Saturday, June 4
49 degrees this beautiful morning. We go to a nearby Tim Horton's for a breakfast treat. We discovered them years ago in Canada and like their selection of pastries, breakfast sandwiches and more. We understand they are opening in the US, but haven't seen any thus far.
We head back into the city to Assiniboine Park - a huge complex that includes an English Garden, a Sculpture Garden and the Zoo. We park by the Zoo where there are only two or three other vehicles. We read that the Park is open 24 hours, though the zoo doesn't open till 9:00. Now we discover that the two gardens are also gated and don't open till 9:00.
There are quite a few walkers and runners out this morning and we talk to a man sitting on a bench with his dog at his feet. He says they have had nothing but rain for the past few weeks (hence the flooded roads we encountered) and everyone will be outside today enjoying sunshine and relative warmth! He himself goes to Arizona or New Mexico for the winters and just came back in April. Can't take the -40 degree winters!
We walk some trails and end up at the Sculpture Garden gate, which is opened promptly at 9:00. It is officially the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. Leo, born in Ukraine in 1915, moved to Winnipeg in 1948 and died in 2009. He donated many sculptures to his adopted city.
The gardens are pleasantly wooded with nice landscaping and a few water features, plus 2 smallish galleries which include both sculptures and paintings. The sculptures are mostly human forms, with a few bears and deer interspersed.
Then it is into the English Garden where Spring is beginning to show its lovely face.
This unusual purple flower wasn't identified.
A few varieties of cherry trees are especially beautiful! The white ones are chokecherry.
We head back to the zoo and find that the parking area has filled substantially! Masks are "suggested" but other than the people who work here, there are very few in site. We start off wearing them to buy tickets but remove them once inside.
We begin with a film, Journey to Churchill: Rhythm of the North which talks of arctic animals and the Northern Lights. Churchill is a few hours north of Winnipeg on Hudsons Bay and is known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World. There are many trips offered from Winnipeg in the Winter to see the bears and the lights, but prices started around $4,000 per person, so....we'll probably settle for the zoo.
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| Yaks |
The animal habitats are spacious and well done and feature mostly arctic animals. We see quite a few wolves, yaks, caribou, bison and others.
But the most popular are the polar bears. They have 10 bears which are in several different areas. We first watch several bears exploring their habitat in search of food treats which have been "hidden" in various containers. Apparently lettuce is one of their favorites!
Then we move inside where we are under a large water feature where several of the bears are swimming. Polar bears are strong swimmers and are known to swim for miles. Lots of parents and kiddos here for this fun and exciting exhibit!
Lots of information about the bears and the threats to their natural habitat with climate change. Since this visit, though, I've read about how the bears are adapting to more time on land, so this is good news.
There are seals in tanks, as well as a few white beluga whales.
There is another special exhibit that we visit next - dinosaurs! A really well done walk through a land populated with probably about 20 different dinosaurs. Each is life size and has a little bit of animation - turning head, opening mouth, etc. And many make sounds. They are quite realistic looking! I notice kids staying closer to their parents here, some demanding to be held, and a few tears.
It is about 1:00 when we finish up and we head back to our parking spot at Walmart to have some lunch and rest up a bit before heading to The Forks area. Greg notes that the roads around here are pretty terrible - patches on patches - but I guess that goes with the winters.The Forks is where the Red River and Assiniboine Rivers meet. It has traditionally been a meeting place for indigenous people, for traders and others. And the tradition continues! The city has created a lively market area inside a few old warehouses and a beautiful park next to the river and added a scattering of new buildings including an amphitheater for concerts.
We are able to park in the same lot as yesterday with just a short walk to the Forks area. There are dozens of shops featuring books, art galleries, boutiques, candles, and lots of food and drink items. We pick up a few things to take home, and a few more post cards for the grandkids.
Outside, there are many occupied chairs and lounges, more outdoor bars and restaurants and people everywhere. A happy, pleasant vibe.
Some cute artwork inside the market.
We head back to our boondocking spot and find a close-by liquor mart which is where you have to go to buy wine. There is a single file line to enter and each customer has to show ID to a person behind glass and then be buzzed in!
Original Joe's is our dinner destination. A bar/restaurant that is fairly busy. Beth has some great fish and chips with tasty cole slaw, while Greg opts for so-so quesadillas. Various flavors of poutine are on the menu, but we pass, as we'd tried this last time in Canada. It is basically french fries with all sorts of various toppings (soggy imho). Nice relaxing way to finish the day!
www.assiniboineparkzoo.ca
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