RSS

Category Archives: Miscellaneous

It’s a miracle!

30 Apr

Well, I guess that’s maybe a bit of an exaggeration. However, I cannot deny that I certainly feel like it is…and I’m not the only one. Probably everyone in the 807 feels the same way. Confused? Have you read this blog before? If not, you better back track and catch up. Just kidding. I’m obviously referring to the weather, which has been a constant topic of conversation for me in the last little while. So the miracle is that spring has finally arrived…a month late! We’re finally seeing some double digit temperatures, melting snow and today the precipitation is rain instead of snow (though we may get a little snow later in the week as the temps are supposed to drop). Who cares though, as the end has arrived and it couldn’t come soon enough.

Beautiful evening, April 2013.

Beautiful evening, April 2013.

So today is the last day of April. Wow! That means there is only 2 months left of school…some days I wonder if I’m going to make it that far. Holy burnout Batman! I am really feeling it now, but that could be the bit of a cold that I am currently nursing. It certainly isn’t helping the situation. There are just so many things going on right now it’s hard to keep up. Between family, work, football and history stuff, my head is spinning. After 15 years of teaching, I should know that this time of the year is especially crazy. But, it is easy to forget when you’re in the moment.

The warmer weather and the end of the school year are making me think of football. Come again? Football? Isn’t that a fall thing? Yes, it certainly is, but times they are a changin’. Football, like many other sports, is becoming a year-round endeavour. The season ends in November, but soon after Christmas we start with our off-season workout schedule (which I supervise once a week). In a few weeks the coaches from the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) will be coming up for a weekend camp which requires us to give out equipment. Finally, I’ve already started planning this year’s edition of our annual spring camp, which takes place in June. Hard to start thinking about x’s and o’s when there’s still snow on the ground 😉

The railway has been very busy as usual, but I was thinking that I haven’t done much research in a long time. I did manage to squeeze in a presentation over the weekend. I always love to talk about the railway, and never pass up an opportunity to promote it and my work. About a month ago I was contacted by a gentleman named Dave who asked if I could come and speak to a men’s group he belongs to. So I found myself up early on Saturday morning (it was tough to get up at 7) and making my way to St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Everything went well, especially since I only had 45 minutes to deliver information that usually takes more than an hour.

As has been the norm lately, most of my time has revolved around the Historical Society. We have a board meeting coming up in a few weeks and there’s a lot to prepare before that happens. I’ve been working with a former student to overhaul our website, and also trying to get the spring edition of the society newsletter ready to send out. Wow, holy craziness! And that is in addition to the work on the North-Gunflint Lakes Historic Corridor (what we’re calling it)-hopefully I’ll have some news about that by the end of the week.

My final news this week is in regards to my article on the ghost town of Leeblain. My work is currently being reviewed, while I unsuccessfully attempt to find a mapmaker. I’d love to include a map with the article, but I’ve never created a digital map in my life. I’ve been struggling to find someone who can help me out, but my search so far has come up empty. I may have to bite the bullet, put my geography minor to the test and try my hand at cartography. I fiddled around a bit last night, making some headway but also dealing with a lot of frustration. Why can’t anything ever be easy?

Anyway, time to go. I’m tired and need to get some sleep….lots of work to do! More to say next week as usual. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 30, 2013 in Hiking, History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I survived Snowmageddon!

23 Apr

Snowmageddon? Snowpocalyse if you prefer. Whatever you want to call it, it was bad…really bad. I know that I’ve been writing a lot about the weather lately, but this is the icing on the cake. We have been getting snow steadily for the last few weeks, but no one could have foreseen what happened on Friday. They were calling for a serious dump of snow, but usually the predictions are way off; not this time!

The forecast predicted up to 30 cm between Thursday night and into Friday. I was out at our annual school board Quiz Night on Thursday night and was shocked by the amount of snow that fell during the evening. It continued to snow overnight and there was quite a pile in the morning. I broke my vow not to shovel in April as I had to clean a path at the end of the driveway where the plow had gone by. I didn’t touch the rest of the driveway as I felt confident there would be no issues. Even though we were heading to the same place, my wife wanted to take her own vehicle to meet up with her friends. Unfortunately that plan went amuck when I got her van stuck in the drifting snow as I attempted to back it out; she would have to come 4x4ing with me!

Our Professional Development day was supposed to consist of mass and a speaker in the morning, followed by a technology presentation in the afternoon. The weather however continued to deteriorate as the morning wore on. It was “interesting” driving to our lunch destination, where we heard that buses had been pulled off the streets and police had put out an advisory to stay off the roads. I (and many others) attempted to navigate our way to our sister high school for the afternoon session, but found white-out conditions, blocked roads and stranded cars. At that point we were advised to go home.

