 10PM. Weird going to the local mall in total daylight, only to see they are closed because its 9:30PM.





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shortmagnum
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2006-06-23          131295

It's flat up there, isn't it?

I get up there once a year in early August. We fly out of Winnipeg to God's Lake for fishing.

Did I say it's really flat there?
....

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DennisCTB
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2006-06-23          131301

Yes it is totally flat, they say the Red River floods every year up to 27 miles wide as deep as 30 feet. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
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2006-06-23          131302

Hey I didn't know you were coming to Cannuckistan or I would have met you and we could have done some snowmobiling!!! LOL....

BTW, most of Canada jokingly refers to it as "Winterpeg". You don't want to be there in the winter either, on the winter solstice, December 22nd, the shortest day of the year, the sun doesn't comes up until nearly 8:30 and goes back down at 4:30 giving you only about 8 hours of daylight, potentially!! LOL.

In a couple of enterprising towns in northern Ontario they have things that look like parking meters, $25 cents gets you a half hour of electricity, the parking is free.

Do you ever get some strange looks if you put money in the 'parking meter' in the summer!!!

Glad you enjoyed it, now you have to come to Ontario and see the beautiful part of Canada, LOL!!

Best of luck. ....

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Peters
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2006-06-23          131306

It seems to me the plates in British Columbia say Beautiful British Columbia, Ontario's say keep it Beautiful.

Winterpeg is not that far north, at the 56th parallel we only had the sun go down for a hour about this time of year. I can remember playing baseball in Terrace at 11.00 pm at night with out lights. ....

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Iowafun
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2006-06-23          131311

Ah Winterpeg. Been there a time or two when I lived in Northern Minnesota. Barren drive up there through Steinbeck. Yep, flat, wide open. I love the block heater plug-ins at teh airport. That was nice when I got off the plane in January. It was cheaper and easier for me to drive to Winterpeg to fly to Chicago than to drive to Grand Forks, ND to fly to Chicago. Same drive time.

Comedy club there was fun. We didn't get the Canadian political humor, but laughed at everything else. ....

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yooperpete
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2006-06-26          131372

Murf:
I'm visiting your beautiful Ontario for a short business trip on Thursday. Going to Oakville (Ford assembly plant). Its been about a year and a half since I was there last.

We cross at Port Huron/Sarnia and head over to 401 (The Queen's Highway). Are they going to call it the King's Highway when Charles takes the thrown?

Last time we were trying to drive just a little faster than the flow of traffic (we were behind schedule) and were doing around 120 mph between Cambridge and the intersection with highway 22. The boost on the Bonneville SSEI was on the entire time (about a 60 mile stretch). I thought we drove fast in Michigan. ....

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Murf
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2006-06-26          131375

Well if you're going to Oakville you'll be close, only about 1.5 hours from here, unfortunately in the wrong direction though. LOL.

On most highways in Canada if you're not going at least 25% over the speed limit you're likely to get run off the road, and that's just from the nun driving the school bus!!!

Yes, they will rename all the highways, they did when 'Liz took over the throne, it took them weeks to change all the signs. The only highways that will not be named are the ones named after her in particular, like the one that the Ford plant is on in Oakville, which is the "Queen Elizabeth Way".

BTW, they changed the slogan on the plates a few years back, now Ontario plates say "Yours to discover" on them.

Enjoy the trip. Long way to come for a short visit, are you staying over, or down & back in the day?

Best of luck. ....

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yooperpete
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2006-06-26          131376

Unfortunately it is only a day trip. The last time we spent the night and had a great time.

Years ago, I vacationed frequently in the Toronto area and enjoyed the food, shopping and sights. I also vacationed in Montreal and Quebec City on numberous occasions and many of the spots in-between all the way up to the Gasp peninsula including Nova Scotia. But I've missed all the good stuff North of the main road along the St. Lawrence. Am hoping to do that some time in the future.

Just got word the trip has been rescheduled for another week.

The Winters are nasty in the Winnipeg area. Some years back I designed some portable rail drilling equipment. When the weather is cold, track fractures more readily on the Canadien National railway. The guys where drilling track sections to repair fractures in weather like was discussed with blizzard snow conditions with a spotter checking if another train was coming. I deligated that factory support trip to another guy. Boy,am I smart at times! We normally lubricated the tools with an oil lubricant. Straight anti-freeze was clogging on us, so they thinned it with alcohol from the breast pocket of our guy. He was the hero that day! They barely had the section re-installed when the train came bearing down on them. They said it gets allot colder when a train is blowing by in those conditions when you are 10 feet from the train.

I've heard the National railway was shut down and only local spurs are run today. That's a shame if it is true. ....

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Peters
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2006-06-26          131380

YooperPete CN made 1.5 billon last year I think it is quite profitable. If you hit the link and hit the CN map link they are running you get the idea. I think like all the railways they have shut some spurlines, but the main track is there. You had me worried as one of their lines run just north of me in AL running to the east. We were at a local fair the other day and I was suprised at how busy it was. There was a train at least once an hour. ....


