9-23-17 to 9-25-17 Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba

Moving on to a new adventure

Saturday 9-23-17

After spending 11 days in Saskatchewan Canada we moved on to Manitoba Canada. The campgrounds in Canada are closing for the season, most are already closed and by Oct 9th they will all be closed. 

As we were leaving Duck Mountain Provincial Park in Saskatchewan we dumped our tanks and filled the water tank. Our plan was to go about 50 miles to Duck Mountain Provincial Park in Manitoba, We drove 16 miles and the road turned to gravel so we decided not to go there, instead we decided to go to Riding Mountain National Park. We were planning to go there in a few days anyways. From where we turned around it was 145 miles away. That was ok we weren't in any hurry.

As we drove to Riding Mountain National Park we saw a few farmfields but they were more rolling hills than the ones we have been seeing. We saw a lot of trees full of fall colors. The roads were all two lane highways. Some were rougher then others. We stopped on the way and had lunch in the Minnie. 

When we got to the main entrance of Riding Mountain National Park there were no one manning it. We were headed to Wasagaming campground which was 33 miles across the park. The drive was very nice with a lot of beautiful forest scenery. We saw signs saying to watch for moose and we actually saw a cow and a calf on the side of the road. No one was behind us so we stopped and took pictures. When we started to move on the Minnie spooked the calf and it started to run but it didn't want to get too far away from mom. The mom didn't care and she kept eating the grass. The road was rough and at places they were working om the road. One place we had to stop and wait. It was a very nice drive to the campground.

Moose along the road

When we got to the campground we checked in at the gate. The gentleman manning the gate was very friendly and helpful. He explained where the hiking trails were. It's a big campground so Larry asked him to assign a site for us. It's a great site right by the bathroom. The bathrooms aren't heated but they do have showers. The campground is a couple of blocks away from Wasagaming. 

Camping in Riding Mountain National Park

Once we setup the Minnie we decided to walk to town. It's a quaint little town with shops, restaurants and a Visitor Center. We walked around town for about an hour. We walked through a few of the shops to see what they had to offer. We didn't buy anything but it was nice to walk through the shops. 

By the time we got back to the site it was time for dinner. After dinner I walked around the campground for an hour to get my 15,000 steps. Then we spent the rest of the evening reading and relaxing. We had another great day.

Rainy Day

Sunday 9-24-17

We didn't do too much today. The rain came in around midnight and stayed around the whole day. Larry and I spent the day inside bundled under a blanket reading a book. Around 3:00 the rain let up so Larry and I went for an hour walk around the campground. We walked through the full hookups part of the campground. When we got the bathrooms we checked to see if they were heated and they were. Then we walked around the no power sites. We continued walking around areas that were closed for the season. As we walked we saw some cool tent like cabins that you can rent. Each tent cabin had a gas heater and they also had a charcoal grill. While walking it started to sprinkle again so we looked around to see the fastest way back to our site. There is a bike trail that goes through the campground so we ended up taking it. It went through the trees so that protected us from the rain. Even though it rained all day and it didn't get out of the 40's we still had a good day. 

It's my birthday

Monday 9-25-17

Today is my birthday. I'm a year older and having a great time. My day was outstanding. 

We started the day with overcast skies but the rain was gone. The temperature was in the low 40's and is not going to be out of the low 50's. We couldn't do any hiking yesterday so we made up for it today.

After breakfast we went on a five mile hike. We started the hike from the campground to the town of Wasagaming. It was early and it's Monday so the street were very quiet. We walked through town to Clear Lake to the Lakeshore Hiking Trail. As we walked around the day area of the lake. We saw a cute little miniature golf course, tennis courts, rentals for paddle boats, the marina, the playground and a gazebo. The trail went along the banks of Clear Lake and through the trees. As walked through the trees we saw beautiful fall colors. The fall season is really short, they normally have snow before the middle of October. The trail itself was very easy to hike. At places it was a little challenging because of the tree roots and small hills. The trail took us to where people launch their boats. There was no wind so the lake was very smooth. When we got to where the trail goes to the marsh area we took the Ominnik Marsh Trail, it was a 1.18 mile loop. We took a floating boardwalk through the marsh. While walking the boardwalk there were a few places to stop and read about the marsh and its ecosystem. As we walked the boardwalk we saw a ferret running down the boardwalk and looking over the side of it. It looked like he was trying to figure out how to get off the boardwalk. After doing the boardwalk we took the Lakeshore Trail back to town. When we got to the boat ramp we rested a little bit. Then we continue our hike to town. 

The gazebo

The cute miniature golf course

The hiking trail we hiked

A view of the marsh from the boardwalk

Larry on the boardwalk

Once in town we decided to stop and get ice cream considering it was my birthday. We stopped in at the Lakehouse. When we were walking through town the other day we saw people eating ice cream cones. They were coming out of the Lakehouse. It was 11:30 and we thought maybe the Lakehouse would have sandwiches but they didn't. They only serve ice cream, coffee and pastries. Lakehouse is a motel and ice cream parlor. They had a lot of different flavors of ice cream. We decided to get a scoop of Birthday Party and Blackberry. They were both delicious, Larry liked the blackberry and I liked the Birthday Party. After having ice cream we walked around the town and looked at the homes. There were a lot of pretty homes and cabins. We had a very peaceful hike through the trees.

Celebrating my birthday with Birthday Party Ice Cream

Lakeside

We rested for a couple of hours and then we went on another five mile hike. The trail started in town but not in the center of town. We hiked the Lakeshore Trail to the bay, which was 2.25 miles long one way. We started hiking the trail on a pathway by some of the local homes. Then we took stairs down to the shores of Clear Lake. This trail is also a bike trail. As we hiked the trail we saw people riding their bikes and other people just walking like us. When we got to the end of the trail we took a path that went to a parking lot. By the parking area there was a bike trail which was black topped. We walked about a half mile of it  As we were walking it we met a lady and her chocolate lab. He was very friendly We also saw a few people riding their bikes. After walking a half mile we turned around and headed back to the campground. As we were walking back the sun came out and it started to rain. It was weird because the sun was out at the same time as it was raining. We had a great hike.

By the time we got back to the Minnie we were exhausted. We rested for a little bit.Then we walked over and took a shower. The showers weren't heated but the water was nice and warm. After our showers we spent the evening relaxing and reading. I had a great birthday.