Blogs from Manitoba, Canada, North America

Day 5. Still 2264Km. My first non travel day and the actual reason I changed plans and came to Winnipeg a day early. The Gyms in Ontario have been open 50 something days in the last 15 months. During the winter I got some dumbbells and a stationary bIke to go along with the elliptical machine as well as joining an on line exercises program to help maintain what gains I had made over the past few years at the gym. It seems to have worked. It seemed I could even do a bit more weight on some machines today so apparently my efforts over the last six months worked. There was a grocery store beside the gym so I picked up a few perishables and stuffed them in my saddlebags along with the gym cloths. ... read more

At last the day had come to fulfill my dream of seeing the polar bears in url=https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Churchill,+MB/@58.749511,-94.1860019,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x526fd949c8f9f537:0xd10c44d8423762dd!8m2!3d58.7684112!4d-94.164964?hl=enChurchill, Manitoba! Visiting Churchill as a tourist can be done anytime, but the polar bears are there only in the early winter and early spring. Our charter to Churchill, Manitoba left at 6:30, a little late. The shuttle from the Holiday Express was kept busy with myself and others who hadn't wanted to drive in the very early morning. The Canadian North 737 was full of excited anticipation. As we ate breakfast, a naturalist talked about the polar bears and their plight caused by climate change. Seeing the bears is never guaranteed. In November they are waiting for the ice on Hudson's Bay form and thicken enough to let them walk... read more

Friday 24th May 2019 We have seen our first Canadian Black Bear and have some great video footage of him! This has made our day! No: it has made our whole trip! Fantastic! What a wonderful experience! Today started with a long drive from Winnipeg in pouring rain. At one point the rain was sweeping across the road so much that we feared we might aquaplane! Despite this, driving across the prairies is quite an experience. The wheat fields are huge! At one point we had to wait at a level crossing whilst a freight train went past. It was so long that it took half an hour! Amazing! Eventually we arrived at a small town called Onanole and here we are staying in a lovely B and B. The small restaurant up the road served ... read more

Tuesday 21st May 2019 We left Quetico this morning in glorious sunshine, prepared for a long drive. We had no destination in mind, deciding it was best to just see where we got to. We knew that if we found somewhere nice, we would stop, otherwise carry on in hope! Well we ended up driving 545 kilometres, which was more than anticipated and ended up crossing the border to Manitoba! The drive from Quetico to Fort Francis on the US Minnesota border was one of the most picturesque so far; kilometre after kilometre of blue water, dark green spruce, maple, cedar and silver birch, rocky outcrops and a few little homesteads along the way. We saw a moose today as well as two squirrels, seven red deer, a flock of Canadian geese and quite a few ... read more

NOVEMBER 17, 2018 Today is our second day in Winnipeg. We arrived yesterday evening after uneventful flights via Minneapolis. It was cold when we got here. A representative from Natural Habitat was at the airport to meet us. We have met s Dutch couple from California, an English couple from Warwick England, a mother and daughter from San Diego, and a couple from Tampa. Everyone seems nice and well traveled. We are staying at the Fort Gary Hotel in Winnipeg. The was built in 1913 by the railroad as a part of their chain of hotels across Canada to stimulate travel. The Banff Hotel and Chateau Frontenac were two other hotels in this string. The Hotel is very nice and has obviously been updated. We had dinner in the hotel dining room. It was very good ... read more