winnipeg

Before I left Winnipeg, I saw the Royal Canadian Mint—unfortunately, it was on a Saturday, so they weren’t actually running much of the machinery. But I did learn that the mint accepts commissions from other countries to mint their coinage, and they actually turn something of a profit on it—probably the only government department that is actually doing this. Currently they were producing coinage for Ghana, as well as Canadian money. I also learned that there is no adhesive in a toonie; the only thing that keeps the inner part of the coin tight in the centre is pressure. Regrettably but understandably, they won’t let you take photos of any of the machinery, so I’ve got nothing from there.

But then I went on to Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, and one of those cities whose names definitely belong on that list of words that sound dirty but aren’t. The building of the Saskatchewan Legislature is actually quite impressive; there were no fewer than four wedding parties taking photos in the gardens on the grounds and inside the building. On the other hand, there were only two people besides me on the tour, so we kind of felt like we had the whole building to ourselves, except we really didn’t.

From Regina, it was on to Moose Jaw, which is definitely up amongst the cities with the silliest names on the planet. Disappointingly, there is no moose jaw in Moose Jaw. However, there are plenty of really nice locals and surprisingly delicious restaurants. But other than that…there’s not really that much.

Remember to check out the full photo gallery. Next stop, Edmonton!

The weather today was pretty awful all nine hours of the way from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg. I managed to avoid all six independent tornado warnings for the area, but in exchange it was pretty much constant rain and hail. Also, Ontario goes on forever. I thought I was done with Ontario as of Thunder Bay, but Ontario simply just won’t stop. (However, to relieve the monotony, I saw a mommy moose with her kiddie moose by the side of the road this morning. That was special.) But finally Ontario did stop, and the highway turned into a proper divided highway rather than the two-lane undivided 90 kph limit road with the twists and turns that it had been for the last several days. What a relief. Once I finally got to town, also, the weather turned nice and pleasant and I took a marvellous walk downtown to The Forks. (Remember to visit the full photo gallery.)

Three interesting markers were passed today: that I was entering the Central Time Zone, that I was passing the exact longitudinal centre of Canada (just outside of Winnipeg), and that I had entered the Arctic Watershed—the other continental divide, past which every river flows north into the Arctic Ocean.

Next stop: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. I hope there is a moose jaw!