Goodbye, Manitoba! Hello, Saskatchewan!
We concluded our time in Winnipeg by checking out the Assiniboine Park Zoo where I saw my favourite animal, the polar bear! Both Dave and I were astounded by the size of the animal - but also its gracefulness in the water! When I first walked into the aquarium portion of the exhibit, a polar bear swam up to me and stared at me so intently. It was really cool but really eerie. What an amazing experience to behold!
If you ever get the chance to visit the zoo, we highly recommend it. They have animals from all over the world and the zoo's focus is very much on conservation. Dave and I were so impressed by the lay-out, the employees, the many volunteers - and of course, the many furry and feathery and leathery animals! The polar bears (and the exhibit "Journey to Churchill") as well as the tigers were my favourites!
After the zoo, we got back onto Highway One, heading west until we found our stop for the night, an rv park just outside of Regina. I thought it would be super-cool to cross from Manitoba to Saskatchewan but the border was very much underwhelming! The Saskatchewan sign is small and while I did manage to take a picture of it, there was an interesting individual doing some kind of pose on it when I went by. There was no travel centre, unlike what we enjoyed when we entered Manitoba. Despite that, the flatness of the land very much struck me. I loved seeing the trains passing - and it's so neat that you can see a train in its entirety as it heads down the track! We saw a number of grain elevators - I hope to get some photos of these iconic buildings tomorrow, as we will have more time.
Even though the physical border may not have been all that welcoming, the very first Saskatchewaner (?) we met was an elderly man who approached Dave and me at a Tim Horton's, offering us some timbits. It is his birthday today and he wanted us to partake in the celebration! He and his friend wished us a wonderful time in Saskatchewan and all the best for the rest of our journey.
Continuing with this thread, when we stopped in at a liquor store to buy a bottle of wine, the employee, Shelley, could not have been more helpful. She gave us some travel tips about western travel, specifically about touring the wineries of the Okanagan. We had a few wine tastings thanks to her encouragement (wouldn't it be great if the LCBO did the same?) and ended up sharing some stories and quite a few laughs.
Supper was spaghetti with our just-purchased red wine (Heritage Road's 2017 Bloodstone Shiraz). Dave and I then played this baseball board game that I bought this summer - it's really cool and retro - and I kicked his butt! 13-4!
As I type this, Dave is watching what I think has to be the world's longest video of Bill Hader interviews. Needless to say, he is enjoying himself!
Good night from big sky country! xo
