Winnipeg Road Trip

Danny and I are planning a road trip to Winnipeg to attend Unison Canadian Choral Festival later this month. The song, "Starlight", for which I wrote lyrics, debuted in Toronto last weekend and in Guelph last night. I told Dad this will be one of the most memorable event in my life so far. On May 22 the Waterloo-Wellington Rainbow Chorus will perform the same program for about 500 delegates in 14 other queer choirs from across Canada.

I'm also excited about the trip. We plan to take the northern route around Lake Superior, rather than crossing into the States. The furthest north I've ever traveled in Ontario was at age 11 with my parents on Agawa Canyon Tour Train, a scenic day trip north from Sault Ste. Marie. A short video gives a glimpse of the remarkable beauty I remember. Besides, I've never visited Manitoba.

I've had so much on the go that we hadn't planned much of the trip, but this afternoon we sat down and worked out a rough itinerary. An outline follows, with things we might do and see as time allows. If anyone has suggestions for something we shouldn't miss between Winnipeg and the north shore of Lake Superior, please suggest it. There won't be much time for sightseeing on the way out, but we will take a more leisurely pace on the way back.

• May 19: Toronto to Wawa, Ontario, via Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, time 11:35. We have reserved a cabin in Wawa for that night.
• May 20: Wawa to Dryden, time 10:41. We have a hotel reservation in Dryden.
• May 21: Dryden to Winnipeg, time 5:15. Staying at Danny's sister's house until May 24 or 25. Registration for the festival is at the Delta Hotel, and the opening night concert is an 11 minute walk from there at Knox United Church.
• May 22: Unison Festival. RCWW performs during the first concert block, so we can party for the rest of the weekend! Social in the evening.
• May 23: Unison continues. Dinner and dance in the evening.
• May 24: Unison closing concert followed by barbecue lunch. Afterward we can start exploring Winnipeg.
• May 25: In Winnipeg. Some thing we could see and do: The Forks, St. Boniface Cathedral, Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, Winnipeg Art Gallery (contains the world's largest collection of Inuit art), Mondragón Bookstore and Coffee House, Manitoba Legislative Building, the Exchange District

Enough research for tonight. I'll outline the rest of the trip in the next post.