{"id":6334,"date":"2017-09-07T14:39:56","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T14:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cncadventures.com\/?p=6334"},"modified":"2018-03-04T15:02:55","modified_gmt":"2018-03-04T15:02:55","slug":"never-promised-sculpture-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cncadventures.com\/?p=6334","title":{"rendered":"I Never Promised You a Sculpture Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thursday September 7, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Beautiful Dahlia<\/p><\/div>\n

We enjoy another nice breakfast in our hotel before checking out. We start our day with a short drive to the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. Leo Mol was born in the Ukraine in 1915 and moved to Canada in 1948. He sculpted in bronze for over 40 years and donated many of his pieces to the city. The sculpture garden is beautiful not only for the statues but the many plants and flowers surrounding the paths. Quite a few are still in bloom and there are some impressive dahlias here. It is a nice relaxing start to our day before our 3 hour drive to Riding Mountain National Park.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Historic East Gate<\/p><\/div>\n

We slowly leave the city of Winnipeg and its suburbs behind and enter back into the farm belt of Manitoba. The drive is mostly flat farmland so it is not especially scenic but it is easy driving. As we get closer to the park, we can see the Manitoba Escarpment which lies within its boundaries. It is also known as the Pembina Hills and rises 500-1200 feet above the Red River valley. It is a stark contrast to the flatness that surrounds it. We turn west onto a road that enters the park through its historic old east gate.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Katherine Lake<\/p><\/div>\n

Once inside the park, we turn off onto a dirt road that leads to a small picnic area where we have lunch. After lunch, we soon realize how much we have climbed as we get views of the surrounding farmland. We have now entered a forest of aspen and birch as we enjoy our scenic drive. We turn onto another side road that leads to Katherine Lake and take a break to stretch our legs. There is a campground here but not a single site is occupied as we are officially off season in Canada. It is one of the more rustic campgrounds in the park which may also have something to do with it. The lake is beautiful and after a short walk, we are ready to continue our drive towards the south entrance at Wassagaming and then to our BNB.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Just Another Red Chair<\/p><\/div>\n

We reach the town of Wassagaming which by all accounts is within the park boundaries but there are private homes and businesses here. We stop at the park visitor center and take a picture of Carol sitting in yet another famous red chair. The ranger gives us some nice tips for a hike tomorrow and some possible places to spot moose. We learn that this park has an amazing diversity of wildlife considering it is an island in a sea of farmland. The animals here include elk, moose, bison, bears, wolves, fox, coyotes and various other smaller mammals and birds. We drive another 10 miles south to the Honeycomb BNB where we will spend the next two nights. The owner gives us a recommendation for dinner and after unpacking we head just up the street to Barnaby\u2019s Grill. It is a small place with no frills d\u00e9cor but the prices are reasonable. We both order rib dinners and the portions are large when they arrive at the table. After dinner, we decide to drive back into the park in the hopes of spotting some moose. We drive slowly for about 20 miles with no luck. We stop at the Kippans Mill Trailhead and decide to do a short hike while we wait for dusk to get closer. It is about a mile loop and then we start on our return drive. We crane our necks and focus on every pond and clearing but once again, the Canadian Moose proves elusive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Another Moose<\/p><\/div>\n

We make another stop and decide to hike the Boreal Trail, a ,75 mile loop that skirts the boreal forest and a wetland area. The time of day is perfect for wildlife, but the only moose we see is on the interpretive sign near the trail head. We just have not been successful in the wildlife department on this trip. We do manage to catch a beautiful sunset over Clear Lake and stop for a few pictures before returning to the BNB for the night. Tomorrow we will explore the park further and see where that takes us.<\/p>\n\n\t\t