By the evening the storm had subsided, so I headed out to clean the snow. It took me a while even with the snowblower as there was at least 30cm in most spots, higher in others with the drifts. There was a layer of wet, heavy slush underneath the new snow, which made everything more difficult. My wife’s van (aka the Loser Cruiser) was still stranded like a beached whale in the driveway; no amount of pushing would free it, so I had to yank it out with my truck.

Early morning snow, April 2013.

Early morning snow, April 2013.

White out lunch, April 2013.

White out lunch, April 2013.

Digging out, April 2013.

Digging out, April 2013.

The day after, April 2013.

The day after, April 2013.

So needless to say I’ve had enough with the snow. Some went away over the last few days, but to my chagrin, I woke up to a few fresh centimetres this morning.  The temperatures are supposed to climb though, reaching a high of 17 on the weekend. 17? Seriously? So we go from snowstorms and below zero temps to shorts weather in less than a week. Inevitably I’m going to be complaining on the weekend about how hot it is…can’t we just pick a season and stick with it?

So 500 words later, that is the scoop on our weather. Let’s talk about some other stuff shall we? So early last Friday morning, in the throes of the lovely blizzard, I met with my counterpart from St. Ignatius to discuss next year’s trip to Europe. We want to students to do some research before our cemetery visits (Bergen-op-Zoom, Beny-sur-Mer, Bretteville-sur-Laize), so it was imperative that we were on the same page. I think we have all the plans ironed out, so it’s now just a matter of explaining it to the kids. I have a meeting scheduled for next week and I’m pretty excited to start talking about the trip.

The railway front has been typically busy. Unfortunately my desire to go hiking continues to get delayed, but hopefully with the arrival of warm weather it will just be a matter of time. My next two adventures will take me to North Lake (probably on the May long weekend) and hopefully to Minnesota. Let’s hope that those warm temps melt everything fast!

Last Wednesday the board of the Silver Mountain (and Area) Historical Society gathered for what was supposed to be a Skype group call, but due to technical issues, it ended up being a rather crude conference call (we’re going to meet in person next time). It was a great opportunity to discuss some important issues and plot our direction for the next few months. There are some exciting things happening and I can’t wait for it all to unfold.

I my previous post I mentioned that I would be speaking to a gentleman from the Ontario Heritage Trust regarding our attempts to preserve sites along the North-Gunflint Lakes Historic Corridor. The phone call could not have gone better. He was very understanding and provided me with a lot of information about what we can do. He was very familiar with some of the people who I am working with in our area and clarified a number of things regarding the Ontario Heritage Act.

I am really looking forward to working with all of these great people and pushing this project forward. There is a lot of history in that area and I hope we can preserve as much of it as we can. From what I am beginning to understand, this is a realistic possibility. There is something important in the process that’s supposed happen soon, but I don’t want to say anything until it’s actually confirmed; you’ll have to wait for the news.

Anyway, time to go…lots of things to do. Hopefully I’ll have some good news (and good weather) to pass along next time. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 23, 2013 in Hiking, History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Research, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Okay, now it’s just getting stupid.

16 Apr

That about sums it up. I (and pretty much everyone in the 807 area code for that matter) am tired of the ridiculous weather we’ve been experiencing of late. It actually sucks. For every step we take forward, we end up taking two back. Is this a sign of global warming? Well, it has to be something. I can remember as a kid being out at camp (we’ve had this discussion before-cottage, the lake, whatever) and getting snow in May. However that was very isolated and it disappeared fairly quickly. This is a completely different animal.

Confused? Well, it is now April 16th, the winter snow still has not disappeared, and every time we get a nice day that melts some of it, we’ll get a dump of fresh stuff and have to start all over again. That was the case on the weekend. Then yesterday we got a pile of snow, so much so that they cancelled the rural buses to our school (the day becomes a write off, since many of the “city” kids don’t bother to come). Our normal temps should be above 10C, but we’re not even close to that. Everyone is wondering when spring will show up; I think there are a lot of cases of SAD out there, myself included.

Melting snow, April 2013.

Melting snow, April 2013.

Blizzard, April 2013.

Blizzard, April 2013.

Forecast, April 2013.

Forecast, April 2013.

Okay, so enough about the weather, though ranting about it makes me feel better. Ya, take that Mother Nature-you’re being a real cranky @#&%^! Let’s focus on the positive though. We’ve successfully arrived at midterm, which means the end of the school is approaching. Hard to believe exams are only 9 weeks away. Wow…it’s going by quick and there is so much to do! I’m not sure if the craziness outdoors is keeping the kids in check or driving them batty like the rest of us. I know I’ll certainly be glad when it’s all over.

The railway front has been fairly busy this past week. Once again a lot of the focus has been on the Silver Mountain (and Area) Historical Society. We’ve been trying to plan a board meeting ahead of a society general meeting and it’s proving quite an undertaking. We have six directors, spread out over a wide geographic area and with quite different schedules. Trying to find a convenient time for everyone is not very easy to do. We are gathering tomorrow night with a fairly lengthy agenda. It’s going to be both busy and exciting.

