It is not unusual for
the inhabitants of and adjacent to the Great Nort'
Woods, the ridge runners, jack pine
savages and residents of Lake Woebegone to
spend winters dreaming of the warmth of Spring, when
the days become longer, the sun shines brighter,
birds sing louder and the sap runs. Soon it will be
opening day in the lands of sky blue waters and the
fish wait as the sap runs. Motor bikes come out, even those
ungainly lopsided contraptions with sidecars
attached, whose pilots feel great compassion for
their two tired brethren who wheel along the roads less
traveled, forever one wheel short of a RIG - and the
sap awakens.
Sometimes dreams of warmth and
brilliant yellow globes may take one far afield
during the advent of the sappy season. Herein are
the
chronicles of a more or less truthful version
of one seeker in search of warmth, 2300
°F worth of warmth, as the sap
continues to run and the sugar shack warms.
First
night out entailed a stop in Manistique, MI. The
light house here tis not available but others in
the area are for those so inclined to spend the
night in a lighthouse.
Springtime in Yopoper Country
.
Next on to Sudbury, ON
http://www.mysudbury.ca/tourism
where an
absolutely wonderful museum was discovered.
http://www.mysudbury.ca/Tourism/ThingsToDo/ScienceNorthTSD/.
A museum to boggle an easily boggled mind, a museum
to delight the child who resides under the gray
balding pate, behind the gray scraggly beard and
within the unfortunately expanding waistline of your
chronicler.
First on the agenda were real live dinosaurs
. many of who/whom (?) appeared complete with
juvenile furry feathers.
Who/whom woulda thunk?
T.
Rex in a boa ! Where are Ally Oop, Umpa, Fred
and Barney when we need them?
Who/whom woulda thunk????
Good ol' T Rex with hair and feathers -- whre are Ally Oop or Fred and Barney when we neet them???
.
This was followed by a four story pile of whale
bones which began at the bottom
and ended at the top
With a small mammal in between.
In the basement found a crack in the floor (shoddy
housekeeping in an otherwise very impressive
facility) which was labeled as a "Fault", which was
quite obvious in an otherwise perfect floor. As I
straddled the crack wondering why it has not been
repaired I became aware of a gradual movement of the
left foot to the rear and the right foot forward,
kinda like standing on a schizophrenic escalator -
an unusual experience further suggestive of the need
to fix the fault.
Having arrived at the museum late, after a long days
drive there was not sufficient time to see all, so I
elected to comfortably sit through the planetarium
and Gobi Desert dinosaur excavation show - after
which I was able to infiltrate the
"Members Night" , complete with "goodies",
which was being held for museum patrons. Below is a
neat ice rink (shades of Hans Brinker) Sudbury
provides its citizens - the picture taken from the
museum restaurant, reputed to be the best in town. I
didn't eat there - rather had seen a "kangaroo
burger" advertised elsewhere and just couldn't
resist. It was quite good, once I finally caught it
- cooked medium rare it kept hopping around on the
plate.
The next day on to Brandon, VT, home of the eastern
branch of relatives. On the way passed evidence of
"Champ", the famous resident of Lake Champlain
http://www.genesispark.com/genpark/champ/champ.htm, the good old US
Oof A equivalent of "Nessie". Champ's
existence is attested to by members of the American
public, who/whom are always faithful and honest in
their asseverations, or tis it "observations"
Further evidence of Champ's existence, was
shortly encountered when a ferry ride across the
narrows was required as a result of Champ's
mistaking a regular bridge for a swing bridge and
bulling his way through with catastrophic results.
