Day 31 - Winnipeg Rest Day

137.7 km - Total so far 2,681.03 km - Rest day

After our lovely continental breakfast at EconoLodge, Hélène and I carried on with separate tasks. Hélène headed off to the laundromat and I went outside to dry and waterproof our tent. The tent could not have been wetter had I soaked it in the tub overnight. The fun part about drying a tent downtown is all the comments you get from passer by. A lady waiting for the bus wanted to know what I was setting the tent in aide of. Another gentleman asked if it took that long to catch a bus. Two gentlemen told me it was not a good place to set up a tent,  with one suggesting I find a bush. I was happy to finally pack up my newly waterproofed tent and head inside after 2 hours.

Where not to set up your tent

With the tent and laundry done, Hélène and I cycled towards Valour Road. On the way there, we came across a huge mural of an elderly gentleman and his bicycle. The mural was painted in memory of Walter Zielke Ruesch (Zoohky).

Mural of John Hjollason Winnserv

A little while later, we made it to the North end of Valour Road. As we cycled down South, we could not help but notice how well kept the houses and lawns were on that street. There seemed to be a particular pride of ownership that we had not observed on Spruce St (just before Valour Road). As we reached Sergeant St, we came across the mural of the 3 Victoria Cross winners that all lived on the 700 block of the then Pine Street. The City of Winnipeg changed the name to Valour Road in 1925. There is also a nearby park with a memorial dedicated to these three individuals. 

Mural of the three Victoria Cross winners: Sgt.-Maj. Frederick William Hall, Lt. Robert Shankland and Cpl. Lionel B. Clarke

After Valour Road, we got back to the hotel and got ready for our pedestrian segment of our 'rest day'. We took a taxi to the Forks and walked around the shopping mall set up in former rail yard horse barns. We then took a short boat cruise down the Assiniboine and then the Red River. The Forks area is significant in that it is the junction of two major rivers and a meeting ground for First Nations. After the cruise, we crossed the river and headed to St-Boniface to visit the largest French-Canadian population outside of Quebec. A very brief walk in St-Boniface and we were now heading to the Exchange District of Winnipeg.

What is left of St Boniface Cathedral after the fire

Hotel de Poste (Post Office) St - Boniface

Oldest building in Winnipeg is actually in St - Boniface

Human Rights Museum

In the early 1900s, Winnipeg was a fast growing and thriving community. Many sea travellers from Europe would get off the ship in Halifax, board the train, stop in Winnipeg for a bit, back on the train to Vancouver and then get on a boat and sail to the Orient. There was plenty of money and much of it went into building. There are many large buildings built in the Chicago style of architecture near the core of Winnipeg. Unfortunately, things started slowing in 1915 when the Panama Canal opened and ships could sail directly to the Orient. There was practically no new large scale construction for the next 50 years. These old buildings are found in the Exchange district of Winnipeg and their numbers really give you the impression you are travelling back in the time. This district was also extensively used by Hollywood when they want to recreate Chicago of the 1920s.We also walked the former headquarters of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM), founded in 1922 by a local gentleman from Winnipeg, MJG McMullen.

A dinner circa 1915

The Birks building 

Lombard Street next to Birks building

Re-use of old building fronts in new construction, Red River College

Bank of Montreal, Portage and Main

Still smiling after almost 5 weeks of pedalling...the racoon look is not nearly as noticeable anymore

We have not yet determined what our objective is for tomorrow but lets just say we will be that much closer to Ontario,

One of you asked how one eats with the bug suit on. There is a horizontal zipper at the front of the suit just above the chest. We don't know if we will be able to keep mosquitoes out as we feed ourselves. A question begging to be answered.

Thank you Pauline for suggesting the Forks and St-Boniface, we really enjoyed Winnipeg and could have spent more time.  We will explore Winnipeg some more during another trip.

85.56 miles - Total so far 1,665.91 miles