Speaking of the society, I did receive a much awaited email yesterday. I spoke last week about a letter that I sent to the Ontario Heritage Trust regarding property for sale along the North-Gunflint Lake Corridor. It was mixed news however; unfortunately the Trust does not manage land outside of southern Ontario. However, the gentleman who emailed me graciously offered to speak with me about other possibilities for land preservation. I will be calling him tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully it will provide some useful leads.

To go back to the topic of this blog, the current weather issues are having a detrimental impact on my planned hiking schedule. Last April 29th I did my first railway hike of the year; at the rate we’re going at, I’ll be lucky to get out by the middle of May. I was hoping to walk portions of the grade in Minnesota on the first Saturday of next month, but that seems a bit ambitious. I’m very anxious to take another look at the double trestle near the first switchback located just off Tuscarora Road (County Road 47). Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get there at some point before the trees fully leaf out.

Anyway, I have a thousand and one things to do right now, so I should get rolling. Definitely more to say next week. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 16, 2013 in Hiking, History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Research, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Enough already!

09 Apr

Yes, I’m angry. I’m angry and I’m tired. Confused? Well, I’ll explain. I’m referring to something that is on the mind of pretty much every Canadian right now, in particular the people living here in northwestern Ontario. Still confused? The weather-I’m talking about the freakin’ weather. Mother Nature can be a fickle mistress at the best of times, and at the moment she’s being downright nasty (I did want to use another word, but this is a family-oriented blog). It’s now the 9th of April and I’m tired of seeing snow. Go away already! It is bright and sunny today, but the temps are hovering around 5C, which is about 3 degrees below normal. We need it to warm up more and melt what’s left of the snow…maybe some warm rain will help (as opposed to the snow we’ve received in the past few days). So my fingers are crossed and I’m holding my breath and I’ll let Mother Nature try to redeem herself.

Fresh snowfall, April 2013.

Fresh snowfall, April 2013.

Morning "blizzard," April 2013.

Morning “blizzard,” April 2013.

*Gasping for air* Okay, so I can only hold my breath for so long, but you get the point. I’ll be anxious when we finally get some spring weather; the sooner the snow goes, the sooner hiking season starts! I already have a hike planned for the beginning of May, so I hope I can keep to that timetable. I guess it will be a wait and see game.

Today is April 9th; one year ago I was in France celebrating the 95th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. I can’t believe that it was that long ago. It was actually a miserable day. I spent the whole day on my feet, in varying degrees of precipitation, from mist to pouring rain. It made me really appreciate the sacrifice of the 3600 Canadians who died in the course of the battle. I have started looking forward to our trip next year and how excited I am to go back. Maybe the weather will be a bit more cooperative in 2014!

Vimy Ridge Memorial, April 2012.

Vimy Ridge Memorial, April 2012.

The major news on the railway front in the past week revolved around the Silver Mountain (and Area) Historical Society. Thanks to the graciousness of my fellow Co-President Shelley Simon, the society was able to share a booth with the Silver Mountain Station at the annual Thunder Bay Home and Garden Show. The event was held on the grounds of the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition (CLE), and we were located in the Sports Dome venue.

Shelley manned the booth all three days; with my wife in Winnipeg for the weekend (watching her “boyfriend” Jon Bon Jovi in concert), I could only chip in for part of the day on Saturday. That certainly was enough, for I was pretty beat afterwards. However, it was very worth it. We had a lot of visitors to the booth and they were very interested in the society; hopefully it will lead to more memberships. You can read more about the weekend here.

Society banner, April 2013.

Society banner, April 2013.

Visitors at the booth, April 2013.

Visitors at the booth, April 2013.

My final piece of news involves our attempt to preserve some of the history in the North-Gunflint Lakes area. Most of the land along that part of the border is crown land, but there are a number of privately owned parcels. Two of those parcels are for sale, and have been for quite some time. The society would love to have land revert to the province so they are open for all to use. Therefore this morning I mailed a very important letter.

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an organization committed to preserving the province’s rich cultural history. This includes such things as buildings and land. My letter was directed to their land acquisitions branch, hoping that they would consider purchasing the land for preservation purposes. Now I get to play to waiting game to see if I get a response, and if so, what the tone of the answer will be. Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long.

Anyway, time to move on. As usual, more to say next week. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 9, 2013 in History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Research, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Damn you insomnia!

02 Apr

That’s kinda harsh isn’t it Dave? Well maybe, but it sure as hell deserves it. I’m tired! Isn’t it always the case that when you need to be up early, you can’t sleep? I even went to bed early, 10:20 to be exact. But could I sleep? Nope! The worst part was that I was coming off a four day weekend…I should have been nice and relaxed. It was after midnight and I was still tossing and turning. Then one of the boys woke me up at 4:00 with a bathroom break and the other shortly after with a bad dream. So I tossed and turned until 5:45. So now I’m tired, drained and probably cranky…thanks for nothing!

