Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Center of Canada

Today we continue west towards Winnipeg. We leave the province of Ontario and enter Manitoba. The terrain changes quickly as we enter the grain belt of Canada. Flat farms are the geography of the day. It is only a 2-hour drive to the outskirts of Winnipeg. Along the way, Carol meets a Canadian Mountie who looks surprisingly like Bullwinkle. We also come across the Longitudinal Center of Canada which we must stop and take a picture of.

There is No One Here

Before we go into Winnipeg, we turn north to find two National Historic sites in the area. The first is Lower Fort Garry which was a fort and headquarters for the Hudson’s Bay Company. We arrive to a deserted parking lot and go into the visitor’s center. No one is at the desk so we ring the bell and a person comes out. We ask if they are showing the advertised movie and she says that the ranger is out to lunch and we can ask them when they return in an hour. She does add that she thinks the movie, museum, and the buildings are closed for the season but we are free to tour the grounds. It is a nice day so we tour the grounds of the fort, read a few plaques, peak in a few buildings and of course we sit in the red chairs that are here.  

St Andrews Rectory

When we finish, there is no sign of the ranger so we get in the car and drive towards our next site the St Andrews Rectory. It is a pleasant drive along the Red River but alas, when we arrive at the Rectory, it too is closed for the season. Apparently, the day after Labor Day is when labor is no longer to be found at the National Historic Sites. There is nothing left to do but drive into downtown Winnipeg and check into our hotel. All checked in, we decide to go for a walk, explore the area and have dinner in the process. We were going to try an Indian buffet but they have a private party tonight so after walking a few miles, we end up in a small Thai restaurant for dinner. It is good and by the time we get back to the hotel, we walked most of dinner off. Tomorrow, we will explore more of the city.