Day 5 is over and we’re a bit behind on updates on account of a late night yesterday and very slow hotel wifi, which has prevented us from uploading photos in anything resembling an efficient manner. Have no fear though as we did manage to get this little snippet of video online. It’s from Day 2 (July 28), during our brief stop in Wawa, ON. Hopefully, the video and description of the last couple of days (below) will hold you over until we can find some decent wifi and add the photos that should accompany this report.
Update: Photos Added!!! Scroll on down.
Day 4
We had two big agenda items for the day. The first was a tour of the city and the second was meeting Trish’s relatives in Marquette, MB, about 40 min north west of the city. Unfortunately, we had a third task, which was to sort out the computer situation.
The city tour, provided by Winnipeg Trolley Company, was excellent. It wasn’t a hop-on/hop-off tour. Rather, you got on the trolley at the Forks and got off at the same spot about 2.5 hours later having learned a lot of touristy things about Winnipeg, such as the value of the most expensive home in the city and that some of the zoo animals are movie stars.
The guides were funny, personable, and knew there stuff and the trolley was comfortable, with big windows, a great sound system, and A/C that wasn’t even remotely bothered by the mid-summer heat. Our only regret? Not doing the same company’s Ghost Tour.
Overall, my preconceptions about Winnipeg were shattered. It’s beautiful in the summer with massive trees, huge, well-developed parks, and some really cool spaces owing to its significant transportation/industrial history. A highlight was the alley were a local artist has painted murals of arctic animals on her neighbours’ garages, fences, etc. Photos to come.
Inside the Tour 
Inspirational statements someplace other than FB 
In Assiniboine Park 
In Assiniboine Park 
Trolley Tour 
Arctic Alley 
A Narwhal on the Prairies #MC 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley 
Arctic Alley
With the tour completed, we resumed our exploration of the Forks marketplace, now teeming with people seeking out lunchtime sustenance. We had been there before the tour and the place had been empty. Suffice it to say, this building and how it has been repurposed is really neat. If only Landsdowne live had turned out like the Forks… Here are some photos of the building and the area, which should be the focal point of any visit to Winnipeg.
Caboose 
Sun beams 
So cool 
Such an amazing room 
Another amazing room 
Bruce? 
Seniors doing a fitness class 
Waterfront 
Tour boats on the river 
Neat 
Love this structure 
Found some shade 
Battle Goats LOVE shade 
The Mini Union Station 
Having joined our fellow tourists at lunch, we headed back to grab the car and proceed to a local mall in the hopes a procuring a computer. The good news is that I’m typing on it now. The bad news is: 1) Dell still hasn’t managed to send the RMA material to me, despite talking to them about it twice; and 2) the new laptop was painfully expensive. Ugh.
With that out of way we headed for Marquette, the town in which Trish’s late mother, Mildred, was born. Cousins, aunts, and uncles were coming from all over to see Trish, who they know well, and meet me, in some instances, for the first time. Yeah, I was tense. So tense that I had T quizzing me on names, their relationships to one another, and any other facts about those expected to be attendance the whole way there.
In the end, I had no reason to be nervous as everyone was exceedingly warm and welcoming, making me feel like a long-time family member right away. We had a great dinner at the local diner and then regrouped at Archie and Edna’s for some banter and photos before we had to leave for Portage la Prairie. Thanks to everyone who came to see us and for making my first McRae family get together such a great time.
Day 5
Today was a pretty routine driving day save for two things: 1) We enter Saskatchewan; and 2) we visited the tiny of town of Rouleau, where the CTV sit-com, Corner Gas, was shot!
On entering Saskatchewan and the prairies in general, I want to say that it’s all LIES!!!! Yes, LIES! It’s sooo flat, they say. The roads are mind-numbingly straight they say! They’re full of sh#@! While it’s certainly flatter than most places, the land is not perfectly level. Saskatchewan in particular, at least the area east of Swift Current, features rolling hills for as far as one can see from the Trans Canada. The roads bend and turn, too. No, the steering rack isn’t going to wear out, but it’s not as crazy as one is led to believe.
On the flipside, things that are true:
- people are super friendly for the most part
- there aren’t many people
- the people present are likely driving a pick-up truck
- farms are REALLY big
- potash looks like snow
- the bugs out here are numerous and plentiful
- birds hitting cars can do a bit of minor damage
- Canadians measure distance in time… all Canadians
That’s about it. So far, we’ve been wowed by the landscapes and we expect that continue tomorrow as we head towards Dinosaur Provincial Park!
The pictures are awesome! It looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for the updates!