Link:   CN

 
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yooperpete
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2006-06-26          131382

A year or two ago I watched a TV special on the travel channel that showed a passenger train that went from Toronto all the way to the B.C. coastline and showed the scenic route through the mountains and over gorges on tressel bridges, etc. The show indicated that the trainline was being shut down since the rail network was being closed. It looked like a great trip to see all the scenic views/vistas and not hassle with anything or anyone. It was expensive and mostly "blue hairs" traveled it. ....

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Murf
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2006-06-26          131386

I think what they meant to say, or did but you mis-understood, was they are discontinueing the coast-to-coast passenger train.

The luxury train was very expensive, and took far to long for anyone but tourists and retirees.

Candian Pacific Railway still service in the west only on it's famous luxurious train, a 6 day tour of the Rockies, or fly-fishing tour will set you back a little over US$6,000 per person.

By comparison, Toronto to Vancouver on a 'regular' train, with private sleeping accomodations (it's a 3 day trip) will set you back about US$2,000 for the first person, about US$750 if you have a spouse with you.

Best of luck. ....

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Peters
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2006-06-26          131391

I believe that VIA rail the Canadian counterpart no longer has a continuous train from Halifax to B.C. You have to use the coach from Montreal to Toronto. You can do it for as little as $1500 each.
I did the Prince Rupert to Toronto and Vancouver to Toronto more than 30 years ago. The Prince Rupert B.C. to Jasper AL trip is excellent, as is the Vancouver to Banff. The prairie and northern Ontario can get quite boring as much of the senery is similar. The CP rail route along lake Superior is much better than the CN route.
There is another tourist train running the route, but takes 17 days and is not VIA. This is from 3500 to 7000 like Murf said and one way. A bit like a cruise on rail. I guess you could spend 14K and two months on the train. After 11K miles on the rail you would know you had been somewhere.
There is a tour that runs up Vancouver island, takes the Ferry to Prince Rupet and then connects to the train. It runs to Jasper and then bus to Banff. And then train back to Vancouver. To me this is the best tour for the dollar. ....


Link:   Trans Canada Rail

 
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Murf
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2006-06-27          131413

It's a marketing scheme, a very confusing marketing scheme.

They merely renamed a bunch of the trains. The "Canadian" used to be a cross-country line, now it is only Ontario and west.

To cross the country, Halifax to Vancouver, you have to take the "Ocean: line from Halifax to Montreal, where you switch onto the {"VIA 1" service to Toronto, where you again switch onto the "Canadian" for the Toronto to Vancouver portion of the trip.

Best of luck. ....

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yooperpete
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2006-06-27          131415

17 days or 2 months sounds like a long train ride. Bet you get "rail legs", similar to "sea legs" after that long of a trip. The scenic views they showed on that travel channel show were awesome. It does sound like a good tourist trip for retirees.

I think this trip needs to be put on my someday list of things to do. ....

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Peters
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2006-06-27          131430

My grandfather retired in 1966 and we moved to northern B.C. from Toronto that year. He basically took the train every year from Toronto to B.C. from that year once a year until he was unable. After a few years it was much cheaper to fly, but he liked the trip and seeing the country.
I have done the B.C. to Toronto 3000 miles 6 times 4 by car and 2 by rail, or 12 one way trips, but have never been to the Maritimes only through Quebec.

I have been across southern US twice or 4 one way trips and never saw any wild life from the US 10 and 20. I certainly think the trip across the Canada is something to see. I would rather do it than a cruise. You can only get so close to the scenery and wildlife on a boat.

Even after 4 days on the train you get rail legs. I can remember rocking after getting off the train. The trip is split up so I am not sure you would be as wobbly. ....

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Murf
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2006-06-27          131432

The train trip through the east is fantastic, the train passes through both unspoiled wilderness, and quaint little towns.

The one thing that a lot of tourists comment on is the wildlife. A number of years back I flew to Halifax and met my cousins arriving from Ireland, and we all took the train to Montreal and looked a round a bit then another to Toronto. It was awe inspiring to all of us. It was hard to tell which direction to look there was so many animals and such beatiful scenery.

Best of luck.

....

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yooperpete
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2006-06-27          131437

Peters:
From your bio, I thought Northern AL meant Alabama but from this and other discussions was wondering why you were so knowledgeable about Canadian stuff. AH! Some of us, well me, in particular are slow sometimes.

Most Americans (U.S.) don't have a clue how unspoiled the Canadian wilderness is. Allot of us think Michigan's U.P. is remote. Not even close.

I'm told our US 2 is a nice drive for a two lane highway. As you get into Western North Dakota and beyond you will see some wildlife, but not to the extent of that in Canada.

When I get some time, I'd like to go out on US2 and head up to Calgary for Banff, etc. and then come back thru Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw to Thunder Bay and come back through Sault Ste. Marie. That's a 3 week trip which is hard to get away that long at a time and lots of driving. Don't know if I can spend that much time in the car/truck with my wife. May need another vacation after that one. ....

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kthompson
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2006-06-27          131439

YP,

In reading the conversations about traveling in Canada and then your line on driving I had already decided I would have to wait for my grandson as my wife would be bored! But not before the afternoon of the first day. LOL

You know, guess we could carry a cat.. ....

