It is a huge disappointment for us when we find that the Children’s Museum at The Forks is closed for maintenance and training. What a let down! This is the place we promised ourselves we would come back to see and here we are and there it isn’t … bummer.

As close as we ever got!

With our main event of the day defunct, we are back on the road and now aiming for Riding Mountain National Park. A nice drive across the prairie and here we are. What is there to say about Riding Mountain? Wasagaming is the town within the park that likely teems with people in the summer. It is not so busy now, but we can’t imagine staying in one of the cabins that sit cheek by jowl. There is lots of hiking to do here though, and even golfing. This park seems to be a little like Cypress Hills, an oasis of forest in the middle of the prairie. A most refreshing change in the landscape.

The East gate entrance at Riding Mountain

Cabins cheek by jowl

Visitor Centre

Another extremely early start and while we have seen this part of the highway, it is now dark and so who is to know. The sun does come up sometime and reveals more trees! Lawrie spots a bull moose and cow, but they aren’t close enough for the picture to be worth including. These tree pictures are nice though?

Trees in the sunrise

Ontario trees

We are saying goodbye to Ontario and hello to Manitoba by 11ish. There are still lots of trees, but now there aren’t so many rocks and it really gets pretty flat. Oh ya, it is the prairie again! Hard to forget what that looks like!

Spits anyone? And it isn’t just wheat fields!

Happy faces in the sun

You will remember that we stayed at Bird’s Hill Provincial Park if you carefully studied and made notes on our blog in May. We really liked staying there then and so plan the same for this return trip. The Canadian Mint and the Children’s Museum are the two sightseeing things we are planning to do during this time in Winnipeg. We arrive in Winnipeg so early that the Mint is easily done on the way to the park. It is well worth a visit. All the Canadian coins you use on a daily basis are struck here. The commemorative coins are struck in Ottawa. This mint also produces coinage for over 60 other countries. A good money making venture I’d say … and the pun is intended! Surprisingly we aren’t allowed to take pictures inside so you will have to be content with these exterior shots.

The Royal Canadian Mint, Winnipeg Branch

Fountain at the Mint

When we arrive at the park the same attendant that signed us in the last time was still there. It was nice to be remembered too! There were a gazillion high bush cranberries so we took the opportunity to bag enough for the winter supply of concentrate. It was incredibly easy and fast; perhaps an hours work compared to four at home. Then we have the most amazingly good dinner at the restaurant located in the park before we call an end to another very long day.