Anyway, Happy Easter! I should be a bit more excited, but you know. It was nice to have the extended weekend, but as usual it flew by. It’s now a long seven week wait for the May Long, and there is so much to do in the meantime. A ton of things are coming up with work, family, football and the railway; so many that I can’t even think straight. It’s going to a crazy month and a half-don’t I always say that?

School is as busy as ever, especially since mid-semester is just around the corner. I’m struggling mightily to keep up, particularly with the marking. Doesn’t help when you have days like today and your brain is a pile of mush, making concentrating oh so tedious. I know, I know, more complaints. That’s okay, even though it doesn’t feel like spring outside (a rather chilly -4 today), it’s coming. The snow is gradually receding and soon everything will be a wonderful shade of blah. But change is in the air…I can smell it (well, besides the usual spring stench of dog poop).

It has been a very busy week again on the railway front (cripes I sound like a broken record don’t I?). Last week I received some really good news from my contact with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. I don’t really want to say anything yet, as things are not set in stone, but there has been some positive movement in our efforts along the Boundary Waters. I spent a good chunk of my free time this weekend working on some stuff related to that, so I’m hopeful that things work out in our favour.

Now speaking of this project, this weekend is the first big public splash for the Silver Mountain (and Area) Historical Society (it just flows so much better without the “and Area”). My fellow society co-president Shelley Simon has a booth at the annual Home and Garden Show for the Silver Mountain Station and we will be sharing space. Last week we ordered the display materials for the show such as a banner, brochures and business cards. Let’s hope the get here on time! If you have a chance, drop by and visit the display (we’re in the Dome).

My last blurb for this week is about an interesting picture I received by email yesterday. During my visit to Gunflint Lodge a few weeks ago, owner Sue Kerfoot showed me a photograph of the old US customs house at the east end of Gunflint. I obviously asked her for a copy and she mentioned that she had other old photos of the area. The one she sent me was of her husband Bruce`s grandmother, Mae Spunner, on a railway speeder in the late 1930`s. The interesting part of the photo is that is shows that there were still rails on Gunflint past the presumed date of their removal (1915). Bruce told me that the rails were finally removed by his parents around 1945. I can`t wait to see more!

Handcar, Gunflint Lake, late 1930's.

Handcar, Gunflint Lake, late 1930’s.

Anyway, enough for now; see you same time next week. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 2, 2013 in History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Research, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Can’t win for trying!

26 Mar

We’ve all been there. Trying hard to do something and it’s just not working out the way you want it to. Oh the frustration! What is going on you ask? Well I’m sitting here watching my eLearning website spin its wheels and refuse to load. This is supposed to be my eLearning period, and I’ve got a ton of stuff to do since I’ve been out of the school the past couple of days, but I cannot get into the Learning Management System. Grrrr! I’ve written in the past about technology and how great it is, when it works. And right now, it’s not working for me. I guess it gives me time to write my blog, but that’s not really what I need to be doing right now.

So things are humming along as we push into the end of March and the Easter break. I’m back to 100%, which has made dealing with all the usual craziness a bit more bearable. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost April…where does the time go? Soon it will be mid-semester, and as the weather warms it will be harder to keep the kids focus. Hang on and keep pushing forward right?

The railway has been very busy yet again, with what seems like a million and one things going on. One of the biggest pieces of news from the past week was the completion of the new logo for the Silver Mountain Historical Society. We are truly excited! The logo allows us to move forward and really begin to market and promote the society. You can read more about this exciting event on the SMHS blog.

Silver Mountain Historical Society logo.

Silver Mountain Historical Society logo.

Progress continues to be made in our attempts to preserve the sites at Leeblain, albeit at a much slower pace than I would like. I never worked on anything of this nature, and certainly never worked through government bureaucracy which can be a tad bit frustrating. I am sure things will move ahead in the coming months, but am anxious to get some safeguards in place before the area is even further disturbed.

Now speaking of Leeblain, I did receive some great news from the publication committee at the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society. They have agreed to publish my article on Leeblain! I could not be more thrilled at this news…I am finally going to be published! I can then truly call myself a “historian.” Not that I am all about the title or anything; to me it’s more about the acknowledgement of all the work I’ve done on the railway over the years.

To go along with the article, I will also be presenting a lecture at the Thunder Bay Museum in September. I’ve actually been asked to kick-off the 2013-2014 lecture series…what a great honour! I’ve waited a long time to be able to speak at the museum, to be able to share the work I’ve done on the railway. I’ll be sure to write all about it when the time comes.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to head down to Gunflint with the family (not that I needed an excuse anyway) to meet with Gunflint Lodge owner and long resident Bruce Kerfoot. I had been looking forward to this for quite some time, as Bruce was away when I did my presentation back in February. Growing up on the lake, Bruce’s experiences and those of his mother Justine (who was a legend in the area), are important to my research. I really wanted to pick Bruce’s brain!