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yooperpete
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2006-06-27          131443

I like to drive a while, then hang out for a day or so and then move on. That way you can find the good points of interest at various places. ....

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kthompson
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2006-06-27          131444

YP,

How about a TP Tractor Ride through Canada? That just might take a little longer than would be comfortable without a heated cab. That sure would be some trip. ....

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Iowafun
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2006-06-27          131452

Like YP says, if you stick around awhile you can find some cool spots. That's how we found Hopewell rocks in New Brunswick. We had driven up to Truro in Nova Scotia to see the "Great Tidal Bore" and what a friggin' bore it was. I was not happy about losing a day to that. But the drive up there was fun.

When we got back to New Brunswick that night after the great bore, I made a comment to a local and she pointed us to Hopewell rocks. That was a really cool day there.

There is a time for putting on miles and a time for seeing stuff. Just gotta find the balance. ....

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Peters
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2006-06-27          131459

That was the nice thing about the train as they had a games area and you could socialize with other passengers as you watched the scenery. As Murf commented.

I am afraid I have lived north south east and west in NA. I was born not far from where Murf is but grew up in northern and then southern B.C. I moved to the states about 15 years ago after I finished my degrees. I have been in AL about 7 years. Not sure where I will be next if we decide to move. Definately gives you a little broader picture on things.

Ken Across Canada is 5500 miles at 8 miles an hour or 1400 hours or four and a half months with 10 hours a day on the tractor. Then you need to get the worn out tractor home. Sorry count me out, even with a cab. ....

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Murf
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2006-06-28          131484

Canada is a real big place, although our friends to the south are aware of it, because their country is nearly as big, others are sometimes caught off guard and find it hard to fathom the size.

In high school I had a foriegn exchange student in one class, she was from Denmark, she came to school one morning all excited and asked who wanted to go for a drive on Saturday to meet her brother who was coming to Canada. He was in the merchant marine and his ship was going to be in Halifax!!! When I pointed out that Halifax was 2,000+ km's away (1,200+ miles) she just laughed and said Imust be wrong. When asked why she thought so, her answer was logical if not correct, she said "I looked a map, Toronto is about 1/4 of the way across the country from east to west, so it can't be very far to the coast.".

In another instance I told someone I had flown "to the coast and landed in the ocean" and they asked whether that was in the Maritimes or British Columbia to which I replied "neither, it was in Ontario!" at which point they stated "Your full of sh___!! Ontario is in the middle of the country, or do you mean the Great Lakes?".

It took some time for them to realize that 800 - 1,000 miles north of Toronto there is another ocean!!!

Best of luck. ....

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kthompson
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2006-06-28          131501

Guess it really does not matter how much sense an idea makes there are those who go for it: yesterday on one of talk radio's programs a person said the reason Bush wants the open borders with Mexico and Canada was due to China. The caller said with Canada's natural resoures and Mexico's population we would be able to take on the Chinese. Folks, he was very serious. Wonder if President Foxx has signed on to that?
....

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Murf
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2006-06-28          131507

From a purely business / logic point of view, it makes sense.

However, having said that, experience has taught me that generally when a political leader starts to make sense, it means they haven't told the full story, we're msiing something, or both!! LOL.

Canada is 3,851,788 sq. miles, the US is 3,794,083 sq. miles in area.

Canada has a population of about 32 million , the US has more than 271 million people.

There are more people in just the State of California than all of Canada.

A few years back I bought a new GPS unit, it did all sorts aeronautical calculations for you, one function was to plot a route that would be "X" number of miles from what the Government considered a "built up" area, usefull for noisey aircraft or hazardous cargo trips.

I asked it to plot a route from right coast to left using a 50 mile setback from any "built up" areas the entire way. It couldn't do it, it kept saying "too many possibile routes". So I changed to a 100 mile setback, it still would do the calc., I finally only got an answer when I changed it to a 300 mile setback, then there were only about a DOZEN possible routes.

Best of luck. ....

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shortmagnum
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2006-06-28          131511

"Canada is 3,851,788 sq. miles, the US is 3,794,083 sq. miles in area."

Murf, I was about to call you a liar. :) I had to get a second opinion because I was SURE that Canada was almost double the size of the US in acreage. I'm usually pretty with it geographically but this time I was way off.
Dave ....

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kthompson
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2006-06-28          131512

Dave,

Alaska?


Murf,

"Canada has a population of about 32 million , the US has more than 271 million people."

Okay, so Mexico has the other billion we need to meet their population?
....

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Murf
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2006-06-28          131517

Dave, if you are talking about *vacant* acreage it's more like 10 fold, not just double!! LOL.

Kenneth, the 271 million only counts *legal* residents. If you include the illegals it's probably already getting close to the population of China..... LMAO!!!

Best of luck. ....

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kthompson
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2006-06-28          131518

Murf,

If you include the illegals it's probably already getting close to the population of China..... LMAO!!!

Sadly you may be correct. We are suppose to hit a total of 300 million I think this Oct was reported last week.

Wonder ratio of illegals worker output compared to Chinese worker. Does 1 illegal equal 2 Chinese or the other way or could it be 1 to 12 or 12 to 1?

....

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