Day 4: Falcon Lake, MB – Winnipeg – 143.8 km – 1 hr 24 mins

I'm stealing a second on a drive into the Okanagan valley to catch up on some blog posts. The scenery on the drive from Calgary to here was too magnificent to look at the lapton screen.

Day 4: Falcon Lake - Winnipeg

Falcon Lake campground residents were looking on suspiciously in the morning:

 

Winnipeg

After an uneventful jaunt from Falcon Lake to Winnipeg, we spent the rest of the day discovering the Manitoba capital.

Winnipeg surprised with character. Winnipegers genuinely exude love for the charm of their city.

The Forks is the park area surrounding the intersection of Assiniboine and Red rivers. The air is filled with remorse about the Canadian wrongdoings of the past towards first nations. The Human Rights Museum building under construction is gorgeous; the point of the museum – somewhat elusive.

Bridge across Red River in the Forks.

There is a tent set up in the middle of the Forks park, as part of what is called the Treaty Day. Land treaties signed between 1870 and 1874 by the Manitoba first nations and the newly formed federal goverment of Canada allocated $5 per person per year to each native person. No inflation clause was written in, and the feds continue to pay out the same $5/year to everyone who shows up with proper ID. Although the act of collecting $5 seems largely symbolic in 2012, there were people trickling into the tent on Monday afternoon.

Looking on.

Refreshing piece of architechture.



Parlour Coffee surprises with a great americano.


Pedestrian crossings in Winnipeg work the same way as Toronto, whereas a pedestrian activates a flashing light above the roadway promting traffic to stop. The difference: pedestrians are much less cautious about jumping onto the road immediately at the press of the button compared to Torontonians.


Pedestrian crossing in Winnipeg.



Osborne Village or just "village" is the trendy nighbourhood where some Winnipegers go to "patio". Patio is used as a verb here to describe the act of sitting on a terrace, conversing with friends and having a beverage. Even on Monday evening, residents constantly move back and forth on Osborne St, some choosing to sit down on the porch of the neighbourhood staple bar, The Toad, where we celebrate Nadya's birthday at midnight.

We depart to Regina early on an overcast day, but still manage to snatch some last shots of the Manitoba capital.

Winnipeg trainyard, in the less affluent neighbourhood of North End.