2010 Winnipeg 2 (Minneapolis to Winnipeg 7/16/2010)

Friday, July 16, 2010

After breakfast at the hotel, we hit the road early for a 4-hour drive to Fargo, ND. Our first stop was in the West Acres Shopping Center, a typical mall. One of the storefronts is the Roger Maris Museum. Maris is a humble hometown hero in Fargo, and he requested that if a museum were to be developed, it should be easily accessible to the public and be free of charge.

The museum was very nicely done. Maris is known for breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in one season in 1927 with 61 in 1961.

Brynne plays the Mix 'n' Match at the Museum:

We were ready for lunch at Kroll’s Diner. Food Network Magazine listed the best breakfast for every state in the U.S. and North Dakota’s was at Kroll’s Diner (http://www.sitdownandeat.com/). You have to check out the commercial’s done by the Kroll’s Girls, two elderly ladies who tell you to “Sit down and eat!”

They have several locations in ND, so we did not meet the ladies themselves. But we tried the Knoephla Soup, a hearty potato and dumpling soup.

We visited the Red River Zoo in Fargo, where our zoo pass gave us each a 50% discount on the $8.00 admission! A strange buffalo-shaped, tiger-painted creature greeted us at the entrance.

Six-banded Armadillos:

A trapper's cabin had viewing windows into the Gray Wolf Exhibit.

A female teal-winged duck?

Cat tails!

Peafowl chicks:

Black-tailed Prairie Dog exhibit:

Strange sprawling behavior:

How many stick insects do you see?

Meerkats:

Sichuan Takin (goat-antelope from Tibet):

On the road again for three more hours, following the Red River Valley north, through flat prairie and wheat and sugar beet fields. The only sunflowers we saw were stragglers along the edge of the road.

Entering Canada:

A statue of a North West Mounted Police Officer stood at the Manitoba Welcome Center.

The North West Mounted Police were the precursors to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

More flat prairie! Big sky!

Arrived in Winnipeg early enough to do some sightseeing. First the Royal Canadian Mint built in 1976 (Architect Etienne Gaboury):

The Manitoba Legislative Building (which we would call the State Capitol) is a Neo-classical project built in 1920 (Architects Frank Worthington Simon & Henry Boddinton, III):

Zooming in on the "Golden Boy" (officially the "Eternal Youth", 1918 by French sculptor Charles Gardet):

The Dalnavert Museum is located in the former home of the Canadian statesman Sir Hugh John Macdonald, a Queen Anne Revival house (1895, Architect Charles H. Wheeler) with a wrap-around porch and stained glass. It was the first house in Winnipeg to have indoor plumbing, electric lighting, and hot-water heating.

"The Forks" has been a meeting place for 6,000 years. Sitting at the confluence of the Assiniboine River and the Red River, it has been an important crossroads. The Forks Market is in the refurbished stables:

The 6-story Market Tower afforded views of the Forks Marina on the Assiniboine River:

and the former Johnston Cold Storage Terminal, now housing shops and restaurants:

After dinner at the Muddy Waters BBQ restaurant (Winnipeg is Cree for "muddy water"), we explored the area a bit. A "Prairie Garden":

The Oodena Celebration Circle:

The celebration circle pays homage to the indigenous peoples of the area.  Oodena is Cree for "center of the city" and it features sculptures, a sundial, a naked eye observatory, and a ceremonial fire pit. Those swooping poles have sights to observe specific stars and constellations.

This one will show you "Leo".

An extensive Riverwalk follows both banks of both rivers in Winnipeg. Here is a footbridge from where we could see the Assiniboine River join the Red River:

Finally we checked into the Delta Winnipeg Hotel in downtown Winnipeg.

Next: 3. The Wedding.