We Did It!!

Whatever happened to the daily blog? Not sure whether time has got the better of me or perhaps I’ve lost my muse now that we’ve ‘settled’ a little bit. I think we left off on the last blog somewhere near Saskatoon en route to Winnipeg and then beyond. Seems my geography was a bit challenged in the previous blog as the ‘1000’ or so kms left to go was more like ‘2000’ or so. We stopped at a place called Pike Lake Provincial Park after dropping my cousin Keegan and his partner Elise at the Airport in Saskatoon. It was a beautifully landscaped summer (and perhaps winter) escape for those in the know, complete with a teaching/play swimming pool and slides, pedal boats, heaps of green-space and a few playgrounds. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to partake in all it had to offer and have made mental note that it warrants a return and perhaps a few days in the campground to really make it worthwhile. From Pike Lake we managed to make it just over the border into Manitoba, to a place called Roblin. A veritable spec on the map really, with only one campground with which to choose a site, an adjacent lake apparently renowned for trout fishing, and a quaint little main drag reminiscent of a few small Aussie towns we’ve visited in the past. Feeling the need for fitness I managed to kick myself out of bed in the morning and throw on my running shoes to explore the town. It took less than 25 minutes to circumnavigate the town but for this I was grateful as the cogs had started to come off at about the 20 minute mark and I had to coax the legs home. Jen took up the challenge though and suffered the same end, but at least we’d made a start. Our next plod on the great highway of life took us across Manitoba close to where I had been born and spent a few of my early and apparently sickly years. We had meant to cut across the middle of the province and come down through my birthplace, Arborg, and onwards to Gimli (home of the large white viking and Icelandic/ Norwegian heritage) but somehow missed a turn and ended up trekking south to the Trans-Canada highway en route to Portage La Prairie and Winnipeg. We hit Portage around lunchtime and needed a play so managed to find a park and an adjacent pool/slide complex which fit the bill. We’d decided to spend the night at Sandy Hook after a quick visit and ice cream foray to Gimli – a place I later learned was quite near my childhood home in a place rarely documented on maps, called Arnes. The next day we rose reasonably early and made tracks to Upper Fort Garry – a former fur-trading post for the Hudson Bay Company, now on display for historical reference, complete with actors dressed in the typical garb of the day elucidating the many intricacies of life during the fur-trading post’s heyday. We had a ball and became reacquainted to much of the historical basis from which Canada eventually evolved. Onward to Winnipeg proper we went, attempting to replace an internet modem stick for the computer and solve my iPhone ‘locking’ dilemmas so I might have an operable phone here in Canada. I’ve quickly learned that telecos in Canada can be franchised and that one which looks identical to all the others may actually be operated by another company, rendering any questions or service unfeasible unless it is part of the same franchise-company from which the original products were purchased. Yes – very confusing and time consuming. At the end of our probings we ended up across town at a massive box mall but finally able to solve at least one of our telecommunication problems. My iPhone it seems was going to be a much more difficult gadget to sort out. In the end we gave up chase, headed to my Aunt and Uncle’s abode in the centre of Winnipeg and found a parking spot for the ‘beast’ directly behind their house in an ice rink parking lot.



We spent 3 days in Winnipeg, venturing here and there, hitting museums, checking out places such as the Forks and imbibing as much good, proper coffee (something we’d had much trouble finding) as was chemically healthy for our systems. It was a whirlwind few days and we’ve made a pact to return, not only to visit family but also to spend a bit more time at the Manitoba Museum – a massive maze of Canadiana which we ended up rushing through in the end for lack of time in the day.



I had aimed to be in Barrie, Ontario (Jen’s home town) by the 10th of August, so we had 3 days in hand to get there – thing was – I was itching to complete this journey and start on the tasks that will eventually lead us to a more settled existence ie) finding a house, a car and employment. The urge was strong so with a good 20 plus hours ahead of us, we forged onward. The scenery around the Great Lakes was absolutely stunning, bringing back fond memories of canoe trips into Algonquian Park during my uni days. The roads were long though and after 9 or ten hours and a fill up where we nearly took the shingled roof off of the servo with the beast, we found a Visitor Information pull out off the highway to spend the night. Fortunately, it put us within striking distance of our final destination and after another long day of driving, finally pulled into Jen’s parents house, tired, stir-crazy and relieved that we’d finally come to the end of 7 months of traveling. We’ve had an amazing trek and will relish in it for many years to come. Now the tough part starts – re-organizing our lives and trying to make anew in a brand new community and setting.