Winnipeg

We are camped a good 20 minutes east of downtown Winnipeg so it’s a bit of a drive into town on roads that are under construction.  But the center of the city is right on the Red River and the Assiniboine River with a community gathering place called “The Forks”. It is filled with shopping, museums, cafes, restaurants and a large park decorated with sculptures.  A converted train station is a shopping and dining mall.  The center of the park is a circular plaza with special arms pointing to the sky and directing the eye to various constellations.

After exploring the business district and looking for a nice restaurant for dinner we settled on an French place that served delicious small plate meals.  

We also toured the Canadian Mint where they make not only Canadian coins but also coins for over 40 other nations around the world. No photographs were allowed.

Bonanzaville

Today we had a history lesson about life in Fargo and North Dakota by visiting a reconstructed village with about 40 buildings filled with artifacts from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. All the original homes had been moved to Bonanzaville and some buildings had been rebuilt on the property.  There were 4 or 5 large shed filled with cars, planes, tractors, trains and farm equipment.

We visited a one room schoolhouse, a Lutheran Church, a fire station and police station.  There were several stores, a phone company building, a barber shop, and of course, a saloon with rooms to rent upstairs.  Every single house, building or shop was filled with artifacts.

Hjemkomst

Fargo ND is across the Red River from Moorhead MN where the Viking ship Hjemkomst (pronounced ‘yam-komst’) is located.  

Here’s the story.  In 1972 a gentleman of Norse ancestry had a dream to build an authentic Norse Viking ship from the 1400’s.  Over the next 10 years he made that dream come true. In 1982 12 men and one woman set sail from Duluth MN through the Great Lakes and down to New York City.  One man decided to go home to his family, the remaining 12 headed out into the Atlantic Ocean headed for Norway.  They made it to Norway in about 3 months and then sailed along the coastline to Oslo where the boat stayed for about 2 years before being shipped back to Fargo.

Included in this museum is an authentic Stave Church.  The foundation of the building is built on pillar like staves pounded into the ground.  Without the stone foundation the staves would eventually rot but the stone carry the water away so they stay solid.  The roof is created with angled slats and the interior has no seating as the people were required to stand for the services.  The small apse has pictures of Christ’s life because most people could not read so a story was told with pictures.

Leading Up to a Summer in Canada

Our annual family camping trip happened two weeks late this year since Erin moved into her new house over Memorial weekend.  We had three beautiful days together in Prairie Creek Campground on Beaver Lake playing in the woods, boating and swimming.  Pam had her science projects, RJ smoked a pork roast, the kids built a “fort” lean-to, explored the woods and had a great time playing together.  

After the two families went home, John and I stayed an extra day so we could visit Crystal Bridges Museum in Rogers, AR. It was an enjoyable day.

The detour to Norman to see Erin’s new house was worth the drive.  They have done a great job planning and designing their country home. Once all the boxes are put away they will have a very comfortable home.

It was a long two day drive to Sioux Falls where we picked up our mail and enjoyed several good meals. This town has a plethora of fine dining establishments. Sioux Falls also has a well developed bikeway that circles the downtown and Falls Park. The ride was over 22 miles but we stopped halfway around to eat at a Chick-fil-A, we being maybe the only 2 people who had never eaten at one.