Day Twelve

We left Saskatchewan this morning.  The wheat fields gradually gave way to rolling hills and patches of trees as we drove further into Manitoba.  Dairy farms replaced wheat farms and the herds speckling the fields had more brown than black among them. 

We stopped for the inevitable bathroom break at a sign that proclaimed itself a roadside rest.  Had it not been for the genuine needs among us all to visit said bathrooms we would have passed it by when we saw what counted as facilities.  Since nothing else was likely to be available we decided to consider it all an adventure and took pictures of the place instead. (The men decided it was time for a hike in the woods.)

More story-telling took place and plenty of visiting.  Some of us also learned some interesting facts about treating burns from Edna, whose brother has suffered through them following an accident.  BNW salve applied to the burned area, then covered with burdock leaves that have been properly prepared, has been shown to work miracles in his and many other burn cases.  I plan to keep some on hand when I get home.

Dave announced the winner of the scavenger hunt.  It seems Christ Wengerd handed in his completed list a week ago.  But Dave was having too much fun watching the rest of us scavenging and hunting to tell us until today.  Congrats to Christ!  There still seems to be some question of proof on his sighting of a black cat.  All in fun of course.

Shortly after noon we stopped in Brandon for lunch.  Paul ate at KFC and I ran to Five Guys with Irene.  Ok. We walked fast.  Well, fast for us.  While we were off the bus someone left a gift bag for Marge and Karen.  Sunglasses and Beano.  No one will claim responsibility.

Next stop: Boissevain, Manatoba to see the wildlife museum.  The ladies breezed through fairly fast. The men were pretty impressed with all the animals on display, stuffed, that is. Actually, I was impressed too.  A buffalo is pretty intimidating close-up, even a dead one.  They had a polar bear or two, an elk, and many, many more wildlife specimens placed with the scenery appropriate to their habitat.

Then it was off to the International Peace Garden on the border separating Canada and the United States.  The gardens straddle the border with half in one country and half on the other.  The boundaries between these two countries is the largest unfortified border in the world.    At almost 2400 acres, the botanical gardens are dedicated to world peace with the board which oversees the non-profit effort comprised equally of US and Canadian citizens.

We saw a memorial from the Trade Towers,  pieces of steel beams that were shredded apart like cardboard.  Sobering to say the least.

 

The four peace towers are 120 feet high.  The number of towers is symbolic of the four corners of the earth coming together and the height signifies the soaring ambitions of immigrants to the two countries. 

We gathered in the Peace Chapel and someone started singing How Great Thou Art.  Shirl spontaneously began directing and with the great acoustics in the room, our effort was not half-bad.  Four part harmony and enthusiasm mixed with some inspiration.  Our tour guide said she had goose bumps.  She wasn't the only one.

We crossed the boarder back into the states with minimal hassle.  We did all have to get off the bus and file past the stern looking guards who scanned our passports as though their lives depended on it.  Then we filed into a garage-type building and waited a few minutes while they checked out the inside of the bus.  Then we were allowed to leave.  I'm glad they guard the boarders, but really?  I'll admit I'm all for profiling. And we don't fit the profile.  Unless they're looking for a bunch of over-fed (me) seniors packing cameras with zealous fervor.

I spent the rest of our journey to the hotel at the back of the bus.  Sometimes there's a party back there.  Sometimes it's serious talk.  Always it's a good time. 

Our hotel is in Devil's Lake, ND and it's a nice one.  And clean. And there are plenty of wall outlets, in easy-to-reach places. We walked to a nearby restaurant that was basically empty until a bunch of us showed up.  It was surprisingly good food, served hot and fast.  And cheap.  Well, at least compared to the meals north of the border.  It's good to be back in the motherland.