Edmonton

So I just spent the last three days in Edmonton with Constance and it was great! I finally got to meet her roommate Bronwen whom I have heard an awful lot about. Also got to see Mike again which was fun cause he is an awesome guy.

We arrived on Wednesday night and didn't get up to much since I was pretty exhausted from having driven 11 hours. We just hung out and chatted which was all I could really manage.
On Thursday Jasper and I were on our own as Constance still had to work. It was about 30 degrees outside and we went for a walk along the river and then went to the legislature building which has a shallow pool out front that you can play in. Jasper went on a tour of the building but 3 just chilled outside in the shade by the pool enjoying the last 30 degree weather I will see for a while I am sure. We headed back to Constance's to meet her after work and broke out the bottles of wine around 4. Thd rest of the night is a mess of wine drinking and playing Apples to Apples which is a pretty awesome game.

On Friday, Constance took us around Edmonton a bit. We went to the Telus World of Science which was a lot of fun. We also went out to her parents place for a bbq. Adam arrived that night and we had another night of drinking and Apples to Apples. That game is so addictive!

Saturday, Adam and I spent the day at the West Edmonton mall which is just insanity. I think we must have walked around looking at things for two hours before we even did any shopping. They have a roller coaster, water park, shooting range, pirate ship, sea lions, casino, submarines, ice rink, pretty much anything you can imagine. Not to mention all the stores! After the mall, we went out for dinner with Constance, Mike, Bronwen, and Jasper. Then we headed out to a hotel by the highway since we were setting off at 6 the next morning.

We actually left at about 5.45 and hopefully we can make good time to yellowknife!!

Saskatchewan to Edmonton

We left the cabin at ridiculous o'clock because I had aspirations of making it to Edmonton by 7pm that day. We blew through Saskatchewan with a few short breaks in Saskatoon, where I waved at the town for Sam, and Lloydminster, where I waved at Wade Redden for my dad. The best thing about driving through Saskatchewan, aside from the divided highway (two lanes!!), was that with cruise control, you're barely driving, its more like steering once every 20 mins or so :P

With only one minor bump along the way - the highway was closed at one point and we had to take a big detour on a gravel country road in order to get back to the highway. This does nothing to negate the stereotypes that Canadians live in the boonies, in igloos and our main highways are dirt. Anyways, it was pretty much smooth sailing from the cabin into Edmonton. we got slowed down by some heavy fog as we left the cabin but when the sun came up it all dissipated.

I got in to Edmonton at about 5.30 and got to see Constance again! YAY! Edmonton is having a heat wave right now so it is about 30 degrees here. So we spent most of the evening sitting on the balcony having some beers and chatting before trying to fall asleep in Constance's sweat box, also known as her apartment with the broken AC.

Good day of driving all around.

I'm in Edmonton now until Sunday when Adam and I are heading to Yellowknife!!

Manitoba At Last

For anyone that has ever driven across Canada, or across Ontario, you will know the sheer joy you feel when you see the 'Welcome to Manitoba' sign. It takes FOREVER to get out of Ontario and you start to think that you will never see the light at the end of the tunnel. But you do, and that light is Manitoba. Not the most exciting place, but still awesome since it is no longer Ontario.

We decided to take it easy through Manitoba and do a bit of sight-seeing. We drove down to Winnipeg because I wanted to see the St. Boniface Cathedral. It was mostly destroyed by fire so ther is only the outer shell of the cathedral but it is easy to tell it was pretty amazing in its full glory. They have built a church within the remains of the cathedral that is pretty nice. One of the main reasons that I wanted to go is because they also have the tomb of Louis Riel there. Anyone who studied Canadian history will know the significance of Louis Riel not only for Manitoba but for all of Canada. If you don't, I suggest you look him up. He's a pretty interesting story.

After we visited the cathedral, we walked into the downtown area towards the well-known Forks Market. Its an enclosed market area filled with little shops and eateries and things. We did a bit of shopping and saw a guy making glass jewellery, which was really cool. I also ate real homemade Ukrainian perogies which were heavenly! One of the interesting things for me, probably not for Jasper though, was that we walked by the nuilding site for the new Human Rights Museum that is under construction. It is set to be built in 2012 and is currently about 40 million over budget. Its a little controversial to say the least. They haven't really done much progress on it, but I've seen drawings of what it is supposed to look like and it should be amazing. I plan on going back to visit it once it is built.

After that, we headed out for a little fun and exercise at a corn maze. I don't even know how big it was, but it was HUGE! Jasper and I had a race to see who could complete the scavenger hunt and find their way out of the maze the fastest. Neither of us could complete the scavenger hunt but I was the only one to find the proper exit, so I WIN!!! I also got eaten alive by mosquitoes and covered in mud. A good day over all.

We then headed to Jason and Sam`s cabin in Riding Mountain National Park for the night. It was super nice of them to let us stay there and a very nice place. We finally got to just sit and relax and enjoy a beer. Thanks guys!!

Day Three

We got a later wake up call this morning (which is nice) siince we are only travelling from Kenora to Winnipeg this morning. We are going to Winnipeg to see the basilica and Louis Riel's tomb. We're going to pop into the Winnipeg market as well, its supposed to be pretty good. Then we are going to a giant corn maze! its called 'A Maze in Corn' ... get it? Get it?? Anyways, it will probably be hilarious and I am looking forward to it!

After that, we are heading to Sam's cabin. Its in Riding Mountain National Park and she is so amazing for letting us stay there! It means one less expensive hotel we have to stay in, which I am very grateful for. You're a doll!!