Good morning everyone. Today we stop in Virginia. The most favorite cache is another WVTim & WVGrammy hide. 'Hi-tech' GC2WCA2 was hidden in May, 2011. It has 1,874 found logs and 659 favorite points. The oldest active cache is 'Burke Lake Park' GC175. Hidden in December, 2000, it has 3,129 logged finds and 407 favorite points.
This weekend marks the changing of the seasons. It is Spring. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, that means the weather will get warmer, nicer. We'll be more eager to get out and find geocaches, plus find more of them in an outing.
I'm no different in that regard, but first, I need to get past the next few weeks as I search for a new place to live. Fingers crossed that something comes up this coming week. Today (Saturday) I took an opportunity to grab a couple of geocaches and do an Adventure Lab on my way home from the store. My route took me down a stretch of road just North of Winnipeg. River Road. This is a popular route for those out for a leisurely drive going to or from a small community called Lockport.
There are a number of geocaches along this stretch of road, but there's also a lot of history and three Adventure Labs. The road itself follows the West bank of the Red River. The history along this road dates back to when the land was first settled in the early 1800's. Two of the ALs focus on that part of the history, while the third focuses on what you'll see once at Lockport.
One of the buildings you will come across is St. Andrew's on the Red Anglican Church. Construction started in 1844 by Archdeacon William Cockran. It remains an active church to this day with plenty of original architecture inside. The cemetery surrounding the church is the final resting place to many who came to settle on the surrounding land, including Archdeacon Cockran himself.
The stained glass window behind the altar was brought from England and installed between 1875 and 1884. Across the road to the South is the Rectory that was built in 1854. Archdeacon Cockran also supervised the construction of this and it was home to the ministers of St. Andrew's.
There are other key locations along the road, either a marker or the actual building at each location.
As you continue North, you will end up in the community of Lockport. The most significant thing you will find here is the lock and dam. This particular lock and dam was built in 1910 to submerge the rapids that were located South of the dam. This would make the Red River navigable all the way to Lake Winnipeg. What is significant about the dam is that it's the only camere curtain style dam in North America. This style has wooden curtains that roll up or down to control the flow of water. It also has a canal lock for boats to pass by the dam, the only canal on the Canadian prairies.
You can see the canal in the foreground with the river just beyond the trees. The canal is drained every winter. This makes it easier to find the geocache that's located on the island that separates the canal from the river.
A closer look of the Southwest side of the locks. The North side is a popular spot for those who like to go fishing. It doesn't matter what time of year, you will probably find someone on a boat, on the shore, or ice fishing in the Winter.
A view of the Northeast side of the locks.
People don't drive all the way to Lockport just to see the dam. There are three very popular locations to stop for a bite to eat, or enjoy an ice cream. Located on River Road is the original Skinners restaurant.
It wasn't busy on that cold January day that I did the Adventure Lab but it was busy on the first day of Spring.
There are two other places you can stop at. There's the newer Skinners location on the highway just before the dam.
On the East side of the river is the Half Moon restaurant with it's 1950's themed decor.
If you're ever in the Winnipeg area, a drive up to Lockport on a Saturday or Sunday is worth the trip. The drive itself takes about ten to fifteen minutes. Add in the historic places and geocaching, and you should allow yourself a good portion of the day. The three Adventure Labs along this stretch of road was put together by Mustash, 4elements5senses, and Crackerjackie. If you plan things out ahead of time, you can do all three at once.
I'm thinking that I'll be busy over the next few weeks with packing, moving, and settling in. I do have the next three blogs planned out (and started). Next week (March 28) will be more picture based and not so much written. April 4th I announce the winner of the March photo contest, and April 11th I will do a quarterly report of my geocaching year so far.
Speaking of the photo contest, you have two weeks to enter. The March theme was to go geocaching with your favorite geocaching hat. Here is another one of my hats. I don't wear this one as much.
My Winnipeg Jets hat. I'm a Winnipeger and I cheer for the Winnipeg sports teams. The Jets can be frustrating at times. Play one good game and not that great the next. They lost Saturday night 4-2. Back to the contest, you can submit your pictures at thegeocachingguild@gmail.com or send a message on Twitter @thegeocachingg1
Until next week, be happy, stay safe, wear a mask and wash your hands, hug your furry critters, and most importantly, be happy. Peace out.
Sassy and Tinks taking turns being on the foot stool while I read.
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