Back in January Bruce had sent me a map of Leeblain and it had radically changed my understanding of what that town had really been like. Bruce’s explorations and excavations at the site in his younger years revealed more buildings than I knew existed. Then again, all I had to work with was a map that was surveyed in 1911, nearly 20 years after the town was founded. His information has provided me with a wealth of information, and a whole pile of work to do when I next visit the area.

My conversation with Bruce also enlightened me to some of the other history of the Gunflint area. He told me about logging camps that I never knew existed! Of most interest to me however, was the information regarding the removal of rails along the Canadian side of the lake. I had come to the conclusion, based on some historical documentation and maps, that the rails west of North Lake had been removed circa 1915. However, Bruce emphatically stated that his parents removed some of the rails, at least to the eastern end of the lake, during World War II. This radically changes my interpretation of how things unfolded with the railway along this portion of the line.

While I was in the area, I did take a few minutes to snap some photos of the railway in Minnesota, particularly the area around the double trestle at Round Lake. It has peaked my interest again, and I’ve decided that I am going to try and get down to that area around the beginning of May to poke around and shoot some new video. Getting exciting for hiking season!

Railway grade, Minnesota, March 2013.

Railway grade, Minnesota, March 2013.

Double trestle area, Minnesota, March 2013.

Double trestle area, Minnesota, March 2013.

Railway embankment, Minnesota, March 2013.

Railway embankment, Minnesota, March 2013.

Anyway, time to wrap up; more to say next week as usual. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 26, 2013 in Hiking, History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Research, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Wait, it gets worse!

19 Mar

Remember back a few weeks ago when I was lamenting how middle age was catching up to me? I was so sore and tired? Ya, well I had to go and open my big mouth about it did I? I seem to do that a lot unfortunately. So since that ill-conceived tirade, I have since wrenched my back shovelling snow and then come down with the flu. Karma 1, Dave 0.

On that note, it’s good to be back. Once again I took a little break from the blog since I was away on vacation and there wasn’t a lot to talk about. Yes, as I’ve aptly described, it wasn’t a pretty second half of the week for me last week. We arrived home from the States to find the driveway nicely plugged with a dump of snow, and in my haste to clear some room to unload the “loser cruiser,” (my wife’s eloquent nickname for the minivan) I went a bit too hard too fast and tweaked my back. It kinda bothered me for a few days, but then I got the flu on Saturday and forgot all about it. So then I spent two days on the couch not eating and shivering…see the score sheet above.

Snow filled driveway, March 2013.

Snow filled driveway, March 2013.

Well thankfully I’m feeling a bit better today, though I thought that last night and after eating dinner had a rather unpleasant wait during the kids swimming lessons. Fingers crossed. But hey, on the up side, my back doesn’t hurt anymore!

So the little break from reality was good, but alas it is back to work. Fortunately we’re on the downward slide toward summer as the days get longer and warmer. You couldn’t tell that right now though, as old man winter refuses to go away. This time last year the snow was completely gone and we were basking in double digit temperatures. Right now there is still a few feet of snow and we are not expected to slip above zero until the end of the week. Gotta be optimistic right?

Just before the break we did pass an important milestone that I though was worth mentioning. The countdown to next year’s Europe trip is now less than 365 days…353 days to be exact! I can’t wait. Even though I visited some of these places less than a year ago, it’s still exciting nonetheless. There are some new places to see, and a whole new group of kids. They’re pretty pumped too! When I let many of them know that the trip was a year away, it solicited a lot of enthusiastic responses.

So the railway front has been somewhat busy, especially given the fact that I was away from home for several days. Last week we celebrated an important event, the 106th anniversary of the announcement of the construction of the station at Silver Mountain (and by default the one at North Lake as well). The Silver Mountain Station is one of the few remaining structures on the line, and last significant station. It was constructed in 1907 and the railway also built an exact copy at North Lake. To mark this event, I spent some time on Wikipedia creating two entry pages, one for Silver Mountain and the other for North Lake. It took me a bit of time to do, but I’m very pleased with the results. I think I’ll be doing a few more in the future.

Speaking of Silver Mountain, work is progressing along with the society. Our biggest news is the forthcoming launch of our new logo. I had an opportunity to preview it today, and hopefully we’ll have it in the next days. Then there will be a mad dash to get some stuff ordered (cards, banners, brochures) so we can start promoting the group. It’s going to be a busy April!

