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Travel Log: Day 4

I just want to thank everyone before I start off about my day for the blog comments I have been receiving so far. I really enjoy reading them and it’s good to know that my fan base is growing as fast as my beard =)

On today’s agenda: another day in the car whooppeee! I almost feel like a trucker. Thinking we had a long day ahead of us, we woke up at 6h00 (AST) to be on the road by 7h30-8h00, after we shower, gas up and grab some b’fast.

"Balmoral Ave. in Thunder Bay"

We hit the road before the sun rose and cruised right along Hwy 17 in very minimal traffic. The landscape was basically the same as yesterday for the first couple hours of the trip: long straight roads, wooded areas and barely any houses except when we drove by small communities. The car ride did become more interesting after we drove through Dryden because we started driving on a mountainous landscape: windy roads, big hills, cliffs and everything else except mountain goats. We didn’t stop as much as we did yesterday because in the end, everything ends up looking very similar to each other.

"Don't drive off the edge!"

"Desert Storm Leading the Pack as usual"

We grabbed lunch in Kenora and had an encounter with native Indians. They were pretty messed up telling us all kinds of nonsense stories and ended up bumming us for a couple of bucks in the end. Some things don’t change much across the country after all hahaha!!! To our surprise we ended in Manitoba sooner than we anticipated this morning and got a glimpse of what the plains look like; everything suddenly went flat about 30km outside Winnipeg.

"Watch out for the Bisons"

"Manitoba Skies"

So now the warning signs changed from moose to deer and bears now and we finally went back to a 4-lane highway (the highway had been a 2 lane highway since leaving Ottawa). Some interesting we noticed about Manitoba highway system is that they don’t have on and off ramps like we usually see in New Brunswick - and everywhere I can think off actually. Instead every is wide open and people just cut in and out to the back roads. We also drove through the Longitudinal Center of Canada (approx. 96° 45° 55° or something like that).

We drove in the west side of Winnipeg at around 4h00 (AST) and checked in a much better hotel room than the night before; no smelly room this time. After a short break, Road Hammer and I went out for some supper and a little drive downtown Winnipeg. After driving around for like 20 minutes, we knew Winnipeg in and out with all the little roads and one-ways and the mass amount of traffic. Winnipeg is kind of like Fredericton with its useless 1-ways at the most awkward locations but with roads 4 lanes wide, each way. We tried to find the old Winnipeg Center where the Jets used to play but we couldn’t find it. I think it might have been taken down already. We did drive in front of the MTS Center and Canad Inns Stadium where the Blue Bombers play (CFL). Here are a few pics off Winnipeg to finish things off. I am super tired and my brain is about to shut off, good nightand enjoy the NHL season opener!

"Shiny Skyscraper in W'peg"

"Winnipeg Train Station"

"Home of the Blue Bombers"

"MTS Center, home the of Manitoba Moose (AHL)"

Distance Traveled: 800km