After having breakfast at Shell (yes, the gas station) with my great-aunt and uncle I started off on my way to Winnipeg. Biking in Manitoba is great, people kept on honking and giving me thumbs up, one person even yelled out his window “way to go dude!”. I had a couple of people slow down and ask me a couple of questions (where are you going? Where are you coming from? Are you crazy?). When I got close to Winnipeg (a couple of kilometers from the perimeter highway, Winnipeg has a highway that surrounds the city so through traffic can avoid the downtown core) a couple of cyclists were out having a ride and changed their route to come and talk to me (we biked and talked). They told me of a good bike store, and ways to get into the city without getting killed (the way into Winnipeg on the TransCan is one of the most dangerous for cyclists in Canada). They then turned around to head back to where they were orininally heading and I started into the worst section of highway ever! It is really hard to bike on this section of thr TransCan without being in one or another cars way. When I finally made it into the city I made my way to the bike shop that the two cyclists had told me about. The staff was really nice, one guy offered me a place to stay (but I already had a place to stay) and when I was about to by something the manager told me he had a similar product on for half price (did I mention they were super nice). I stayed for a while and talked about pugsley’s and big dummies (google them, they are bikes). Then off to MEC. I probably spent too much time at MEC. But, the was no one else there so I got into some great conversations with the staff, in particular a guy named Greg. We also did an experiment, we tried to stuff my sleeping bag with the liner into a much smaller stuff sac to see how small we could get it, it was pretty impressive how small it could go, but I decided against getting the sac, it would take too long in the mornings to put my stuff away. Greg also gave me a recipe for museli for breakfast. He was such a nice and honest guy that I wrote up a coment card about him. By this time it was getting close to when Jamie (one of my PL’s when I was in katimavik, and with whom I was staying for the evening) was getting off work and inwas supposed to meet him. Unfortunately on my way to his place I got lost (I didn’t see his street sign and biked past his street). So I took a little detour and did a quick sightseeing before I found my way again (during this I got a worried call from Jamie asking where I was and if I was lost, “no no I’m fine, I’m on my way and should be there soon” pfft I got there twenty minutes late). When I finally got to his place we lifted my bike into his house and into his living room (but not really lived in) and we set out to find a restaurant. I had mentioned that I wanted to try the local brewry ‘half-pints’ so we went to a pub with it on tap. The IPA was one of the best I’ve ever had! After supper the three of us (jamie, Leigh and I) went to the forks (the national park in winnipeg) were the truth and reconceliation was going on. To ‘celebrate’ this Buffy St-Marie was singing when we got there and Blue Rodeo was the next act. Unfortunately, the amount of mosquito’s forced to leave after only a couple of blue rodeo songs.
I decided to take the day off, so I headed to the forks in thr morning with Leigh to see what was going on. I listened in on some people expressing what happend to them and the effect it had on their life/family. I the. Went to a play put on by the manitoba young people theatre, I didn’t like it, it tried too much to be artsy. I tried to look up some friends phone number after the show but had no luck so a bunch of people at the front desk tried to help me, while we were looking we talked about my trip and the things I should see while I was in town (two people even offered me a place to stay). After unsuccessfully finding the number I started to get hungry , back while I was in katimavik I remembered a great restaurant in the exchange district (a neighborhood in Winnipeg). So I went off in search of it. On my way I asked someone for directions to the restaurant and she was heading there to work(!). So we talked about my trip and traveling while we headed towards the restaurant. While at the restaurant four people offered to let me stay at their place (manitoba really deserves the title of ‘friendly Manitoba’). I then went back to Jamie’s place to do some work before he and Leigh got back from their own errands. Perrogies for supper! How can you not like perogies, they rock so much. I said goodbye to Jamie since he would be at work when I will wake up.
In the morning a strong wind was blowing and it was raining buckets, so Jamie had the day off. We chatted until it got slightly nicer out then I headed out on my way to lorette (when I was in katimavik I lived in lorette, and was place with a familly for a week, who I wanted to visit). Heading out of Winnipeg I missed a turn off and started going in the wrong direction for a while. After getting turned around it
was really easy to find lorette. Unfortunately, the wind decided to pick up and it started to rain really hard again. I was told that lorette was about 25 miles from Winnipeg, so I figured it would take me five hours to get there. Ends up that they ment 25 kilometers, so even with the wind howling I got there in about two hours. I did a quick tour of the town to see what had changed in six years (not much) then made my way to my host familly’s place, where I was offered and graciously accepted a warm shower. After a great supper we spent the evening talking. It’s fun to see people again.
I was planning on heading out rather early, but was easily convinced to stay for breakfast (how can you say no to crepes? I can’t). We then made our way to the centre of Canada for a photo opp. After cleaning my bike (they live on a dirt road, so it was pure mud yesterday) and quick lunch I headed out late in the afternoon. Even though I left late I made my way to whiteshell provincial park (Manitoba campgrounds are among the cheapest of my trip so far, you will find out in a future post that Ontario campsites cost a fortune). It was hard to find a dry campsite, I ended setting up my tent in an area of the site I’m sure most people don’t set up their tent, but then it seems nobody tents anymore, instead everyone seems have an RV. We tenters are a dying breed.
Again I will remind people how nice manitobans have been, I got another dozen happy honks and thumbs up. Thanks everyone, it’s very encouraging.
Way to go Justin! Keep pedalling your butt off! Think of the box in the chem lab to play with!
Will get a copy of the train tracks photo and the Manitoba sky when you arrive.
Looking forward to your follow-up posts.