Bingo

RMC holds many fundraising activities throughout the year. So this week was a Bingo night for the Boys Volleyball. Penny, Annette, Tina and I spent the night selling bingo sheets, counting money and trying to keep up with the rituals of 'Bingo'. My first job was to help sell bingo sheets. I quickly learnt the bingo lingo - dab all, multi - dab, toonie...something, jackpot...something else - thank god the seasoned players were patient and knew the colours of each sheet. As you can see, we were all still smiling by the end of the night. For me, I was exhausted the next day - too many numbers, to much excitement!

Blue Jay

Monday, October 15th I spotted my first Blue Jay. He was in the front yard, unfortunately I was unable to get a photo at that moment - so here is an illustrated image of a Blue Jay. With his feathers coloured in vibrant blue, contrasting with black and white highlights - this bird definitely stands out amongst the reds, burnt orange and yellows of the Fall.

Moose Spotting

Funny story this! Driving back from the 'Soo', I was telling Ann how I had not seen a moose as yet. Not ten seconds later I call out, "there's a moose." Ann's response was, "where, I can't see one." I was pointing to the side of the road, Ann thinking there was a moose on the side. I could not get the words out fast enough to say, "No, it's in the back of the trailer." We were both then laughing as we tried to get a photo of this travelling moose - sorry for the quality, my windscreen was dirty, and the sun was reflecting of the windows. But you get the idea of 'Moose Spotting', and the irony of my original statement.

Algoma Train

The Algoma Central Railway is a 500km rail line that runs north from Sault Ste Marie, Ontario to Hearst, Ontario. Construction started in 1899, with its' main purpose to bring materials to the many industries of The Soo. As time progressed the Railway was used as a form of transport for The Group of Seven Artists - enabling them to capture the Canadian environment, plus a way of arriving at the many summer cottages now bordering the train line.

Agawa Canyon

The Agawa Canyon is a glacial canyon featuring granite rock formations, valley's, waterfalls and dense forest. There are many ways you can ejoy the scenery of the canyon, by train, outdoor activities, and residing in one of the many cottages. I chose to travel by train, which is known as the Algoma Train. Snaking your way through the canyon, you reach altitudes of 1300m. As you can see from my photos there were many highlights to this trip, including scenes of Lake Superior, the Bridal Falls, a tortured forest scene and of course the 'fall' colours. Again, an outstanding experience.

The Soo...Sault Ste Marie

Driving to the Soo from London, is much more direct if you travel via the US. The trip is approximately seven hours long, maybe a little longer depending on the boarder crossing. I found the drive to be quite good considering its length. Highlights along the way are the crossing of two major bridges. One is the Mackinac Bridge - it is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet. The length of the suspension bridge (including anchorages) is 8,614 feet. The length from cable bent pier to cable bent pier is 7,400 feet. Length of main span (between towers) is 3,800 feet. Both directions that I travelled across the bridge had wind warnings - for cars the speed limit was 45 miles/hour, and for all other vehicles 20 miles/hour. You also get uninterrupted views of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron as you pass over.

JLC Open Day

Wednesday, October 10th celebrated the Fifth Anniversary of the John Labatt Centre, London - or better known as the JLC. It was Open House Night, allowing for all to go behind the scenes. Visitors were able to view the London Knights Dressing Room, Private Boxes, walk on the 'Ice', and take a peek in the Sound/Technical Room. Here I am standing under the Electronic Score Board. It was interesting to see the workings of such a versatile entertainment centre - within the year there have been numerous hockey games, concerts and Broadway shows.