While I was away in Minnesota, I did not forget about the railway. Sitting there one night (the kids go to bed at 8, so I need something to do for a few hours), I had a brain wave. How about doing some research? One of my biggest frustrations is that Google has digitized all of these old documents, but because I live in Canada, I cannot access them. That’s just blatant racism…Canadians are people too Google! Anyway, I figured that since I was in the US, I could try downloading some of these elusive files.

I didn’t get everything, and the internet speed was a bit slow, but I did manage to pull in quite a few things. The most interesting was an account written in 1908 by a Richard Haste, and his experiences travelling through the “new” Ontario on a railway tricycle or jigger (I never knew it was called that). He and a companion started in the Rainy River area and using their hand-powered jigger, rode all the way to Port Arthur. They then hitched a ride on the train down to Gunflint and rode back. I was disappointed that they didn’t say more about the PD and there weren’t any photos, but it was neat nonetheless. Some really good research information in there too!

Railway tricycle or "jigger," early 1900's.

Railway tricycle or “jigger,” early 1900’s.

Anyway, I think it’s time to wrap up. I am travelling to Gunflint this Saturday for a meeting with Bruce Kerfoot at the Gunflint Lodge, so I’m sure I’ll have a bunch of things to say next week. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 19, 2013 in History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Research, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The spirit is willing, but the flesh…

05 Mar

Ya, I hate to admit it, but I am starting to feel my age…physically that is. In my heart I still feel like young guy, but my body is telling me otherwise. Sigh. I guess it can be expected, I am turning the big 4-0 this year. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I’ve reached middle age already; I can remember events in my teens and twenties like it was the other day. I guess time has funny ways of doing that, flying right before your eyes. Thankfully it has been a good show, and a nice ride. Let’s hope that the next forty are equally as memorable.

Okay, enough with the sob story. Pain is always temporary, or at least that is what they told me when I was in the army. Or was it that pain is a sign that you’re alive? In any case, I’ll get over it. There are far more important things to worry about, like vacations. Yes, March break is just around the corner…in 3 days to be exact! A little time away from work will be great and I know my kids will appreciate the little trip we will be taking.

So work is as it usually is, work; I’m still very busy with so many things going on. I think I’m finally settling in to this eLearning class, though I do feel a bit useless. I’m probably just used to being at the front of a class and actually teaching, not just answering questions and marking things. I had a student ask for some help so she came to see me in person; I told her that it made me happy that I was actually doing something. I guess this is ideally how teaching should really work; the kids learn at their own pace and I am there to help them along. Facilitating versus teaching.

On Sunday the boys and I trudged up the mountain for could be our last winter hike of the year. The weather has steadily been warming and the snow may not last much longer. I decided to take a somewhat different route this time, since variety is the spice of life right? It was a hard push all the way to a spot that overlooks Loch Lomond; after all was said and done we (well mostly I) had walked 9.5k. For half of that I was dragging a 105lb sled, which is the main reason why my body was killing me in the hours that followed!

Going up the trail, March 2013.

Going up the trail, March 2013.

Loch Lomond, March 2013.

Loch Lomond, March 2013.

So the railway front has sort of been busy in the last week. I’ve been plugging away at a few things with the Silver Mountain Historical Society, mostly getting the message our incorporation out via the society blog. Our next big goal is to have a logo made up for us to help with advertising and marketing. Strange how this position has brought me into so many things that I’ve never dealt with before, like asking for my creative input on a logo. Talk about unchartered territory! But I guess life is all about change and we all need to adapt.

Most of my railway time however has been devoted to spreading the railway message on the web. What pray tell are you referring to Dave? Well, I’ve done it before, and I’m back at it again. Yes, I’m creating stuff on the good ‘ole pages of Wikipedia. Yup, Wikipedia, that great bastion of knowledge that has taken over and now dominates every Google search we do. Last year I made a page for the ghost town of Leeblain and I thought I did a pretty darn good job of it for my first try.

This time it all started with the Silver Mountain Station. You see, next week (March 14) is the anniversary of the announcement of the station’s construction was back in 1907. There isn’t really much out there in terms of information about the station, even on my website. So I decided to create a page for the station to promote its history and its current status as a restaurant. That then led me to make some changes to the railway page, but that one is going to need some serious work before it’s up to my standards. However, I did branch out from Silver Mountain and make a separate page for the station at North Lake. Neither of them are ready for official publication, but I’ll be sure to let you know when they are good to go.

Anyway, it’s probably time to wrap up. I’m not sure if I’ll blog next week since I’m away in the States, but in any case I’ll be back soon. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 5, 2013 in Hiking, History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Can it be that time already?

26 Feb

Yes, clearly it can. It is amazing how quickly time goes by when you least expect it to. I mean, didn’t we just start the new semester? How could March Break be next week? Well, it is and it’s not like I’m complaining or anything; far from it. I could actually use a break. I know, poor teacher, what to do with all those holidays. I really am tired though…verging on burnout. It has been a crazy month; no wonder the time has gone by so fast. Oh well, I’ll have my little break, feel better and be in the same boat I am right now in another month. Isn’t life great?

