Our Great Northern Adventure 2002: Part 2
November 5, 2002
We drove out of Angle Inlet, after a routine stop at the Customs Phone Booth at Jim’s Corner to tell them we were leaving the U.S. and going back to Canada. We drove for a while, had a snack, then stopped in a deserted park in Letellier, Manitoba. There was no snow on the ground here, and the air was crisp and clear. It looked like fall.
Aside from the park, all we could see of the town was a grain elevator and not much else. Alexander liked the park and primarily wanted to swing…and swing…and swing… We were able to coax him back into the car when he heard a train passing. We jumped in the car and searched for the train, which was a couple of blocks away. It was probably the longest freight train I have ever seen in my life and it seemed like it took an hour to pass. Alexander was obsessed with trains at the time, so he loved it.
Before we left for this vacation, I started a small scrapbook of “Alexander’s Fifty States” with the names of all the U.S. States in alphabetical order, with room for a picture and information about when Alexander visited that particular state. I figured that a grown-up Alexander could fill in the missing states on his own someday, but it would be a fun record of our travels together.
Frank, being the goal-oriented traveler that he is, got a little carried away with this little book. He would seize any opportunity to add a state to Alexander’s collection. Since we were close to the North Dakota border, Frank had suggested that we cross over to have lunch, take a picture, then drive to our motel in Steinbach, Manitoba. Sounded like a good idea at the time, so we headed south.
