PHEEBS & I CHECK OUT A BIG HULKING RUSTY LAKE FREIGHTER IN THE GODERICH HARBOR

Each & every morning she follows me around everywhere I go like a tight knit little black shadow.  She waits for me to put my shoes on then watches closely to see if & when my hat goes on.  With anticipation building she is soon over the top happy when she see's me picking up my two cameras.  At this point she knows without doubt it is going to be 'a ride in the Jeep’ time:))))

KEEP IN MIND I AM USING AN 18mm LENS HERE MAKING THE HARBOR LOOK MUCH LARGER THAN IT REALLY IS

 

SOMEBODY REALLY NEEDS TO GET UP THERE WITH A WIRE SCRAPER & A PAINT BRUSH

GODERICH GRAIN ELEVATORS ON THE LEFT

With sky's rapidly clearing I knew Pheebs & I were needing a part of that action so it was off to Goderich with us.  Our stop at the TSC store  this morning netted us a big bag of wild birdseed.  Up the road to McDonald's for a Burrito, a muffin, & a coffee to go.  Minutes later we were down at Goderich’s north harbor sitting by the water wolfing down our yummy breakfast.  I parked us right up alongside a big hulking lake freighter anchored there & I think it is the same one which spent this past winter in the same spot.  It obviously sailed away somewhere earlier in the Spring but it’s back now.  Sure needs a paint job & I suspect a whole lot of TLC.  Sitting high out of the water I figured it's cargo holds were empty.

THIS PORT SIDE BOW THRUSTER WOULD NORMALLY BE UNDER WATER…PORT SIDE??  OK IT’S THE LEFT SIDE:))

 

OH LOOK, 2 WHITE FIN SHARKS SWIMMING AROUND THE STERN OF THE SHIP…OK OK SO THEY’RE JUST 2 PROPELLER BLADES STICKING OUT OF THE WATER

Leaving the harbor we took a drive up around the airport but again it had no aircraft sitting around.  Too bad because at one time it was nice to drive up around that way & see airplane's coming & going.  Have not seen a single airplane sitting on the tarmac for the past half dozen times I've driven around that way.  I think the runways are still operational but the airport which played an important role back in the early 40's has seen it's better days.  I read a book a couple years ago about a lady flyer who ferried aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean during the war & some of her initial training was done at that little airport just north of Goderich.

BLUE STRUCTURE IN BACKGROUND IS THE ABOVE GROUND VISIBLE SIDE OF GODERICH’S SIFTO SALT MINE…THIS IS A 55mm SHOT GIVING THE PHOTO A CORRECT PERSPECTIVE AS TO NORMAL SIZES & HOW THE HUMAN EYES SEES IT.

    

MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME FOR A LOCAL PAINT SALESMAN TO DROP BY & SUGGEST SOME NICE COLORFUL ANTI-RUST PAINT

IF THIS LAKE FREIGHTER WAS LOADED WITH CARGO OR BALLAST THOSE PROPELLER BLADES & RUDDER WOULD BE UNDERWATER & NOT BE VISIBLE

A FEW EXTRA PHOTOS AROUND THE GODERICH HARBOR VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

WHEN YOU CLICK ON THE PHOTO ALBUM A PAGE OF PHOTOS WILL APPEAR, CLICK ON THE TOP LEFT PHOTO MAKING IT LARGER, NOW YOU CAN CHOOSE TO SEE THE PHOTOS IN A SLIDE SHOW FORMAT BY CLICKING ‘PLAY SIDE SHOW’ AT THE TOP OR VIEW THEM ONE AT TIME BY CLICKING  THE ARROW AT BOTTOM

A stop near the Tiger Dunlop tomb had Pheebs & I out for a walk on the Menesetung trail.  It was just one of those perfect weather mornings with warm temperatures & a cooling breeze coming in off the lake.  Air was light & clear with no humidity.  Just one of those 'feeling good' mornings as we strolled along the old railway line now turned into a trail.  Pheebs & I also made it around our pine tree trail here in the Park this afternoon for the second time this week & both times I have taken my clippers & did trail maintenance along the way.  And without any oppressive heat & humidity in the air we didn’t even have any pesky bugs biting or stinging us.  Bonus:))

IN THAT FOREST OF TREES ON THE HORIZON ACROSS THE RIVER LIES THE TOWN OF GODERICH…LOOK CLOSELY TO THE RIGHT & FIND 2 CHURCH SPIRES

IF YOU COULDN’T FIND THOSE CHURCH SPIRES HERE IS A 300mm TELEPHOTO LENS SHOT OF THEM FROM THE SAME SPOT 

HIGHWAY 21 BRIDGE NORTH OF GODERICH CROSSING THE MAITLAND RIVER…CARS ARE HEADING SOUTH INTO GODERICH

AFTER HEAVY OVERNIGHT RAINS THE USUALLY DOCILE MAITLAND RIVER IS OVER IT’S BANKS CARRYING TONS OF VALUABLE FARMLAND SOIL OUT INTO LAKE HURON

THAT WALKING BRIDGE CROSSING THE MAITLAND RIVER WAS ORIGINALLY A RAILWAY BRIDGE…AND SPEAKING OF BRIDGES YOU CAN SEE THE BRIDGE OF THE RUSTY LAKE FREIGHTER PHEEBS & I EARLIER ATE OUR BREAKFAST BESIDE

DOGGY GIRL RUNNING ALONG THE MENESETUNG TRAIL

With rain moving in Monday night & while checking vehicle windows to make sure they were closed I heard a beeping sound somewhere.  Finally tracked it down to the Motorhome.  With repeated cloudy days the solar charge on our house batteries was down with not enough charge left to even start the generator to charge the batts up again.  Quickly hooked up some shore power & all was well with happily charging batteries again.  Have to remember to keep an eye on that especially with back to back cloudy days………. 

NO NOT AUTUMN YET BUT THESE OAK LEAVES ALONG THE TRAIL THIS MORNING DID HAVE A NICE TOUCH OF COLOR TO THEM

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A passenger train is creeping along, painfully slow. Finally, it creaks to a complete halt. A passenger sees a conductor walking by outside. "What's going on?" she yells out the window.  "Cow on the track!" replies the conductor.  Ten minutes later, the train resumes its slow pace. Within five minutes, however, it stops again. The woman sees the same conductor walking by again. She leans out the window and yells, "What happened? Did we catch up with the cow again?"