Hey, so I’m back. Yes, I took a little vacation from the blog last week as I needed to do a lot of catching up and there wasn’t a whole heck of a lot to say. This week has been a bit more eventful and I will regale you will all the details.

So I decided to skip a post last week (I’ll probably be doing that more often) since I had just come back from my trip to Minneapolis and really had not done any railway related stuff in that time. The Glazier Clinic was awesome, as it usually is. It was a nice blend of learning, relaxation and fun. I spent most of my time with two presenters; Matt McCarty from Northwestern College and Mike Duffner from the Jacksonville Jaguars. None of the information was earth-shattering, but every little piece of new information helps. I certainly have a number of new things for next season and I can’t wait to try them out.

As I previously mentioned, school has been humming along, at breathtaking speed albeit. I’m still trying to cope with the challenges of my new classes, in particular the eLearning class. It’s just very weird not being in front of a class, facilitating rather than teaching and marking someone else’s assignments. Doesn’t really give you a feel for the course…it’s like going through the motions. I guess it just takes a little getting used to, but it is such a radical departure from what I’m used to. The students seem to be doing a good job and I’m very impressed with their learning and discussions.

The weather lately has moderated some, reflecting more seasonal temperatures. I took the boys up the mountain on Sunday for only our second hike of the winter. It was gorgeous outside; I even felt hot with a toque, cold gear compression shirt and spring jacket. We did a different circuit this time, just for a little bit of variety. It was nice to see a few different things. Boy did my legs hate me afterwards though; I was one sore boy! Even just pulling the boys on the flat parts is a challenge and they are going to have to do more walking in the future. 105 pounds is a lot to handle!

Going up the trail, February 2013.

Going up the trail, February 2013.

Sawdust Lake, February 2013.

Sawdust Lake, February 2013.

In the Nor'westers, February 2013.

In the Nor’westers, February 2013.

Heading down, February 2013.

Heading down, February 2013.

So in the last week I haven’t done a ton of railway stuff per se, but there has been things going on. Maybe in the next few weeks I’ll be able to get back to some research. The real excitement has centred around the Silver Mountain Historical Society.

On Saturday I received a message from my society co-President Shelley Simon to get in touch as she had some urgent info. However I was out for a much deserved dinner with my wife so I had to wait until morning to get the awesome news; on Saturday afternoon the Ontario Historical Society had incorporated us a non-profit organization. We are official! This is very exciting news and allows us to move forward with our membership and projects. It will be a very busy spring! You can read more about the process on the society blog.

Anyway, time to wrap up. As usual, there will be more to say next week. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 26, 2013 in Hiking, History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Travel

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

God my legs hurt!

12 Feb

It simply amazes me the things that the human body can do…what a wonder of engineering we are! The body’s ability to take abuse and then bounce back is astounding. Unfortunately, there is always a price to be paid for such resilience, and it usually involves pain. It’s just a not so subtle way of saying to you that you’re a dumbass for putting yourself through some sort of self-imposed torture. I’m seemingly a poster-child for this type of stupidity!

Needless to say it has yet again been a very busy week, and it appears that it is shaping up to be even worse this week. How can it be the second of week of the new semester and I’m already burnt out? Maybe work, a new class, open house, football and railway stuff might have something to do with it. Hopefully next week is a little more sane.

So much of my stress has been generated by the new class that I am teaching which is an online, “eLearning” class. I spoke about it last week, but I haven’t really been able to get a real sense of it until yesterday when it officially began. It’s not that it’s overly difficult, but the content is new and it’s a very different medium than I’m used to. Probably most of my headaches stem from the fact that I am a worrier and I am constantly wondering if I am doing a good job or handling things correctly. Hopefully I will feel more comfortable as the semester progresses.

There are two big events on tap this week that will be absorbing most of my attention (and unfortunately leaving very little railway time). Tomorrow is our school’s annual open house, an opportunity for us to showcase our fine establishment to next year’s new students. It all over in an hour or so, but it takes quite a while to set everything up. There is also the challenge of trying to incorporate new ideas and keeping things fresh; no wonder I feel like I’m totally bagged! I’m sure it will all be fine, but I will be glad when it’s done.

Immediately after the open house is done I have to rush home and pack for another out-of-town excursion. On Thursday after school, myself and my fellow football coaches will be departing for Minneapolis to attend the annual Glazier Football Clinic. Glazier is probably the largest provider of coaching clinics in the US; the event in Minneapolis alone has over 150 sessions delivered by coaches from many different levels right up to pro. I’m looking forward to some great information on 3-5 defenses and linebacker play.

