Day 45-49: Rest in Winnipeg, Man.

Da Peg (AKA Swaggerville)

Bev (Katie's friend's Mom) has been so kind to Dylan, Katie and Myself during our extended stay. She opened up her home in a beautiful area of Winnipeg and made us all feel like we were her children. I didn't mention, though, that this was the first time any of us had met her, but some people are like family right from the moment you meet them; she is one of those people.

During our stay in here in Winnipeg we did lots of walking, biking, driving around, watching TV, relaxing. We took a ton of photos between us all and stayed up way too late every night. Walking around downtown was a highlight of the stay here. We visited a place called Osbourne Village, which was like a mecca for young, alternative people. There was a community garden, a clothing swap place where I picked up a snazzy button-up shirt, and a wicked pizza shop. The city is full of great architecture and there is a lot of culture - probably around 10 theaters, several museums, a CFL football team and now the long awaited return of the Winnipeg Jets! I guess the season tickets for the Jets were all sold within 5 minutes of going on sale. Now there are only about 2000 seats that are available for walk up patrons, but I imagine the wait to see the games will be brutal.

On Saturday we all watched the funeral for Jack Layton on TV. It was beautiful and the eulogies made me tear up, laugh, and think long and hard about what it was that this man represented.

I spent some time biking through Assiniboine Park and throughout the city - seeing what there is to see and enjoying the quickness of my bike when it is unloaded. On our last night Bev took us out for icecream at this 55 year old icecream stand by the Red River. We ended up staying a lot longer than anticipated because Dylan's rear wheel was a write off and needed to be replaced and the "bike shop" (I won't name names, MEC) was taking their sweet time fixing it. Anyway, Tuesday is here and we are all set to get back on the road tomorrow. I'm supposed to meet my brother, Shawn, in Regina Friday night or Saturday, so I've got some serious ground to cover.

Wish me luck!