If you read last week’s babble you’ll know that the big event in the past week was the presentation I gave at Gunflint Lodge. I had been invited by Sue Kerfoot to give the talk back in September, so it was a long time in coming. I was very excited for the event, but as I normally am with things like this, very nervous too!

I decided to leave from home early on Saturday morning as there was a chance of snow and I wanted to take my time in case the roads were bad. It’s about a 2 hour, 45 minute drive to Gunflint on a good day, so I figured I’d have plenty of time to get there. I had time to burn lest I arrive too early, so I stopped in Grand Marais to snap some photos of the harbour. Pulling in to Gunflint I stopped for the first time at the lake overlook just off of the trail and got some good shots of the narrows between Ontario and Minnesota.

Grand Marais Harbor, February 2013.

Grand Marais Harbor, February 2013.

Gunflint Narrows, February 2013.

Gunflint Narrows, February 2013.

When I arrived at the lodge my cabin wasn’t quite ready, so I chilled out in the Red Paddle Bistro, sent some emails, updated my Facebook and had a bite to eat. The lodge is quite the beehive of activity, even if it is winter. There were a lot of people coming and going, heading out on the lake to snowmobile or snowshoe. It made me think of how we take our surroundings for granted too often and how people pay a lot of money to experience what we have.

Gunflint Lodge, February 2013.

Gunflint Lodge, February 2013.

After lunch and settling into my cabin, I decided that since I had an entire afternoon to kill by myself that I would walk across the lake to Gunflint Narrows and take a poke around the railway. I don’t normally hike the railway in the winter as it difficult to get around (I like to walk) and the snow covers things on the ground that I want to see. It’ been a long time since I’ve walked over a frozen lake so therefore forgot how the ice can play tricks with you; it make stuff look “just over there.”

Cabin 20, Gunflint Lodge, February 2013.

Cabin 20, Gunflint Lodge, February 2013.

So I began my little journey in good spirits, happily trudging along the snow covered ice between the fishing shacks and snowmobilers. The going was a bit tough, as there were a few inches of snow on top of the ice that made each step a challenge. My GPS told me that the Canadian shore was a scant 1500 metres away…child’s play! That’s the distance I cover when I walk the dog and I’m not worse for wear. As I tromped along I became acutely aware of how much colder it was on the open expanse of the lake, and how my legs were becoming tired punching into the snow. However everything was tempered by the beauty of my surroundings; the high, rocky hills were more defined in the snowy landscape.

Gunflint Lake, February 2013.

Gunflint Lake, February 2013.

When I finally reached the shore I quickly covered the 70 or so metres until I reached the railway grade. I thought I’d walk a bit east until I reached the supposed site of the “town” of Gunflint and then head west toward the Narrows. Along the way I happened to notice something in the bush I’d never seen before…an old truck. For a few minutes I was puzzled as to how it could have got there until I realized someone could have done what I just did and cross over the frozen lake!

Abandoned truck, Gunflint Narrows, February 2013.

Abandoned truck, Gunflint Narrows, February 2013.

Three hundred metres farther west I arrived at the narrows, unfortunately disappointed that the current between Gunflint and Magnetic Lake had prevented ice from forming; I would have to settle for snapping some pictures from the Canadian side only. However, the side effect of a dry fall and the cold winter was the lake level was the lowest I’d ever experienced. I was able to walk out very far into the channel and take some really neat pictures and video. Many of the bridge pilings, which are normally under water, were clearly exposed by at least 6 or more inches. Very interesting to see!

Gunflint Narrows, February 2013.

Gunflint Narrows, February 2013.

Soon it was time to head back to the lodge, but I did not relish the thought of the walk across the lake. It was just as cold as the way out, but the distance seemed a lot longer. By the time I made it back, I was pretty pooped. I only walked about 4k, but I had to work each step of the way…and there’s not even that much snow. My legs were a bit rubbery when I reached my cabin and I was glad there was some time to relax before dinner. The warm shower I had was the perfect remedy for my ailments.

Creeper deer outside the window, February 2013.

Creeper deer outside the window, February 2013.

After a bit of relaxation in the lodge and a great prime rib dinner, it was time to prepare for the presentation. The talk was going to be held in the Conference Center, which was just across the road from the lodge. The air was a bit crisp outside, but I was sure sweating trying to get everything set up. I was scheduled to go on at 7:30, but people started rolling in at 7:00 and so I was kept busy chatting. That helped get my mind off of things.

All in all, everything went very well (or at least I thought it did). There were about 30 people or so in attendance and they all seemed very interested in what I had to say. There were a lot of great questions afterwards and hopefully I did a decent job of answering them. I had a great time and the folks at the lodge were just awesome. Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get a return invite at some point!

Anyway, I guess it’s time to move along. I’ll be back next week with some new revelations. Until then…

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 12, 2013 in Hiking, History, Miscellaneous, Railway, Research, Travel, Writing

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →